Emily Green's Reviews > Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid

Bee Fearless by Mikaila Ulmer is the true story of how Ulmer founded a lemonade company at the age of four and over the years grew it from a lemonade stand in her front yard to bottling and distributing the drink across the country. She appeared on Shark Tank and gained an investor. She has also spoken to many groups and at many conferences, inspiring other kids to become entrepreneurs and to take care of the bees.

For Ulmer, her interest in bees began after she was stung twice within a short period of time. Her parents wisely encouraged her to learn more about bees in order to allay her fear. Ulmer’s research revealed to her that the bee population is not as healthy as it once was--which is scary, as bees pollinate many of the foods we eat, in addition to supplying honey. Their pollination helps with larger scale biodiversity, too. Along with selling her lemonade, Ulmer’s company runs a foundation to support education and research about bees and which also donates bee hives.

Bee Fearless combines tips for building a business with the story of how Ulmer built her own business. It ends with ten years of her company, presumably when she is in high school, but a quick visit to her website shows that she has since gone on to Emory University.

It is quite incredible that a kid could do all of the things that Ulmer did--marketing, researching, building a budget, giving presentations, and educating others. The assistance of her parents made everything possible, and her parents both had some prior knowledge of business and finances. It is still incredible that Ulmer was able to create such an impactful and successful business.

Her journey involved meeting many famous people, including President Obama. There are pictures included throughout the book, as well as subtitles and flowers to show section breaks. As the book tells Ulmer’s stories, there are lessons and tips pulled out from the stories, which are aimed to help the prospective entrepreneurs in her audience. The tips are printed on the side margins of the pages and are labeled “Buzziness Ideas.” It is clear that effort was put into the designing of the book to make it easily digestible and to be read in multiple sittings. It is attractive and interesting to flip through.

Would I teach this book? Bee Fearless by Mikaila Ulmer and Brin Stevens (I appreciate that the ghost writer is given credit on the title page of the book) is one of the choices in a nonfiction unit I teach. More students opted for choices that included athletes’ stories than Bee Fearless and I wonder if it would have as much appeal to kids who are not looking to be entrepreneurs, but it does a good job of not just showing that creating a company is possible, it also describes many of the steps that Ulmer and her parents went through as they made her lemonade stand into a business. Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the book for kids is that it shows both that the business took time and effort and that it was possible.

Bee Fearless is a bit dry at times, and does not include the same level of drama and excitement as the rest of the choices in my nonfiction unit, but for youth who are looking to learn more about being an entrepreneur, it is a good choice.