|
Stephen Buchmann and Diana Cohn
2007 40 pages Hard cover (B050)
This book, intended for children, provides a beautiful introduction to tropical Asia’s Apis dorsata honey bees. There are two sections - the first depicts the story of a village boy climbing a flimsy ladder to ascend the colossal bee tree for the first time. The second half of the book gives background about Malaysia: her forests, bees and culture. Three people in the USA have been responsible for together creating this book: an artist, an author and an apicultural scientist. Paul Mirocha, the artist, has managed something difficult - magical pictures that recreate the atmosphere of the dark forest - the fact that honey hunting takes place only on the darkest, moon-free nights has always made it something difficult to capture on film. Diana Cohn, the author, has neatly described honey hunting and its important aspects, explaining how a boy learns the skills from his grandfather. The apicultural scientist who brought these skills together into this book is Stephen Buchmann.
Unlike most children’s books, the people who feature are not fictional characters, but people living in the forest today: Pak Teh, a respected honey hunter keeping forest traditions alive, and teaching his skills to young people like Nizam - also featured in the book. Malaysian bee expert Professor Makhdzir Mardan, who for many years has been advocating for better care and protection for these forests, was one of the first scientists to document the culture of these honey hunters and the bee trees.
|
