K-Gr 3–The inspiring nonfiction account of a dog, Mack, who finds purpose in learning to use his ultrasensitive sense of smell to detect a deadly, highly contagious bee bacteria called foulbrood that spreads from infected hives to healthy ones, killing entire colonies. When Cybil, a Maryland apiary inspector, finds Mack abandoned and unloved, she decides to give her beloved bees and the lonely dog a new chance of survival. Cybil patiently trains Mack to sniff out the foulbrood while, at the same time, owner and dog develop a strong, loving bond. A rescue story for both Mack and the bees, Gibeault’s informative tale catalogs Mack’s training and growing success as it educates readers about the environmental importance of bees. Audiences familiar with the more traditional uses of trained dogs will delight in learning about Mack’s highly specialized work, especially through the warm watercolor and ink illustrations that cleverly connect his growing skills directly to the life of the bees. Love and mutual respect radiate from the text and pictures—“Cybil had found her detection dog. But Mack had found his home”—which will make readers root for both Cybil and Mack’s bond and the survival of the bees. Back matter offers further information on foulbrood and bees.VERDICT High-stakes and wholly unique, this true story highlights the environmental value of bees in addition to celebrating the bond between dog and owner. Recommended for all collections.

Cybil Preston has a job to save honey bees. She had to inspect every commercial beehive in Maryland for signs of a deadly fungus. It was a huge job and a tremendous responsibility. She was the only person assigned to this job and she needed a helper. This is the true story of how Cybil met Mack, the dog, and how together they saved the bees. Readers will not only enjoy a good story, they will learn about the importance of bees in agriculture and how dogs can be trained to help bee keepers. (Ages 4-8)

This new book, The Dog Who Saved The Bees, is about Cybil starting from square one and resurrecting the Dog Inspector AFB ID Program. The book is a short fun and informative story about Cybil and her adoption of the energetic dog Mack and the time, effort and love to get Mac trained for Maryland Beekeepers. Illustrations are colorful and connecting to the story and the reader. Thanks to trainers like Major Mark Flynn who helped Cybil and Mack, Mack was certified as a Scent Detection Dog. We all know that to ID AFB requires us and or an Apiary Inspector to disassemble a beehive and look at every inch of brood comb. It takes a long time. Mack was able to use his excellent scent of smell and put his training into practice and searched more than 1,600 individual colonies in a single month! Cybil and Mack received the Customer Service Heroes Award from the Governor of Maryland. But I haven’t told you the whole story. You need to read the book and become impressed like I was with Cybil and Mack and Mack and Cybil.

Dogs can handle all sorts of jobs, but even so, Mack’s line of work is most unusual. Being chief apiary inspector for the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Cybil Preston is charged with certifying that commercial colonies of honeybees are free of the infectious disease called “foulbrood.” Visual checks are one way to do that, but because the job would go far more quickly with help from a dog trained to sniff out the malady’s distinctive smell, Mack comes into her life. This true story is partly a heartwarming tale of a lonely pooch finding a home, but, a professional animal trainer herself, Gibeault also lays out in loving, precise detail the systematic series of humane challenges and rewards that turned a rowdy, distractable dog who at first wouldn’t even sit on command into a dependable and responsive worker. A yellow Lab whose big personality shines in Hohn’s illustrations, Mack will easily win readers over as he passes each test and gets to work, then goes on with the light-skinned Cybil to earn a public service award and even enjoys a fling with media stardom. Following a final turn proudly trotting past piled-up beehives, Mack poses in backmatter snapshots using his expert sniffer and working alongside his own successor. Would-be animal trainers will find this engaging addition to the working-dog shelf of particular interest. (afterword, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 5-7)

Gibeault’s text nicely balances details about beekeeping and dog training with plenty of action and emotional appeal. Hohn’s soft illustrations in an earth palette bring dog Mack’s lovable, if at first unruly, personality to life.