Florian and Lou are best friends. Lou is the bravest girl Flo knows. The two of them discover that nature has lost its bees, how terrible. But why, what has happened? This is the starting point for Undine Westphal, a passionate beekeeper, to introduce the topic of bees with an exciting story. As an experienced school beekeeper, she knows how to captivate children, namely with adventures and knowledge. The little heroes of the novel look for bees everywhere. They learn all about their benefits and their way of life. Unfortunately, they also learn how humans, in their greed, have abused, exploited and wiped out the bees. Nevertheless, there is hope, because there may be a lead to where bees could still live. A boy has blabbed that he knows the taste of honey - but honey is also extinct! So how could he know what honey tastes like? That's suspicious. Can Florian and Lou find the last living honey bees? At the end, Undine Westphal summarizes the facts for the reading children and dedicates her last chapter, garnished with pretty photos, to the life of bees and beekeeping. Ages 9 and up.

Gilbert Brockmann