This Place I Know

Bibliography

Heard, Georgia. This Place I Know: Poems of Comfot. Illus. by Eighteen Various Artists. Cambridge: Candlewick Press, 2006. 978-0763628758

Review

This book is a collection of poems meant to comfort those who have felt loss, tragedy, or loneliness. Even though this collection was first intended for those dealing with the events of September 11, we know that many children face their own tragedies or grievances that they must work through.

The poetry selected have various meanings, some which have concrete meanings such as “Commitment in a City” (Tsuda, p. 22) or abstract meanings like “Ring Around the World” (Wynne, p. 36). Gordon’s poem on page 28 has a predictable and steady pattern with four lines: the first and third carrying four beats and the third having three. It also displays rhyme between the last words of the second and fourth lines with “stone” and “own” (Gordon, p. 28).

Sound has a great influence on poetry. The poem “Trouble, Fly” for instance uses alliteration with “fly like the whistle from a train. Fly far, far away from my family” which makes that “f” sound from “fly” and “far” resonate throughout the poem (Swanson, p. 18). Rhyme in Heard’s “Lullaby” with “tight…light” and “song…long” brings a familiarity and calmness to the poem which is the purpose of a lullaby (Heard, p. 14).

A serious and at times heartbreaking mood lingers throughout the collection of poems as with comfort we are reminded of these hard things that have happened in our lives. I believe this is an important book for every library to own, as children today need comfort with the things that are happening to their lives and around them. I felt very touched by these poems and can’t wait to pass this on to someone who is in need of comforting.

Poem & Connection

Ring Around the World

By Annette Wynne

Ring around the world

Taking hands together

All across the temperature

And the torrid weather

Past the royal palm-trees

By the ocean sand

Make a ring around the world

Taking each other’s hand;

In the valleys, on the hill,

Over the prairie spaces,

There’s a ring around the world

Made of children’s friendly faces.

(Wynne, p. 36)

Read this poem as a class with the words posted up in front of the students. Make sure to have copies of the poem and divide the lines of the poem so that each student as one line to read. After the first student reads their line they will take the person’s hand next to them, and then this student will read their line and take the hand of the person next to them until the entire poem has been recited and the whole class is united in one ring.

Salting the Ocean

Bibliography

Nye, Naomi Shihab. Salting the Ocean: 100 Poems by Young Poets. Illus. by Ashley Bryan. Hong Kong: Greenwillow Books, 2000. 978-0688161934

Review

This is a collection of poems selected by Naomi Shihab Nye from young poets who she has had the opportunity to work with as she traveled and taught students about the art of writing. The poems vary in length, meaning, and purpose but they all represent the thoughts of a young poet.

“The Storm in Me” by Theresa Ann Garcia has a repetitive rhythm except in between two of the stanzas is a line: “Sadness in my body” in which the whole poem seems to stop (Garcia, p. 27). This poem in particular slows the reader down as if pausing to reflect with a whisper about how she feels.

Similes can bring so much to a poem without using an abundance of words. Vargas describes “a story which gets into my heart and stays there like a diamond in a ring” that shows this boys devotion to his grandfather at keeping his stories locked up in his heart (Vargas, p. 61). The entire poem on page 60 by Ernest Beache is personifying inanimate objects and animals as the people in her family such as her dad like a “volcano”, her sister like “King Kong” and herself like “an and stuck in a coffin” (Beache, p. 60).

To evoke imagery through the senses in poetry is like breathing fresh air into a poem: it truly is living. Sound is imminently heard by the reader in the poem, “Winter” when “the coolness crackles and burns in the fireplace” (Cassidy, p. 43). Caballero describes a character in his poem as having “a voice like talking in a cave” (Caballero, p. 36) which paints a perfect picture of a large, booming, echo-like voice.

The students who wrote the poems come together to show issues that children today face and help readers to see things in different ways. Many of these poems had a true impact on me such as “Grandmother” by Sandra Scherbenske on page 75 which has a granddaughter asking when her grandmother could go out on her own and her grandmother answers that she was never ready to go into the world alone. I am truly impressed by the poetry I have read by these talented children who were expressing themselves through poetry.

Poem & Connection

My mother is a shell

And you can always hear

The ocean.

By Brenda Garcia

(Garcia, p. 69)

Read this poem aloud with students and then present them with a large conch sea shell. Have students read the poem in unison and then call on volunteers to read the poem. Let each student take a turn at listening to the inside of the shell.

Seeing the Blue Between

Bibliography

Janeczko, Paul B. Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets. Cambidge: Candlewick Press, 2002. 978-0763629090

Review

Seeing the Blue Between is a collection of poems and advice from thirty two seasoned poets. Just as their advice differs, so does their poetry and their poems’ characteristics especially meaning. “Don’t Tell Me” by Michael Dugan has a consistent rhythm of 3 beats per line and the final word in lines 2 and 4 of the stanza rhyming (Dugan, p. 16). Hoberman’s rhythm in “May Fly” contrasts this consistency by having 4 beats in a line followed by several lines with only 2 beats but varying in their pattern (Hoberman, p. 50).

