A Hive For The Honeybee [Hardcover]

Soinbhe Lally (Author), Patience Brewster (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

When Thora, a young worker bee, befriends some drones, she wonders if they really are lords of the hive or if their pompous posturing merely conceals an appalling fate.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Back in the hive, Thora stood on the edge of the stores of ripening honey and fanned her wings incessantly. She had fanned all day in spite of the commotion and excitement. The song of the swarm had hummed all around her but she remained dutifully at her post. She was a house bee, just three days old."

When we first meet Thora the worker bee in this anthropomorphic allegory, she's thinking only of her responsibilities to the hive and her Queen. She must fan the wax combs, clean brood cells, and tidy up after the filthy, lazy drones (who spend the bulk of their time drunk on honey). Soon the imperious, efficient Belle takes Thora under her wing, teaching her the ways of workers and revealing her furious dislike of drones. But when Thora meets her first male bee, a "nice idiot" named Alfred, she can't help thinking he's helpless and handsome. It is through the poetic Alfred that Thora meets Mo, an opinionated rabble-rouser and vocal supporter of free thought who causes Thora to think outside the hive--if only briefly.

Irish author Soinbhe Lally crafts a compelling tale that buzzes along swiftly and is highlighted with the spindly, whimsical illustrations of Patience Brewster. Lally melds fascinating information about the workings of a hive--the queen, workers, brood combs, drones, pollen, wax cells, and honey--with an engaging story line that is satisfying on both a literal and metaphorical level. Although the book's role as a larger allegory of society and destiny may be initially lost on some readers, its deeper meanings will eventually seep in with the steady inevitability of honey. (Ages 10 and older) --Brangien Davis

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Based on the real world of the honeybee, this unusual fantasy is humorous and profound. As he is dying, Alfred, poet laureate of the beehive, composes his last poem, "Life is/A sip of honey/Yesterday." Of course, his life as a drone has indeed been "A sip of honey," since his only function has been to be a potential mate to the queen on her nuptial flight. Like all drones, he has spent the rest of his time getting drunk on honey, messing up the hive, and acting self-important. But Alfred is a bee full of intellect who despairs of the other drones' inability to understand metaphorical thinking, and he finds consolation in the friendship he develops with Mo, a radical drone who questions why things need to be the way they are; with Thora, a worker bee with imagination; and with efficient and straightforward Belle. Reminiscent of Richard Adams's Watership Down (Macmillan, 1974) in its artful and complete creation of the world of an animal group, Lally's novel also holds up a mirror to our society. Who is in charge here? Why do we continue to act as if other creatures are our enemies? What is the reason for our life? What is our destiny? Why do we die? Thora, Mo, and Alfred search for answers to these questions, and yet the life of the hive continues in the same way it always has. Pencil sketches full of energy, delicacy, and humor show bees with human faces, easily recognizable as Thora, Belle, Mo, and Alfred, whose lives readers follow until they die and are replaced by new workers and drones. Memorable in every way.
Barbara Scotto, Michael Driscoll School, Brookline, MA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books; states first american edition (March 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 059051038X
• ISBN-13: 978-0590510387
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,859,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Irish author launched in US!, April 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Hive For The Honeybee (Hardcover)

As the original commissioning editor in Ireland of A Hive for the Honey-Bee, I thought it would be nice to let you know how this book came to be (not intended a pun on bee!).

The author, Soinbhe Lally, is an editor's dream. I literally "discovered" Soinbhe Lally's work one day in the slush pile. She sent in an anthropromorphic tale called Song of the River about a group of farmed salmon who break free. It was so good, so beautifully written, I rang Soinbhe straight-away to tell her how much I loved the book. That was the start of our working relationship and friendship. A short time later I met Arthur Levine in Bologna. He asked me to give him a book which would make the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. I gave him Honey-Bee.

Soinbhe has such integrity as a writer, I learned to trust her instincts 100%. Despite the diverse nature of her writings, I let her write whatever she wanted to and from the start her books were shortlisted for just about every Irish award there is.

Soinbhe Lally is a lyrical, intelligent and wildly talented writer who, whether writing about fish, bees, the Irish potato famine or fairy stories, constantly astounds with her insight, poetic language and raw talent. In the world of writing, she is a thoroughbred through and through.

Soinbhe Lally ranks amongst the best writing for children and young adults today. I would like to wish her and Arthur Levine Books, her US publisher, enormous success with this beautiful book. Poolbeg Press, her Irish publishers, are thrilled she is receiving the world-wide recognition she deserves.

P.S. Soinbhe's name is pronounced "Sun-va".

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars bees and the human condition, December 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Hive For The Honeybee (Hardcover)

I found this an incredibly sad story. It starts in summer in a time of joy and growth but ends with death.

The story of the bees is realistic but it is a cover too for a view of the human condition which sees life as an exhausting treadmill. Death is the only escape from the drudgery of living. The bees share human hopes and dreams but the dreams end in disillusionment.

I find it strange that the writer loves nature so much yet the book offers a very despairing message. I would have preferred a hopeful ending.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BZZZZ! Simple on the surface..., May 17, 2003

By 

Jennifer Velasquez (San Antonio, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Hive For The Honeybee (Paperback)

I just finished A Hive for the Honeybee during my lunch hour and couldn't wait to encourage both adults and teens to read it. There are rich poetic levels here - a simple story about the life of a worker bee which is a pleasure in and of itself - but this honey-sweet story masks a haunting, unflinching yet not heavy-handed look at stereotypes and society. I imagine teens who've lived through both Animal Farm and Antz will love it.
I cried a bucket over bees!
Now I have to pull myself together and get back on the reference desk!