Ó Bhó, na Beacha! – Pauline Devine’s Irish language book for Children

An author and former schoolteacher is hoping to highlight the importance of bees in her new Irish language children’s book, ‘Ó Bhó, na Beacha!’.

Living in Newcastle, Pauline Devine is a children’s author who, before the pandemic, gave talks in local primary schools, including the Assumption in Walkinstown, Our Lady of Lourdes in Goldenbridge and Drimnagh Castle.

Pauline has previously taught at both primary and post-primary level, and has a keen sense of what engages young readers.

‘Ó Bhó, na Beacha!’ details a grandmother’s adventures with her animal friends after a bee-hive in her garden is destroyed, and they team up to uncover the culprit.

Pauline told The Echo: “Mamó, who is called Granny Glas, which means green granny, has been growing things in her garden with her little animal friends.

“The bees work in the garden. They help everything grow. Then something happens and Granny Glas, when she goes to collect the spare honey from the hive, finds someone has come and destroyed the hive.

“With her little animal friends, she has to find out who did it, and comes up with a solution with the help of her little animal friends.”

This is Pauline’s third book as gaeilge, as she is passionate about the Irish language and said that interest in the language has grown in recent years.

Pauline has released many books in English, including a novel called ‘Best Friends’ which has since been translated into Norwegian and Swedish, covering a variety of topics that appeal to young readers.

When asked why bees serve as a central focus of ‘Ó Bhó, na Beacha!’, Pauline said: “Bees are becoming more important, in the sense that we’ve become more aware of what they do.

“The interdependence of nature and bees plays a major part in keeping our environment healthy, because without bees most of our plants, fruits and vegetables wouldn’t be there.

“When I hear them in my garden, I know that my garden isn’t polluted and their presence means my garden is healthier for their being there.”

‘Ó Bhó, na Beacha!’, published by An Gúm, is out now and is available on www.siopa.ie for €8.50

It will be out in bookshops in the coming weeks.