Introduction by Rebekah Lovato Piatte, Children's Editorial Director, Tiny Torch Books

A.A. Milne asserted that “you never can tell with bees.” That classic quote illustrates the often mysterious nature of the humble, but illustrious bee. So, I was especially interested in helping debut author Carly Kremer uncover some of that mystery as she created a fictional mythos behind the very non-fictional concept of pollination in this new picture book. Lovingly dubbed “the bee book” around the office, this rhythmic story takes an interesting twist on STEM content. 

Carly’s passion for sustainable beekeeping and all things “bee” is contagious. And growing up with Winnie the Pooh myself, and then passing that love on to my young son, I’ve been surrounded by fictional honeybees for a while. It was definitely time to dive into the science of these amazing creatures. I’m excited for this book to find its way into little hands, teaching them gently about an important concept and helping them develop a love of bees for themselves. 

An Interview with Carly Kremer, Author of Little Bee and the Bloom

A friend in bees is a friend indeed, especially if you’re a lonely flowering plant needing to spread pollen far and wide so that other flowers can also bloom bright and bold. This, of course, is the pollination dance, and in Carly Kremer’s stunning new picture book Little Bee and the Bloom, children of all ages will come to understand why it plays such an important role in our bountiful, green earth.

Fresh off a glowing review in Foreword’s September / October issue, we asked Executive Editor Matt Sutherland to connect with Carly for a conversation.

Of creatures large and small, bees may be the most important player in how our green earth stays fertile and life giving. Of course, we’re alluding to the fact that bees pollinate an extraordinary percentage of the fruit, vegetables, nuts, and seeds we eat––in addition to pollinating countless plants that sustain other forms of life. What led you to write this very special love letter to bees? 

I’ve always been drawn to and fascinated by bees even before I knew they were so essential to our food system and the earth’s biodiversity. In college, I began beekeeping as a hobby and fell in love with how intelligent, complex, and sensitive bees are. I began learning more about the amazing ingredients bees produce in their hive. That experience led me to found Beekeeper’s Naturals, a company with the mission of bringing the healing power of the hive to everyone. So, I owe a lot to the bees. 

At Beekeeper’s, our mission is also to help save the bees through sustainable beekeeping, education, anti-pesticide advocacy, and supporting bee research through centers like the UC Davis Honey Bee Research facility. This book, Little Bee and the Bloom, is another way I can give back to the bees and help future generations understand their importance. I want to teach kids to love and respect bees, not be afraid of them. 

I’m not a children’s book author by training. But looking for books for my now two-year-old daughter, I couldn’t find anything that would teach her to love bees and give her an intro to pollination. I wanted something fun and sweet but also educational and rooted in science. So I figured, why not write one myself?! 

Early in the book, Little Bee meets a lonely flower who says he’s “tired of this empty ground and wish there were more flowers around!” But without being able to spread his pollen far and wide, the blooming flower isn’t able to help other flowers “bloom bright and bold.” So with her sticky legs, Little Bee devises a pollination plan. And the grateful flower offers Little Bee a big sip of nutritional nectar to keep her strong. This touching scene of sharing will certainly help children understand how symbiotic relationships work in nature, which, in turn, might inspire children—empathetically—to do their own part to help bees. Can you talk about some of the decisions you made in telling this story, all the while staying true to the natural world? 

I believe stories are such a powerful educational tool for kids. If they resonate with something emotionally, it will be so much more likely to stick with them for their entire lives. I still remember the stories of The Giving Tree or The Lorax––they just imprinted on me so clearly as a kid that they feel like a part of my belief system today. 

But I also knew about the role bees play in the environment. It’s such a pivotal and beautiful role. I wanted to tell the story of that role and bring it to life in characters. There is so much drama and beauty to find in nature. I just needed to see it through my daughter's eyes and have a little childlike imagination. 

As a mother, your biggest concern is the health and wellbeing of your child—and yet, climate change and other threats facing Mother Nature are causing millions of children—perhaps, your daughter—to be distressed. What words of advice do you have for the parents of children who may be anxiety ridden about threats to the planet? 

My advice to them is that the best thing you can do for anxiety is raising humans who are conscious of the beauty of the planet and humble about our role in it. I have that anxiety too––it’s impossible not to. But the way to channel it productively is to raise a generation of kids who will value the earth and be the change we need.

You must be thrilled with Katie Hunt’s artwork in the book. What was it like to work with her? 

Thrilled is exactly the right word! It’s so much better than I could have ever hoped for. I could see the vision vaguely in my mind, but Katie really brought it to life. I feel so lucky that she agreed to do the project. Her style is so unique and beautiful. In the best way, it reminds me of the illustrations in the books that I read as a kid. It’s beautiful in a strange and unexpected way. It perfectly encapsulates the power and beauty of the natural world. Plus, working with a fellow mom who also cares so much about how future generations will treat our planet made our collaboration so much deeper and more meaningful. 

