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Vera Trachmann AUTHOR

Vera Trachmann


The author, Vera Trachmann, was born on 5th February 1951 in Forbach in the north of the Black Forest in Germany. She and her husband have lived in Rheine since autumn 1974, where they run the Falken pharmacy that they set up together. As a trained teacher, Vera Trachmann studied interesting, informative literature for children and teenagers in great detail, but for years did not have the time to do any writing herself. Then a chance event came to her assistance in the form of a blackbird that built a nest on her windowsill and proceeded to sit on its eggs.

Vera Trachmann seized the opportunity and used her photographs and notes to produce a wonderful book called "The Little Blackbirds" ("Hallo! Wir sind die Amselkinder"). Friends in the USA encouraged her to have the text translated into English. So the idea of bilingual non-fiction children’s books in German and English with fascinating, real-life photographs was born. It has remained a hallmark of the Schlauberger publishing house, which she and her husband set up in 2007, to this day. “The Little Blackbirds” was followed by more non-fiction books for children and young people: “Buzz and the Honeybees” and “Clacky the White Stork”, and there are more books in the pipeline.








Rezenionen REVIEW

22nd October 2008: Review by Rheiner Volksblatt newspaper: Buzz and the Honeybees n


-kd- Rheine. “I wanted to write a children’s book about bees. But I didn’t want it to be another Maya the Bee fable,” says Vera Trachmann. The author, who lives in Rheine, has achieved what she set out to do. Unlike the imaginative but far-fetched stories by Maya author Waldemar Bonsels (1880-1952), Vera Trachmann’s new book, Buzz and the Honeybees, is an original mix of non-fiction book and adventure story about life in a beehive. The bilingual book – written in German and English – has been in the shops since mid-October and is aimed at primary school children aged six and over. Vera Trachmann drew attention to herself two years ago with her first children’s book, The Little Blackbirds, another bilingual book. “That book was translated by English friends of ours. But Buzz and the Honeybees was a bit more complex, so we needed a professional translator,” Vera Trachmann says. She came across translator Ros Mendy while searching the Internet. “That was a real stroke of luck. She speaks very good German and has two children aged five and seven who she was able to try out the translation on straight away.” The Little Blackbirds has been approved for science lessons in some German states, and Vera Trachmann hopes that her new book about bees will achieve the same accreditation. The idea for her latest book came to her while she was working on her first book: “Lots of people are scared of bees, but they are extremely important for us and for nature. Without bees there would be no fruit or vegetables. And bee colonies are very complicated structures. I wanted to make all of this more accessible to children,” the author explains. Of course, Buzz and the Honeybees is not a dry text book. Life in a beehive is explained in the first person by a little bee called Buzz. Children learn that a bee actually lives several different lives – as a cleaning bee, a nurse bee, a warehouse worker, a builder bee, a guard bee and a forager bee. And each role comes with its own special challenges. As a guard bee, for instance, Buzz has to fight off a hornet that wants to scout out the beehive. The guard bees must on no account let the hornet get away. If they do, their whole beehive will be in danger. Children will discover a lot about bees as they read, including how they make honey from nectar and pollen, why they are so important for the pollination of many of our plants, and how a bee colony reproduces. The author uses evocative language that even primary school children will understand. Questions and information boxes provide more details and consolidate what the children have read, so that on finishing the 136-page book, they will be real bee experts. The book is illustrated with fantastic close-up photographs, many of them taken by Vera Trachmann herself on a beekeeper's premises. And of course the author is already working on a new book, but says, “I don’t want to reveal what it is just yet.” Buzz and the Honeybees, published by Schlauberger Verlag, is available from bookshops at EUR 23.90.














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Buzz and the Honeybees


I have such a wonderfully exciting life that I can’t wait to tell you all about it. I can show you fascinating pictures of me and my bee family that I’m sure you’ve never seen before. Come with me to the delightful world of bees. I promise you’ll like it. This Schlauberger book is written in English and German to familiarise children not only with the natural world of bees, but also with both languages. The translation by Ros Mendy is presented alongside the German text to facilitate understanding. Children will expand their vocabulary effortlessly and be able to use their new knowledge in class. Written for children aged 6 and over and the young-at-heart who have not yet forgotten how to be amazed.


ORDER

Buzz and the Honeybees


Nature books:
Placed 2nd in the top ten most
informative nature books for children

1st edition published: 10.2008
2nd edition published: 03.2011

Binding: Hardcover
Format: 30 x 24,5 cm
Pages: 136
Price: 23,90 Euro
ISBN: 978-3-9812432-0-8
Sprache: Bilingual (DE/ENG)

Author: Vera Trachmann
Translation: R. Mendy
For ages: 8 - 14 years and over