The Man with Bees in His Beard

In his picture book debut, Pacific Northwest artist Dempsey creates a portrait of a wanderer, a man who “did not wish for a large house/ or the weight of money in his pocket/ or even the company of others.” Dempsey’s free verse appears on the left, opposite black-and-white drawings on heavily toothed paper. One image shows the man in profile under the brim of a soft hat, leaning against a tree, so still that the bees come and go from his beard undisturbed. “No one knows how the bees got there/ just that they never stung./ He was their home.” The narrator of the poem describes meeting the man, who sings for him, but no ordinary song: “The song was sound/ sound that moved/ like leaves in a breeze.” Some drawings sweep across majestic landscapes; others zoom in on small objects: a caterpillar on a leaf, a bottle of honey. Dempsey’s meditation delivers feeling as much as words, the sense of a man who embodies and blesses the land he inhabits. This musical readaloud might appeal to children who’ve lived close to the wilderness themselves. Ages 4–8. [em](Feb.) [/em]