spread her message of love.

Maybeline (Queen) Bee and her two "Bee Kids'' visited the Fun Times Day Care and Preschool, on Ewing Street, Pembroke to give a valuable lesson in "You are Special''.

Queen Bee has been working with young children for more than 35 years and is currently employed at a South Carolina orphanage where she is the "temporary mother'' of 16 boys.

She has made appearances on radio shows and was also host of a popular children's programme "Queen Bee and the Bee Kids'' which aired throughout the early 1990s.

The Queen aims to encourage personal character development through songs and stories by using her puppets, Wanta-Bee and Doo-Bee, as her communication tools.

"I use my puppets to encourage children that if they "Wanta-Bee'' kind, "Doo-Bee'' kind and if they "Wanta-Bee'' loving, "Doo-Bee'' loving and so on,'' she explained.

"Our character is our way of life,'' the Queen added. "So, I send the messages of love, responsibility, respect, honesty, obedience and friendship.'' During her meetings, Queen Bee wears a gown, jewellery and a tiara to fulfil her character and to show children that "what is on the inside shines forth just as much as what is on the outside''.

Queen Bee and her companion Dee Schaper have travelled across the US spreading their message at nurseries, schools and churches.

The twosome have also journeyed to such places as Israel, Haiti and Costa Rica in an on-going attempt to educate children on the "gift of a lifetime''.

"My whole message stems from love, '' Queen Bee said. "I tell the children that the greatest gift you can give is the gift of love. It will last for a lifetime.''