Pictou Bee Press, PO Box 2051, Pictou, NS (2025)

11/14/2025

We are delighted with the first feedback to our recently published book, “My Best Friend Forever”.

The comments read as follows:

“It is packed with a ‘young one’s’ off-beat and on-beat doings—delightful romps and urges, vulnerabilities and kindnesses, derring-do tricks and escapades, genius of every sort and propensity, imaginings and wonderments beyond measure. I especially enjoyed the final pages, offering some very clear, kind, sage and sensitive advice about choosing friends.” Sophia Lawrence’s illustrations are “bold and confident… have great energy and sparkle that complement the text.”

Thank you, dear reader, for your kind comments. You cannot imagine how much they mean to us and how they keep us going.

Copies of "My Best Friend Forever" may be purchased online from The Pictou Bee Press (https://pictoubeepress.com/Current-Offerings/My-Best-Friend-Forever), or in person at The Curious Cat Tea & Books, 133 Church Street (Antigonish Mall), Antigonish; Antigonish 5¢ to $1, 245 Main Street, Antigonish; The River Gallery on Water Street ~ 49 Water St., Pictou NS!; The McCulloch House Museum & Genealogy Centre, 86 Haliburton Road, Pictou; read it again new& used books and gifts, 203 Archimedes Street, New Glasgow; The Overstreet Cafe, 2727 River John Station Road, River John; Lismore Sheep Farm, 1389 Louisville Rd, River John; Maritime Mosaic, 129 Victoria Street East (Dayle's Grand Market), Amherst; and Amherst Artisan Gallery, 142 South Albion Street (Amherst Mall), Amherst.

11/11/2025

News Flash!

November 7th was a banner day. Our new Gaelic-English book, "A' cur fàilt' air na Nabaidhean Ùra / Meeting the New Neighbours," and a banner arrived at our doorstep.

Tha Clò Pictou Bee cho toilichte a bhith foillseachadh an darna leabhar chloinne aca ann an Gàidhlig agus ann am Beurla, "A' cur fàilt' air na Nabaidhean Ùra / Meeting the New Neighbours".

This book is a collaboration of Laurie Stanley-Blackwell (author), Karen Megronigle (illustrator), and Effie Rankin (translator). Their goal is to create a Gaelic-English children’s picture book that is fun, gentle, and full of life. The book comes with a QR code which links to an online Gaelic recording of Effie Rankin reading the story.

When two new pets arrive at the Megronigles’ place, everyone in Cape George is curious. No one had ever seen anything like them. The animals decide to take turns to solve the mystery. The frog, red fox, dragonfly, eagle, field mouse, and dog discover that meeting new neighbours can lead to special friendships and new understanding.

Copies of "A' cur fàilt' air na Nabaidhean Ùra / Meeting the New Neighbours," may be purchased online from The Pictou Bee Press (https://the-pictou-bee-press.square.site/product/a-cur-f-ilt-air-na-n-baidhean-ra-meeting-the-new-neighbours/Q52RMO53H5FERV3A5VT6EIOC), or in person at Antigonish 5¢ to $1, 245 Main Street, Antigonish; Antigonish Heritage Museum, 20 East Main Street, Antigonish; Karen Siderio Megronigle (Karen's Garden Studio), 6440 Hwy 337, Cape George; Glenhill Berry Farm, 2146 Lochaber Road Highway #7, Antigonish; The McCulloch House Museum & Genealogy Centre, 86 Haliburton Road, Pictou; The River Gallery on Water Street ~ 49 Water St., Pictou NS!; Lismore Sheep Farm, 1389 Louisville Rd, River John; and Highland Village Museum, 4119 Highway 223, Iona.

11/09/2025

How does your garden grow?

Writing books is like gardening.

It all starts with the seed of an idea. All the hard work is up front and then you wait for the blooms.

We saw these garden ornaments recently and were enchanted by them.

11/05/2025

Our books are now available in the “Writers Alley” at the Amherst Artisan Gallery, 142 South Albion St., Unit 130, Amherst, NS.

Come and check out this store, which showcases a wide array of Maritime creative talent.

Lots of great shopping ideas for Christmas.

11/05/2025

We are excited to see our two most recent books, “Hanging out with the Haggis” and “My Best Friend Forever”, available for sale at Amherst’s amazing Maritime Mosaic Store, 129 Victoria Street East , Amherst, NS.

10/27/2025

Happy Halloween!

To mark Halloween, The Pictou Bee Press is posting a second story from “Big Rory of Market Square”. It recounts Big Rory’s visit to the fairy hill in St. Joseph’s near Antigonish. This illustration is one of the enchanting works created by Karen Megronigle for this children’s book.

Here is the story:

Each night, Big Rory found himself looking forward more and more to his storytelling at Market Square. It was clear to his fellow cats that he still had a gift for words.

Some of Big Rory’s most prized stories were about the fairies. This night, he wanted to tell his friends about the first time that he met the “Little People”.

“Well I mind the time when I visited a fairy hill near Antigonish. I went there to hunt mice. Suddenly, a door to the hill flung open and out poured hundreds of tiny people.

“The women fairies wore green dresses, red scarves, and hats with red feathers. The men fairies wore green pants, red jackets, and hats with yellow feathers. They were dancing ever so lively in their little leather shoes.”

