France-Bea's Own Good (Following Rules Children's Book) (Marsh Media Character Education)

To keep the honeycomb strong, to make the very best honey, and to keep all the little honeybees safe and sound, bees must do things just so- according to bee rules. During her first days in the hive, young Beatrice is as busy as the proverbial bee learning all the rules her sisters can teach her.

But sometimes a young bee gets tired of following rules- especially if they interfere with her plans to visit a beautiful garden- perhaps the most beautiful garden in the world.

"No more bee rules," declares Beatrice. "I can make my own rules!"

Linda Talley's story takes us along with Bea to the Chateau of Villandry in the Loire Valley of France, where a change in the weather turns her reckless adventure into a near calamity.

Artist Andra Chase has drawn upon her own travel in France to capture Bea's world in sparkling watercolors- her hive, inside and out, the meadow beyond the bee-master's wall, full of buttercups, anemones ans sweet violets, a colorful village market, and the famed terraced gardens of Villandry.

When Bea sets out on her adventure, she has much to learn about the world and about how rules can help keep her safe and happy. She is like children everywhere- eager to explore and discover and break free of rules. Bea learns that luck and kindness may sometimes save the day, but that breaking the rules can be risky business. She learns, as will children who read her story, just what rules are for.