It is so weird to feel (almost) nostalgic reading protest poems about the Bush administration. ( )

I had the opportunity to hear Naomi Shihab Nye speak this year at the May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture in Bellingham, Washington. She read the final story in Honeybee and I knew this was the book I had to buy. Shihab Nye uses the honeybee as an overarching theme throughout her poems and short writings. Some of the poems are political, some are sad and some are hilarious and heartwarming. Since the book was published in 2008, the poems capture a moment in time, especially the Iraq war and President Bush.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Naomi's book. I read it in one evening but I know that I will definitely come back to the poems again and again. ( )

A collection of poems and prose about loved ones, the world, and nature. ( )

Impulse grab at the library.  I didn't realize it would be political.  Also, it's shelved in juvenile, but these are rather sophisticated poems.  The cover is def. misleading.

My expectations for this book of poetry and short prose were exceeded, in that I was surprised at the humor and irony in the author's work! For some reason, I expected the pieces to be more political overall, and some certainly were, but I was struck by the author's reverence for the ordinary and the everyday. I found myself often smiling to myself at her insight, wisdom, and ability to insert humor into what could be tragic: "Homeland Security wanted to know what those mysterious silver objects were, entering my cousin's home - trays of tabouleh covered with aluminum foil."

The variety of pieces in this book provide multiple genres for students to explore. I would like to use Naomi Shihab Nye's work as mentor texts for students writing about key moments in their lives. A challenge for middle level writers is often finding the "why" or "who cares" component of a personal narrative. Examples from Honeybee provide readers with subtle examples of finding meaning in what could be seen as mundane. ( )