Alliteration is used within Lillian Moore’s “Waterfall” with a recurring “w” sound in “warm winds” and “we waited” but other words beginning with the letter “w” are scattered throughout the poem, as well (Moore, pgs. 79-80). Moore also uses the sound effects of rhyme to complete her poem, “Poets Go Wishing” by using “fishing” and “wishing” or “match” and “catch” (Moore, p. 81) Even in the poem she talks about a poet choosing whether or not to use rhyme!

A wonderful metaphor is put forth in Jane Yolen’s “Gingerbread Boy” as she compares a person to being a Gingerbread Boy because the world is constantly trying to eat you that you are constantly running (Yolen, p. 117) “Dragonfly” by Georgie Heard on page 41 creates a beautiful metaphor by describing a dragonfly’s wings as “stained-glass windows with sun shining through”.

The mood in this collection changes depending on the author’s choice of poems and their type of advice. Some chose to be more serious while others stay light-hearted, but all give of a welcoming tone that invites young readers into their “club” of writing poetry. I feel that this is an inspiring book to children across the board about the topic of writing, from excited writers to apprehensive ones. I plan on using this in my classroom next year as I introduce writing. Hearing the encouragement of others to write who come from all walks of life is something one teacher alone cannot give a student.

Poem & Connection

Fog

By Marilyn Singer (only a portion of the poem is shown)

The fog is

A river with no direction

A dream with no doors

When it lifts without a whisper

You forget that it was ever there

Except for a tiny tickle in your mind

A trace of goosebumps

On your skin.

(Singer, 109)

Use a piece of dry ice to create a small amount of fog in the classroom or library. Pass out the poem, several flashlights, and turn out the overhead lights. Read the poem to the class and then have the students alternate reading two to three lines as you make sure that a bit of the fog as illuminated with a flashlight.

Jazz

Bibliography

Myers, Walter Dean. Jazz. Illus. by Christopher Myers. New York: Holiday House, 2006. 978-0823421732

Review

Jazz is an altogether moving collection of poems by Walter Dean Myers. The meanings portrayed in the poems vary from concrete to abstract but the key to these poems is that they are MEANINGFUL.

Rhythm is an important concept as many of the poems are a reflection of jazz music. In “Three Voices” (Myers, pgs. 36-38) the Bass and Piano have a steady rhythm displaying that they correspond in beat and in their pattern. These are able to be read in unison because of their likeness. When the third voice, the horn, is brought in however, a spontaneous, individual beat is brought into the picture.

Rhyme is seen in some poems such as “Be-Bop” (Myers, pg. 24) with words such as “playing…laying…paying…slaying” and “grinding…finding”. In “It’s Jazz” (Myers, pg. 41) a “t” sound is used with “rat-a-tatting…patting…scatting”. Assonance is also used in this poem with “of old New Orleans” being repeated. Sounds are powerful in this collection of poems.

The sense of sound is created on “Three Voices” (Myers, pg. 36-38) with the repetition of a “thum, thum, thum, and thumming” of a bass. The piano in this poem is described “like a charming angel choir” showing an example of similes used in Myers’ poetry.

The mood of this book can be described as confident and vivacious. The poems hold so much life and power and the illustrations are a perfect blend of the emotions evoked by the poems. The reader is constantly drawn into each poem and many will find a new hunger for more information about jazz and its origins.

Poem & Connection

Now I Come In

By Walter Dean Myers

(an excerpt)

This melody from memory

Makes harmonies that reach to be

So much more than a simple tune

Or rhyme

I’ll take you as far as I can go

I’ll blow as hard as I can blow

I’ll reach for the stars

Blow notes around Mars

And then you come in

And

Then

You

Come

In

(Myers, pg. 35)

Oh, No! Where Are My Pants? and Other Disasters: Poems

Bibliography

Hopkins, Lee Bennett, ed. Oh, No! Where Are My Pants? And Other Disasters: Poems. Illus. by Wolf Erlbruch. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2005. 978-0688178604

Review

Oh, No! Where Are My Pants? And Other Disasters: Poems is a hilarious and sometimes cringe-worthy collection of poems with concrete meaning. Many readers will feel that they can relate to the disasters held by the characters or at least have a fear of these things happening to them. A relatable collection for any reader, young or old.

The rhythm differs in each poem some having short lines with two beats each such as “Oh, No!” (Weaver, pg. 14) or longer lines with four beats as in “Winter Rabbit” (Comora, pg. 9). The patterns in each poem are a reflection of the meaning of the poem. The aforementioned poems’ rhythms are a suggestion towards the meaning each carries: “Winter Rabbit” (Comora, pg. 9) having a sad more serious tone and “Oh No!” (Weaver, pg. 14) holding a playful, funny mood.

Similar to rhythm, the use of rhyme differs from poem to poem. “Nightmare” (Viorst, pg. 23) is one poem that does use rhyme with words such as “dressed…best…vest”. Figurative language is used by various poets to enhance the descriptions in the poems. In “Winter Rabbit” Madeleine Comora on page 9 describe the rabbit’s lifeless ears and feet “like falling velvet drapes”.

