“Sophie Moon and the Honeybees” by Szilvia S. Jennings

Sophie Moon and the Honeybees

Szilvia S. Jennings
Independently Published (2026)
ISBN:  979-8257555039
Reviewed by Dawn Colclasure for Reader Views (08/2026)

When Sophie Moon arrives at her grandfather’s cabin for a five-day visit, she hopes the surprise he has for her is a puppy. Imagine Sophie’s surprise when she learns that it is not a puppy, but bees – specifically, a set of bees to put into a hive. In this delightful children’s book, Sophie Moon and the Honeybees by Szilvia S. Jennings provides an educational story about bees, as well as how we are sometimes like bees in how we live and interact with people.

Sophie is curious about the bees, and she studies a book about them that her grandfather got for her. Soon Sophie’s experience of helping her grandfather with his bees turns into a teachable moment, and she learns important lessons about herself.

This book for kids is a very educational story where kids get to learn about bees – specifically, honeybees. Sophie keeps doodle notes, and almost all of the chapters start with her notes. After she receives the bee book from her grandfather, she begins taking notes on some of the things she learned from it. In this way, readers will learn from her notes, too.

Accompanying this story are some lovely illustrations of Sophie, her grandfather, and Sophie’s friend, Cat. There are also lots of bees in the illustrations. The artwork is colorful and lovely. The illustrations really add to the story and bring it even more to life.

Another aspect of this story which readers might appreciate is problem-solving. By the time Sophie returns to her grandfather’s cabin in the summer, she is nervous about giving another presentation at her school. Sophie has trouble with speaking up, so her grandfather comes up with an interesting way to help her overcome this problem.

Also during the summer visit, Sophie’s friend, Cat, is with her. This means the two girls are often at the beehive, and Cat is learning things about honeybees that Sophie has already learned. Sophie is still reading her book about the bees, but her grandfather teaches her some things about them, too. It is the things that Sophie has learned about the bees that she uses to help Cat when she is sad.

There is one part of the story where Sophie breaks a rule, and while her grandfather must punish her, I appreciated that he was not too harsh in how he acted towards the child. Sophie uses her doodle notes to keep track of what she is learning about the bees from her book, and I liked how she notes that one thing she learned is something she can relate to with what happens with Cat in the story. There is also a scene in the story where Sophie tells Cat that whispering things that are bothering us to the bees helps us to feel better. Cat tries this, and it does indeed help her. I loved how Sophie uses this thing she learned about interacting with bees to help her friend. It is a really sweet moment, and I also loved how Sophie braves the scary night to help Cat so that she can whisper to the bees.

Sophie appears at her grandpa’s cabin during different seasons. Each season offers something new for Sophie to learn about bees. Not only does she learn about them, but she also gets to see the different things her grandfather does with honey and the things he makes with beeswax.

Sophie Moon and the Honeybees by Szilvia S. Jennings is a story written for readers aged 5-13 years, but it may be enjoyed by readers young and old. Not only was it educational in offering some insights about honeybees, but it was also very touching to see how the grandfather interacted with Sophie. It is a story where readers will learn quite a bit about honeybees, as well as ponder our bond with friends and family.