Mirroring the universal teen struggle for independence (if somewhat over dramatized), Glenn’s main character, Laura Li struggles with the expectations of her family.  She wants to leave and go to college, but her overbearing and abusive mother traps her.  She is expected to care for her disabled brother, and is told that she can only apply to local universities.  She is beaten and controlled, but this does not stop her from sneaking out at night to drink, flirt and go to clubs.

Laura Li does not find a way out – there is no happy ending.  We are given a picture of her life through the eyes of teachers, friends, Laura Li, her family, police officers, firemen and principals.  This book is serious and dramatic and also a quick and easy read – teens love it.

Many of the poems seem to be telling instead of showing (maybe because of point of view), and I think the book suffers because of it.

An interesting poem from the book is one unrelated to the main storyline – it is a poem in two voices.

I hate the books in the library,

Nobody looks in the library,

Nothing but kooks in the library.

I loathe every nook in the library.

I like to be in the library,

Books are for free in the library,

You can cut period tree in the library,

It’s Laura I see in the library.

I’ve become a big bore in the library,

I’d rather snore in the library,

I’ll scream, “No more!” in the library,

Show me the door in the library.

I like to sit in the library,

I love having writ in the library,

I eat a bit in the library,

I’m one who fits in the library.

As I read this I kept thinking about the song “America” from West Side Story (that seemed to be the rhythm of this poem).  This poem is two voices arguing about the library (much like the West Side Story song).  It is humorous and could be used on orientation day at the library – to welcome students and address some of their biases.  Students could also write other reasons (poetically if possible) for loving and hating the library.

Nye, Naomi Shihab. 2000. Salting the Ocean.  Ill by: Ashley Bryan. New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN: 9780688161934.

Salting the Ocean presents 100 poems written by unknown poets, — collected over Naomi Shihab Nye’s last 25 years working as a visiting writer with students in schools.  Divided into four sections (The Self and the Inner World, Where We Live, Anybody’s Family and The Wide Imagination, Nye’s collection offers poems on a range of topics — like cabbage, a foot, clocks, seasons, trucks, marbles and families.

Ashley Bryan’s illustrations (offered at the beginning of each section) offer a welcome splash of color to break up the text.  The book looks and feels like an anthology.  While it offers a welcome example of children’s poetry writing, it is hard to get through.  Many of the poems feel like dress up clothes, like they don’t quite fit the poet yet  (which makes sense, as these poems are probably the first attempt at poetry for many of these poets).  I would love to see the child’s voice come through a bit more.

I do think this book is a worthwhile collection for the library, offering both teachers and students encouragement and examples.  One of the poems that I liked was “Where Do They Hide?”.  It personifies poetry and also speaks to the adolescent struggle for identity.

Where Do They Hide?

My poems hide beneath sands

and under shady trees.

They sit upon river dams

and even laugh at me.

I laugh at them and say,

“You’ll never amount to anything.”

They say, “Oh, we will someday.”

A.R. McMillan

This poem could be used to begin a discussion about the value of children’s poetry.  I would use it encourage and motivate children to read and write poetry.  It could be read aloud to students before beginning a writers workshop session.

How much do you know about poetic form?  Have you heard of a Senryu?  I hadn’t.  Apparently a Senryu is a poem that follows the same pattern as a haiku (5-7-5), but is about human nature rather than the natural world.  This was news to me , as I always assumed anything that was 5-7-5 was a haiku (someone might want to tell the folks over at Haiku Friday though).

You can find explanations and examples of all kinds of poetic forms in Paul Janeczko’s collection: A Kick in the Head. Wrapped up as a playful picture book with colorful illustrations, this collection offers 29 poems, representing 29 different forms.  Janeczko includes an introduction, table of contents and notes on the forms to aid the reader.  There is a page for each form that includes illustrations, an example poem and a small definition of the form.

This is a diverse collection that includes poetry by children’s poets, classic poet and, contemporary poets.  It is a must-have for any library (or classroom) — an invitation for budding writers to try out new forms.

Like the title poem suggests, this book will give you “a kick in the head.”

As an example for a concrete poem, Janeczko includes Joan Bransfield Graham’s “A Kick in the Head.”  I cannot recreate the picture for you here (only the text). but it is shaped like a figure kicking a ball.

poetry

jumpstarts

my imagin-

ation

it

opens its arms to me. jabs me in the heart

thump

thump

poetry

gives

me,

a

kick

in

the

head

Poetry

gives

me

a

Kick!