In this collection many of the poems’ words are strategically placed to add emphasis to the poem’s meaning. “Play Ball” (Hulme, pg. 17) has words that are written in the shape of a baseball diamond to help the reader visualize the batter running around the four bases. The lines in “Haircut” (Singer, pg. 20) are jagged and uneven, a perfect reflection of the girl’s horrible haircut in the poem.

The mood varies throughout the poems as these disasters cover a wide range of events: losing a pet, forgetting your pants, or stuck on a ferris wheel. As with each poet and poem the tone will vary as does the reader’s response depending on their experience or reflection on the described disaster.

Poem & Connection

Oh, No!

By Katie McAllaster Weaver

Hello apple!

Shiny red.

CHOMP. CHOMP.

Hello worm.

Where’s your head?

(Weaver, p. 14)

Read this poem slowly so that the surprise at the end of the poem can be realized. Show the poem on the board and have the class read it aloud together. Talk about what your facial expression would be like at every part of this poem and as you read each line, have the students portray the writer’s feelings by their facial movements.

Farmer's Garden: Rhymes for Two Voices

Bibliography

Harrison, David L. Farmer’s Garden: Rhymes for Two Voices. Illus. by Arden Johnson-Petrov. Honesdale: Wordsong Boyds Mills Press, 2000. 978-1590781777

Review

Farmer’s Garden is a collection of playful poems that exude concrete meaning. The dog’s voice in each poem carries a regular pattern, asking his question in a 3 line format with 2 beats, 2 beats, and 3 beats consecutively.

Rhyme is used consistently in Harrison’s poems with short sounds that early readers are able to easily identify. Examples of this are used in the poem “Beetle” with “fast…past”, “run…sun”, and “do…dew” (Harrison, p. 24). In the poem, “Corn”, the use of the letters ‘r’ and ‘o’ in “corn…row…crow” by Harrison on page 15 creates a common sound through the first half of the poem. The words seem to complement each other which is an extremely important part of poetry.

Personification is a large part of these poems as the dog approaches and speaks to not only animals and insects, but inanimate objects such as a carrot, strawberry, and corn. The foods speak to the dog just as the living things do and describe their life in the Farmer’s garden from its point of view.

Some of the food items in the poems evoke imagery through taste such as the radish “hop(ing) to go in a pot of stew” (Harrison, p. 28). The deer creates a sense of hearing in the reader when repeating “Shhh!” (Harrison, p. 30) to the dog, displaying to the audience that it is night time and silent out in the garden.

The overall mood of this book of poems is light-hearted and playful as the dog wanders from object to object curious as to what it is doing in the garden. A perfect ending is created as the dog and farmer wind up together in the garden.

Poem & Connection

Have students perform this book of poetry as reader’s theater for a class of students, giving one person the dog role, and the other students splitting the other roles. Each student draws their character and tapes it onto a Popsicle stick to be held when he or she is reading their part. An alternative to this would be dividing the students up into pairs and each pair getting one poem to perform. For example, one pair could perform “Mousey” with one student playing Farmer’s Dog and the other person playing Mousey.

Mousey

Mousey, Mousey,

why do you hurry?

Cat is coming!

I must scurry!

Cat is coming?

Hide! Hide!

His teeth are sharp!

His mouth is wide!

Where will you go?

You can’t get far.

Then I will hide

in Farmer’s garden.

(Harrison, p. 11)

Lady Liberty: A Biography

Bibliography

Rappaport, Doreen. Lady Liberty: A Biography. Illus. by Matt Tavares. Cambridge: Candlewick Press, 2008. 978-0763625306

Review

Lady Liberty is a collection of poems that exhibit concrete meaning of how the Statue of Liberty came to be in America. The pattern in some poems such as “Joseph Pulitzer” (Rappaport, pg. 21) are steady and have the same number of beats in between distinct pauses. There are surprises however in the meter of the poem, such as the sudden “I know” in the third stanza that stops the poem and brings attention to the fact that Joseph Pulitzer understands being an immigrant.

Sounds of alliteration are heard by readers in poems such as “scows and steamers and ships of war” (Rappaport, p. 26). This poem, “Jose Marti”, also provides repetition of words or groups of words such as “left, right, left, right” and “regiment after regiment” (pg. 26) which are the perfect compliment to a poem about military and soldiers.

Figurative language stirs up a more accurate and in depth picture of the creation of the Statue of Liberty. Similes such as “wears a flowing robe like the ancient goddess Libertas” (Rappaport, pg. 33) or “as grand as any one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World” (Rappaport, pg. 9) depicts the beauty and magnificence of Lady Liberty.

Sound is an important part of many of these poems. One in particular, “Auguste Bartholdi” uses sounds such as “tugboat whistles and trumpet fanfares clash…cannons fire deafening salutes…shrieking tugboats” (Rappaport, pg. 31) to create the incredibly proud, boisterous, and patriotic atmosphere that took place at the unveiling of the monument.

