POETRY BY KIDS: Walking on Earth and Touching the Sky; Poetry and Prose by Lakota Youth at Red Cloud Indian School Compiled by Timothy Mclaughlin

Walking on Earth and Touching the Sky

Bibliography:

McLaughlin, Timothy P. Walking on Earth and Touching the Sky: Poetry and Prose by Lakota Youth at Red Cloud Indian School. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2012. 

Review:

Walking on Earth and Touching the Sky is artwork that is bound together to create a beautiful piece of art-erature (art+ literature). Each of the seven sections opens with a short excerpt about the subject title. These excerpts are a summary of sorts of the different themes that are present in the collection of poems. These excepts also guide the reader though the beauty of the Lakota Youth at Red Cloud Indian School.

The editor of the collection Timothy P. McLaughlin strings together many different formats of poems including free verse, haiku, extended metaphor, diamante, I am, and many more. The variety of the poems contribute to the versatility of the collection. In addition, to the different formats there is also many different perspectives that are present. From a hopeful child in I Still Dream to the solemn tone of Quiet. The feelings of the speaker and the mood they create for the reader are exemplary examples of how to create feelings within the reader. 

Furthermore the imagery that is used to explain their feelings is deep yet relatable. For example, in the poem Silence by Julia Martin she writes and repeats the line "Silence is the loudest noise I ever heard." The reader can connect to this moment maybe not in the same sad way, but every kid knows that feeling when silence seems deafening. I also like the line from Quiet by Tia Catches when she writes "Quiet is the ringing in the ear" while the line is so simple I think it shows children perfectly how irony is actually something that can be lived. 

Overall, the collection is one that should be shared to children throughout the year. I would use this as a reference when I wanted to teacher different literary concepts because the collection has a depth of different merits and should be spoken about as much as possible. 

Spotlight Poem:

The element of suspense is highly prevalent in the poem Ugly Life on Dirty Rez. The reader isn't sure of the poems mood or tone until the third line and even still there is a question of the connotation of dirty as you complete the final lines. 

Ugly Life on Dirty Rez

Life on
Life on reservation 
Life on reservation is dirty 
Life on reservation is dirty, filthy
Life on reservation is dirty, filthy dogs. 
-Dena Colhoff

Follow-up Activity:

As a poetry break, I would assign each word in each line to a different student to make a total of 23 assigned words, then I would have the students read this poem aloud a couple of times. The emphasis on life would become apparent and we could talk about the different symbols that life could mean in this poem. The poem has little variety of words, but that only makes the words that it does have more meaningful. Also, reading the poem aloud will help identify that emphasis. 

JANECZKO COLLECTION: Requiem Poems of the Terezin Ghetto

Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto

Bibliography:

Janeczko, Paul B. Requiem: Poems of the Terezín Ghetto. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2011.

Review:

Reading Paul Janeczko's Requiem allows the reader to inside the lives of the terrorized people at the Terezin Ghetto. Through different stories Janeczko speaks the stories of the saddened, scared, and angered inmates. The word choice and imagery that Janeczko ties together keeps the reader teared, yet continuously reading.

In the poem titled SS Captain Bruno Krueger the speaker recounts a time when two Jews tried to escape. Unfortunately, the Jews are recaptured and the poem describes through vivid word choice the "impracticality of defiance." Janeczko's voice in this poem is evil and articulates the true disdain of the Jewish people. The reader can feel the excruciating sounds of the life of a Jew in the Terezin Ghetto.

Furthermore, the imagery in poem titled Erich Rosenberg/43458 the reader can feel all five sense in a poem about the disgusting bedbugs. Appealing to the sense of sight Janeczko writes, "Filled with blood/they are the size of an apple seed." Simply picturing a bedbug, a typically unseen creature, the size of an apple seed makes my stomach turn. Similarly the line "in your mattress--/until it is time to crawl over you./Drawn by your warmth,/your breath,/they find a spot to suck your blood/injecting their saliva/leaving a blister, a rash/that must not be scratched." After reading this particular poem chills ran down my spine, knowing that nagging feeling of not being able to scratch or rid yourself of something so disgusting and as irritable as a bug bite.