Please tell us a little about life as a beekeeper and your work at Beekeeper’s Naturals, the health company you founded. 

Beekeeping has taught me so much. It’s taught me to be sensitive and patient. It’s taught me to have respect for the little things. I continue beekeeping to this day because I find there’s nothing like it to connect me to nature and ground me in my mind and body. 

I started Beekeeper’s Naturals because taking bee propolis completely transformed my health. I had an autoimmune condition that was not responding to medication no matter what I tried. When I began regularly taking propolis, it was the only thing that helped. Outside of the beekeeping community, not many people knew about propolis. That’s where the drive to start Beekeeper’s Naturals came from. I want others to have the same experience I did when I started using propolis––to feel healthier and be able to heal without chemicals and drugs that may have side effects. I want people to feel stronger, better, and healthier than they thought possible. 

Today, we sell one bottle of propolis every fifteen seconds and we have a whole range of natural health products using ingredients from the hive. My vision was to reinvent the medicine cabinet with clean, sustained solutions and give people everyday tools to feel as vibrant as they deserve to. I have and continue to be deeply involved in developing all our products and I’m proud of every one of them. 

But I’ve always wanted to use the company as a platform to bring awareness to protecting the bees and to doing things the right way. Plenty of people along the way have pushed us to cut corners or compromise both with supply chain and product quality, but that’s just not who we are. I’m proud that we have been able to set new standards for the industry and scale in a way that is respectful of the planet.

For years, colony collapse was a major concern for those of us who care about bees. Can you give us an update on how honeybees are doing in the US and around the world? 

It is still certainly a concern. Over the past two decades, beekeepers in North America have lost nearly 40 percent of their honey bee colonies each year on average due to factors like pesticides, habitat loss, climate change, and disease. Researchers have come to agree that it’s this combination of factors working together in a negative feedback loop to put bee populations at risk. Properly addressing any one of these factors can have a major impact on pollinator health. 

Right now I’m focusing on pesticides because it feels like the place where collective action can have the biggest and most immediate impact. 

What should consumers know when they purchase honey? Are some honeys better—from organic or biodynamic producers, for example—than others? 

This is a complicated question! When you see "organic" on bee products, it sounds reassuring. But an organic certification only covers what happens near the hive. Bees will forage for up to five miles so the organic land certification rarely covers the bees full path making it more of a marketing gimmick than a mark of cleanliness. Where the bees forage and what they’re exposed to in the surrounding environment dictates the product quality and the bee’s health. So for bee products, it’s not the best measure of purity, and I care far more about pesticide-free and regenerative beekeeping practices. At Beekeeper’s we practice third-party toxin testing on our product to ensure our customers and our bees are protected and receiving the highest quality nutrients. 

Further, both organic and biodynamic certifications are expensive. The Demeter biodynamic certification, in particular, charges an annual percent fee on goods sold in addition to all the extra costs for a beekeeper to get certified in the first place. So that presents a barrier to many small beekeepers who are doing things the right way. 

Where we’ve landed at Beekeeper’s Naturals is to do our own vetting. The beekeepers we work with have all the right practices. They don’t use synthetic pesticides, they don’t overharvest or artificially feed their bees. They use only natural honeycomb in their hives. Some of these beekeepers are organic, some don’t pay for the certification but carry out organic practices. And importantly all of our beekeepers and apiary’s are in remote locations without pesticide exposure and with strong biodiversity. We also test all our bee products for pesticides, toxins, pollutants, and heavy metals, and formulate all products to the EU standard which is more stringent. 

It’s very hard to do things right in the beekeeping space because pesticide use is so pervasive. We’ve spent a lot of years working on our supply chain and we are very proud of the network of regenerative apiary partners across the globe we get to build with. 

If there was one thing we could all do to make the world a more bee-friendly place, what would it be?

Plant a pollinator-friendly garden with your kids! It’s so much fun and so educational. I’m planting one with my daughter right now in our backyard. Even if you don’t have a yard, growing pollinator-friendly plants on your terrace or even your fire escape is such a beautiful activity. And when bees visit, it allows your kids to observe them up close. There’s nothing like that experience. 

I put together a whole “Save the Bees” toolkit that includes tips for planting a pollinator friendly garden. 

Are you working on another writing project? What's next for your talented pen? 

No other books planned yet! But I do write a lot about clean medicine, pesticides, and natural solutions to health on my Substack. Who knows? Maybe one of those articles will spark an idea for another children’s book!