Poetry and Connection

Auguste Bartholdi

I have sketched Liberty many times

And made clay models.

Laboulaye helped me at every stage.

She will be massive but elegant,,

As grand as any one of the

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

(Rappaport, pg. 9)

Read the poem aloud while students close their eyes. Give students the choice of molding clay or sketching a picture of the Statue of Liberty as you reread the poem. Students can put their models and sketches on display with “Lady Liberty: A Biography”.

Your Own, Sylvia

Bibliography

Hemphill, Stephanie. Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2007. 978-0440239680

Review

Your Own, Sylvia portrays a mix of poetry that contains concrete meaning as in the things Sylvia should do to be the perfect wife in “Patriarchy” (Hemphill, pg. 41-42) and abstract meaning with “Demolition” (pg. 24-25) in reference to Sylvia’s sexuality through the images of a car ride. The poems’ meter is steady and allows for the lines to be read in a fluid manner. Most of the poems have a natural, stronger stress on the last syllable of each line.

Hemphill uses rhyme throughout several poems in this book such as “talk…locks…shocks…blocks” in “Golden Girl” (pg. 91) or in “Theodore” (pg. 118-119) with “worth…birth…earth”. The repetition of words at the beginning of each stanza play an affect on the sound of the poem. In “Ski Trip” three stanzas in a row begin with “Sylvia” (Hemphill, pg. 58) which plays on the fact that Dick Norton was fascinated with her.

Figurative language is used to enhance the content of the poems in Your Own, Sylvia and bring more intense meaning delicately. “Sylvia’s skin tans brown as the beach sand…fourteen-karat hair blazes like the noon sky” show two examples of similes used to describe Sylvia through resilient comparisons. Sylvia is personified by Richard Sassoon as an insect who “flap(s) against my web, yet are grateful to be confined” (Hemphill, pgs. 98-99) helping the reader to draw the conclusion that although Sylvia still wants to flap her wings, she is secretly happy to be in love.

The senses are evoked within Your Own, Sylvia through Hemphill’s poetry. In “Demolition” the line of “burnt tire fumes choking her throat” awaken the reader’s sense of smell so that they can picture themselves sitting close to the track of a car race.

Your Own, Sylvia is skillfully written and so wonderfully tells the story of Sylvia Plath’s life. I felt very moved by this book and feel that the overall serious mood are a perfect parallel to Sylvia’s life.

Poetry and Connection

Selfish

Mommy gave Sylvia

a blue cloth book

without words

where Sylvia puts words

each day.

(from Selfish, Hemphill, pg. 17)

Read the entire poem of “Selfish” as a class and have a journal (preferably blue!) as a prop. Give students about five minutes to write in their journal. They are given the freedom to choose their topic of writing or style of writing (i.e. poetry).

Bibliography

Alarcon, Francisco X. Animal Poems of the Iguazu. Illus. by Maya Christina Gonzalez. San Francisco: Children’s Book Press, 2008. 978-0892392254

Review

Animal Poems of the Iguazu has poetry that displays both concrete and abstract meaning. “Better Fun” (Alarcon, p. 22) clearly describes people floating down a river on a tubing boat, while the “River Turtle” depicts the Southern Hemisphere being carried on the turtle’s back as an allusion to old myths that the Earth rode on the back of a turtle.

The poems contain short lines that usually each contain two to five syllables. Many poems have lines with differing lengths of syllables that contrast each other, yet allow the poem to easily flow. Although the poetry in Animal Poems of the Iguazu rarely display rhyme, there is a presence of repetition. An example of this is on pg. 9 in “Hummingbird” when Alarcon uses “flit, flit, flit” or “pick, pick, pick”. This poem also shows the use of the “fl” sound among words such as “flit”, “flowers”, and “flower-picking”.

Similes are in abundance throughout this lovely book of poetry. In ”Red Earth” the poet describes the Earth’s color “like ground dried chiles and peppers…like cinnamon and chocolate powder” (Alarcon, pg. 26). The ants on pg. 21 describe the tourists “like giant ants” creating an interesting contrast between busy humans and these insects (Alarcon). Not only are similes used to enhance these poems, but metaphors are created, as well. Butterflies are painted as “multicolored flowers of the air”, which creates an image of beautiful colors flowing through the sky (Alarcon, pg. 16).

Sense imagery is crucial to Alarcon’s poems in depicting the Iguazu clearly. Foods are used to describe animals such as the “papaya slices” for a toucan’s beak (Alarcon, pg. 6) and “cinnamon and chocolate powder” to describe the earth’s soil (pg. 26). Sound is an intense and startling element in “What a Pest!” when helicopters are described as “big mosquitos” by nesting birds (Alarcon, pg. 20). This puts human like objects into the perspective of an animal in a rainforest, as a huge mosquito would be quite annoying and terrifying to a human.