In summary, Paul Janeczko strings together a feeling of authenticity and a sad yet beautiful piece of literature that is bound to stand the test of time. I am confident Requiem will be read by many new and old Holocaust Historians.

Spotlight Poem:

David epstein/ 12275

I wish I could kill one of them.
One.
A small number, no?
I would need no help.
Want none.
I would want my face
to be the last thing he saw before he died.
My face.
As the blade finds its way between his ribs--
at the instance I'd want him to see my face.
He would not know me.
I did nothing to you, he would think.
What he did, he did to all of us.
He would not understand
punishment for doing his duty.
I would like his last blood-choked moment
to be confused
before I heaved him
onto a pile of bodies on the hearse,
his legs, shoeless, hanging over the side.
I would like to feed him my Sarah's ashes
one spoonful after another
without pause
until he could no longer breathe.
Then I would force more ashes into his nose.
Whatever he choked down or spit out
I would replace with more
of my Sarah's ashes.
When he died I would cram
more ashes down his throat.
Dead or not
he must taste my Sarah's ashes.

Perhaps I would do nothing to him.
Nothing but watch him descend
into the hell of typhus,
fevered, slow of pulse,
vomiting down the front of his shirt,
clutching his wrenching stomach,
surrounded by friends and family
who could do nothing to help
except listen to his rambles
except clean up diarrhea
hour after hour.

Yes,
I wish I could kill one of them.
One.
A small number, no?
I would need no help
to deliver justice.

Follow-up Activity:

After reading the poem, I would ask the students "What senses did you use while reading?" The poem appeals to all five sense, but it would be a point of discussion for the students to discuss which sense stood out the most for the student.

I tried this in class just recently 5-1-15 and the students all had different senses that the poem appealed to, and we were able to discuss which sense were the most strong, and why for that person. Again I was able to reiterate that poem appeals to readers in different ways and for different reasons. 

FREE CHOICE POETRY: A Moose Boosh: A Few Choice Words About Food by Eric Larkin

A Moose Boosh: A Few Choice Words About Food by Eric-Shabazz Larkin

Bibliography:

Larkin, Eric. A Moose Boosh: A Few Choice Words on Food. Bellevue, Washington: Readers to Eaters, 2014.

Review:

A Moose Boosh is a playful spin on the French term amuse-bouche. Eric-Shabazz Larkin creates over forty delightful poems that are accompanied with a "graffiti" style photography. Larkin shares the poems of different characters as they tell their impassioned thoughts of food. Ranging from silly, to historical all the way to comical spins on Dr. Seuss classics, Larkin creates a masterfully delicious collection of yummy poems.

To keep with true form the book opens with a menu style table of contents guiding the reader through a tasty selection of poems for them to digest. Of course the book opens with its name sake "A Moose Boosh" and is followed by other savory poems; including, My Father is a Painter, and Sushi. My Father is a Painter tells the heart-warming story of a fathers food art through the eyes of his toddler son. The abab rhyme scheme flows similar to how the father creates a masterpiece dish. Sushi is a silly free verse poem accompanied by the adorably graffiti sushi art that makes the reader laugh and giggle.

Overall, what makes A Moose Boosh such a fun book is that everyone has an experience with food. Everyone has tasted or tried something that affected their emotions. Because of the books topic the reader can connect to the topics both serious and silly.

Spotlight Poem:

A Desk is Not a Dinner Table

You can eat dinner
at a round table
or a square table.
An oblong table
or a pear-shaped table.

But a desk
is not a dinner table.

You can eat dinner at the beach
or eat it on a boat/
Eat it in a bikini
or eat it in a coat/
Eat it upstairs.
Eat it outside.
Eat it feeling fat
or feeling thinner.

But a desk? No.
A desk is not a place for dinner.

Call it "food in face."
Call it "stuffing belly."
Call it the Internet
with toast and jelly.

Dinner at a desk
needs a re-label.
Because a desk
will never be a dinner table.

Follow-up Activity:

A Desk is Not a Dinner Table offers an assortment of literary and poetic techniques. There is clear repetition, a little rhyme scheme, and the use of punctuation to create rhythm.  I would read this poem aloud and focus on how the punctuation creates a tone of displeasure and annoyance. Then as a follow up I would have students brainstorm the weirdest, most comfortable, or even the most common place they have dinner, then draw from a list of tone words and create a poem about that place. I want to give them the tone, because often times students "don't know" how they feel so giving them a little guidance in that department will make for better poems.

