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Author's Insect Poetry Getting Buzz

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By LINNEA BROWN, Hernando Today

Published: November 25, 2007

WEEKI WACHEE - For decades, Weeki Wachee resident Mike Farahay's family has been bugging him to publish the creative, whimsical poetry that he typically reserves for birthday and holiday cards.

This year, he finally did.

On Monday, Farahay, 66, received the first copies of his newly-published children's book, "The Butterfly, The Bee and The Spider."

Designed for children ages 3 to 12, the book tells the story of a bee, butterfly and spider playing, working and getting "into and out of" trouble.

The butterfly is delicate, whimsical and carefree, while the bee is the no-time-for-leisure, fully-dedicated "family" type. When they get into trouble together, the butterfly must use her slippery "butterfly dust" to rescue them.

As both author and illustrator of the tale, Farahay said he tried to avoid stereotypes and traditional roles for the characters, preferring to paint the insects in a somewhat different light.

"The butterfly is the laid-back one, while the bee is depicted as having all these responsibilities, babies to feed and a garden to tend," he said. "But the most important concept is the butterfly rescuing a bee, so children won't always think of big, husky male bees as being the only entities that can come and rescue them."

He also designed the book to engage children with an interactive, two-in-one concept. The first 22 pages of the book contain colorful illustrations and the story, written in free verse, lyrical poetry. The second portion contains pages of pictures children can color themselves, with space for readers to create their own stories and poems.

On the last page, Farahay lists 10 potential discussion subjects for parents and children. These include: acting in a hurry, caring for loved ones, emergency warnings and poetry construction.

"It's important to get children's attention at a young age, but they also need good parental guidance to stick with things," he said.

Although Farahay previously had two volumes of poetry published many years ago, this is his first foray into the world of children's literature.

A friend of famed rock journalist Al Aronowitz, he served as an occasional contributor to his online publications until Aronowitz died two years ago at 77.

"I had to find something to do, and my youngest daughter asked me if I wouldn't put the little poems I always write on my children's and grandchildren's birthday cards into a book," Farahay said.

When he put the bee book's manuscript out, he found his timing couldn't have been better. after officials at North Carolina-based LuLu Enterprises agreed to publish and distribute it, they pushed Farahay to publish it before Christmas.

"They said with DreamWorks' 'Bee Movie' just coming out, it would do well publishing it as soon as possible," he said.

With plans to donate the book to all local school libraries, Farahay said it should soon be available for $36.95 at bookstores nationwide.

"I want it to go all over the world," he said.

Originally from Ohio, Farahay has lived in several states and held numerous jobs, including plumber, mechanical engineer and truck driver.

"I liked truck driving because whenever I got to a terminal and they weren't ready for me, I could sit in my truck and write and draw," he said.

Now a full-time author and artist, Farahay is a member of the Florida Artist Registry and Hernando County Fine Arts Council. He credited his wife, Naomi, with helping him finish the book.

He already has another book in the works: a science fiction novel for a slightly older crowd, based in nonfiction.

For information, go to www.lulu.com/content/ 1253832.

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