Hello there! Today, we’re going to hear a fun story called “Please Please the Bees,” written and illustrated by Gerald Kelly. Let’s dive into the story together!
Benedict is a bear who loves doing the same things every day. He wakes up at the same time, stretches, scratches, and lets out a big yawn. Every morning, the bees bring him three jars of honey. Benedict loves his breakfast of toast with honey and tea with extra honey.
After breakfast, Benedict practices making honey cakes, knits, and runs errands. At night, he reads a book and enjoys one last cup of honey tea before bed. Life is sweet for Benedict!
One morning, something surprising happened. There was no honey! The bees had gone on strike, which means they stopped working. Benedict was sad because his breakfast wasn’t the same without honey. He couldn’t knit or do his errands without his honey tea.
Just then, a small bee with a loud voice spoke to Benedict. “We need to talk!” said the bee. Benedict was confused. He thought he was being nice by letting the bees live in his yard.
The bee explained that the hive, where the bees live, was falling apart. The roof leaked, and the wind blew through the cracks. The bees had to fly far away to find flowers because the garden was full of weeds. The bees were tired and needed help.
Benedict realized he had been selfish. He decided to help the bees. He learned how to take care of the garden and even how to harvest honey. Benedict worked hard to make things better for the bees.
When Benedict showed the bees all the work he had done, the small bee shouted, “Time to get back to work!” The bees were happy, and Benedict was happy too. Now, Benedict still enjoys his routine, but he appreciates the bees and their hard work.
This story teaches us about living together and respecting each other. It’s important to help one another so everyone can have a sweet life. Thank you for joining us for this story. Keep reading and enjoying more stories!
Garden Helpers: Just like Benedict helped the bees by taking care of the garden, you can help too! With an adult, plant some flowers in a small pot or garden space. Observe how bees and other insects visit the flowers. Talk about how these flowers help bees and why bees are important for our environment.
Honey Taste Test: Try different types of honey with your family. Notice the different flavors and colors. Discuss where you think each type of honey might come from and how bees make honey. You can even draw a picture of a bee collecting nectar from a flower!
Bee Observation: Next time you are outside, look for bees and watch what they do. Are they visiting flowers? Flying around? Talk about what you see and how the bees might be helping the plants. Think about how you can make your yard or garden a better place for bees, just like Benedict did.
Welcome to Storyline Online, brought to you by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. I’m Rashida Jones, and today I’m going to read “Please Please the Bees,” written and illustrated by Gerald Kelly.
Benedict was a creature of habit. He liked to do the same thing every day. Every morning he woke up at the same time. He stretched, scratched, and yawned a great yawn. Every morning, the bees delivered three jars full of honey. Benedict ate the same breakfast he’d enjoyed since he was just a fuzzy cub: toast with honey and tea with extra honey.
Next came his daily routine: practicing his honey cake recipe, knitting, and running errands. At night, he’d read and then have one last cup of honey tea before bed. Life was sweet. Until one morning, things weren’t the same. In fact, something terribly different had happened. There was no more honey. The bees had gone on strike!
Benedict’s breakfast wasn’t the same without honey. Without his honey tea, he couldn’t knit. Practice was dreadful, and he didn’t even bother with the errands. Benedict became deeply discouraged. Just then, he heard someone say, “Hey, you! In the fur coat!” It was a very small bee with a remarkably loud voice. “We need to talk!” said the bee.
“Talk? Hmmph!” grumbled Benedict. “I let you all live in my yard. All I ask is for a few jars of honey.”
“You should be grateful, not go on strike!”
“A few jars?” said the bee. “Buddy, we deliver three jars of honey to you every day. Every month! Every year! Do the math!”
“The hive is a wreck!” the bee continued. “It’s all we can do to keep the walls from falling in! The roof leaks, and the wind blows through the cracks. The last three queens quit on us because of the poor working conditions.”
The bee showed Benedict the garden. “Look!” the bee said. “Weeds everywhere. We have to fly miles away just to find enough flowers to make our honey. So we voted to strike.”
“You’re taking us for granted,” the bee declared. “You want honey? Things need to change. It’s up to you, bear.” And with that, the very small bee flew off.
The thought of losing his honey sent a chill down Benedict’s spine. He had a lot to think about. “Maybe I’ve been too selfish,” Benedict said to himself. “I never thought about what the bees need. But how am I going to make this right?”
So he did some research, did a little shopping, and did a lot of work. Benedict even learned how to harvest honey. “I suppose it’s a bit rude to expect them to do it all themselves,” he thought.
Finally, he was ready to show the bees all the work he’d done. What would they think? He held his breath as he waited. Then he heard the remarkably loud voice of the very small bee… “DROP THE SIGNS, GIRLS! TIME TO GET BACK TO WORK!”
These days, Benedict is still a creature of habit. He still has his daily routine, but he doesn’t take the honey for granted anymore. He knows his life is sweet… but now it’s even sweeter… for everyone.
The end.
I really enjoyed this book because it’s all about living together, respecting each other, and giving and taking. The best part about being in a community is being able to live together and have everyone’s life be sweet at the same time. Thank you for watching Storyline Online. Make sure to watch all our other stories. Keep watching and keep reading!
