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Description
In the country of Orn there lived an old man who inhabited a house full of beehives. One day a sorcerer informed the Bee-man that he had been transformed from some other kind of creature and should be changed back. The Bee-man set out on a journey to discover his original form and, after rescuing a baby from a dragon, realized he had been transformed from a baby. The sorcerer made him a baby again, who was raised by the rescued baby’s mother. Many years later, the sorcerer returned to Orn and discovered that the baby had grown up to become a Bee-man again. The story invites us to ask of others and of ourselves, whether they or we could have turned out very differently. If we can imagine having another native language or having different friends, can we imagine having a very different personality, with different beliefs, desires, and memories?
Publication Date
1988
Publisher
Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children
City
Montclair
Keywords
destiny, freedom of choice
Disciplines
Early Childhood Education | Education | Philosophy
Recommended Citation
Matthews, Gareth B., "Bee-Man of Orn (1883/1986) by Frank R. Stockton" (1988). Picture Books. 52.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/iapc_thinkingstories_picturebooks/52
Comments
Originally published in Thinking: The Journal of Philosophy for Children 7(3): 1, 1988.
See also Matthews Wise Owl Curriculum teacher guide to The Bee-Man of Orn, attached here.