The Bee and the Orange Tree facts for kids

The Bee and the Orange Tree (L'Orangier et l'Abeille) is a classic French fairy tale written by Madame d'Aulnoy. It tells the story of a lost princess, magical transformations, and a journey to find her true family and love.

The Lost Princess Aimée

Once upon a time, a king and queen wished for a child for many years. Finally, they had a beautiful daughter named Aimée. Sadly, when she was still a baby, her ship was caught in a terrible storm and wrecked. Aimée, safe in her cradle, floated to shore.

There, a giant-like couple called ogres found her. The ogress, instead of eating the baby, decided to raise Aimée. She thought Aimée would make a good wife for her son when she grew up. A kind deer from the woods was called by the ogress to nurse the baby. After fifteen years, the king and queen had given up hope of finding their daughter. The king asked his brother to send his best son to become the new heir to the throne.

Life with the Ogres

Aimée grew up among the ogres. One of the young ogres fell in love with her, but Aimée did not want to marry him. She often walked along the shore after storms. She did this to protect things that washed ashore from the hungry ogres. One day, she found a young man.

She saved the man, who was actually her cousin, though neither of them knew it. They couldn't understand each other's language. Aimée managed to show him that he needed to hide in a cave. After some time, she gave him a locket she wore as a sign of friendship. The locket had her name on it. The prince, seeing her looks and the name, realized she was his lost cousin, Princess Aimée.

A Daring Escape

The young ogre decided it was time for him and Aimée to marry. Frightened, Aimée ran to the prince for help. When she returned, she hurt her foot on a thorn and could not walk. The prince wondered why she didn't come back. When he tried to find her, the ogres captured him.

Every night, the ogres wore golden crowns before going to sleep. That night, the princess bravely snuck in. She took a crown from a sleeping young ogre and placed it on the prince's head. The ogre woke up and mistakenly attacked and got rid of the sleeping young ogre who no longer had a crown. The next night, the princess did the same thing. This time, the ogress also got rid of the crown-less ogre.

The princess remembered a magic wand the ogress used. With it, she gave herself the power to speak the prince's language. He told her who she truly was. The princess decided to steal the ogres' camel so they could ride away to safety. She used the wand to enchant a bean. The bean would speak whenever the ogress asked anything, making it seem like they were still there. Finally, the ogress realized they had fled. The ogre used his seven-league boots (magical boots that let him take giant steps) to follow them.

Magical Transformations

When the ogre caught up, the princess used her magic. She turned herself into a boatwoman, the prince into a boat, and the camel into a lake. This confused the ogre, and he found nothing. When he returned home, the ogress told him how they had used her stolen magic wand to transform. So, he set out to find them again.

This time, Aimée turned herself into a dwarf, the prince into a portrait, and the camel into a pillar. When the ogre reached her, she told a long story about how the prince had fought in a tournament to honor the lady in the picture. Confused again, the ogre went home.

The ogress herself came after them next. The princess turned the prince into an orange tree, herself into a bee, and the camel into a box. The princess stung the ogress and drove her away. However, some travelers carried off the magic wand. Without the wand, the princess could not change herself or her companions back to their original forms.

A Happy Ending

A princess named Linda loved to walk in the woods where the orange tree stood. Linda tried to move the tree to her own gardens. Aimée, as a bee, stung Linda out of jealousy. This caused a small argument between the prince and princess, but they quickly made up. When Linda tried again, Aimée stung her once more. Linda tried to protect herself with a branch, but when she did, blood flowed from the tree. Aimée, feeling bad, went to find a special healing balm for the wound.

A kind fairy visited the princess. When the fairy sensed the magic spell, she restored the prince to his human form. He told his amazing story. The fairy then restored Aimée as well. Finally, the fairy brought them to Aimée's parents, the king and queen. There, the prince and princess were happily married.

Legacy of the Tale

• In the late 18th century, a version of Madame d'Aulnoy's tales was translated into English with the title The Orange-Tree and the Bee.
• The story was also translated into German by Karoline Stahl as Der Pomeranzenbaum und die Biene.
• The tale was one of many by d'Aulnoy that were adapted for the stage by James Planché. He included it in his Fairy Extravaganza and also adapted it as The Bee and the Orange Tree, or The Four Wishes.