In her debut picture book ‘The Beehive’, multiple awardwinning Australian Teacher Librarian Megan Daley blends her greatest loves – bees and books.
Megan has been managing the native bees at the schools she has worked at for over 15 years now, with guidance from Dr Toby Smith and Sugarbag Bees. At her latest school, St Peters Lutheran College, Megan is the teacher librarian in the Prep – Year Three library and the ‘Guardian of the Rainforest’.
St Peters has a school rainforest which was started in 1969 by former teacher, Mr Barry Jahnke, who is still an active member of the Brisbane Naturalist Society and several other native gardening groups.
Megan has established six native beehives in the grounds of the primary school, with the help of Dr Toby Smith and beekeeper Murray Arkadieff, and her latest project is in the school rainforest, where students are helping identify existing natural hives and planting new species of native plants in anticipation of two new manmade native stingless hives for the rainforest to celebrate World Bee Day in 2024.
So keen is Megan on sharing the story of native bees with young people that she has written a picture book, ‘The Beehive’, out in Feb 2024 through Walker Books, illustrated by award winning illustrator Max Hamilton.
The blurb: An amazing look into the native stingless bee, the heroes of pollination, from celebrated teacher librarian and author Megan Daley and CBCA shortlisted illustrator Maxine Hamilton.
It’s finally hive day! Willow has been waiting all year for groundskeeper Tom to split the school’s native stingless beehive in two so she can take home her very own hive. Everything needs to be just right to help so that the bees forage and thrive in their new home. The dual text results in a charming story alongside an abundance of fascinating facts about Australia’s native bees.
https://www.walkerbooks.com.au/book/9781760655228/
Author: Megan Daley
Illustrator: Max Hamilton
Binding: Hardcover
Imprint: Walker Books Australia
Animal Stories Nature, The Natural World