Telling the Bees: A Fairy Tale for the New Moon
On the next new moon, join Little Witch and her coven beneath the Elder.
It’s time to tell the bees.
Alongside Persephone and the Fairies, join Little Witch for high tea with the hive! As you and the bees sip honeyed potions, Madam Spider spins riddles and Little Witch describes a curious dream – one about a moonstruck hare, moving at your own pace, and the origin of fairy tales.
What does it mean to tell the bees?
Many moons ago, magick was part of everyday life. Bees brewed honey and pollinated flowers, but they also worked as household psychopomps, fuzzy messengers that carried our stories between worlds. Back then, bees were not mere insects but divine couriers, and upon reaching important milestones, families toasted their good fortune with the hive. The buzzing might go on for days (the bees loved any excuse for a party), but once the hoopla died down, a team of pollinators would set out for lands unseen and deliver meaningful news to spirits long gone.
Today, the ritual of telling the bees appears in animistic and magickal communities, and according to Little Witch, a happy hive is a fruitful spell, sweetening the boundaries of heart and home.
Little Witch Tales’ Telling the Bees is a fairy tale for Witches, Pagans, and whimsical folk of all ages. It's a story written for youngsters, elders, and timeless souls in between. Woven upon a lunar loom and held together by mythical threads, Telling the Bees is a tea party within the wild gardens of childhood.
Dreamt up by Kristin Lisenby and Caitlyn Barone, and edited by Sarah Justice, Telling the Bees is the first book in a 5-part series from Little Witch Tales, a collection of lunar fairy tales exploring Animist Witchcraft and Paganism through a modern lens. In this middle-grade tale, inspired by the new phase of the moon and the tradition of telling the bees, 11-year-old Little Witch RSVPs to high tea with her local hive. Madam Spider supervises as the fairies prepare an enchanted picnic and Little Witch updates the hive about what's new in the world of witches.
Because Telling the Bees is a timeless tale, we wanted it to feel that way. To give it a vintage touch that’s reminiscent of books from yesteryear, we’ve opted for a hardcover style (approximately 20 x 15 cm) wrapped in forest green faux leather with a satin ribbon bookmark. The cover design is stamped in pink, green, and gold foil (to add a bit of whimsy), and the book has been upgraded with custom, colored end pages. The interior illustrations and text are displayed on 108 lb, off-white paper with gilded page edges!
The 25+ black and white illustrations in Telling the Bees were done 100% by hand. As a nod to vintage etchings and the nostalgic mood of Little Witch Tales, we wanted to create a book that spoke to the in-between. No matter our age or occupation, we hope that Little Witch serves as an archetype for the inner child, liminal living, and the magick that exists betwixt and between each season of life.
Thanks to YOU, our Kickstarter was fully funded in one week, and we hit all four of our stretch goals! If you missed our crowdfunding campaign, you can now pre-order Telling the Bees via the Little Witch Books shop!
Telling the Bees is an illustrated fairy tale about a little witch, a curious invitation, and a sticky, springtime tradition. Pre-order today!