The Year the Bees Came
Das Jahr, als die Bienen kamen

Postert Cover
Tulipan Verlag
November 2017 / 192pp
Children’s & Young Adults’

This book is outside of the five-year window for guaranteed assistance with English language translation. We suggest getting in touch with the relevant funding body for an informal conversation about the possibility of support. Please refer to to our  recommendations page for books that are currently covered by our funding guarantee.

review

The Year the Bees Came is an original story that sensitively handles a range of important themes, including bereavement, self-discovery, cross-generational relationships and the environment.

When Josy inherits her grandfather’s beehive she is initially underwhelmed. Yet she goes on to develop a passion for the bees, overcoming her mother’s disapproval, multiple stings, and the bees swarming and leaving to find a new home. One day the beehive is stolen and local beekeepers rally round to find the culprit. But this is more than a whodunnit, as we also discover how the bees came to be part of Josy’s family history. At the end of the Second World War, when he was just a boy, Josy’s grandfather had to flee from his home. His father took the bees with them – a vital connection to their former life. The book draws parallels between life as a refugee, having to rebuild a home in a new, unfamiliar place, and the bees’ departure from the hive to establish a new colony. The ability to find one’s bearings quickly and start over is presented as a valuable life skill.

This is a book that will stretch and delight young readers, taking them on a journey of discovery into the recent past.

press quotes

‘A hymn of praise to bees – and to those who follow their passions. Enchantingly told.’

– Geolino

about the author

Petra Postert, born in Stuttgart in 1970, studied journalism, history and art history in Eichstätt and Ohio. Following her studies, she worked as editor and author for the national German radio station SWR Hörfunk. She now writes children’s books and stories for the radio, and lives near Düsseldorf with her family

rights information

 

Tulipan Verlag (Germany)

Contact: Nelli Oswald

oswald@tulipan-verlag.de

Tel: +49 (0)89 330354014

www.tulipan-verlag.de

translation assistance

Applications should be made to the Goethe-Institut.

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