3 h 16 minAudiobook6 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Beneath the earth lies a secret kingdom, and a young princess must find the courage to meet the unknown.
In Bee: The Princess of the Dwarfs, Anatole France brings a young heroine into a fairy-tale world hidden beneath the ground. Bee stands at the heart of a story shaped by a secret kingdom and a test of courage. Here, a small person has a chance to prove herself when the familiar world gives way to the unknown.
France tells this tale with clear, gentle prose and a quiet smile. The kingdom of dwarfs gives depth and secrecy to its setting, while Bee gives the adventure its human heart. Written for young readers and the grown-ups who read to them, the story offers familiar fairy-tale pleasures with a light touch and a little wry humour.
What you’ll discover
- A princess facing the unknown Meet Bee, a young heroine whose courage matters in a world beyond the familiar.
- A kingdom beneath the earth Enter the hidden world of the dwarfs, where depth and secrecy shape the tale.
- Old fairy-tale pleasures Rediscover a secret kingdom, a young heroine, and the challenge of proving herself.
- Gentleness with a quiet smile Enjoy France's clear prose, light touch, and gently wry way of telling a story.
- A story to share Let the tale bring young readers and grown-ups together around Bee's encounter with the unknown.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy fairy tales with a gentle wit, castles and underground kingdoms, and tender stories of childhood friendship, loyalty and first love.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- The Duchess promises to raise the children as one
- Two children slip away toward the forbidden lake
- A sleeping girl is found and carried into the mountain
- King Loc makes Bee welcome but will not let her leave
- Wonders and treasure cannot replace the sunlit earth
- Bee sees her mother and admits her love
- What the story is really about, and how it is told
Who’s who
- BeeDuchess's daughter, small, golden-haired and quick-tongued, who is carried off by the dwarfs and longs to return to her mother and George.
- George of the White MoorAn orphaned young lord raised beside Bee, proud and brave, who dreams of adventures.
- King LocThe wise and kindly king of the dwarfs, who falls in love with Bee and must learn what love asks of him.
- The Duchess of the ClaridesBee's good and gentle mother, who raises George as her own son and grieves when her daughter vanishes.
- FreeheartGeorge's old squire, a singer and tavern lover, loyal and brave, who teaches the boy more than his tutors.
- NurThe most learned dwarf, who studies through lenses and mirrors.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 3 h 16 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 6 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Read and hear Abeille : la princesse des nains in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Abeille : la princesse des nains
by Anatole France · 1883
Bee wanders to a forbidden lake in satin slippers, and a dwarf on a crow is watching.
Easy read2–5 hours to read25 languages
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In short
What would you choose if a king offered you a hall of gold, a chest of jewels and a crown, but you could never go home? Anatole France tells her story in Bee: The Princess of the Dwarfs, a fairy tale of knights, spirits and an underground kingdom.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The Duchess promises to raise the children as one
The story opens with a white rose. The Countess of the White Moor finds it on her kneeling stool in the chapel, and she knows the sign. Whenever a Countess of her house is about to die, a white rose waits there. She is already a widow, and her son George is only three years old.
She rides to the castle of the Clarides with her squire Freeheart and asks the Duchess to bring up George beside her baby daughter Bee. The Duchess promises that each child will always receive whatever the other receives. From beneath the hearthstone, the small voice of a house spirit says that Bee will love him.
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What is Bee: The Princess of the Dwarfs about?
It tells of Bee, a duchess's daughter, and George, a young lord raised with her. Bee is taken by the dwarfs to their underground kingdom, where their king falls in love with her, and George is taken by the Sylphs.
Who is King Loc in Bee: The Princess of the Dwarfs?
King Loc is the wise and gentle ruler of the dwarfs. He keeps Bee in his kingdom, crowns her Princess of the Dwarfs and hopes she will marry him. He is kind but also jealous.
Who are the Sylphs and the dwarfs in the book?
The Sylphs are beautiful water spirits who live in a crystal manor beneath the lake and keep George as their companion. The dwarfs are hardworking little men who live underground and work with metal, gems and springs.
The author
Anatole France
1844–1924 · French novelist
Anatole France (1844–1924) was a French novelist, poet and essayist. He was born in Paris and died in Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire, France. His novels include The Crime of Sylvestre Bonnard (1881), Thaïs (1890), The Red Lily (1894), Penguin Island (1908) and The Revolt of the Angels (1914).
More by Anatole France
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