The Elephant and the Bee: On Saving the World...and Other Triumphant Failures

by Jess de Boer, Garden (Artist)

Overview

On saving the world and other triumphant failures...

As a child, young Kenyan Jess de Boer knew that one day she would save the world. Leaving behind the comfort of home she sets out to make her dream a reality. Many continents, adventures and a few hilarious mishaps later, Jess returns to Africa to dedicate herself to a new passion - beekeeping.

Follow the beautifully illustrated misadventures of a young, modern-day explorer as she tackles the enormous challenges of aid in Africa, environmental concerns and conservation issues - often with humorous and dramatic results.

While saving the world isn't as easy as it seems, we can make a positive change, one little bee at a time!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781909762244
Publisher:	Jacaranda Books
Publication date:	04/01/2016
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Jess de Boer was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya to a privileged Dutch family in the region. From a young age, inspired by her surroundings, Jess de Boer had a strong desire to bring about appositive change in theworld. On graduating from University, Jess worked in a variety of industries, ranging from being a private chef in the Swiss Alps to maggot farming in Thailand, while travelling the world and documenting her many attempts to make a positive change. In 2014 Jess won The Africa Book Club Short Reads competition with her story The Honey Man. That same year, she represented Kenya in the Women’s Triathlon at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She now works as a beekeeper in Kenya and is still on a mission to one day save the world. The Elephant and the Bee is her first book.

Editorial Reviews

"Within the serious message that Jess wants to convey about man’s destruction of the planet, there are moments of utter hilarity. This juxtaposition is enthralling and leads the reader on page by page and chapter by chapter, always wondering how the title of the book will eventually fit into the content.
I found Jess’s narration endearing and informative in equal measure and would highly recommend this book to others... It is so accessible and manages to cover some really important environmental issues." Natalie Pither, St George's Library Blog

"The Elephant and The Bee, has been both written and illustrated by Jess de Boer and the book design chosen by publishers Jacaranda accentuates Jess’s fun and light-hearted approach to her story with a soft cover and rounded edges, giving the book an enjoyable tactile aesthetic which enhances the pleasure of reading... Jess’s writing has a marvelous ability to enable us to reflect on ourselves with a degree of humorous critical distance." Sally-Shakti Willow, The Contemporary Small Press.

I was completely taken with this book... It’s a beautifully scripted novel and the illustrations she creates with her words are extraordinary.
Written with humour and grace, Jess de Boer depicts some of her biggest embarrassments that she has endured in her life, including some that were very public indeed, as well as some that were (thankfully) only in front of a few people... From the jobs to adventures she takes, Boer navigated through the ‘real’ world until she finds her true calling as a keeper of bees.
It’s an exciting read that will require no effort at all to get through and will undoubtedly make you smile throughout (if not cringe!).
It’s a unique story that takes you on a journey through a privileged white African’s perspective of how to become a well rounded, travelled person.
I would strongly suggest going down to the book shop and picking up a copy." Lucy Hutchon, Elle Hache

"This is a story we can all relate with. What will we do with our life? Do we have to follow a path we build in our head for many years or will we just go with the flow? From Africa to Switzerland, with a quick detour to Vietnam, Jess brings us in her peregrination and her mental journey of “What can I do with my life?”. Is following your principles enough? How can a simple detail (in this case, an advert for beekeeping classes) change the course of your life – and others? This was a truly fun and inspiring book. You’ll finish it full of hope and motivation to engage in something (or someone) new and unusual." Marion Tessier, The KU Big Read

If I had seen this book in the book­store and it had been sealed with only the cover for reference, I would still pick it up. Its title 'The Elephant and the Bee, Jess de Boer On Saving The World and other triumphant failures' had me chuckling even before I had read the preface. That sets the pace of the book, which gives an honest account of the author's incredible journey of trying to find her purpose and like most of us attempting to actually do 'something good for once as opposed to just thinking about it.'
Jess's story begins right ofter high school and she shares a collection of stories, spanning several years and different continents that gives the reader a peek into her personal defeats and success in her bid to save the world. What makes this book a real page turner, are the Kenyan author's clever descriptions of all the places she has been. There is the hilar­ious description of a café she worked at in Christchurch, New Zealand, 'The building itself had only just survived the earlier tremors and was held to­gether with suspicious amount of wire, duel tape and cable ties...' And then her realisation that the mountains wilderness that she had longed lo see in Lao Cai in China, 'was in reality a never-ending row of scruffy hotels and eateries on either side of a road...'
Throughout the whole book, I fell like I was listening to a story told by a friend over coffee and even the end­ing is not really an ending but the possibility of something new. As Jess surmises, 'While saving the world isn't easy as it seems, we can make a posi­tive change, one little bee at a time.' Whal a beautiful read.
— Brenda Okoth, The Sunday

From the Publisher