Big Rory flicked his tail back and forth. He smiled as he recalled his experience with the fairies. He continued, “I can’t tell you how long I spent at the fairy hill. I lost track of the time. Was it hours, or days, or weeks? I don’t really know.

“The fairies put flowers in my fur, splashed water on my whiskers, and tugged on my ears. They even tried to use my tail as a skipping rope. I remember dancing a reel with them. They spun me around faster and faster until I felt dizzy.

“The fairies then grew bored with me. Before saying goodbye, I promised that I would always leave the “Little People” a little milk at the bottom of my bowl. I am grateful that they didn’t ask me to share my shortbreads. That would have been too much to ask of me.”

The cats at Market Square laughed at Big Rory’s joke. Some of them felt scared as they passed Battery Hill on the way home. They imagined that they could hear voices coming from inside the hill.
[Text © Laurie Stanley-Blackwell, 2024]

10/27/2025

CAWS FOR CELEBRATION

Matea Drljepan’s children’s book, “The Crow that Wouldn’t Go”, holds the record as “the 5th bestselling book in the history of this store” according to Donovan Purcell and Robin MacDougall, owners of The Curious Cat Tea & Books at the Antigonish Shopping Mall.

Congratulations Matea, Donovan and Robin!

10/20/2025

Happy Halloween!

To mark the occasion, The Pictou Bee Press is posting Big Rory’s story about his personal encounter with the Ghost Ship of the Northumberland Strait. A shout-out to Karen Megronigle who illustrated this story, as well as all the other stories in “Big Rory Returns to Market Square”.

Here is the story:

The mood at Market Square the next night was upbeat. Somehow the word was out on the streets that Big Rory was going to tell his story about the Ghost Ship.

“Well, I mind the time when I saw the Ghost Ship on the Northumberland Strait. I was on my way to Cape George to visit my cousins at the Ballantynes.”

Big Rory stopped to draw a deep breath and kept going. “I remember it was late in the day. The fog was rolling in like a ghost as we got near Cape George. A Nor-East wind started to blow.

“All of a sudden, I saw a 3-masted schooner in full sail off the shore. It was moving faster than a wild horse galloping towards a field of oats. I put my paw up to my eyes to see into the distance. I then saw the ship burst into flames.

“By the time I reached Cape George, everyone was in a commotion. Several local men tried to row out to the boat. They had no luck finding the crew. Some said the ship sank beneath the waves. Others said it had sailed off. P**f, it was gone.”

Big Rory threw his paws in the air to express surprise.

“I heard the folks talking about the burning ship. Some had seen it before and called it the Ghost Ship. Many a brave man had a good strong drink that night.

“My friends, I’m not pulling your paw when I say that I saw that ship go up in a ball of flame. I could even smell smoke in the air.”

Everyone believed Big Rory’s story. They never doubted him for a minute. As they headed home in the early morning, they all felt a little shivery. Perhaps, it was the story of the Ghost Ship that made them feel cold. Or maybe, it was just the morning dew on their paws.

[Text © Laurie Stanley-Blackwell, 2024]

10/19/2025

Haggis Halloween Adventures

The haggis were excited to go out last Halloween. They decided to go dressed as haggis. First, they stopped to marvel at one of Howard Dill’s pumpkins, one of the marvels of the world.

They were scared when they encountered The Black Dog, a demonic hellhound, until they realized it was one of the furry staff at The Pictou Bee Press.

The haggis were very distressed when they discovered that their wee hoose had been knocked over by Halloween hooligans. They had hoped to use this outdoor “convenience” before heading into The Haunted Forest and The Land of the Rattling Bones.

They encountered a number of scares along the way, including a giant ghaist, but it turned out to be a white sack covering a shrub for the winter.

After all this excitement, the haggis headed home where they sampled some fuarag, a popular Halloween treat. They almost fell into the fuarag and narrowly avoided drowning. One of them actually swallowed the ring in the fuarag by mistake.

Then, they ate all their Halloween loot. They secretly hoped for Scottish tablet in their treat bags. They neglected to use tree roots to floss their teeth and one of them lost a tooth chewing on the molasses candy kisses. The evening was deemed a great success as they relaxed while looking up at the moon.

10/10/2025

"My Best Friend Forever" written by local author: Laurie Stanley-Blackwell is now available for purchase in-store! This book captures the true magic of friendship, emotions, imagination, and wonder of a child! 🩷

Pictou Bee Press
203 Archimedes Street, New Glasgow

10/09/2025

Happy Thanksgiving from The Pictou Bee Press and the haggis!

The haggis plan to spend the day eating turkey, tatties and neeps, along with liberal amounts of whiskey. They will probably snooze much of the day, lulled to sleep by the sounds of the bagpipes in far off misty hills.

10/08/2025

The Pictou Bee Press recently added a new member to its staff. Let us introduce you to 15-month-old black cockapoo, Chelsea, who is a half sister to Shiloh.

We should have listened to those who advised against hiring relatives. Office squabbles have noticeably increased. The only thing they can agree on is that The Pictou Bee Press should not publish any more books about cats. Big Rory might have something to say about that!

Pictou Bee Press

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