The poetry in this book truly creates an impact on the reader. The tone is light and cheerful when introducing many animals, but in the middle of the book the mood is overshadowed by the affects of humans on these animals’ habitats. The last few poems move away from animals’ opinions of humans in the Iguazu to more meaningful and powerful poems. I believe this book of poetry does a phenomenal job of bringing awareness to the Iguazu National Park and allowing people to understand and appreciate its natural beauty.

Poetry and Connection

Butterflies

We are

the multicolored

flowers of the air

(Alarcon, p. 16)

Take different colors of tissue paper. Fold in half, draw one side of the butterfly and cut it out. Once each child has a butterfly, have groups recite the poem and at the end toss their butterflies in the air and watch them flutter to the ground. Each group will take a turn reciting the poem and tossing their butterflies.

All the Small Poems and Fourteen More

Bibliography

Worth, Valerie. All The Small Poems and Fourteen More. Illus. by Natalie Babbitt. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1994. 978-0374403454

Review

This collection of poems by Valerie Worth is exquisite and well composed. Most of the poems have concrete meanings with short, distinct lines. Most lines have only two, three or four words on them.

Sounds are used to create the right tone such as rhyme and repetition. On page 25, Worth uses rhyme in "tick or tock. Poor clock." to create the rhythmical sound of a clock in the reader. Repetition in "Mice" with words such as "places in places" or "world inside the wide world" shows how small mice are and that a small space within a room is a room in itself for an animal of such small stature.

Many of the poems in this collection use personification to bring inanimate objects to life. For example, on page 95 Worth creates a bell with a tongue that can sing or on page 102 a mushroom is like a human skeleton with a "soft skull" and "frail ribs" that float above the ground.

Sense imagery is an important part of making these poems full of energy and engaging to the reader. Sounds such as "grass whispers" (Worth, pg. 41), the "crunching up" of raw carrots (Worth, pg. 22), or the "poured clicking" of marbles (Worth, pg. 23) bring about a realistic environment for the audience. In "Marbles" readers feel that they can touch the objects in their hands as they read that they are "hard, glossy, glassy, cold" (Worth, pg. 23).

These poems are simple and yet hold so much meaning. With a light-hearted mood, this collection of poetry uplifts the soul and warms the heart.

Poetry & Connection

Coins

Coins are pleasant

To the hand:

Neat circles, smooth,

A little heavy.

They feel as if

They are worth something.

I would give each child a coin to hold in their hand. Tell students to move it around in their hand and think about how it feels. Then as each child is holding his/her own coin, read the poem "Coins". After, do a choral reading of the poem together as a class.

If Not For The Cat

Bibliography

Prelutsky, Jack. If Not for the Cat. Illus. by Ted Rand. China: Greenwillow Books, 2004. 978-0060596774

Review

"If Not for the Cat" is a collection of seventeen haiku that describe different animals. A combination of concrete and abstract meanings are given through these poems. Each haiku is seventeen syllables with alternating five, seven, and five meters on three lines.

Aspects of sound are crucial to the creation of these poems. Assonance is used by repeating a long "u" sound in the jellyfish haiku with "translucent...undulate, undulate" (Prelutsky, p. 11), as well as on pg. 19 with "raucously...caw...straw". Alliteration is an important characteristic of sound in these poems such as in "wingless we won't" (Prelutsky, p.20) or "nastartium's nectar" (Prelutsky, p. 9). Though the lines in the haiku do not rhyme, several words within the poems do show rhyme such as "sing...wings" (Prelutsky, p. 9) and "snack...back...crack" on page 20. Clear repetition brings meaning to the haiku about sloths with "I am" (Prelutsky, p. 12) and ants using "we are" (Prelutsky, p. 27).

Figurative language also plays a significant role in developing descriptive and exciting poems. "Sing with my wings" (Prelutsky, p. 9) is an example of personification as the hummingbird's wings are given a human characteristic. The parrot's description of "nothing at all to say...I can't stop talking" parallel opposites against each other.

Visual imagery is used by Prelutsky with several animals such as "gaudily feathered" on page 24 or "translucent" (pg. 11). In order for readers to feel they are really there and can touch the skin of the animals descriptive words are used like "gelatinously" (Prelutsky, pg. 11) and "wrinkled husks" (Prelutsky, pg. 15).

The emotional impact of this collection changes based on the animal and individual haiku. At times the reader feels tired and slow while reading about a sloth, busy and repetitive when learning about ants, or fearful when reading about the rattlesnake. Prelutsky does a fantastic job of describing these animals and delicately but purposefully putting them in the form of haiku.

Poetry & Connection

Crow

Raucously we caw.

Your straw men do not fool us.

We burgle your corn.

Because each haiku in this collection does not have a title included on the page itself, I would (without showing the pictures) read the poem aloud to the students and have them draw or write the animal they think the poem is describing. After finishing, students can justify with reasons why they think it is the animal they chose. After discussion, I would reveal the picture to the students.

As a follow-up, I would read several other of the poems from the collection and allow students to guess which animal it is describing.

