I received an electronic ARC from Storey Publishing through NetGalley.
Bell shows readers what raising bees is like on this farm in North Carolina. He uses Akeem and his father to share everything that happens in the yearly cycle of bee keeping. The illustrations and captions add to the informative text. Readers will feel they are standing with Akeem and observing the hives. Pictures and text about Sankofa Farms is included at the end. A perfect narrative for elementary level readers or those who want an introductory level book on beekeeping.

Akeem Keeps Bees! is a fun and educational book sure to each any young child about bee keeping. I appreciated the engaging illustrations that are part graphic novel, part picture book and how they really added to the reader's understanding of the text. For example, we can see an up close drawing of the pollen on the bees to understand this aspect better. A unique aspect of this book was how it went into a lot of detail yet was very accessible and that it was about a real life farm and the issue of food desserts. This would be a fantastic addition to any elementary classroom, school library, or public library. It would also be a great starting place for older children to learn about bees and bee keeping. Highly recommend!

I love that this book is based on a real family! Even as an adult this book was incredibly educational and super engaging. I think children will definitely be drawn to the fun text and images. The glossary and page guide at the end are a great addition to this book. Additionally, the photos at the end of the book of the real family is a wonderful touch.

The 'story' follows Akeem assisting his father with his beekeeping duties. Whilst I liked the book and cute illustrations, I'm not entirely sure to whom it is targeted? Is it to encourage younger children to want to start beekeeping? Or to engage children into understanding the importance of bees in the environment? I did enjoy the last few pages explaining about the real back story of Akeems dad and his reasons for setting up the farm. Very inspiring and long may it last.

"Akeem keeps bees" is an educative picture child book. The book takes you to the farm to understand how the honey is made of the bees. The kids can learn about bees, their family, and their metamorphosis. Can learn how the bees survive in winter.Can learn how to take the honey from the hive. Can you learn who has superpowers? "The winter bees." My children love this book because they love the honey a lot in the tea and cookies with honey. I really enjoyed reading this book from NetGalley!

I thought that this was an excellent book!

I loved the illustrations in the book, they were brilliant.

The book is packed with details and information that teaches about Bees through how things work on a real life farm.

I liked the different perspectives that were used in the book too - it is perfect for its age range.

It is 5 stars from me for this one - very highly recommended!

It is very educational and extremely fun to read.
the characters are so relatable and beekeeping is explained so well that small kids can be engaged and stay interested throughout the book!
the illustrations are magnificent.

This was such an interesting book. Very educational- even for adults. The family pictures were such a nice touch and really made the book come to life - it’s not just a fictional story. It’s a real family sharing their story and serving their community in such a beautiful way. As an adult, for the first time, I finally understood how bees populate, pollinate and honey-create.

I think this book will pique the interest of young children to want green fingers. Planting & growing food of their own and has encouraged me to do the same with my little one as he grows older - there is so much learning and education involved.

Bravo for this book and for it setting an example to many, especially within our black community. I will definitely recommend as it’s a children’s book offering so much more than the usual typical topics.

Thanks so much to net galley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I never review children’s books but as a Ghanaian “Sankofa Farms” really caught my attention, prompting me to give it a read. And I am glad I did!

This is not a short read book that you can read for bedtime for small kids. But the content is reeking with information, facts and photos (or illustrations) that kids and adults will love. You might not be a big fan of bees this book will surely make you one.

What a darling book!!! My four kids absolutely loved this story. It was full of great knowledge and just so fun for kids. The illustrations were beautiful! Such a wonderful kids book

A fantastic book on raising bees, with fab illustrations, info-rich text, and terrific photos, plus a helpful glossary. Geared to readers 6-10 and adults like me who are intrigued by the year long look at a real life farm that specializes in bee rearing. It's an OwnVoices story too, which adds a much-needed perspective. Highly recommended!

Loved this book! It has beautiful illustrations and is a good mix of information and storytelling. As an aspiring beekeeper it was great to see how much information was share but in a kid friendly way. This will be great to use with my kids when we get to our gardening/beekeeping lessons.

What a perfect (and comprehensive!) introduction to beekeeping for this age!

Akeem and his father take us through a season of beekeeping at Sankofa Farms. I expected basic introductory information, but this book is so detailed! Everything from bee births and bearding to sugar water and swarming is covered alongside beautiful illustrations. Treating its readers with the respect and intelligence they deserve, this is a fascinating read. There's also such a sense of empathy throughout that I appreciate, as the questions Akeem asks (like what happens to bee colonies that don't survive the winter) are thoughts that many young kids will have in the process of beekeeping, and the facts are told truthfully but compassionately.

(Plus, it's just awesome to have representation of Black boy excellence in beekeeping! I'm so glad this book introduced me to Kamal Bell, his family, and their farms.)

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Through-the-year journey of bees and beekeeping, great insight.

I loved this. Akeem and his family have a farm, and this book focuses on their beekeeping - showing readers what thought and care goes into looking after these precious pollinators, and their life cycle through a year.

As an adult, I learnt a few things about their hives, habits and hazards. There's plenty of labelled illustrations and a good amount of detail for curious children of all ages and it feels like a realistic look at life for bees - sometimes they don't make it through the winter, for example.

Homes and schools could make a lot of use of this book.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

As a beekeeper/elementary librarian, I was excited to see a picture book about beekeeping packed with good information. There were a few issues with the speech bubbles having the correct text in them, but I assume that would be fixed in the final version. Thanks for letting me read it early!

The illustrations are great along with the actual real-life pictures at the end! The author explains step by step of farming and beekeeping. The vocabulary for explanations is perfect for this age range! My Pre-K class conducts studies on gardening and insects. I wouldn't read the whole book, just the most important parts. I do feel that the book was a little too long even for the age range. All of the concepts were covered but didn't necessarily have to have their own separate pages. I feel that some of the concepts could have been combined. The book was a great way to explain the importance of bees!

As a rural library serving a community filled with independent apiaries, small scale farms, and community pollinator gardens, this book is sure to be a hit with our families!

The cheerful illustrations, engaging photos, and graphic novel layout will appeal to younger readers, while the solid information and handy index will appeal to older readers who want to share "what my family does" with their friends and the community at large. Surprisingly comprehensive, this book pulls readers onto a small family farm and into the cycle of beekeeping across all four seasons, providing both a basic overview of bees and beekeeping and a more nuanced look at the challenges faced by the small scale farmer or beekeeper. A fantastic addition to any library, and a perfect book to bring along on a Farmers Market story time or as a highlight for a community garden or local pollinator program.