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The Way of the Hive: A Honey Bee's Story, A Graphic Novel

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Experience the life of a honeybee in this coming-of-age story about a bee named Nyuki, in this full-color graphic novel by Jay Hosler, perfect for curious kids who are fans of the Science Comics series.

Nyuki is a brand-new honeybee—and she has a lot of questions. Like


When does a bee go through metamorphosis?
Why does a queen bee sometimes leave her hive?
And where does all this honey come from, anyway?!
But Nyuki’s biggest question is, “What is this inner voice I hear, and why does it tell me to go forth to adventure?

Follow Nyuki on a lifelong journey as she annoys her sisters, avoids predators, and learns to trust her inner voice as she masters the way of the hive.

And if you still have questions at the end, the back of the book uncovers even more mysteries about the lives of these incredible insects!

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

25 people are currently reading
4338 people want to read

About the author

Jay Hosler

26 books82 followers
Dr. Jay Hosler is an Associate Professor of Biology at Juniata College and an award-winning cartoonist who writes and draws comic books about biology and natural history. His work has been called "ingenious" (The London Times), "goofily inventive" (The New York Times), and "entertaining and slyly educational" (The Comics Journal). His works include Active Synapse classics such as Clan Apis, The Sandwalk Adventures, and Optical Allusions. You can visit Jay's website for a more in-depth introduction to this multi-talented cartoonist-biologist-professor-daddy.

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5 stars
572 (42%)
4 stars
540 (39%)
3 stars
198 (14%)
2 stars
32 (2%)
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13 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 277 reviews
Profile Image for Geoff.
994 reviews130 followers
December 13, 2020
An education graphic novel that imparts its facts through the life journey of one bee in an incredible endearing, anthropomorphized hive. It touches on the different jobs a bee will do in its life, the way the queen is both a sovereign and a hostage, the threats of predators and others bees, and the way that bees are closely interconnected with flowers and other animals. A little too much exposition-conversation at times, but still a lot of fun.

**Thanks to the artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest reveiw.
Profile Image for Rod Brown.
7,398 reviews285 followers
May 4, 2021
I was excited to see that Jay Hosler was doing another bee book because I loved his Clan Apis in the '90s and immediately placed a library hold on The Way of the Hive: A Honey Bee's Story without reading anything but the title. But then I was disappointed when I got the book and found it was just Clan Apis with a new title and coloring. But THEN I was excited to realize that since I had it in hand without the need of scrounging through dozens of comic book long boxes, I had a great reason to re-read Clan Apis!

What a marvelous fusion of story and educational material! You get to follow Nyuki the bee through her entire life as she meets new characters, has dangerous adventures, and makes you genuinely happy to learn about bees -- even if there are puns involved. It's humorous and dramatic and got there long before Jerry Seinfeld made bees all weird and creepy.

Parents be warned, this book does the whole circle of life thing, with some major bee deaths along the way.
Profile Image for Megan.
1,087 reviews80 followers
May 30, 2016
Clan Apis is one of the funniest and most moving educational books I've ever read. Jay Hosler's writing is clear and inventive; you don't even notice you're learning a lot while you're reading this. Very much in the vein of what Richard Adams does for rabbits in Watership Down, Hosler does a fantastic job of giving bees strong anthropomorphic character and making them interesting enough to care about. In reading Clan Apis I learned a lot about bees, and a bit about myself. This is one of my favorite graphic novels of all time.
Profile Image for Erica.
1,474 reviews498 followers
January 11, 2016
This is the book that made me want to have honeybees. Not for the honey, just to have them in my yard. Because I love them and I am sure all bee larvae smile like that.

I force this book upon everyone I know who asks any type of question about bees.
Profile Image for jess.
860 reviews82 followers
September 19, 2021
From 2021:
I read this book in 2010. I had no memory of that at all. I checked it out randomly from the library for my kids, read it again, didn’t realize until I came to goodreads to log it that I read it 11 years ago. Oops. I just reread my 2010 review and my feelings are basically the same except this time I’m sharing it with Mem and Otto instead of Levi.


2010 review: I guess I am off to a slow start in 2010. Since I read so much in 2009 and my nose is deeply buried in 22 books right now, I can't fault myself much for not finishing any of them yet. I picked this up because we're starting a beehive this year and Her Majesty's Secret Beekeeper recommended this book on a Craft gift guide for beekeepers. Plus, Levi will read any graphic novel in the house, so it's a good way to sneak in information when he doesn't realize he's learning.

