Customer Reviews

Clan Apis

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I have got to come up with a better sell on this book than........it's a graphic novel........about bees.

You follow our heroine through her amazing development as an organism, and as a person. (ahem, sorry..a bee) The plot twists, turns, does loop-de-loops. The characters mature and show a surprising depth of emotion. Each bee is unique in appearance and deed, without being "cartoony"....they could be illustrations in a textbook as far as authenticity goes....and yet they show emotions.

There are points where you'll laugh, and points where you'll cry, and at times you'll want to cheer out loud. (I did)

What an amazing book. You are totally entertained, and yes you also learn something...but for me that was a distant second.

Waaaaayyyyy cool.

The first duty of a graphic novel, obviously, is to entertain. Hosler, who has a Ph.D. and specializes in neuroscience and bees, not tells a really good story about life and personalities in the hive, and is a very talented artist besides, he also manages to cram in a great deal of educational information. Icing on the cake. He starts with the birth and transformation from larva to pupa to adult of Nyuki (Japanese for "bee"), a worker who often annoys her colleague, even her older sister, Dvorah (Hebrew for "bee," etc.). She gets lost, is almost eaten, befriends a flower named Bloomington and a dung beetle named Sisyphus, finally gets her act together (though she has to be coaxed to leave the hive again for the dangers of the outside world), and goes on to better things -- as well as a rather poetic end. The anthropomorphization is actually pretty minor, all things considered. And there's an interesting postscript about what happened when the author turned out to be allergic to bee stings. I don't know if Hosler has another insect adventure in him, but I'll be on the look-out.

Jay Hosler's Clan Apis is a rather brilliantly executed graphic novel format presentation of life in the beehive. Accurate, informative, totally engaging, the biology and life cycle of the bee is laid out with an anthropomorphic storytelling that is as fun as it is educational. Clan Apis is highly recommended reading for all ages -- especially for those who thought the life and world of the bee might just have some relevance for we mere humans living in our post-industrial, information age.

This absolutely delightful graphic novel is appropriate for readers age 9 and older, and for younger children as a read-aloud. Adults will enjoy it too. Jay Hosler's snappy black-and-white drawings follow worker bee Nyuki from bratty larva through the end of her life, in a series of fast-paced and true-to-life adventures. Clan Apis is packed with fascinating information on bee physiology and hive life but it's never didactic. A great book for the "reluctant reader" child, who will be drawn in by the rolling-on-the-floor-laughing humor and the sharp characterizations (betcha didn't know bees have personalities - do they ever!) Thinking of a child's birthday present or a school library donation? This is the book!

Yes, this book is entertaining and educational, but it is also surprisingly moving. Hosler is able to convey fear, joy, enthusiasm, and anxiety on faces that don't have traditional eyes and usually have no mouths! Beyond the biology, the stories the bees tell themselves about their origins, their role in the cosmos, and where they go after death all have the flavor of great myth. After reading this, you'll never look at a dead bee quite the same way again!

Other reviewers have already mentioned that this book: (1) tells an emotionally deep and action-packed and delightful story (suitable for adults and children), (2) includes a great amount of scientific information, and (3) includes outstanding drawings. The only thing I can add is that the book is the most amazing and perfect combination of story and science education I have yet managed to find in a book. The story's emotional depth and impact is comparable to that found in the best children's stories that I remember, e.g., Charlotte's Web. (In other words, the story can make an adult cry, in a good sense.) And the science subject's coverage (just right) and focus and presentation are as good as the best found in any knowledge-wrapped-in-fiction book that I've read, e.g., Russell Stannard's super Black Holes and Uncle Albert.

Clan Apis is incredible. Every other knowledge-wrapped-in-fiction book I've read seems in comparison to have a far, far more pedestrian story. For example, the following books with good or at least decent science/knowledge instruction cannot meet Clan Apis's super-high standard for a first-class story: George Gamow's science-awesome "Mr. Thompkins in Paperback" (not the Stannard-updated abomination "New World of Mr. Thompkins" (bad)); Stannard's science-awesome "Uncle Albert" books; the "Magic Treehouse" books; the "Magic School Bus" books; Stephen Hawking's (and daughter's) uneven but exciting "George's Secret Key to the Universe" book; and Hosler's own "Sandwalk Adventures" book (which I didn't like much, I forget why not). Fellow reviewers or comment writers, please share with us any other good knowledge-wrapped-in-fiction books (or movies/shows) that you know about. Thanks!

My kids rolled their eyes at first, but once I started reading it to them, they were hooked. Clever art, fun word play, and bad puns all make it a great story.

Oh yeah. And it's educational. Not just educational like most educational childrens books: this one is written by scientists who studies bees, and loves his subjects. (and it shows).

Our only complaint is that we have to keep reordering, because we keep giving our copies away as birthday presents to friends!

Simply put, Clan Apis is a delightful book. Using the underappreciated medium of comic, Jay Holser tells the tale of Nyuki, a heroine honeybee from the hive called Clan Apis. After a truly inspired and poetic introduction, Hosler uses his talented pen to both illustrate and narrate the reader through Nyuki's adventures. From her beginnings as a pampered but peppy larva, Nyuki matures into an adult bee, all the while adjusting to newer and greater responsibilities to her hive community. Suffice to say that Nyuki's trials and tribulations are not exclusive to the insect world. As a research biologist who works with bees, Dr. Hosler draws on his etymological expertise to deftly interweave biological teachings with downright cool entertainment. Clan Apis is charmingly clever, and strikes a perfect balance in its ability to engage children and adults alike.

This is an excellent comic. Jay Hosler does a good job of explaining the lives of bees in an entertaining fashion. The illustrations are clear and do a good job of conveying the story. Also included are a short bibliography and five pages briefly providing more information about bees. I eagerly ordered this book for our library and haven't regretted it. Although the amount of information on bees is most appropriate for children, this is a story that may be enjoyed by all ages.

The story of a bee named Nyuki growing up from a larva to afull fledged member of the hive. Doesn't sound so exciting? JayHosler, Ph.D. teaches you about bees and actually makes it very entertaining. The story starts out with Nyuki as a larva. Her big sister, Dvorah, tells her the story of how life came to be on the planet. Nyuki is scared about being stuck in her cell, but Dvorah eases her tensions about telling her the process of changing from a larva to a bee. The story at times makes me laugh and made me cry. A very touching story about a bee hive live as seen though the eyes of a young bee. The story is excellent, and so is the art. This comic can both be entertaining and educational. I'd highly recommended buying this comic. END