A  scaffolding activity to get students into writing their own concrete poetry, would be to have them reconfigure other poems into a concrete form.  For example they could take a classic poem and see if they can rework it to make an image.  This poem could be used as an introduction(read aloud and shown to the class), discussing the way that the shape adds meaning to the poetry.  Then students can choose a poem to reconfigure into a concrete poem.

With Seuss-like imagination, Prelutsky creates mixed up creatures like zipperpotamuses, the spatuloon, alarmadillos and Toadsters.  I have always been envious of poets who can rhyme and keep to a theme, and Prelutsky does much more than that.  His poetry is kid-perfect – silly, imaginative, unexpected and most of all fun.

This collection offers seventeen poems about mixed up animals crossed with everyday objects.  A table of contents at the beginning allows the reader to browse easily from poem to poem.

You might think it difficult to illustrate a book of such ambitious poems, but Carin Berger (who writes and illustrates her own award winning books) is up for the task.  Her collage illustrations of these whimsical creatures are a strong match for Prelutsky’s poetry.  Berger brings Prelutsky’s animals to life with texture, color and brilliant tiny details.

A poem that exemplifies Prelutsky’s whimsy and humor is Shoehornets.

Shoehornets

SHOEHORNETS make it easier

For you to put on shoes.

They quickly slide

Your feet inside.

You can, of course, refuse.

And that is what you’d better do,

For you should know one thing –

It’s true they choose

To help with shoues,

But whent they do…they sting!

This poem is a fun and silly poem that allows for silliness in performance.  The teacher or librarian could create a shoe hornet and act out the lines of the poem, getting stung at the end.  After the reading, students could brainstorm a list of animals to cross with objects (like shoehorn and hornet).

A Caldecott Honor book for 2010 and the second collaboration for Sidman and Zagarenski, Red Sings From Treetops is a celebration of colors of the seasons.  Sidman takes the reader through four seasons of color beginning with spring.  Through Sidman’s poems — red sings, green waits, yellow shouts, white clinks and brown rustles.  Sidman’s mixing of the senses creates fresh poetry that helps the reader see a clichéd topic (the seasons) with new eyes.

Zagarenski’s layered illustrations are as vibrant, fresh and alive as Sidman’s poetry.  If the reader wonders how red can sing, Zagerenski answers with her illustrations.  Sidman and Zagarenski are a perfect pairing, seamlessly creating meaning without distraction.

In the middle of winter, Sidman interjects a green poem, capturing the hope of spring.

Where is Green in winter?

Green darkens, shrinks,

stiffens into needles.

Green waits

in the hearts of trees,

feeling

the earth

turn.

Sidman uses personification masterfully – green is us, waiting for warmth. This poem could be used to introduce a fresh way to look at color.  The teacher could read the poem then ask students to write some lines about colors – what do colors do, think, feel, smell like etc.  The teacher can offer these specific prompts so that all students will feel comfortable contributing.  Unique lines could be shared on the overhead, highlighting (through the discussion) what makes them fresh and poetic.

Betsy Franco offers playful school poems in her collection Messing Around on the Monkey Bars.  She tackles school subjects such as recess, pencil tapping, anatomy class, homework, bikes, basketball, new kids, buses, reports shushing librarians (oh my!) and distracted teachers.  An author’s note at the beginning of the book offers an explanation on how to read the poetry aloud (one voice reads regular font, the other bold font, both voices read super bold font).

Franco’s poetry makes noises — full of onomatopoeia, it  snorts, taps, grumbles, bounces, snickers, vrooms, boings, thuds, zings and tick-tocks.

This book begs to be (and should be) read aloud (preferably with a partner) To hear the rhythm and sounds of two (or more) voices; I read it aloud to myself using two different tones.  The reading aloud changed the meaning for me.  My mind wanted to skip over the bold sections when reading silently, but I could not ignore them when reading aloud.

Jessie Hartland’s illustrations add to the playful tone of the book.  Her drawings look like they were created in an elementary school art class (and that is a good thing).  Bright colors, simplistic features, and oversized heads on small bodies all add to the childlike feel of the book.

