Green Jolene and the Backyard Bees is written by an author I have enjoyed reading over the years. This author is Wendy Mass. And while they have had a few different ages and have written a few different genres, their more realistic stories are fun. And when Mass collaborates with illustrator Billy Yong you get an interesting combination of realistic story, art and modern feelings. Yet, there is also a classical, family friendly feeling as well. This mixture works for today’s readers aged at least six to around young 10 readers.
Due in March 2026 this sequel to Green Jolene: Green Jolene and the Neighborhood Swap. In that book, our heroine Jolene is a Mean Green Machine. She loves helping keep the environment safe, her family and friends happy and having a good time. She also loves having big ideas that sometimes can get her in over her head. And that’s true for Backyard Bees, too. We find out how bees help the environment, how friendships grow and how working together can make a difference in really big ways. It is a nice story, with a few “oh no!” moments of problems, but nothing is scary or unable to be solved.
Sometimes Jolene is a bit too rambunctious for this reader, but overall she has a good heart, and is fun to know. Her stories are a delightful environmental series for kids, but we adults can laugh along with. And we can get a few tips for our own carbon footprint reductions and how to make pollinator-friendly gardens.
Read via an online reader copy