The Adventures of Maya the Bee (Classic Reprint) [Paperback]

Waldemar Bonsels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 16, 2010

CHAPTER I first flight THE elderly lady-bee who helped the baby-bee Maya when she awoke to life and slipped from her cell was called Cassandra and commanded great respect in the hive. Those were exciting days. A rebellion had broken out in the nation of bees, which the queen was unable to suppress. While the experienced Cassandra wiped Maya's large bright eyes and tried as best she could to arrange her delicate wings, the big hive hummed and buzzed like a threatening thunderstorm, and the baby-bee found it very warm and said so to her companion. Cassandra looked about troubled, without

Table of Contents

I First Flight i; II The House of the Rose 14; III The Lake 25; IV Effie and Bobbie 43 V The Acrobat 60; VI Puck 72; VII In the Toils 87; VIII The Bug and the Butterfly 104; IX The Lost Leg 113; X The Wonders of the Night 133; XI With the Sprite 153; XII Alois, Ladybird and Poet 163; XIII The Fortress 172; XIV The Sentinel 182 XV The Warning 194; XVI The Battle 204; XVII The Queen's Friend 218

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.

Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the difficult to read text. Read books online for free at www.forgottenbooks.org

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Forgotten Books (April 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1440069239
• ISBN-13: 978-1440069239
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,285,632 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully imaginative and enriching children's book, August 21, 2004

By 

Moni "monimm18" (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Adventures of Maya the Bee (Paperback)

Many years ago I gave this book to my former elementary school teacher; I was happy to find out later that she read it to every generation of students until she retired.

Waldemar Bonsels masterfully crafted a book in which the insect world is a metaphore/allegory of the humans'. Its stories are about compasion, love, loss, loyalty, heroism, life and death, even ethics, and maybe provide the reader with a better understanding of the world's diversity.

Maya's story starts from the moment the little bee is born. Although she was supposed to be a working bee, she is too inquisitive to be satisfied with that, so she leaves the beehive to learn more about the world. Every creature she encounters and every experience, good or bad, seem to bring a bit of wisdom into little Maya's mind and eventually into the reader's.

This is a book that was written almost a century ago in Europe, yet it's as great a read today as it was the first day it was published. It's a book rich in many ways: the stories are fascinating, endearing, meaningful and told in a form that is intellectually evolved enough to be enjoyed by an adult, yet very accessible to a child's level of comprehension. I read this book first when I was 8 and had fun reading it again at 38.

Maya the Bee seems to be a much more popular character in Europe. I always wondered why, although published here a long time ago, this book never became popular in the States. Then again, at the time Maya was spreading her wings in Europe, Disney was begining to captivate the imagination of children on this side of the Atlantic.
Oooh, the power of marketing...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Maya the Bee rocks, March 22, 2008

By 

J. Brown "wine geek" (sacramento, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Adventures of Maya the Bee (Paperback)

This is an amazing story...very engaging and one learns a great deal about bees and ecology in a fun way. Maya has much attitude!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nostalgic Feelings of my Parents, March 23, 2009

By 

Elizabeth R. Vouvakis "gypsy yia yia" (michigan usa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Adventures of Maya the Bee (Paperback)

I know that Maya The Bee was popular in Europe. My Father gave it to my Mother in 1927 at the onset of their 10-year courtship. I was born in 1942 and remember the book - showing signs of much handling over the years by my Mother who told me she read and re-read it during the years she and Papa were apart before marriage. Mama read it to me when I was not even 5 years old. I cherish this memory, knowing now that it was tangible yet symbolic proof of my Father's devotion. He was a revered professor of psychology and linguist (spoke 20 languages) and my Mother was all about music, art and theatre and taught vocal and piano. She spoke 5 languages. In Greece we had this advantage - the many languages. I learned English through her readings of A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh, etc. and was also given - over the years - wonderful books: "The Christmas Anna Angel", a series called "The Root Children" and also a series known as "Under the Magic Umbrella". My mother was very magical and light-hearted and very wise. My Father was all about the mind! He felt we were "wasting time", whenever we displayed the least bit of frivolity. So, how can it "bee" that this erudite man could have gifted "Maya the Bee"? He was 35 at the time! Well, I know. He saw the wisdom within those pages and the poetry and allegory that he dismissed earlier were brought out in him upon meeting my Mother. I will now be purchasing "Maya the Bee" for my 10 grandchildren - the great grandchildren of my beloved parents whom they never met but know through my ceaseless tales.