My favorite poem and a example of the musical sounds of Franco’s poetry is Backboard Rap.

bounce, bounce

bounce, bounce Dribble, dribble,

bounce, bounce Pass to Trish.

bounce, bounce Shoot a basket.

bounce, bounce Hear the swish!

bounce, bounce Dribble, dribble,

bounce, bounce Pass to Vin.

bounce, bounce Hit the backboard.

bounce, bounce Up and in!,

bounce, bounce Dribble, dribble,

bounce, bounce Take a shot!

bounce, bounce There’s the buzzer.

bounce, bounce Yeah! We’re hot!

bounce, bounce

bounce, bounce

bounce

To introduce this poem, the teacher or librarian could have a basketball available to use as a prop.  Students could take turns (in pairs) reciting the poem, bouncing the ball in accompaniment to the bounce bounce lines.  There is a speed and building up in this poem, so the students could take turns reading it faster and faster – it feels kind of like passing a ball.

Engle, Margarita. 2008. The Surrender Tree. New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN: 9780805086744.

Narrated by five voices, Engle’s historical verse novel details Cuba’s brutal struggle for independence.  The story spans 50 years, beginning with abolitionism in the 1850s and ending with American occupation in 1899.

Poetry does for history what textbooks cannot, revealing the complexity, beauty, darkness and hope of humanity in a way that is unforgettable.  The reader develops a relationship with each character – feeling the brutality and injustice.  Engle brings Rosario Castellanos Castellanos to life with her vivid poetry.  The story unveils mostly in Rosa’s and her husband’s voice (Jose).  But we also hear from Sylvia (a fictional character who is an apprentice to Rosa), Lieutenant Death (a slave hunter), and Captain-General Valeriano Weyler y Nicolau, Marquis of Tenerife, Empire of Spain.

This mix of verse novel, fiction and non-fiction works well.  Engle reveals history with bewitching expertise – the historical concepts seem to slip by unnoticed, but the reader finishes the novel understanding much about Cuban independence that she could not have learned in history books.

Engle offers literary tools to aid the reader’s understanding – a table of contents (w/ dates), a novel in sections divided by time period, historical notes, a chronology and a list of references.  From her historical note I learn: “that the first “modern, systematic use of concentration camps as a way of controlling rural civilian populations was [...] in Cuba in 1896” (Engle, 2005).  Apparently this is the model that was used in South Africa and then taken to the extreme by Hitler in Germany.

We meet Rosa when she is still a child, but she is already a skilled healer.  The poem (below) is one that shows her compassion and also her wisdom.

Rosa

After the raid,

I tend the wounds

of slavehunters

and captives.

Some look at me with fear,

others with hope.

I tend the wounds of a wild dog,

and the slavehunters’ huge dogs.

All of them treat me like a nurse,

not a witch.

The grateful dogs make me smile,

even the mean ones, trained to follow the tracks

of barefoot men.

They don’t seem to hate

barefoot girls.

Hatred must be a hard thing to learn.

This poem is a great introduction to a discussion about hatred – whether the discussion is about Cuba, Germany, the Sudan, Rwanda or the United States,  – this poem ends with a thought provoking statement that leads us all to think more about the ways in which we hate or support hate.   Students could complete reflections, writing their thoughts about hate, sharing experiences of discrimination etc.  The students could share in small groups and whole group if they feel comfortable.

This book is for older students – middle or high school – as it contains some graphic descriptions.

The perfect book for this time of year, Song of the Water Boatman mixes science with art to teach the reader about springtime things like ponds, ducks, frogs, dragonflies, beetles and water bears.

Paired with illustrations as bright and alive as springtime, these poems ring with the sounds and smells of the season.  Each poem is accompanied by a scientific explanation – a brief paragraph of information that offers curious readers facts and oddities about the poem’s subject.  Did you know that dragonflies can zoom up to 35 miles per hour?  They can also fly backward! Sidman also offers a table of contents and a glossary of terms to further inform the reader about the scientific terms.

Sidman and Prange offer just the right balance of poetry, art and science.  Prange’s watercolors are not only bright, but also have perfect composition – the close ups, the underwater shots, the angle.  Children will love this book before they have even read their first word.

One of my favorite poems is Travel Time.  I had never heard of a water bear before reading this book, and now I am fascinated by these tiny creatures.

