The Bear and the Bees

This story is called “The Bear and the Bees.” This is a LibraryCall adaptation and recording. Once there was a bear who woke up from his winter slumber cold and hungry. He wanted something sweet, so he went straight to the beehives. When he arrived, he saw that the bees were selling their honey. Giraffes, sheep, rabbits, and cows all stood in line waiting to buy the golden syrup, but the bear was not in the mood to wait in line, and he did not want to pay for the honey. Instead, he stalked up to the front of the line, grabbed a big bowl of honey, and began to lumber away. The bees were all abuzz. They followed him and called out, “Mr. Bear, that is not your honey. You have to stand in line and pay, just like everyone else!” To scare the bees away, the bear roared loudly, “Leave me alone! If you bother me again, I will destroy you and your beehives. From now on, all the honey is mine, do you understand?” Buzzing with fear, the bees returned home without the honey they had worked so hard to produce. The bee children were outraged by how unfairly the bear had treated them. “Let's punish the bear with our stingers!” they cried. But the older bees said, “There is no use in punishing him that way. The bear's skin is hard and thick; he will hardly feel a thing.” After deliberating for a while, the bees realized that their best chance of fighting back against the bear was to work as a team with the other animals of the forest. They went to each animal and asked for help, but no one agreed. They were too afraid of what the bear might do. The poor bees returned home and secretly collected the honey from their beehives, thinking about the bear’s threat. They didn't have the courage to sell their honey for fear of attracting the bear’s attention. Early the next morning, when the forest animals went to the beehives to purchase their favorite sticky nectar, they saw that there was no honey available to buy. It was hidden away, deep within the beehives. The animals began to regret that they had not helped the bees. After several days without honey, the animals approached the bees and said they were ready to work together. The bees and their animal friends discussed their plan late into the night. The next morning, the bees once again put out their honey to sell. Animals began to line up, chattering excitedly with one another. Mr. Bear heard the noise outside his den and went to investigate. When he realized the noise was coming from the beehives, he began to shuffle faster towards the line of animals. But as soon as he got close, he felt the ground disappear underneath him, and he plummeted down into a big pit. When he hit the bottom of the hole, he rolled over crying. He realized that the animals had dug this trap for him overnight. The animals hooted and howled, attracting the attention of the people in town. Humans followed the sound of the animals until they reached the bear in the pit. They scratched their heads, wondering how a bear had ended up in such a desperate situation. They decided to bring the bear to the city and put him on display in the zoo. The cruel bear would live, but he would lose his freedom. Once the bear had been taken away, the animals celebrated with a joyous party. To thank their friends, the bees presented all the animals of the forest with their best and largest container of honey. This story is called “The Bear and the Bees.” This is a LibraryCall adaptation and recording.