Anyway, this is a graphic novel about bees. I know, I was born to write this book and someone got the book deal before I did. Life is unfair. Clan Apis has a fictional plot that follows the life of a honey bee named Nyuki from her first moments as a newly hatched larva, with scientific information about the life cycle and habits of the bee tucked in for an educational experience. There are some big themes for a graphic novel aimed at young people - feeling like you are called to your work, the necessity of cooperation, being part of something larger than yourself, and life/death. It's a little cheesy, but maybe I'm just jealous I didn't write it. Levi said a bunch of his classmates liked it when they were in like fourth grade. The art is good enough but not extraordinary. The bees look realistic, not anthropomorphized, which is both good and bad. The writer's obvious enthusiasm and adoration for the subject matter shines through, and you have to respect the kind of passion that would cause someone to risk their life (he has a bee sting allergy).
Profile Image for Peter Derk.
Author 32 books403 followers
February 1, 2022
This is a pretty good book that does a better job explaining the circle of life than that silly song does.

But it's also kind of fucked up.

Not the book. I think the book could actually be a very gentle introduction to death and the utter fucking horror that is nature.

Seriously, nature is totally fucked up.

You'll see video of two little birds cuddling, then a hawk swoops in and just fucking tears one of the birds away. And you're like, "Those birds were in love. And then the bird's just...gone."

Every animal is like a goddamn murderous maniac!

And plants are no better. There's this quote, I think it's from a Swamp Thing comic, and I'll paraphrase:

"You see nature as harmonious. I see that tree strangling that other tree to death over a period of decades in front of its own mother."

Of course, I know people are no better.

I just want to watch nature docs that don't have so much, "Oh, and then this little dude got eaten."

And I know what you're thinking: That's nature. That's how it works. You can't just ignore it.

First of all: The hell I can't!

But secondly, it's not nature.

There's nothing natural about a documentary that follows a pair of penguins raising babies. There's nothing natural about applying narrative to them and romantic feelings to their behaviors. There's nothing natural about Patton Oswalt narrating the whole thing. There's nothing natural about the editing and music and all this shit that makes me invested in these goddamn penguins I never would've known about if I hadn't watched this fucking show.
Profile Image for Wendy.
200 reviews4 followers
May 7, 2022
A very cute graphic novel following the life of a bee. It's both entertaining aswell as educational. Perfect to read to your kids!
Profile Image for Mandy.
1,770 reviews29 followers
January 20, 2022
Informational graphic novel. I have been reading a lot about bees, so this graphic novel caught my eye. It focuses on Nyuki, a young bee and her older sister Dvorah. Nyuki is resistant to change, whether it's metamorphosis from larva to bee, swarming with the hive, or leaving the hive to become a forager. Dvorah continually encourages her. This story is told as a narrative, but has a ton of bee facts in it. From the exact dimensions of honeycomb to the division of labor in the hive, there is lots to learn here. This book featured several honeybee deaths, which is realistic of course but some readers might want to be forewarned. The introduction is a bee-focused retelling of the Big Ban Theory, which I found very off-putting but once that passed the rest of the story was less abstract. Overall a good story with a lot of information throughout.
Profile Image for Edward Sullivan.
Author 6 books224 followers
May 4, 2021
This clever and engaging graphic novel follows a honeybee named Nyuki on a lifelong journey as she annoys her sisters, avoids predators, and learns to trust her inner voice as she masters the way of the hive. Includes lots of great scientific end matter.
Profile Image for Joanne.
1,969 reviews43 followers
June 8, 2022
Educational and really touching graphic novel about the life cycle -and life- of a honeybee. I think kids aged 7+ will laugh, learn, and even shed a tear. I know I did. 🐝♥️
Profile Image for Mego.
11 reviews44 followers
January 16, 2021
Okay, this was really hecking cute. I did not expect this book to bee (sorry, I promise that's the only time I'm going to do that) so enjoyable. I've seen it advertised as a children's book, but it's definitely for older kids. It's full of science as well as humor, stuff even I - a Big Bad Adult - had to go back and reread a couple of times. But it's a GREAT book. I learned so much about how bees work, and I wasn't bored once! It's honestly amazing how the author managed to give these bees - each drawn pretty much exactly the same - so much personality. I'm still giggling with delight over bee shenanigans. The art is fantastic as well. Vivid and detailed, extremely captivating.
Profile Image for Kelly.
783 reviews38 followers
October 30, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
It's always interesting to read about the life cycle of bees and this graphic novel did a good job making it a fun educational experience. The different jobs that different bees do is fascinating and the humor really added to the educational aspect. One thing that would've added greatly is full color rather than mostly black and white.
Profile Image for Kate.
918 reviews52 followers
November 25, 2013
Fascinating! A well-executed blend of informational text and storytelling packaged in graphic novel format. I really enjoyed this one.
Profile Image for Sooraya Evans.
939 reviews64 followers
July 16, 2017
I think I am now an expert on bees.
Never knew life was so hard for these creatures.
As our main character Nyuki puts it, "The ending stinks!"
Profile Image for Pine Reads Review.
718 reviews27 followers
Read
June 9, 2021
“We both do things differently, but that doesn’t make my way better than his. We both play our role in nature.”

