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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 wise, teasing narrator, underground kingdoms, brave children and a gentle king. It suits anyone who reads aloud to children.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Affection gives the children a home
- A warning becomes an invitation
- The lake divides the children
- Generosity cannot make captivity a home
- Bee values sunlight above jewels
- Bee begins to understand her heart
- Compassion matters more than comfort
- A gentle voice makes enemies human
- Kindness is tested by disappointed love
Who’s who
- BeeThe small, golden-haired daughter of the Duchess of the Clarides, who is carried off by dwarfs and longs to go home and be with George.
- George of the White MoorAn orphaned boy raised beside Bee, proud and brave, who is taken by the Sylphs and wants only to return to her.
- King LocThe wise little king of the dwarfs, who loves Bee and wants her to love him in return.
- FreeheartThe old squire, singer and teller of tales, who loves George and Bee and is sent away to Rome.
- The Duchess of the ClaridesBee's good and gentle mother, who keeps her promise to raise George and mourns her daughter.
- NurThe most learned of the dwarfs, who lives at the bottom of a well and reads the world in his glasses.
- The Queen of the SylphsThe green-eyed ruler of the lake spirits, who wants George to stay in her crystal manor as her friend.
- TadThe kindest of the forest dwarfs, who defends Bee and argues that justice should come before custom.
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Bee: The Princess of the Dwarfs in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Bee: The Princess of the Dwarfs
by Anatole France · 1883
A girl in satin slippers walks to a forbidden lake and wakes among dwarfs who debate what to do with her.
Easy readUnder 2 hours to read20 languages
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“But here, as always, France, with the unerring taste of the really great writer, avoids cheap effect.”
In short
What would you do if a king under the earth offered you every jewel in the world, and you asked only for one sunbeam on the slates of your own home? That is the choice Bee makes in Bee: The Princess of the Dwarfs, a fairy tale by the French writer Anatole France.
Bee: The Princess of the Dwarfs at a glance
- Reading time
- About 1 h 50 min1 h 25 min fast, 2 h 10 min slow
- Length
- 26,100 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
- First published
- 1883by Anatole France
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A white rose leaves George in new hands
The tale opens in a chapel. The Countess of the White Moor, a widow, finds a white rose on her kneeling stool. Every Countess of her house knows what it means. The rose comes when death is near.
She looks in on her son George, three years old and asleep, and hangs a locket with her portrait around his neck. Then she rides to the castle of the Clarides. She asks her friend the Duchess to raise George beside her baby daughter, Bee. The Duchess promises that neither child will ever get anything without the other getting half. Over Bee's cradle, a small clear voice says that she will love him. It is the voice of a spirit that lives under the hearthstone.
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- 15-minute summary
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Details
- First published
- 1883
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 2 h 5 min
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
France, Anatole. Bee: The Princess of the Dwarfs. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/bee-the-princess-of-the-dwarfs.
France, A. (2026). Bee: The princess of the dwarfs. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/bee-the-princess-of-the-dwarfs (Original work published 1883)
France, Anatole. Bee: The Princess of the Dwarfs. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/bee-the-princess-of-the-dwarfs.
@book{france2026bee,
author = {France, Anatole},
title = {Bee: The Princess of the Dwarfs},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/bee-the-princess-of-the-dwarfs},
note = {First published 1883}
}
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What is Bee: The Princess of the Dwarfs about?
It is a fairy tale about Bee, a duchess's daughter, and George, the boy raised beside her. After a walk to a forbidden lake, water spirits take George and dwarfs take Bee, whose king falls in love with her.
Who is King Loc in Bee: The Princess of the Dwarfs?
King Loc is the small, wise ruler of the dwarfs who live under the earth. He is learned and rich, he loves Bee deeply, and he must learn how to love someone who loves another.
Who are the Sylphs in the story?
The Sylphs are beautiful water spirits who live in a crystal manor under the lake. Their queen keeps George in comfort and song, hoping he will forget the earth and stay with her as her friend.
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).
“You’ll think us less ugly, miss, when you like us better.”
More by Anatole France
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