Kolya Sinitsin's Diary by Nikolai Nosov
This book was written by the famous Russian writer in 1950. Although now, with the collapse of the communist regime of the USSR, the characters and their social environment seem to be quite archaic, the creative side of the book still retains its value. This realistic and very educational story of a group of children starting and then running for a season their own school beeyard (a small beekeeping business, as we would say now), remains truly inspiring for young people open to creative business ideas. | HTML version of a professional translation from an original Russian text.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie King
Complete Russian translation is available for download. | Book cover from Amazon.com

When the Bees Fly Home by Andrea Cheng, illustrated by Joline McFadden
Boys often gain recognition in our culture for their strength and athletic ability, and those who do not fit into the traditional mold may feel misunderstood. When the Bees Fly Home allows readers to see that artistic and sensitive boys have their own special place. Young Jonathan, the son of a beekeeper, isn’t sturdy enough to help his dad with some of the work on the farm, and his father is sometimes irritable with him. It’s worse now, because the family is struggling to make ends meet during a drought, and their bees aren’t making much honey. When Jonathan’s mom stays up late one night to make beeswax candles to sell at the local farmer’s market, Jonathan comes downstairs to help. He puts his own skills to work modeling small wax animals and insects to decorate the candles. Their candles prove so popular that they come home from the market with orders for more. Bee facts buzz through this human story about a child trying to please his father, and we come to understand why Jonathan is so fascinated with bees and why we might want to learn more about them ourselves. Andrea Cheng teaches English and writes children’s books in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she lives with her husband and their three children. The idea for When the Bees Fly Home came from observing her brother, who is a beekeeper and bee inspector in Southern Ohio. | Tilbury House Publishers.