Explore the past ... make sense of the present
Available for Pre-Order!
Release Date 9 March 2027
From the Publisher
A timeless tale buzzing with heart and honeybees about finding your purpose, questioning rules, and the strange sweetness of being, from Newbery Honor-winning author Susan Campbell Bartoletti.
In the beginning, there was a meadow.
And in that meadow there was a hive.
And in that hive, a young queen who refused to follow the rules.
Cast out for her defiance, Queen Bee is thrust into a world far more perilous that the hive she left behind. She must figure out a way to survive in a landscape where danger is constant and the law of nature is anything but fair.
Blending adventure, humor, and heart, this illustrated novel features black-and-white interior art and delightfully cheeky footnotes that add layers of real science and wit. This warm, witty, and wonderfully subversive novel hums with the heart of The Wild Robot and the poignant lyricism of The Tale of Despereaux, proving that even the smallest creature can make a mighty buzz.
From the Author
One summer morning, I watched a bee that appeared to be stuck inside a petunia. I scribbled a short poem in my journal:
What Bee This?
So burrowed is she,
deep inside a purple petunia,
hind end up, while all around
sober bees work methodically,
flitting from flower to flower,
hurrying off with pollen-laden legs,
and back again
but not this bee,
so content is she,
drunk on nectar
and hung over.
What if, I thought, this bee is a queen honeybee who feels trapped in her hive? What if she longs for blue sky, the sun warming her wings, and flowers? What if she escapes? That question—what if?—is the question that begins many a story.