This lyrical, poignant nonfiction picture book tells the fascinating story of the honeybee colonies that lived on the roof of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris and survived the devastating 2019 fire.
High above the bustling streets and gardens of Paris is a little-known wonder: a cluster of beehives. They sit atop the roof of the Notre-Dame cathedral, lovingly tended to by a beekeeper named Sibyle. But when fire broke out in the catherdral in 2019, the bees almost didn’t make it. Firefighters battled heat and smoke, carefully spraying their hoses around the hives, pumping in water from fireboats on the Seine, and, miraculously, they survived.
Meghan P. Browne and E. B. Goodale imbue the story of Notre-Dame’s bees and the fire that almost killed them with great hope. After the fire, there is rebuilding to be done, but with hard work and collaboration, perhaps the cathedral can be restored after all. From the rooftops of Paris to the intricacies of a beehive, here is a moving picture book about resilience in the face of disaster.
NOMINEE
| 2025 Georgia Children's Book Award
RECOMMENDED
| 2024 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
★ "A focus on bees is an unexpectedly engaging angle to this account of the 2019 fire atop the Notre-Dame de Paris."—Booklist, starred review
"Emphasizing resilience, this tale effectively captures a fascinating episode in recent history." —Kirkus Reviews
"Browne's lyrical picture book tells the story of the bees who call Notre-Dame home and the fire that threatened their hives." —The Horn Book
"Graceful prose by Browne pays homage to Paris’s venerable Notre-Dame cathedral, and to the bees that lived atop it before its 2019 fire."—Publishers Weekly
This lyrical, poignant nonfiction picture book tells the fascinating story of the honeybee colonies that lived on the roof of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris and survived the devastating 2019 fire.
High above the bustling streets and gardens of Paris is a little-known wonder: a cluster of beehives. They sit atop the roof of the Notre-Dame cathedral, lovingly tended to by a beekeeper named Sibyle. But when fire broke out in the catherdral in 2019, the bees almost didn’t make it. Firefighters battled heat and smoke, carefully spraying their hoses around the hives, pumping in water from fireboats on the Seine, and, miraculously, they survived.
Meghan P. Browne and E. B. Goodale imbue the story of Notre-Dame’s bees and the fire that almost killed them with great hope. After the fire, there is rebuilding to be done, but with hard work and collaboration, perhaps the cathedral can be restored after all. From the rooftops of Paris to the intricacies of a beehive, here is a moving picture book about resilience in the face of disaster.
Awards
NOMINEE
| 2025 Georgia Children's Book Award
RECOMMENDED
| 2024 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
Praise
★ "A focus on bees is an unexpectedly engaging angle to this account of the 2019 fire atop the Notre-Dame de Paris."—Booklist, starred review
"Emphasizing resilience, this tale effectively captures a fascinating episode in recent history." —Kirkus Reviews
"Browne's lyrical picture book tells the story of the bees who call Notre-Dame home and the fire that threatened their hives." —The Horn Book
"Graceful prose by Browne pays homage to Paris’s venerable Notre-Dame cathedral, and to the bees that lived atop it before its 2019 fire."—Publishers Weekly