Honey bee Nyuki learns what it means to be part of Clan Apis, as she experiences a bee’s life cycle. Accompanied by sister bees Dvorah and Melissa, Nyuki navigates perilous circumstances and grows to learn the way of the hive. Nyuki’s friendships with creatures outside the hive, like Sisyphus the beetle and Bloomington the flower, provide Nyuki with new encounters, which lead to Nyuki learning an insect’s life cycle, along with its many factors and participants. Nyuki’s story is a great example of a honey bee’s life and the many processes which accompany it, both in and outside the hive.

Jay Hosler’s The Way of the Hive is a perfect mix of science and entertainment. Hosler presents the science behind the life cycle of bees, both their creation and survival, with comedic dialogue and lively imagery. The use of detailed illustrations emphasizes the actions and movements of honey bees to the reader, such as Nyuki’s nectar dance and the laying of the Queen Bee’s eggs. Both circumstances would be difficult for readers to imagine without a visual representation. Paired with the dialogue, the illustrations humanize the bees and the intricate cycle of nature they partake in. To me, the personification of the bees is impactful because it provides educational context for movements like Save the Bees. Ecological campaigns will often change into trends, and as they continue to be shared, sadly lose their initial message. This graphic novel is a perfect accompaniment to movements like these because the humanization of the bees also fosters the necessary compassion and care that should follow this movement. Hosler’s The Way of the Hive is a novel that will inspire readers to continue to care for the Earth’s bees and learn more about their role in nature.

(Pine Reads would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @pinereadsreview and check out our website at www.pinereadsreview.com for reviews, author interviews, blogs, podcast episodes, and more!
1,417 reviews58 followers
July 29, 2021
The Way of the Hive by Jay Hosler is an interesting and engaging graphic novel fusion between anthropomorphized animal fiction and cleverly incorporated science nonfiction about honey bees. I understand that this is a rerelease previously published as Clan Apis, but as I never read the original publication, I don't have much perspective beyond that. However, I enjoyed The Way of the Hive--the art is bright and cheery and evocative, with so many details that back up the scientific data we are learning about the world of honeybees from our narrator, the honeybee Nyuki. We follow Nyuki from the beginning of her life to the end, and along the way learn about the entire life cycle of honey bees and the world they inhabit. It's heavily anthropomorphized, as I mentioned, with humorous dialog and a goofy but likable main character, as well as her friendship with other bees and even a dung beetle. I'm not sure what the name Nyuki means, but later in the story, her friend is named Melissa, which means "bee", so I found that clever too. It was a fun read.

I think this book is smart enough, with nice enough art, to be enjoyable for adults, but interesting and compelling enough, without being too complicated, for younger readers to enjoy as well. I could see it being a good addition to school libraries. I enjoyed this quick and easy read, which I finished in one setting. Thank you to #NetGalley and Harper Collins for sharing a temporary advanced digital copy of The Way of the Hive with me in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Katarina.
565 reviews8 followers
Read
January 13, 2025
Nyuki is a brand new honeybee and Oh boy does she have lots of questions.
Follow her on this adventure, as she annoys her sisters, avoid predators, and learns to trust her inner voice.