Love That Dog

Bibliography

Creech, Sharon. Love That Dog. New York: HarperCollins, 2001. 978-0060292874

Review

"Love That Dog" is a novel written in verse that displays concrete meanings through its words. A young boy who is apprehensive towards poetry discovers its depth and that it isn't something intended only for girls. The meter in which the verse is read is through alternating stressed and unstressed syllables. It has a steady pattern that allows for the reader to flow through the novel quite rapidly.

Sound is an important part of "Love That Dog" in that the sound keeps it interesting and alive. Many words are repeated adjacent to each other such as "walk-walk-walking" (Creech, p. 69) or "wag-wag-wagging" (Creech, p. 68).Real sounds through onomatopeia are vivid and awaken the senses. Examples of tehse are seen throughout the novel with "pop-pop-popping" (Creech, p. 35) or the "taptaptaptaptap" (Creech, p. 67) of fingers on a keyboard. Interesting sounds inside of words that rhyme are revealed that create a fun sense of style, for example, "shaggy straggly paws" (Creech, p. 46) is an intriguing way to describe the dogs paws.

Figurative language brings unique ways of desribing events or feelings through the young boy. Creech personifies the spell checker as a "miracle little brain" on pg. 67 and reveals similes such as "like a squashed pea" (p. 64) and "fingers...as fast as my brain" (p. 67). Imagery through the senses is displayed on pg. 52 with the words "small" being literally smaller than the other words around it. Through this small gesture, the author truly creates an image in the reader of smaller poems and objects.

The tone fluctuates in "Love That Dog". At times it is anxious and nervous as the boy is scared of what students will think of his poetry. Later, acceptance is in the air as he beings to accept his poetry as being "good". On page 72 the tone becomes seriously and sad as the author reveals that the boy's dog was killed by a car, and the reader starts reflecting on the first poem the boy wrote in class. We realize there was meaning behind that poem about a truck, but he wasn't open to sharing about his dog being was actually killed by this truck. The story concludes with excitement and relief as Walter Dean Myers successfully visits the boy's school.

Poetry & Connection

"My Yellow Dog: by Jack" (Creech, pg. 37)

I would have each student choose an obect or something that is important to them. I would give the students several minutes to close their eyes and just think about that obejct. Then I would have students start writing sensory words about the object they chose. After students have had time to complete their descriptive words, I would now show "My Yellow Dog" on a big sheet of butcher paper. After giving the students a bit of time to look it over, discover the shape of the dog, and read the poem, we would discuss how the author used the words of their poem to create a shape.

Students would then get the opportunity to create shape poems from the words they had chosen about their object.

Yum! іmmmm! іQué rico!

Bibliography

Mora, Pat. Yum! іmmmm! іQué rico!: Americas’ Sproutings. New York: Lee & Low Books Inc., 2007. 978-1584302711

Review

The poems presented by Pat Mora in Yum! ¡Mmmm! ¡Que rico! Americas' Sproutings keep a consistent meter with each haiku poem containing its seventeen syllables. Sound is an important element and help bring the poems to life. Examples of alliteration in “Tomato” with “squirts seedy...splatter” and assonance in “Peanut” by using “nutty...jelly...gooey party” display the vibrant affect sound has on each poem.

A treat for all readers is how Pat Mora uses personification in “Pineapple” to transform the fruit into a playful person with a “stiff, spiky hat” and “thick prickly skin”. Metaphors are used in this anthology as a pumpkin is painted as autumn's orange face. An instance of onomatopoeia is seen in “Cranberry” with a nod towards hearing sense imagery using “POPS!”.

Yum! ¡Mmmm! ¡Que rico! explodes with sense imagery focusing on the senses of smell, taste, and touch. The act of smelling and tasting are brought out in most of the haikus using words such as “syrupy”, “juicy”, “lick”, and “smell grits, tortillas, corn bread”. “Melts on your tongue” in “Chocolate” is the perfect example of how the sense of touch is awakened through Mora's poems.

Pat Mora's poems bring about a simple and carefree tone with a cheerful mood. This collection of poems is supported with additional information pertaining to the origin of the foods which is noted in smaller print alongside each haiku. A letter from the author is also included at the end which wraps up the collection and helps bring meaning to the poems.

Poem & Connection

Pumpkin

Under round luna,

Scattered tumblings down the rows,

Autumn’s orange face.

(Mora, pg. 27)

Reading “Pumpkin” during the fall would be a great introduction to talking about how pumpkins are grown and the time of year that many plants are harvested. Have the students (with adult help) carve a pumpkin and learn about the parts of the pumpkin. Students can count and divide seeds into equal groups or even follow a simple recipe to roast pumpkin seeds while having to use cooking measurements.

Bing Bang Boing

Bibliography

Florian, Douglas. Bing Bang Boing. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1994. 978-0152058609

Review

Douglas Florian parallels opposing subjects for a larger impact for example placing “The Thin Man” and “The Fat Man” on adjacent pages. The rhythm for most poems is steady such as the bouncing words on either side of the page in “Ping-Pong Poem” and the reference to the metronome.

