Definitely a 5/5. This is a wonderful book. I love a book which tells a story but you can also learn a lot of interesting facts at the same time. On one level we look at the society of Bees which is fascinating in its own right. Yet this is fundamentally a story where bees and hornets are metaphors for the unrest that is happening in Sidi’s (the kind protagonist’s) country. The politics of ignoring the poverty but expecting the votes is poignant. How a desperate people then turn to short term aid in ‘payment’ for voting in a party which does not have their interests at heart. What can I say about this book that will do it justice? A beautiful tale, the harmony of man and nature working together, the dance of bees, the Excellent translation, the prose, the flow…. the conversations with Staka the donkey? I do not know, but it was a book that I am so glad I read.