This comic was so educational, and honestly I kind of loved it. This was the most out of characters comic for me to read, but I enjoyed learning a little bit about bees. I hope their are more comics like this by this author. I will have to do some research. The illustrations in this comic were amazing and just so colourful and made it enjoyable to read. I love how their was a mix of science and humour in this book, they were great combinations. If a teacher read this in a science class, it would have been the best class ever. I don't enjoy insects but reading and learning about them is a whole different endeavour they are so interesting to read and learn about. This is just a great book overall and I think a lot of people would enjoy it. Happy Reading!!!!
Profile Image for Stella.
898 reviews17 followers
April 30, 2021
I missed Clan Apis before it was out of print. This is a revised reprint, but how much has been changed I don't know, not having seen the original. I've enjoyed other books by Jay Hosler and knew I would like this one. It is a full-color graphic novel -- some of the ARCs must have been black and white, as earlier reviewers mentioned that. Opens with a beautiful metaphor for the Big Bang Theory (The Big Bloom Theory) and a synopsis of evolution as a bedtime story for a bee larva. Perfect blend of education and humor. If you are remotely interested in the life cycle of a honey bee, this might be the book to get you hooked. Hope this finds its way into many young biology classrooms and homes of curious kids (back cover suggested ages 8-12).
Profile Image for Dave.
501 reviews9 followers
January 14, 2025
Previously a multi-issue comic series titled Clan Apis, The Way of the Hive is a neatly packed and beautifully illustrated graphic novel about the life cycle of a honey bee. Chronicling the adventures of a worker bee named Nyuki by anthropomorphizing her, her hive siblings, and the insect and animal world around her, gave the story its charisma and charm, but it was the conversations with Bloomington the flower that inspired its emotional depth. This made it appealing along the lines of The Giving Tree, the interconnectedness and beauty of life and nature suitable for both children and adults.
919 reviews
January 10, 2026
It all started with the BIG BLOOM. Before that was nothing. But then a bud appeared, and “once it started, it couldn’t stop.” Light and life radiated from its petals, eventually forming planets, stars, space, oceans, dry land, and finally one brave amphibian who crept out of the water . . . to discover the insects had already taken over. Especially bees! Or at least, that’s their story.
We hear it as a bedtime tale told to a sightless larva in its waxy cell. Nyuki can’t see but she can talk, and has a smart mouth to boot. Her nurse, Dvorah, provides a stream of instruction until, and even after, Nyuki has emerged from the cell with wings and thorax, etc. The New bee has a lot to learn yet, for every worker bee fulfills a number of jobs before expiring, and some of those jobs Nyuki refuses to do. Too risky. But “There’s risk in living,” Dvorah reminds her: “. . . You can’t hide from that in the hive.”
Follow Nyuki on a lifelong journey as she annoys her sisters, avoids predators, and learns to trust the inner voice–telling her to go forth to adventure–as she masters the way of the hive.
Originally published as a softcover comic called Clan Apis, this hardcover nonfiction graphic novel introduces a totally engaging examination of Apis Miliferra. The author/illustrator, “a biology professor by day and a scheming cartoonist by night,” makes even a gray blob of larva look adorable. Back-matter provides diagrams and biology notes to each chapter. Both kids (8-14) and adults will enjoy the adventures of Nyuki, and learn something too. Such as, Nyuki is Swahili for “bee.” 4.5
Profile Image for Melissa.
2,724 reviews40 followers
April 18, 2022
4 1/2 stars.
Perhaps my favorite books are those I approach with no intrinsic interest that blow me away and leave me knowing and feeling a ton more than I did at the start. The graphic novel format is perfect for this saga of a young bee as she grows and works to understand her place in the hive and her relationship to the fate we all share - no e of us survive life. Funny, and surprising and packed with both accurate information and whimsy. An updated, colorized version of Clan Apis.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
491 reviews
August 4, 2023
I read this on Owen’s recommendation. It’s quite interesting. They tell bee facts in a story as you follow the life cycle of one bee. This would actually be a pretty good book for kids needing to process death. The main bee’s friend dies and then she dies at the end. It’s gentle and actually really nice. She dies near her flower friend so that she can decompose and become his nectar and return to her hive in that way.
Profile Image for Jacki.
1,171 reviews59 followers
September 18, 2021
Two things.

1. I liked the book overall. The art is lovely, and I appreciate the way it incorporates a ton of information about bees into its plot.

2. But also I can't read anything about bees, especially if it mentions the mating flight which this book does, and not think about the time we had a library presenter talk about bees at a program, and a 10-year-old started asking questions about how bees mate, and the presenter demonstrated penetration with his pointer finger and his opposite hand. Ah, memories. Memories of freezing in helpless horror...
Profile Image for Rebecca McPhedran.
1,584 reviews82 followers
October 7, 2022
A Maine Student Book Award Nominee for 2022|2023

This was a really informative graphic novel that centers around the coming of age of a spirited little bee named Nyuki. This was such a cool way to read about the life cycle of bees, while also making the information super accessible. A great read!
Profile Image for Marisa.
1,156 reviews
April 23, 2023
I put this on my non-fiction shelf, but is it really? I love illustrations and how expressive Hosler manages to make bees, but I worry about kids getting confused by some of the liberties taken. The origin story Dvorah tells Nyuki as she's sealing Nyuki in her cell to metamorphose...will a 3rd grader understand that's poetic license? Despite my unease with the mixing of fiction and fact, I was fully invested in this book and didn't expect to be moved to tears at the end! Will purchase for IGWA.
Profile Image for Amanda.
93 reviews4 followers
September 22, 2021
Graphic book recommended by my daughter. I learned numerous facts about bees that will be fun to share with my beekeeping father. 🐝
Profile Image for Melissa.
107 reviews1 follower
August 1, 2022
A great educational graphic novel!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 277 reviews

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