PERFORMANCE POETRY: The Friendly Four

The Friendly Four by Eloise Greenfield and Jan Spivey Gilchrist

Bibliography: 

Greenfield, Eloise, and Jan Spivey Gilchrist. The Friendly Four. New York: HarperCollins/Amistad, 2006. Print.

Review:

The Friendly Four is a precious story of four friends who find authentic friendship despite their individual struggles at home. The book opens with Drummond a young boy who sick of waiting around for his baby sibling to become alert, so he can live his life. Alas Drum finds friendship in Dorene a young girl who is new to the neighborhood. Next the duo meets Louis who has been adopted by a new family and is new to the neighborhood as well, finally they meet up with Rae who is Dorene's cousin who is just visiting until her mother gets well. The story of these young friends is told in six parts each one articulating how the friends meet, what they do to have fun during the summer, and finally the dreadful goodbyes at the end of summer. Greenfield tells the story of each friend through verse and a form of dialogue. The poems bounce between different speakers with each speaker represented by a different color, in addition their are also lines written as "all" to indicated that this is a line spoke by each of the Friendly Four. '

Eloise Greenfield writes a touching story that should be spoken by a young audience. The verse picture book tells the complicated stories of four young friends dealing with lives difficult situations, but the voice and the word choice keeps the story age appropriate.

Spotlight Poem:

The poem Punished is read by all of the four friends and is best when it is read aloud. The poem is accompanied by a picture of each child looking out the window with a hint of regret for their poor choice from earlier in the day. The use of punctuation, specifically commas, gives the poem a rhythm that mimics that of a stream of thought. Also, the use of line breaks puts the emphasis on what the children have done wrong or what they wish they were doing. This would be a great way to teach purposeful line breaks. 

Punished 
All: I'm looking out my window,
wishing I hadn't done it.
I could be with my friends, right now,
having fun.
It's not as if we didn't know. 
We went where we weren't 
supposed to go.
The grown-ups had told us not to travel
beyond the corner tree. 
When they looked, they couldn't find us
not to forget to remember 
where we're supposed to be. 

Follow-up Activity:

Of course this poem has to be assigned roles and read aloud. So, I would do just that I would assign each group a page or pages depending on the number of students; then I would have those students read and act out each of their assigned pages. I can also see this entire book being used as a grade wide play or musical almost. It is so engaging and so many different ways for students to interpret the roles. The thoughts and feelings of each of the Friendly Four are well-crafted through a thoughtful voice, it would be heart-warming to see it being read to an audience of adults. 

HOPKINS AWARD POETRY: UNDER THE MESQUITE Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Bibliography: 

McCall, Guadalupe Garcia. Under the Mesquite. New York: Lee & Low, 2011. Print.

Review: 

Under the Mesquite is a verse novel that tells the story of Lupita, the eldest of eight, over the course of around eight years. True to the nature of a young adult novel, Under the Mesquite is a combination of coming of age events, including the devastation of  cancer and disease on a family, and specifically the implications of cancer in a Mexican-American family. Garcia-McCall creates a free verse novel that reads with the strong voice of Lupita. The emotions and thoughts of Lupita are so accurately articulated that you feel as though the young girl herself is telling the story. However, the descriptions are not childish in literary merit. For example, the line "the lawns looked well behaved/and boring. The grass grew obediently/ beside the clean sidewalks/along the paved streets,/each green blade standing upright/ like a tiny solider. While this is an innocent description of the grass and land in which her family now lives, it is not a watered down version of a description. 

The novel is also divided into six parts mapping out the life of Lupita through their losses and triumphs, and Garcia-McCall includes a helpful glossary of Spanish words and cultural references. Under the Mesquite also won the Pura Belpre Award for its outstanding work of literature for children and youth. The award is much deserved and accurately portrays the struggles and intimacies of a Mexican- American family. 

