Every character, big and small, depends on one another in this funny and heartwarming early chapter book.
Bee is bored of pollinating the backyard. That is, until Flea, in "purple horn-rimmed glasses and a matching fanny pack," rides by on the back of a sleepy dog whom she is failing to direct. "What's a professional parasite gotta do to get some decent help around here?" she demands. Bee, thinking this might be her chance to escape the "dreary dandelions," volunteers to fly Flea to the compost heap. Upon arrival, Bee discovers "an entire universe of the teeniest-tiniest proportions."
At the heap, Flea, sole agent of the Fenced-in-area Law Enforcement Agency (F.L.E.A.), issues tickets to wrongdoers (mites eating their families; nematodes gobbling bacteria) while Bee is horrified by them. "Pollinating flowers may be boring, but at least it's useful," she thinks--until she realizes that "disgusting" might be subjective and the critters' actions are important. But that means agent Flea's ticketing work isn't!
Bee & Flea and the Compost Caper by Anna Humphrey (Megabat) is a chapter book with lots to love. Author and artist seamlessly incorporate STEM facts: they introduce parasites and bacteria, describe what shouldn't go into a compost heap and explain the miniature ecosystem in compost. Humphrey ensures an unendingly humorous read with endearing interactions between "stickler for correctness" Bee and happy-go-lucky Flea, through their creative antics and perfect puns. Illustrator Mike Deas (Star Wars: A Jedi You Will Be illustrator) adds to the fun with laughter-inducing black-and-white illustrations, like Flea using a crazy straw to drink blood or mites pooping on Bee. A sure favorite. --Samantha Zaboski, freelance editor and reviewer