Dirty Bertie is a series of books for children that I hadn’t heard of until I read and reviewed this book. I am surprised given that ‘Bees!’ is book number 33 in the series.

Bertie is a young lad who from what I can tell seems to get himself into a lot of trouble. He doesn’t listen to grown-ups or his friends who tell him not to do something. In this book, which is actually three stories in one book we begin with the title story, Bees! in which Dirty Bertie is intrigued to learn that his neighbour Mr Monk keeps bees and as Bertie loves honey he wants to keep some too so that they can provide him with honey whenever he wants it.

Unfortunately, Bertie doesn’t listen to how to look after the bees and causes problems for Mr Monk. There are two more stories in the book, Granny Wars! and Barking!.

With their larger than average text, short chapters, and easy-to-read style, these are the kind of books that children who are now confident at reading picture books move on to. Each story in the book is just four chapters long and there are illustrations, often amusing illustrations, dotted throughout the pages, amidst the writing.

As for the plot, whilst Bertie is a bit of a pain and naughty, he didn’t come across as overly naughty or be seen to be teaching children bad manners. He also seemed to learn the error of his ways concerning the story, plus he has friends who do tell him when he is wrong.

This is a series of books that won’t over-faze a new reader or make them feel inadequate at reading. These are like mini novels for children that will make them feel more grown-up and with their fun plots and amusing artwork they will keep the reader engaged and interested the whole way through.