A Story of Courage through Wisdom

I’ll admit it took quite some time to bring Louise and the Bees together as a children’s book.

The idea first took root in 2015, when I knew I wanted to tell Louise’s story, but I also knew I didn’t yet have the artistic skill to do it justice. At the time, that limitation felt discouraging. Still, the story stayed with me.

What followed were years of development—not only of the manuscript, but of myself as an artist.

Now, nearly eleven years later, I find myself capable and confident enough to bring Louise and the Bees to life. Not simply as a book, but as a project with the intention to do good.

Louise is the embodiment of the young girl I once was. Each morning, I would leap out of bed, get dressed, eat a quick breakfast, and rush outside. I was endlessly curious - always eager to discover something new. Some of those discoveries, however, came through pain.

There is nothing quite like the first time a child is stung by a bee. It’s frightening. It hurts. And it can quietly change the way one moves through the world.

For me, that sting led to avoidance. The sound of buzzing made my stomach knot. The feeling of a bee nearby filled me with anxiety. If one came too close, I would either run or swat without thinking about the life in front of me.

Over time, I learned something important: fear doesn’t disappear through avoidance - it fades through understanding.

By learning about bees, their role in our ecosystem, and their vulnerability, my response shifted. What once showed up as fear and destruction slowly evolved into awareness and protection.

When I became aware of the threats facing bee populations in the United States and across the world, I knew I wanted to do something meaningful. I wanted to create a story that could introduce children to these ideas gently -starting with a single bee.

Louise and the Bees is the culmination of lessons learned in childhood and truths recognized in adulthood. It is an effort to foster understanding, encourage empathy, and guide young readers toward thoughtful interaction with the natural world by challenging what they think they know—and inviting them to learn more.

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