An elephant and a bee as FRIENDS? Did you know that these two amazing creatures are natural enemies? Elephants are AFRAID of bees! (I didn't either till I read this book).
Arbo, the elephant, goes on a train ride to visit his friend, when all of a sudden... the train goes through a tunnel and Arbo bumps into an unexpected traveling companion ...
... Join Arbo as he learns that honey bees aren't as mean as his family had told him.
And they become the best of friends... proving that the best friendships could blossom out of some "hairy" situations!
The author and illustrator, Johanna Mesa Ramos, created this fantastic book based on her first hand experience with bees. She hopes that this book will decrease fears of honey bees and spread the word that elephants are fantastic creatures. She dedicates this book to all the heros who save both bees and elephants. She explains her story below:
"My grandfather was a beekeeper during my childhood years. I have very fond memories of helping him take out the wax panels from the bee hives. I never feared bees, he helped me understand them. I did get stung a few times though, but the bit of pain was soon dismissed. I suppose bees have always been a part of my life.
Fast forward into adulthood, I fell in love with another wonderful creature, the elephant. I am in awe of their social structure and behavior. Although, all animals have an absolute magic to them. It was in utter delight that I serendipitously learned about their fear of bees.
I realized then it would make a great story. It took a while though, getting the idea together. While the honey bee's character design was rather straight forward, I needed several takes to get my elephant just right. In the end, it was all worth it.
I quite enjoyed setting up a scenario where an unlikely friendship would blossom between two of my favorite animals. My hope is for readers to enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed creating it. There's nothing like a great book that you can go back to because you don't get tired of it."
You can find more of Johanna's work on her Instagram.
Order your own copy of "Arbo Makes an Unlikely Friend" on Amazon Here!
Interested in Helping Honeybees? Check out the Non-Profit Foundation: Planet Bee Foundation, where they help teach the next generation about the importance of bees and how to care for them. Visit their website for more information: https://www.planetbee.org
AND ADOPT A HIVE!
