On a sunny Friday morning, children flock to a tent in the garden of the Casa del Mantegna in Mantova. They are here to talk about bees. Hanna Harms, an illustrator from Germany, has travelled to Mantova to meet with Mariapia De Conto, a fellow bee-enthusiast and author. Together, they have a conversation with the children, and a few adults, who have come to learn more about bees, their different species, and why they are struggling in an environment that is increasingly hostile to them.

Harms shares both text and visuals of her debut graphic novel Milk Without Honey, which has won the Ginco Award in the category “Best Non-Fiction Comic” in Germany. With subtle and creative illustrations, Harms brings forward a sad story of a slow death for the bees. It is a story about climate change, intensive agriculture, and pesticides. She manages to make this comprehensible and accessible for the young audience, as well as for the adults that are present.

Beyond the difficult circumstances of contemporary life for the bees, Harms and De Conto share important knowledge about different species of bees, their behaviours, their role in an ecosystem, and how they are different from wasps. Throughout the conversation, the listeners are encouraged to ask questions and they raise their hands often to share their own knowledge.

The waggle dance of bees, which make up their non-verbal communication, seems a particularly relatable feature for the children. By speaking inclusively about the life of the natural world beyond humans, Harms and De Conto manage to take the extinction of bees seriously, just like they take the capabilities of the children in the audience seriously. They understand, as much as they like their sweets, that the bees need to eat their honey too.