Sounds are an important part of Florian's poetry with the display of consonance in “I Friz, I Froze” on pg. 78 using “earz”, “ize”, “noze”, “toze”, and “kneez”. Rhyming in “Lost Head” brings a lightness to the words, with “head” and “instead” or “all” and “basketball”. On page 113 the poem “Rain Check” uses clear and distinct alliteration such as “My sister Sarah's Sixth birthday”.

Personification is seen throughout Florian's poems and these instances are a unique way of creating entertaining literature that comes alive through the reader.”Cars are Creatures” on pg. 111 personifies the car as an animal as it is seen “guzzling gas, growling”, and sleeping when parked. Other poems use comparisons like similes to create vivid images for the audience. “It's as wrinkled as a rhino” and “It's as hairy as a hound” from “The Monster in My Mirror” helps to stimulate visual imagery in the reader.

Other imagery is seen throughout “Bing, Bang, Boing” such as touch in “It's Hot! It's Hot!” or in juxtaposition of this, “I Friz, I Froze”. When writing about eating beetles, lizards, and dragons in “Diet Riot”, Douglas Florian brings out the sense of sound by writing “Crunch Crunch Crunch.” It completely brings the poem full circle and gives the reader an icky feeling but also a bit of a grin. The emotional impact of this set of poems is lighthearted, silly, and fun. A wonderful book of poetry for all readers of any age.

Poem & Connection

My Monster

I saw a monster

Ghastly and green.

I saw a monster

Nasty and mean.

I saw a monster,

A horrible creature.

That’s no monster –

That’s my teacher!

(Florian, p. 132)

This poem could be used on the first day or week of school as it brings comic relief to those that may have been worrisome about starting a new school year or having a different teacher. Students could discuss fears of starting school and meeting their teacher and what the first day was truly like compared to their fears.

A Jar of Tiny Stars

Bibliography

Cullinan, Bernice, ed. A Jar of Tiny Stars: Poems by NCTE Award-Winning Poets. Honesdale: Wordsong, 1996. 978-1563970870

Review

A Jar of Tiny Stars is a collection of child selected poems by poets who have won the National Council of Teachers of English Award. The poets' poems are displayed together after a picture and personal quote.

Many of the poems have a steady rhythm such as Valerie Worth's “Giraffe” which keeps a consistent 2 beat meter for each line. In this book the reader will find poems that contain rhyme such as “Summer Song” by Josh Ciardi and others that do not have any rhyme like “Lemonade Stand” by Myra Cohn Livingston. The impact of sound in many of these poems is imperative. The onomatopoeia of “s-s-s-s-s-s-s” in “SNAKE” by Barbara Esbensen breathes life into the poem and to the surprise of the reader the sound of the snake is inherently made either aloud or in their mind. In Eve Meriam's “Gooseberry” the freshness of sound is revealed through the repetition of berry in “Gooseberry Juice berry, Loose berry jam”.

Personification is one element of figurative language that is seen many times in this book of poetry. “Mine” by Lilian Moore creates the ocean as a selfish snatcher of sand castles and sand tunnels, and Valerie Worth's “lawnmower” is viewed as a monster or animal that “grinds its teeth” and is “spitting out” grass.

The emotional impact of this collection is altogether joyful and encouraging. An “About the Poets” section is included that gives the audience a sense of who the poets are and makes a greater and more meaningful connection between poet and reader.

Poem & Connection

pebbles

“Pebbles belong to no one

Until you pick them up –

Then they are yours.

But which, of all the world’s

Mountains of little broken stones,

Will you choose to keep…”

(Worth, p. 64)

This poem can be read during an Earth Materials or Geology Unit while discussing weathering and erosion. Students can draw different particle or grain sizes such as boulder, pebble, gravel, and sand and label each. Teacher or librarian should lead discussion about how weathering affects rocks and their sizes and ask students what they think the poem means by “mountains of little broken stones”.

Hip hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat

Bibliography

Giovanni, Nikki. Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat. Nashville: Sourcebooks, 2008.

Review

Editor, Nikki Giovanni, introduces an anthology of “poetry with a beat” in a vibrant and well put together set of poems. Giovanni presents a background of how rhythm, rap, and hip hop have been in place for years and years. The reader gains a better understanding of how rhythm has been a part of various cultures and crosses barriers.

The book also includes a CD in which many poets read their own poems and an index that includes a brief description of each poet. The illustrations are perfectly paired with poems that contrast subtle and vibrant colors and display purposefully smudged pictures.

Some poems use rhyme such as “Allow Me to Introduce Myself” by Charles R. Smith Jr. using stopper and dropper or Man and Slam in consecutive lines. (Giovanni, pg. 24) Imagery created through senses is pivotal to Gary Soto’s “Music for Fun and Profit” in which the sense of hearing is provoked. From a rubber band to kicking leaves and bars of a crib to the rattling of a newspaper, the character realizes he has his own band (Giovanni, g. 24)

Poem & Connection

Oh, Words

By Eloise Greenfield

“Oh, I love those wacky words

those crazy words that crack me up,

like dibbily-doobily-doo and such,

they don’t mean much,

but oh, I love them so….”

