Mimi The Dancing Bee

Eoin O’Brien

Illustrated by

Estrela Lourenço

Mimi is a very small bee. Her voice is so tiny that it’s hard to hear her when she speaks.

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The beehive, in a hole in an old stone wall, is such a noisy and busy place! Buzz, buzz, buzz, all day long.

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Mimi loves to spend time in the peace and quiet of the open air.

And what she loves most of all is dancing.

She especially loves the waggle dance.

, e l g g Wa step,

step,

e, l g ig

w

step ,

step

It’s so much fun!

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One day, Queen Margo calls all the bees together.

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‘Listen up, everybee! This hive is getting too crowded.

It’s time to make a new hive for half of us to live in.

Princess Poppy will stay here as the new Queen.

‘Off you all go to find a good place for the new hive.

Somewhere with lots of flowers, please, especially blue ones – they’re my favourites.’

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The bees fly off in every direction, searching for the perfect place.

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Mimi flies up high into the cool air. She sniffs and sniffs until she smells just a hint of something delicious – flowers! It’s very faint, but she’s sure of it.

Away she flies, humming a little tune in her head.

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She flies over cement roads and over gardens covered in grass. ‘Whew,’ says Mimi, ‘it’s so hot!’

But she can’t see anywhere to rest or have a drink of water. Just cement and grass, cement and grass.

She can still smell the lovely smell, though.

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Oh, there’s a nice yellow bush to land on.

That will do for a little rest.

f! o o W Ag

h!

That’s not a bush!

It’s a dog!

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On she flies, around a big building and over more gardens.

She’s getting tired now, but she’s not going to give up.

The lovely smell is getting stronger – she must be close!

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