The idea that it is aerodynamically impossible for a
bumble bee to fly has been imbedded in folklore
since the 1930s. According to the accepted
scientific theory of the day, it was impossible for
bumble bees to fly by the laws of physics because
they didn’t generate enough lift with their small
wings given the weight of their bodies.
Despite the “scientific truth” the bumble bee
knows that it can fly! And that is how the legend of
the determined bumble bee began. In recent years
Dawn Matheson, creator of Ruby Lee the Bumble
Bee: A Bee’s Bit of Wisdom, uses the idea behind
the legend in her thoughtful book that teaches
children the importance of believing in oneself.
In excerpts from the book, a young girl lacks self-confidence and feels she
is good at nothing, until she learns a lesson from a wise and brightly
colored bumble bee. In the story, the young girl’s neighbor tells her the
legend of the bumble bee: “When God made the bumble bee, it
shouldn’t have been able to fly, but God whispered in its ear, ‘You can
do it.’ The bee trusted Him, and so it flew.” In the story, the bumble
bee explained that, “Scientifically speaking, our bodies are far too big
for out little wings. We shouldn’t be able to fly.” “But bees do fly,”
points out the bumble bee, “because we have the courage to do what