Honeybee: Poems & Short Prose (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
AWARDS AND HONORS:2008 Arab-American Book Award, School Library Journal Best Book, Cooperative Children's Book Center ChoiceOVERALL RESPONSE"Honeybee" made me want to start writing poetry again. I haven't written a poem since last October when I taught poetry as part of a unit about discovering "Who am I?" in my 6th grade language arts class. The introduction was key in bringing the entire book of poems together. Though this is a collection of poems, some previously published elsewhere, by the time I read the last words on the last page, I felt as if I spent a few years inside Naomi's mind. She made me think deeply about the way the world works and the way people relate. She also made me laugh and smile a number of times! Of course, a reader can also see how her love and concern for Honeybees developed through a linguistics course in college. I can imagine Nye sitting on her front porch, drinking lemonade or tea and pondering the lives of creatures great and small...then picking up a pen and spilling her thoughts onto a page.Bill Teale said we were all reading "Novels in Verse" this week, but I don't think Honeybee is a novel in the way Love That Dog or Locomotion are.SPECIFICSHoneybee is a collection of free verse poetry; some of it leaning more towards short vignettes. (i.e. Museum and Gate A-4). Her poems include an abundance of imagery and insight. Examples of clear imagery through word choice and metaphor:PasswordThere Was No WindCompanionsBrokenExamples of Insight (poems that really made me think, or laugh, or experience an "ah-ha" moment):MuseumCommunication SkillsTaverne du PassageMissing ItHow We Talk About ItLion ParkBrokenThe CostThe Dirtiest 4-Letter WordGate A-4Though her poetry does not rhyme, she does use sound to create the pace and tone of many of her poems:Examples of Alliteration:Broken A Stone So Big you Could Live in ItWe Are Not NothingExample of Onomatopoeia:We Are the PeopleExamples of Line Breaks:Communication SkillsPasswordGirls, GirlsWhat Happened to the AirCURRICULAR CONNECTIONHoneybee is a good resource when trying to move middle school students away from the idea that all poems have to rhyme or be silly/humorous. I would use her poems as mentor texts to help students understand that poetry can be so much more than an ABAB rhyme pattern; that most importantly, poetry is an outlet for expressing how we feel and think about life and the world around us.
From an adult's perspective, I found this book of poems to be both profound and sweet; very telling in how Nye explores relationships, love, war, Earth, memories, communication and the very nature of humans. Interesting how she also weaves in the role of animal and insect communication, and her voice alone suggests a very one-ness that we have with other beings. Lots of political and religious ideas , and personal experiences from Nye throughout. Gave me a better sense of who she is as a person and an artist (poetry, after all, is a very personal art). I like how she alternates back and forth between verses and prose. Love her style as well. Profound and personal... powerfully poetic. Lots of great literary elements in use, great ideas, thoughtful way of looking at ourselves. Specifics I found many of her poems to be insightful and beautiful, and some lines really stuck with me. I think every poem and piece of prose in this collection is very beautiful in its own way. I like Nye's intelligence, and how she sees the world. For My Desk (pg 22) "each morning birds speak first"Curriculum: Definitely something I would recommend to students, or I would shine light on some of the poems/prose in this for them; selecting a few just to illuminate a topic we're discussing (Nye touches so many themes and topics in this collection) or even as a study of poetry... that poetry is a true art that does not need to adhere to specific rules of rhyme, lines, stanzas and meters, but can be unrestrained and communicative. Middle school and high school students can find something very special in this collection, if not in a particular poem. Very teachable moments in this book, and they can bring about profound moments of understanding ourselves as people, communicators, artists, leaders and as a race; great discussions for class. We could especially discuss current events and the war in Iraq, and Nye's poems could be one of many pieces of literature by many writers who think about the middle east and the things happening today.
What do You think about Honeybee: Poems & Short Prose (2008)?
This woman can write! I mean, she can really, really write. Her essay about accidentally entering a home which she thought was a museum, was incredible. So, why the three stars? Her politics were a little too in-your-face for me. I know that we all have different opinions, different viewpoints. I have no problem with that. What a dull, small world we would live in if that we didn't. I have many friends with extremely different viewpoints from my own. No problem there either. It's just that I got tired of Nye circling back around and beating the same drum again and again. And again. The people whose opinions I most learn from and feel challenged by are those people who show respect for someone with a differing point of view. Nye did not. Not once.
—Relyn
This was a poetry book that really made you think. Many phrases made you wonder what the writer was going through. It wasn't a fullt story but just short, pretty poetry that makes you wonder. For example, there was one poem called Consolation that goes like this:This morning the newspaper was too terrible to deliver so the newsboy just pitched out a little sheaf of KleenexI loved how it made little sense at first galance but lets your brain work.Another poem called Before I Read The Kite Runner, was talking about how when they carried books around in an airport, people would see the book and talk to the writer about how good the book was. The writer then states:Maybe we should just wander around other countries carrying booksThe last quote I want to talk about is a snippet from a poem called From an Island. The poem is about how much is going on in the world after one quick "blip" of internet. After talking about the horrors of everyday lives, the writer wrote:Buckets and bags of sadnessThis gave me a really cool visual of the poem. Overall, it was a cool book but got a little boring or confusing at times.
—Margaret
This book is a collaboration of eight-two poems that do not follow a specific theme or topic. Many of the poems are based on the author's personal experiences. The poems range from anything to honeybees to the wars going on in present day. The author is an Arab-American and the book has some poems about her heritage and childhood memories. One poem I found particularly interesting is how she finds it difficult to live in the United States because of her heritage.The author is not afraid to speak her thoughts. The poems all kind of connect in a way and while reading the book you can tell the personal connections the author has with this book.My response: I was kind of hesitant to read this book because I am not a huge fan of poetry. I did admire how the author used her personal connections to write the book. Overall, it was an easy read and I enjoy reading things about peoples own recollections and reflections on certain topics. I'm just more of a fan of Shel Silverstein's poems because I think they can relate to children more. Classroom Connections: This book can be used when students learn about poetry. Students can write their own poem and share with the class. The students can brainstorm some topics to write about and then they can choose.Lexile: N/AI think this book could be used for read aloud in the 3rd grade and could be read independently by 4th grade. An easy read.
—Nina G.
