Every evening after supper, Kwame and his grandmother walked to the community garden at the end of their street. Grandmother called it her "midnight garden" even though they always went before dark. She said it was because the garden felt magical, like something from a dream.

One evening, Kwame noticed that the sunflowers near the fence had drooped. Their heads hung low and their leaves were pale. He asked his grandmother what was wrong. She knelt beside them and said, "They are thirsty, Kwame. A garden needs water just like we do."

Together, they filled the watering cans from the tap near the shed. Kwame watered the sunflowers while his grandmother tended to the tomatoes and beans. As the water soaked into the soil, Kwame watched the sunflower stems slowly straighten.

"Will they be okay?" he asked. "Give them time," said Grandmother with a smile. "Everything grows better with a little care and patience."

The next evening, the sunflowers stood tall again, their yellow petals bright in the evening sun. Kwame felt a warm glow of pride. He had helped something living grow stronger.

You may have seen bees flying from flower to flower on a warm summer day. Did you know that bees are doing one of the most important jobs in nature? They are helping plants grow.

When a bee lands on a flower, tiny grains called pollen stick to its fuzzy body. When the bee flies to the next flower, some of that pollen rubs off. This is called pollination. Pollination helps flowers make seeds, and seeds grow into new plants.

Without bees, many of the fruits and vegetables we eat would not exist. Apples, strawberries, cucumbers, and almonds all depend on bees to grow. Scientists estimate that about one third of all the food humans eat comes from plants that bees help pollinate.

Sadly, the number of bees in the world has been going down. Pesticides, loss of habitat, and climate change have all made life harder for bees. People can help by planting wildflowers, avoiding harmful chemicals in their gardens, and buying honey from local beekeepers.

The next time you see a bee, remember: that small insect is working hard to keep our world fed.