Spotlight Poem:

Chismosa, a word that is so often spoken in Hispanic families, a word that takes on its own meaning depending on the family and its usage, a word that is both endearing and punitive. In my own experience the word can become playful and silly as well as insulting and rude, and this poem does a similar pattern. In the moment when the mother calls her daughter a chismosa it is because she is embarrassed, but in the end you can tell that it was because she was taken by surprise at her daughters gumption. I like this poem because it shows the interpersonal side of a culture and its language.  

Chismosa

I thought I was being clever
by sitting just outside the kitchen window, 
but I was wrong. 

!Chismosa! Mami chastises me
when she catches me eavesdropping 
on her and her comadres.
Then she orders me to go scrub
the bathrooms, toilets, and all.

After her friends leave, 
Mami calls me into her and Papi's room.
"You embarrassed me today,"
she says, sitting on the edge of the bed
with her arms folded. 
...
"It's okay," I whisper
against her cheek. "I know."
My heart aches
because I have heard the word 
that she keeps tucked away
behind closed doors.

"What do you know?" Mami asks.

We lock eyes,
and she knows I know.

"Don't tell the others," she begs,
and I hold her while she cries it out.

Follow-up Activity:

As a follow-up, I would have students brainstorm a list of words that he or she uses within their family that can be used as an insult or a term of endearment. I would point out that it is these words that create a small family culture that contributes to an overall culture. I would also ask the students to share their list of (school appropriate words) so that students can enrich their own knowledge of various cultures, within a broader culture. 

SIDMAN POETRY: Meow Ruff by Joyce Sidman

Meow Ruff by Joyce Sidman 

Bibliography:

Sidman, Joyce, and Michelle Berg. Meow Ruff. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006.

Review:

Meow Ruff is the epitome of well-written concrete poems. Every picture, every character and every piece of the book is a concrete poem. The illustrations aren't just delightful pieces of art, but rather each picture is a poem. While this is a children's book, the reader can stay on the same page for several minutes reading and discovering new poems within the illustrations. For example on page
four there are about eight different poems that don't just tell you what is happening, but show you through word position and concrete poems.

Furthermore, the illustration created by Michelle Berg are simple in design but detailed with words. For example, in the spotlight poem the words "black bottomed storm brewing" take on the beauty of the clouds and the storm, but still create an ominous mood.   Some of the poems pictures are accompanied by graphics that indicate a wag of a tail or a flutter of a crows wing. It is this attention to detail that makes Meow Ruff a unique, engaging, and versatile piece of literature.

Spotlight Poem:

This artistic display of poetry perfectly captures what is great about Joyce Sidman. There is so much to teach just on one page; for example, you can teach characterization and inferencing with the animals thought poems, you can teach figurative language with the onomatopoeia's that are present throughout the poem; you can teach tone and mood through the cloud formation poem. The versatility of this poem also stretches through age groups. It is simplistic enough for early readers to comprehend the different components, but it is thoughtful enough for advanced readers to investigate the intricacies of a concrete poem.

Follow-up Activity:

As a follow-up I would group students into pods of four and have them start a project that includes choosing a piece of figurative language and developing it into a children's concrete poem book. Having the students mimic the model of Joyce Sidman will help them deepen their understanding of grade level TEKS such as analyzing word position, punctuation, capital letters, and figurative meaning. (7.4A)

Social Studies Poetry: Wicked Girls: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials

Wicked Girls: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials 

Bibliography:

Hemphill, Stephanie. Wicked Girls: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials. New York: Balzer Bray, 2010.

Review:

Wicked Girls is a historical fiction-ish verse novel. The amount of research Stephanie Hemphill completed prior to writing this novel contributes to the perfectly formatted verse novel. Hemphill strings together the story of the Salem Witch Trials through the eyes of three young. The novel reads almost like a collection of poetic diary entries from the points of Mercy Lewis, Margaret Walcott, and Ann Putnam. These characters are based off of the real villagers who were at the center of the witch trials. It is through the format, perspective, and diction that Hemphill takes us back into the village of Salem to create a new insight into this historic event.

Hemphill's format ranges poems that are a few pages in length to poems that are short three stanzas. The poems are mostly descriptions of the young girls feelings and they thoughts about the world around them. The poems include conversations they have with others and their reactions to the other girls. Within the format is the change in perspective that Hemphill so eloquently transitions to and from. The reader gets to be inside the minds of these young girls as they transform from typical village girls of the time period to radical condemning pillars of history.

