The Bee Tree

Special Recognition, Paterson Prize for Books for Young People
Skipping Stones Honor Award, Skipping Stones Magazine

This beautifully illustrated STEM picture book is both a fascinating insight into honeybee behavior and a satisfying story of coming of age.

Nizam lives in a village in Peninsular Malaysia. His grandfather Pak Teh is the leader of the honey hunting clan. It is Pak Teh who has the high honor of climbing the tall Tualang tree deep in the rainforest. Lying on a branch more than a hundred feet in the air, he uses the clan’s secret method to harvest the honey without being stung. But Pak Teh is getting older, and he is ready for someone to take over his role. Even though Nizam and his cousin Shukor have climbed the mighty Tualang in the daylight, they have never done it at night. Will they be brave enough? Will the angry bees sting them? Or will they succeed and claim their place in the clan?

The creators of this book participated in the honey hunt with the Orang Asli, the indigenous people of Malaysia, and the extensive backmatter provides additional information on the country, the rainforest, the Orang Asli, and the giant honeybees.

Stephen Buchmann is an amateur beekeeper, associate professor of entomology at the University of Arizona in Tucson, author of The Forgotten Pollinators, and founder of The Bee Works, an environmental company. Diana Cohn lives in northern California. When not writing or working on other creative projects, she works as a program officer for a national foundation on issues related to economic justice. She is also a hobbyist beekeeper. Paul Mirocha’s artwork is noted for its combination of detail and emotional appeal. It is smart realism. Since 1990, Paul has illustrated over 20 children’s picture books and pop-ups, and his illustrations have appeared in interpretive exhibits, scientific and popular publications, and books of adult and young adult fiction and contemporary nature writing.