One of the problems – or, perhaps, the best things – about Gothic Horror is that it does tend to be sad. Usually, there are at least one or two characters who don’t deserve whatever is happening to them, or who have done something which is being punished in a way which does not in any way fit the crime. M.R. James’s writing is perhaps a constant reiteration of the old proverb, “curiosity killed the cat”, but curiosity in itself isn’t a bad thing; while Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker’s Dracula finds himself in the initial dangerous situation through no fault of his own. Perhaps the saddest story in this anthology is The Lady Who Dances in the Ashes , which was first published by Sley House in Tales of Sley House 2022 . Here is the story of a man who is facing professional and financial ruin as a result of suggesting that mental health patients can be treated in the community rather than institutionalised. He is one of the most sympathetic narrators you will find in the book, but he bad...
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Honey Harvest tells us the story of a little girl who loves honey and goes on a beautifully ordinary adventure to find out how bees make honeycomb and how that is then turned into the runny honey which she loves to eat.
It’s a long-running joke in my family that I made my little sister scared of bees. As a child, I was absolutely terrified of them and used to run away every time one came near me. Of course, as Clem got old enough to play outside, I taught her to do the same thing. Oops.
I do love bees though. We don’t keep them ourselves, but we have many wonderful wild species which visit the garden, including some rare and unusual ones. Bees are little furry, buzzy proof that magic exists.
Naturally, I really love honey too. Honey on Shredded Wheat… mmm… and, recently, I’ve been reading lots about Alexander the Great so I discovered other fascinating properties of honey (if you don’t know, consider looking it up – very interesting, if slightly grisly).
Back to Honey Harvest…
…this is a book I would have loved to read as a child who was afraid of bees. The story is written in rhyme, which will appeal to the little ones. Once or twice, I wasn’t 100% convinced by the rhymes but it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the story at all. It is a book which teaches without letting on – and children will find it fascinating. One of my regrets is that, as a worldwide reviewer, my copy was an ebook so I couldn’t take it into school for my class – I think they would really have enjoyed it, and beekeeping is a branch of farming which doesn’t get covered in enough farming kidlit.
As well as the lovely story, the illustrations are stunning and absolutely perfect to compliment the words. As a child of the 1990s, they reminded me stylistically of the Usborne Farmyard Tales and that just stole my heart straight away. The “factory bees” page is absolutely adorable!
In summary, a beautiful book which will encourage little ones to explore the natural and engineering magic which goes into making delicious runny honey!
Blurb
It's late summertime in the meadow. Flowers are in full bloom and honeybees float on the warm breeze. It's now time to harvest honey from the hive.
Beautifully illustrated, this buzz-worthy book is the perfect introduction to the tools and traditions involved in beekeeping.
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