The Dance of the Bees

by Fran Nuño

It was summertime when an old lady and her granddaughter decided to spend more time together and make the most out of it by walking through the countryside through the countryside. Grandma was passionate about nature and she enjoyed feeling surrounded by trees and animals, but what she liked the most was watching bees. The little girl enjoyed listening to her grandmother tell her about the amazing life of bees and their extremely important mission for life on our planet. Not a day went by that they did not visit the bees and the girl always learned something new, like that day when she discovered what the dance of the bees was. With each passing day, their bond grew stronger and stronger, and all thanks to those little insects. But after the years, the little girl, now a woman, returns with her son to the place where her grandmother's house was and, thanks to the dance of the bees, they will discover something that they will never be able to forget.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2020

About the author

Fran Nuño nació en Bilbao en 1973 y vive en Sevilla desde los diez meses de edad. Es escritor, dinamizador cultural y librero-editor.

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written and illustrated children’s book. But not just for children.
A story of a grandmother and her granddaughter. Walking through the countryside the grandmother asks: “Do you know why bees are so important for life on our planet?” And goes on to explain all about the world of bees.
Many years later the granddaughter returns with her son and finds something she never expected.
Set in Japan the lovely illustrations have haikus accompanying each which tell their own story in poetry.
A keeper! Cannot wait to share with Bean.

[Jan Priddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew going in that this book would make me cry. The illustrations are particularly appealing (though why stylize honeycomb's geometry?) and the description of haiku at the end offered me another way to talk about this form. A neighbor who studies bees told me that the bumble bees I found sleeping in flowers are males and they sleep "rough" (on flat flower clusters when they can find them) because they are not allowed into the hive. That detail was not included here. Since her haikus were originally written in English, I do not understand why she chose not to conform to the 5/7/5 rule.

[Candance Doerr-Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tells a delicate story of a young girl, her grandmother, and the dance of the bees that can be observed if one is very attentive to what the bees are doing. Book present bees and humans as interdependent and relationships and generational knowledge-sharing as valued practices for sustainable living.

New: bookstore off high line NYC

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful art, plus good & important science, plus haikus. I recommend, if you're sharing this smallish picture-book with a child, to read it at least twice... once through for the poems, and once for the story. Maybe a third time to fully focus on the pictures.

[Marg Corjay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gem. Haiku and delicate illustrations.

[Laura Gilfillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story with basic information about bees, and a girl's relationship with her grandmother. And good practice with Spanish.

[Sarah Duggan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet multi-generational story with exquisite watercolor and collage illustrations.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED.

[Genaro Longo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un lindo librito infantil sobre una abuela, una madre, una hija y las abejas.

[Michelle Halber]

Blue tape. Beautifully illustrated and very quiet book about bees.

[Minerva Gates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the relationship between a child and her grandmother to eventually repeat with her own child. However, the colors used did not reflect the beauty of the story. After first glance, I may not have chosen it but glad I did.