Other the other hand, the perspective shifts would be nothing without the captivating diction Hemphill uses to speak the thoughts of the afflicted young girls. Lines such as "I twist in the night/like a wrung-out rag,/ wet and worn,"create a beguiled imagined in the readers mind. As a reader you can't help but feel the anxiety building in each of the girls as they become more and more engulfed in their afflictions or lies. Stephanie Hemphill skillfully recreates the world of Salem through the eyes of the some of history's most mysterious girls.

Spotlight Poem:

The mystery of why and how the girls of Salem became afflicted is what students are always so stuck on when this piece of history comes up in the classroom. Hemphill's novel gives another view point on why/how the girls became afflicted, and helps students make their own conclusions. The poem young Ann writes about her mother is a glimpse of insight into the motivations these girls might have had to accuse fellow villagers.

Ann Putnam Sr.
Ann Putnam Jr. 12

Mother never questions where
I have been. She notices not my entrance
into the house. But I note each patter of her foot.

She treadles the spinning wheel
as though she weaves a song
of high tempo. I am mesmerized.

I set to work at her feet.
My hands sting just from drafting her wool.

"There are too many loose fibers."
Her voice is a whip.

I rub harder the flax between my hands
till the strands be perfect for the wheel.
Mother thanks me not.

"Will you teach me your way
to treadle?" I ask.
But Mother hears me not.

She hears only her own tapping
of the wheel.

She admires her yarn, refastens her bun
and motions me away.
"Go back to your study."

Follow-up Activity:

While it is obvious that this is a historical event, this poem lends itself to the societal politics that drives historic events. I would use this poem at the start of a research project on "what drives political change, historical events, and what really causes change in the world." I would ask the students to choose one event in history that caused long term change and research the roots of these changes narrowing it down to its smallest possible event. Just like Hemphill illustrates in her book, what could have happened if Ann Sr. chose to notice her child or teacher her treadle that day instead of sending her away? Would Ann feel the desire to be noticed to the point of acting out through afflictions? While the assignment would start out as a research assignment as it continued it would mold into a historical fiction assignment.

Biographical Poetry: The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano

The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano

Bibliography:

Engle, Margarita, and Sean Qualls. The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano. New York: Henry Holt, 2006.

Review:

Margarita Engle tells the heartrending story of Juan Francisco Manzano through verse and alternating speakers. Juan Francisco Manzano was a born into slavery in Cuba and was denied his basic human rights for his entire life. Through perspective, word choice ,and imagery Engles tells the sorrowful story of Juan Francisco Manzano.

The verse novel opens with a description of the daily life for Juan from Juan's perspective. Juan's voice is the space between sorrow and hope. Engles channels his love for words, stories, and poetry into breathtaking lines such as "Instead of the raging, terrifying storm/ I will choose to measure its silent, peaceful eye." The voice of Juan that Engles creates is powerful and brave yet peaceful and placid. Then, through the flip of a page a whole new voice is created through a different perspective. The most eerie voice is that of La Marquesa De Prado Ameno. Ameno was the second owner of Manzano and was cruel not just through violence but also through psychological abuse. The voice that Engles creates for Ameno through lines such as, "And even when this is done (beatings) nine days in a row/still he bleeds and weeps,/trying to show me/ that he has won/he has triumphed once again/he has proven that he can still/make me sad./Evil child," force the reader to put the book down and walkaway for a minute and remember that this kind of evil was/is real, but the true message rest in the story of Juan Francisco Manzano, and his ability to keep moving forward despite the evils he has endured. In order for the reader to know the true hero Juan was, we also have to know the depths of the evils he faced. Engles immortalizes Juan Francisco Manzano by recreating his painful story.

Spotlight Poem:

As I mentioned, the poems in the book toggle between points of views of different characters in the book. The spotlight poem is from the view point of La Marquesa De Prado Ameno, the owner of young Juan. The poems tone is priggish and wicked, and is a clear depiction of the epitome of slave owner mindset.

La Marquesa De Prado Ameno
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I let the sad poet-boy imagine
  that soon he will be free.

That way he learns
  many crafts
  preparing himself
  for the future
  as a tailor
  like his father
  or a pastry chef
  working with sugar and chocolate
  instead of ink.