(Giovanni, pg. 14)

I would introduce this poem before teaching a writing lesson on word choice. This poem is just what is needed to trigger an explosion of ideas from students on words that are interesting and exciting instead of dull and boring. Writing can seem empty and scary, but “Oh, Words” creates an image that words can be wildly fun and engaging.

America at War

Bibliography

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. America at War. Illus. by Stephen Alcorn. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2008. 978-1416918325

Review

This collection of poems by a variety of poets is a reflection on American Wars from the American Revolution to the Iraq War. Not only are the poems about soldiers and war scenes, but about families anxiously awaiting their arrival, those who have lost loved ones, and soldiers writing to their newborns at home.

The anthology is divided up between wars, with a brief overview of how the war started, its unique qualities based on the time period such as new technology or major events such as the Holocaust, and the resulting number of deaths. When a country is in a war it affects everyone. Binding poetry and reflections on wars from hundreds of years ago with today’s war, creates a powerful message to the reader.

Because this is an anthology of various poets’ work, a range of poetic elements are seen throughout the poems. The reader will view poems with a concrete meaning such as “WW II: American Occupation, Weinheim, Germany” by Heidi Bee Roemer where the mother needs to feed her children and from the back of a truck falls a can of Spam and two cans of bean, but other poems convey more abstract meaning seen in “Alphabet” by Jane Yolen which describes the evil alphabet of names for concentration camps during the Holocaust.

One poem in particular, “War is the Fiercest Art” by Sara Holbrook, displays many poetic sounds such as rhyme with spill and kill or rhyme, time, and sublime. I believe though that the poet’s use of consonance has an even bigger affect on the sound of the poem when she uses “evading” and “invading” against each other or “hate”, “state”, and “frustrate” on three consecutive lines.

Personification is revealed in Sara Teasdale’s “There Will Come Soft Rains” in which Spring is made to be a person waking up who wouldn’t realize there was a war and that everyone had died. The tone of most of these poems is very serious which lends these to have a serious impact on students regarding their view of war today and in previous times. Perhaps it may make the Civil War or the Vietnam War seem like more of a reality as it is combined with poems about Iraq. In doing this, history may be more relatable and therefore reading about the emotions of these wars may result in students’ interest towards seeking information about these wars.

Poem & Connection

Care Package

By Janet Settimo

“this care package

is addressed to my sister….

And if we can’t locate this soldier?

Would you like the package returned to you,

given to another soldier, or abandoned?

But my heart is screaming find her.

FIND HER!”

(Hopkins, 70-71)

I would share this poem with students and discuss soldiers who are overseas today. I would guide discussion on what a care package means to a soldier and the emotions brought from both parties in giving and receiving one. As a follow up activity we would assemble care packages for troops who are overseas and write notes of encouragement (or poetry!).

The Brimstone Journals

Bibliography

Koertge, Ron. The Brimstone Journals. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2001. 978-0763617424

Review

This collection of poems sets the stage for a “Columbine-like” reenactment, introducing high-schoolers who are intertwined by circumstances such as classes, bullying, dating, or friendships. Each page is from the perspective of one of fifteen unique teenagers who are innately influenced by their families but are struggling to search within themselves to find their own beliefs and self worth. All fifteen students are connected to the initial ring leader, Boyd, whether she is on his “list” or have been recruited to help him open fire at his high school; fifteen different stories are heard clearly, allowing every reader to have a chance to connect with at least one if not many of their lives.

The meter is consistent and has a steady rhythm that makes the poems flow naturally from line to line and poem to poem, regardless of the fact that alternating poems are from the perspective of different characters. Several of the characters use metaphors to describe who or what they wish they could be. Kitty, for example, compares herself to being a bird on page 54, as if she was light enough to “just levitate”, focusing in on her obsession with being skinny. There are traces of rhyme every so often in this book but these instances never take away from the rhythm nor do they develop a sing-song sound. The story throughout the poems is consistently serious while these teenagers seem to open too many doors to trouble, but towards the end of the book, the mood is lifted a bit with hope for the future. One cannot pick up this book and not be affected. One relates to these students even after high school: the drama, the choices, the questions. This is a great book filled with poetry for young adults that carry meaning, lessons, and problems they are really dealing with.

Poem & Connection

The poem from The Brimstone Journals I chose to share is one from the character, Kitty, on page 54.

I think if I’m thin enough, I can fly.

I’ll get real thin and just levitate.

Lift off.

I like the way birds leave home.

They just go.

Nobody’s crying, nobody’s lecturing.

I read about these birds that almost never land:

they feed on the wing, nap as they glide, never make a nest.

They weight next to nothing.

By: Ron Koertge

I feel this poem speaks to many young people who are insecure in their appearance or have dealt or aredealing with eating disorders. I would introduce this poem with students by speaking about the reality and prevalence of eating disorders, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and seeking help for yourself or others. This disease affects many young people and this poem would be a great way to make students aware of what many around them may be dealing with and what they can do to help.