Originally published in 1978 as part of a collection of poems, Honey, I Love is an enchanting poem about love and the simple joys of everyday life. A young girl counts all the things she loves, which include jumping through a flying pool of water on a hot summer day, going for family car ride, and the soft feel of her mother's arm. Now available in full color, this poem glows with the warmth of a simple day in a young girl's life.
Publishers Weekly
After first appearing in Honey, I Love and Other Poems (1978), now, Eloise Greenfield's Honey, I Love, in which an African-American child joyfully recounts the things that make her life special, appears as a stand-alone poem in a 25th-anniversary picture book edition, illus. by Jan Spivey Gilchrist.
Children's Literature - Susie Wilde
Greenfield brings her poetic vision of family love to young children in this book. Written for new readers, the book is filled with evocative images like the way a cousin from the South talks so "every word he says just kind of slides out of his mouth." Greenfield supports young readers with a song-like rhythmic words, images they can relate too, and a nurturing spirit that echoes in the ending refrain, "I love a lot of things,/ a whole lot of things/ And honey,/ I love ME, too." 1994 (orig.
Children's Literature - Mary Quattlebaum
The images of a young girl's life shimmer in these fifteen free verse poems. Evident here in Greenfield's lyrical style, which has been applauded in her many books for children. 1995 (orig.
School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 1-Honey, I Love, the title poem from Greenfield's popular 1978 collection (HarperCollins), and On My Horse, a new poem, are filled with full-color illustrations featuring African Americans. The two simple stories describe a young girl's favorite summer activities and a boy's riding fantasy as he is led around on a gentle horse. The verses are simple, with flowing language and limited rhyme and repetition. Gilchrist's pictures fill the pages with large realistic portraits brimming with the warmth and pleasures of childhood. Their size and clarity make these books good candidates for toddler and preschool story hours as well as for one-on-one sharing.-Gale W. Sherman, Pocatello Public Library, ID
Kirkus Reviews
Iffy art cramps this 25th-anniversary reissue of the joyful title poem from Greenfield’s first collection (1978), illustrated by the Dillons. As timeless as ever, the poem celebrates everything a child loves, from kissing Mama’s warm, soft arm to listening to a cousin from the South, " ’cause every word he says / just kind of slides out of his mouth." "I love a lot of things / a whole lot of things," the narrator concludes, "And honey, / I love ME, too." The African-American child in the pictures sports an updated hairstyle and a big, infectious grin—but even younger viewers will notice that the spray of cool water that supposedly "stings my stomach" isn’t aimed there, and that a comforter on the child’s bed changes patterns between pages. More problematic, though, is a dropped doll that suddenly acquires a horrified expression that makes it look disturbingly like a live baby, and the cutesy winged fairy that hovers over the sleeping child in the final scene. The poem deserves better. (Picture book/poetry. 6-8)
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