For parents & caregivers
A Parent Reading Guide to Ojie the Honeybee
Questions, conversation starters and simple activities for reading together. Pick a few, keep your copy nearby, and follow your child’s curiosity.
A small bee, a big conversation
Reading together can make room for questions that do not have a single right answer. In Ojie the Honeybee, a young bee faces a problem that affects her hive. Her family has taught her a way of caring for others, but reaching an important ingredient means facing an obstacle beyond her own community.
Choose a few questions that interest your child. You can focus on Ojie’s choices, notice what the illustrations communicate, or explore what it means to help someone. Leave room for an unexpected answer or a question of their own.
The book is written by Ryan Ansin and illustrated by Toby Mikle. These are companion discussion prompts to use with your own copy.
Before you begin
Look at the cover together. Invite your child to describe what they notice before explaining the story yourself. Talk about a community as a group of people who share a place, a connection or a responsibility. Keep paper and a pencil nearby if drawing feels easier than answering out loud.
What do you notice about Ojie on the cover?
Which details make you curious about her story?
Who helps your community?
Think about people at home, at school or in your neighborhood. What does their help look like?
What could a small character do when a problem feels big?
Listen to your child’s ideas without deciding immediately which one is best.
You do not need to complete this guide in one sitting. One good conversation is enough to begin.
While you read
Pause at a natural break when your child seems interested. Keep your copy open so you can point to the words or picture that prompted the conversation. Use the questions where they fit your reading, and save any that interrupt the story for later.
What has Ojie learned from her family about caring for others?
What is something helpful you have learned from someone in your family?
When the hive needs help, what seems most important to Ojie?
What in the story makes you think that?
What choices can you imagine when the river becomes an obstacle?
Draw two possibilities if that is easier than explaining them.
What would you want to ask the hornets guarding the ingredient?
What information would help you understand their point of view? The story may leave some of your questions open.
Which illustration helps you understand a feeling or a problem?
What do the colors, expressions or arrangement of the picture help you notice?
It is fine to disagree about a character’s feelings. Return to the picture or words and ask what each reader noticed.
After the last page
Let your child describe the story in their own order. A favorite picture, a surprising moment or a difficult choice can be a useful starting point.
Which of Ojie’s choices would you most like to discuss?
What other choice could she have considered, and what might have happened?
Where did you notice care or fairness in the story?
Choose an example from your copy and explain why it stood out.
Did anything change your first impression of a character?
What did you learn that made you think again?
What is one small way we could help our own community?
Choose something practical for your family, and decide together what help from an adult would be needed.
You can return to these questions on a later reading. A different answer is another conversation, not a mistake.
Two simple activities
Draw a circle of helpers
Put your family or another familiar community in the middle of a sheet of paper. Around it, draw or write the people who help that community. Add a short label for what each person does.
Talk about which kinds of help are easy to notice and which are quieter. Then choose one person to thank. A drawing or a kind message can be a simple response.
Imagine another choice
Fold a sheet of paper in half. Choose a moment from the book together. On one side, draw the choice the character makes. On the other, draw a possible alternative. Under each picture, finish the sentence: “This choice might…”
Compare the possibilities. Who could be helped? Who might need more information? Which outcome is uncertain? This is a conversation about a fictional character’s decisions, not a test with a required answer.
Open the printable discussion sheet for questions, writing lines and drawing spaces.
For grown-ups: the allegory
An allegory uses a story to explore another set of ideas. In his explanation of why he wrote Ojie, Ryan describes wanting to give adults who use or work with plant-based medicine a way to discuss that part of their lives with their children.
Start with the story’s questions about care, access and community. Decide how much of the wider context to discuss using your knowledge of your child. The story’s imagined remedy is not evidence about real-world treatments; this guide focuses on reading and discussion, not health advice.
Questions parents may have
What ages is the book for?
Amazon US lists 6–10 years for the hardcover edition. Other editions may list different guidance. Read the book yourself when deciding which topics to discuss with your child. See the hardcover details and source listing.
Do we have to discuss every question?
No. Start with one or two. Follow the parts of the story that capture your child’s attention, and leave the rest for another reading if useful.
Can we focus on the story rather than the wider allegory?
Yes. These prompts offer ways to explore characters, illustrations, choices and community. Ryan’s explanation of why he wrote the book gives adults more context if they want it.
Can I use this guide with a reading group?
A group leader can use these prompts to plan a conversation after reading the whole book and considering the group’s interests and maturity. Follow your school or organization’s usual process for choosing reading material.
Where can I find the book?
Explore Ojie the Honeybee and its editions. Hardcover, paperback and Kindle editions are listed on Amazon; check the retailer for current availability.