Bee & Flea and the Compost Caper

Bee and Flea #1

by Anna Humphrey, Mike Deas (Illustrator)

Unlikely bug buddies bring the science of compost heaps to life

Bee is spending another beautiful, boring day pollinating flowers in the backyard when a visitor named Flea gallops onto the scene on a dog’s back. Flea is the one and only agent of the Fenced-in-Area Law Enforcement Agency (the F.L.E.A. for short) and she’s heard about trouble in the compost heap: it’s erupted into a wild frenzy, and Flea needs to investigate. Enlisting Bee in the investigation, the pair flies off to the scene of the crime, where they discover compost critters dancing, slime surfing, and playing games of dodge-poo. But is there more to this compost chaos than meets the eye?

This hilarious hop through the compost heap is the first book in a primary chapter book series featuring Bee and Flea. Lively black and white illustrations bring the crime-fighting team to life, while stealthy, accessible STEM content introduces readers to the tiniest composting creatures and how they make backyards bloom.

Genres: Chapter Books

120 pages, Hardcover

Published April 18, 2022

About the author

Anna Humphrey is the author of Rhymes with Cupid (HarperTeen, 2010), Mission (Un)Popular (Disney/Hyperion Books for Children, 2011), Ruby Goldberg's Bright Idea (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2014) and Clara Humble & the Not-So-Super Powers (OwlKids Books, 2016)—all books for young readers. She lives in Kitchener, Ontario with her husband and kids.

Reviews

[Karen Parisot · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first in a new chapter book series for young readers. Imaginative plot about a bee and a flea teaming up to find out what has caused an uproar in the compost heap. Kids are going to be highly entertained by this humorous story and learn a few things too. Adorable illustrations and a couple of activities at the back of the book are an added bonus.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Owlkids Books through NetGalley.
Humphrey's new series introduces two unlikely characters who become friends by the end of the story. Bee is bored with moving from flower to flower all the time so pauses. Flea is trying to make the dog go where they want it to but it is not working. The two meet and Bee decides that being Flea's driver for F.L.E.A official business sounds like more fun than pollen gathering. Together, they head for the compost heap and meet an entire ecosystem Bee didn't realize was there. Readers are introduced to composting and the many types of animals that work together for this to happen. Humphries makes the entire process fun and includes humor at all stages. She also offers a quiz for readers to learn more at the end of the story along with their very own F.L.E.A. badge.
Great for mid-elementary readers. Looking forward to more adventures of Bee and Flea.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

First chapter book. Bee is out pollinating flowers, when a voice startles her. She eventually realizes it is a flea on a dog's back. Flea recruits Bee to fly her to the compost pile, as the dog is not great at following directions. Once there, Flea shares some magic glasses so Bee can see all of the creatures living and working in the compost pile. Initially Bee is a bit disgusted at all of the poop, but then realizes that it smells familiar... like soil.

I like the idea of going into a compost pile and seeing the life within, but this book missed the mark for me. Flea is very annoying, and the drinking the dog's blood from a straw grossed me out. There are some scientific terms used here, mainly animal names (Arachnid, rotifer, pseudocoelomate) but the term magnifying or microscope is never used in terms of Bee's glasses.

Might be fun for kids who like poop humor or are curious about decomposition and composting.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bee is tired of doing the same thing every day, so when Flea storms through the yard, she is enlisted to help F.L.E.A. (Fenced-in-Area Law Enforcement Agency) figure out what's wrong in the compost heap. It's about a compost heap, so it's got the gross factor for kids looking for it, like poop, slime, and rotten food. It's similar to the goofy humor in Inspector Flytrap and Didi Dodo, Future Spy. Also a step-up for fans of Donut Feed the Squirrels, Fly Guy, and The Unlimited Squirrel series. There is a lot of information about insects and composting and a longer length than other first chapter books, so it's more for 2nd graders. I liked the quiz at the end spun as a way to test if the reader could be a F.L.E.A. agent, but it also works as a comprehension check. While there are other STEAM chapter books, this one doesn't remind me of those beyond having STEAM in it. Good, just not the type of chapter book I enjoy. Too gross, which could be perfect for others.

[Bozhena Levine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the Owlkids Books and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this wonderful book. This funny book with a focus on STEM (compost and how it works) and great characters (Bee and Flea) is a first book in the new Bee and Flea series. Flea is the only agent of the Fenced-in-Area Law Enforcement Agency (F. L. E. A.). She heard about the trouble in the compost heap and comes to investigate. She enlists the Bee, who up to that moment had an ordinary boring day pollinating dandelions, and the adventure ensues.
I believe this book is suitable for mid-elementary age children and am sure that they would enjoy the quiz at the end of the book and their own FLEA badge. I really enjoyed the humor, which made the story move along. Can’t wait for the next adventure of Bee and Flea

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fun romp with some silly characters doing things that are rather out of the ordinary for a bee and flea. This book also teaches all about composting and the insects and invertebrates that help that process.

I liked the tone of the book--it definitely felt like it could be read aloud to a lower elementary class and get some great laughs. It also tackled yucky topics in a silly way that kind of panders to the silly 6-9 year olds imagination.

This book perplexes me--it is written in a font that looks like an early-reader type of font (except the 'a' looks like this instead of the handwritten version) but has words that are well beyond an early-reader level. The font just isn't nice and doesn't match the style of the book itself.

This is a short, fun, read that I might consider as a read-aloud option for my 6-9 year olds class.

[Kay S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a bit of two minds about this book. on the one hand I can see the interest for something like this: a gross but informative book about composting and the critters that help. On the other I found this overly long for an early chapter book and some of the vocabulary was a bit much. The disconnect from the cover to the content is also a bit of a shock: the cover is an adorable illustration of some bug and the inside is very much full of poop... It's hard to pin down as to who I would recommend this title to.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some good things here about the composting and pollination cycles and kids who like bugs and worms will dive right in. I thought Bee was a cute character and Flea is a good representation of an overly bossy kid, but there are quite a few creepy crawlies, so squeamish kids beware!

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can Flea and Bee solve the mystery of the chaos in the compost heap? Very silly, very gross (rotting fruit, poop-tossing, etc), and the solution is actually fact-based. This would make a good Hi-Lo read.

[JoAnne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advanced readers copy through OwlBooks.
This would be a perfect early chapter book for kids who’s family actively gardens and/or keeps a compost pile! Or for any kid interested in the powers of poop.
Clearly the first book in a new series, Bee meets Flea, who is an agent of F.L.E.A. and they must investigate a disturbance in the pile of rotting vegetables in their yard. Many shenanigans ensue!

[Connie T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bee is bored pollinating all the dandelions so she's happy to join Flea to investigate the commotion at the compost heap. Using special glasses supplied by Flea, Bee is able to see all the miniscule creatures who feed on plant waste. At first Bee is disgusted by all the rot, decay, and resulting poop. Then she realizes the creatures are busy producing soil.

This early chapter book is basically a science lesson told in story form.

[Melinda Bender · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bee and Flea are working together to help keep the ecosystem at the compost bin in working order. There seems to be a lot of strange behavior going on at the compost and Bee needs to find out why. Cute story.