Travel Time

In late summer

when the

old

hot

sun

drains the pond

and

every

drop

of water

sizzles

& bakes

the water

bear

stops

her lumbering

folds

her tiny

claws

against her chest,

and

shrinks,

shrinks,

smaller

than she already is.

A speck,

a grain,

a microscopic

tumble-

weed,

she waits

for wind

to take her

somewhere

cooler,

wetter,

more like

spring.

This poem could be used to begin a study of the water bear.  The librarian could dress up like a water bear (brown suit with claws) and act out the poem, shrinking into dormancy.  Someone else should share the picture from the book.  After the reading students can explore the topic.  If the teacher can get a microscope slide with a water bear that would be best, but if not there is a website that has video and images and some fun information about the water bear. http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artjun00/mmbearp.html

They do move just like bears!

Volavkova, Hana. 1993. I Never Saw Another Butterfly. New York: Shocken Books. ISBN: 9780805210156.

How essential is art, expression or poetry to our humanity?  Is art as important as food and shelter – as vital as safety?

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs informs us that when our own health or safety is threatened we tend to forget about higher needs like self-actualization.  Any educator who has taken theory classes has been presented with this hierarchy.  It is used to explain why students who are in danger or hungry or having trouble at home might not perform well in school – they have more important things on their minds (like survival).

Where does art, expression or poetry fall in Maslow’s hierarchy?  Maslow later revised his hierarchy to include the need for aesthetic beauty, placing this need between esteem and self-actualization (very near the top). The collection of poetry,  I Never Saw Another Butterfly, seems to defy this placement, calling into question the hierarchical nature of needs, and placing art and expression alongside necessities like food, water and shelter.

This book is a collection of poetry, art and writing recovered from Terezin Concentration Camp in Prague.  Courageous prisoners gave the children of Terezin art lessons, paper and supplies– one of the most famous of these teachers was Friedl Dicker-Brandeis.  She used her knowledge and formal training to help the children express themselves through art and poetry, a healing medicine to ward off despair.  In my opinion Ms. Dicker-Brandeis is the most courageous type of hero – knowing despair, death, being certain of defeat, but also managing to bring hope and relieve suffering for the most vulnerable and frightened of the camp’s prisoners.

This edition contains a note from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, a foreword by Chaim Potok, an afterword by Vaclav Havel, and a catalog of drawings and poems. Each poem is accompanied by a child’s drawing.  It is like having a museum at your fingertips, ready to be explored over and over.  We now know these beautiful lives and stories thanks to the teachers, children and those who preserved and shared these beautiful treasures.  There are no words to express the importance of this book.

The title poem, The Butterfly, is one of the most artful in the collection.  The images are hopeful, but there is also despair – a foreboding – maybe a foreshadow of death.

The Butterfly

The last, the very last,
So richly, brightly, dazzlingly yellow

Perhaps if the sun’s tears would sing

against a white stone …

Such, such a yellow
Is carried lightly ‘way up high.
It went away I’m sure because it wished to

kiss the world goodbye.

For seven weeks I’ve lived in here,
Penned up inside this ghetto
But I have found what I love here.
The dandelions call to me
And the white chestnut branches in the court.
Only I never saw another butterfly.

That butterfly was the last one.
Butterflies don’t live in here,

In the ghetto.

–1942, Pavel Friedmann

This poem would offer an engaging introduction to a unit about the Holocaust.  Students usually study the Holocaust in the eighth grade, and I would suggest that age group for these poems.  The magic of this poem is that Pavel makes us see and feel what he is seeing and feeling.  It is heartbreaking but beautiful art.

I would suggest using this poem as a visualization strategy – helping students to empathize with and connect with the people who suffered during the Holocaust.  A child could be chosen ahead of time to read the poem to the class.  Turning the lights low and using a flashlight would help the students focus on the speaker.  The teacher could write up a narrative about Pavel as well, letting the student read from a first person point of view about life in the camp.

After the reading, students could compose a response (in the form of a poem, a narrative, a letter) to Pavel, expressing their own feelings or questions.  Students (too often) feel removed from history, unable to feel emotion or connect history to their own lives.  This book of poetry connects us to some of the innocent, beautiful victims of the Holocaust – through their art.