Val had been for some years, sitting on the idea of a children's book depicting the every day life of a honey bee throughout the seasons, narrowly avoiding all the hazards in her path.
Several aspects appealed: the fun, the narrow escapes, the opportunity to develop and enjoy the illustrations, and the educational aspects. These not only give a better understanding of the world and life of bees and other insects, but the importance of a continuous supply of safe pollen and nectar for them to survive and thrive.
This is something we can all help with. You don't have to be a beekeeper to help bees: plants in your garden for when food is scarce are vital, particularly out of season. That is early and late in teh season, and during teh June forage gap.
So Val teamed up with Claire, talented illustrator and one of our exhibitors at The National Honey Show for the last 5 or 6 years, to plan their book "Izzie Lizzie Busy Bee". It will be launched at this year's show, alongside all the other centenary celebrations.
The book has taken a lot of thought, planning and decisions, from title, content, and settling on what we want to portray. The story of the book development is blogged in more detail on our collaborative website and social media: Saffron Wildlife Studio.