Soinbhe Lally

Thora is a newly hatched bee. The queen has just swarmed and those that are remaining in the hive are all awaiting their new queen. They continue to work and live, but their lack is always present. She, unlike most of the female worker bees, befriends some drones. They are full of their own importance. Drones do not work, they are fed when they demand it. Are groomed when they demand it. They see themselves as lords of the hive.

Thora’s friend Belle isn’t so sure. She just doesn’t see the point of drones. What use are they?

Last year I read Laline Paull’s The Bees and just after that I came across this book in our schools store at work. So I picked it up and left it onmy trolley. Only now am I getting around to reading it.

In many ways A Hive for the Honey-Bee is a very different book to The Bees, Lally’s book is aimed at children so it is a shorter story for one. It is also a simpler book. It was written before the current bee crisis was known about and so there is no sense of worry about the future in it. But I was surprised at how similar the two books were, even the names of the bees. Here the main character is Thora, in Paull’s it was Flora. Many of the same elements are covered in both books, invaders coming to steal honey, the role of the drones in bee society, the importance of the hive and the swarm above an individual bee. And both books start with the life of a bee and end with her death.

But I don’t mean to suggest that Paull copied this, just that I suppose there are only so many stories you can tell about a bee that lives in a hive when you are trying to stick to nature’s rules.

It probably isn’t really fair to either book to compare them but it is hard not to, there aren’t too many books out there told from the perspective of a worker bee. Or at least, not too many that I’m aware of, it isn’t something I’ve ever gone looking for so perhaps there are more out there?

Using bees as your central characters brings with it some problems or course, bees aren’t really individuals. Workers work til they die. Drones laze around and live off the workers until they are kicked out of the hive for the winter. Only the queen lives for any length of time and her purpose is to lay eggs. It is hard to make an engaging story out of that, but I think that Lally did a great job here. Sure, there is plenty that you could write about allegories and pointing out problems in human society, but I read it for the story. And on that level it really worked.

I’d have to say that I really enjoyed this book. And the ending was surprisingly moving despite you knowing what was coming all along. If you are looking for something a little out of the ordinary I’d have to recommend this as a lovely, simple story.… (plus d'informations)

Billed as a companion to this author-illustrator team's Favorite Irish Fairy Tales, which I have sadly been unable to locate, this book was my first clue that Soinbhe Lally had written anything other than the lovely anthropomorphic bee-fantasy, A Hive for the Honeybee. This is not the Irish folklore of cute (or annoying) leprechauns, or mischievous (and malicious) fairies. The seven tales contained herein are from the ancient Irish mythology, and are taken from the Mythological Cycle, Ulster Cycle, and Fenian Cycle of tales. As such, they are a refreshing break from many of the Irish-themed picture books available in the American market. Not surprisingly, this title is unavailable in the United States. Included are:

The Coming of the Dé Danaan, detailing the arrival of this magical race of beings in Ireland, and their battles with the Firbolgs and Formórians.

Etain and Midir, in which no transformation - whether into butterfly, human mortal, or swan - can keep true lovers apart... although personally, I'm more in Fuamnach's camp.

Deirdre of the Sorrows, in which the tragic and doomed love of Dierdre and Naoise is set out... another guy (Conor) who wants a women he shouldn't.

Fergus Mac Leda and the Monster, in which the king of Ulster must battle a fearsome water monster, and win back his handsome "face."

The Death of Cúchulainn, in which this "Irish Achilles" meets his death standing up... this might earn me some flack, but I've always been somewhat sympathetic to Maeve - and I've always thought the men of Ulster got no more than they deserved with that curse...

The Dream of Angus, in which another pair of true lovers find happiness as swans... What is it with the Irish and swans? Anyone?

And finally, The Story of Flidias, in which the goddess of the forest, her daughter, the King of the Deer, and the famed Fionn and his Fianna, all converge one day...

What can I say? If you can find this, fellow reader, by all means procure a copy... A wonderful collection of tales that will introduce young readers to some of the "meatier" tales in the Irish tradition. As for the illustrations, by Mr. Finbarr O'Connor, I had mixed feelings. Some of the panels are simply lovely, as with the portrait of Deirdre, or Angus's dream. Others seems almost cartoon-like...… (plus d'informations)