Green Earth Book Award

Lionel lives in a Paris apartment building but loves keeping bees with his Aunt Celine at her farm outside the city. But when her bees start dying, how can he help?

The solution, he realizes, is in the rooftop gardens and window boxes of his apartment neighbors, representing a varied and continuously blooming array of flowers that the bees will love. Aunt Celine must bring her bees to Paris! But first he and his friends Alice and Samir must convince their skeptical neighbors and landlord, Mr. Dubi, that this is a good idea.

Adorned with Parisian skylines, Bees in the City is a love letter to the City of Light and a celebration of the can-do spirit of kids. Sarah McMenemy’s illustrations recall the Parisian magic of Madeleine. The book’s backmatter explores urban beekeeping and rooftop gardening in greater depth.

The daughter of Hungarian immigrants, ANDREA CHENG (1958–2015) married a son of Chinese immigrants, and her children’s books reflect her multicultural roots. These include the picture book Grandfather Counts, the YA novel Marika, the middle-grade story The Lace Dowry, her Anna Wang novels, and others. Tilbury House also published her picture book When the Bees Fly Home.

SARAH MCMENEMY (London, England) has illustrated several bestselling children’s books including Waggle, Jack’s New Boat, and Everybody Bonjours! A permanent public display of her art graces rail station platforms in London’s East End. She studied illustration in England and America and works internationally. Sarah holds great affection for Paris, where she lived for a time.