Follow-up Activity:

I would use this poem in a history class prior to the civil war unit on slave owners in the United States and across the world. Often times when students are learning about slavery they imagine that if they were in the positions of the slaves they would simply runaway and that they just won't listen to the commands; however, with this poem I could illustration the evils of the institution of slavery. While the poem does not create an explicit image of smugness, the line "I let the sad poet-boy imagine that soon he will be free," is dripping with a self-righteous air. After reading and analyzing the power of word choice to create tone, I would ask students to think of other villains in history and create a sentence that shows their tone toward their heinous act.

Science Poetry: National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry

National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry 

Bibliography 

 Lewis, J. Patrick. National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry: 200 Poems with Photographs That Squeak, Soar, and Roar! Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2012.

Review:

National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry is a beautiful collection of photographs and poems that immediately boost the mood of the reader. The reader cannot read this book or even simply look at the pictures without having a renewed appreciation of mother nature and all of her beautiful creatures. The collection opens with a detailed table of contents that divides the book into nine sections ending with a comprehensive list of resources, indexes, and credits.

The range of poetry presented throughout the collection creates a fusion book of poetry and encyclopedia. The information is factual yet sincere and the poetry is playful yet deep. The scope of poetry is not just wide but deep as well. For example, the poem The Saddest Noise by Emily Dickinson is true to the nature of Emily Dickinson poems, in that they are, dreary but still powerful and honest, and the fact that the poem is accompanied by a gorgeous picture of a European Bee-Eater eating a bee gives the poem a new fresh perspective while keeping the integrity of poetry alive. National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry is filled with combinations of poetry and artwork that reveal a different side of poetry and a different side of the animal kingdom.

This anthology of animals and poets speak to readers of all levels and through different voices. Some poems that the perspective of the animal while some speakers reflect on the different species, and some speakers take on the voice of the hunter. The span of voices contributes to the authenticity of poetry within the collection.

The poems also stretch in types of poetry. At points the poems are short haiku's, jolly limericks, and creative free verse; other points the poems explore line length, meter, and word position. Because of this, the book is a perfect resource for all educators in all subject areas. I can picture this book being used in all classrooms at all ages. In a lower elementary classroom the book is a perfect introduction to types of animals and the organization of the animal kingdom; on the other hand, I can see the book being used at the high school level to analyze the impact of word choice and figurative meanings. Finally, National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry is a collection of poetry that is beautifully created and designed to spark a love of   

Spotlight Poem:

The Hippopotamus poem is the first poem in the series I read where I felt a shift in depths of the poems. The poem is from the prospective of hippo hunter which is an interesting lens for the reader because until this poem I felt the poems in the book were written from a protective and appreciative lens. That isn't to say that the speaker does not appreciate the offerings of the hippo; however, the reader is forced to recognize that animals are still viewed as providers for humans. This slightly dimmer view of a poem is what will tingle the hairs of a junior high reader. Therefore, as a teacher-librarian I use this book to transform poetry through perspective and point of view.

The Hippopotamus

I shoot the Hippopotamus
With bullets made of platinum.
Because if I used leaden ones
His hide is sure to flatten'em
- Hilaire Belloc

Follow-up activity:

The comprehensive collection is a great lead into a lesson on perspective. I would read this poem and others in the collection and think about the different perspectives the author uses to convey different meanings. For example, in The Hippopotamus poem the perspective is from the hunter; however, we still learn a fact about hippos. Another example is the Squirrel Forgets in which the perspective of the poem is from the squirrel. The perspectives of these poems help the reader learn various facts about the animals while still giving the reader something interesting to read. After reading these examples, would have the students choose an animal, do some basic research on the animal, choose one fact they found interesting or important to that animal, and create a poem that shares that fact for an interesting perspective.

  

All Kinds of Poetry: Verse Novel: Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai 

Bibliography 

Lai, Thanhha. Inside out & Back Again. New York: Harper, 2011.

Review 

Inside Out and Back Again starts shares the story of a Vietnamese family from the perspective of the youngest member Ha. Ha lives in Saigon Vietnam at the height of the Vietnam War, and everything, according to Ha, is moving along swimmingly, until a family friend notifies the family that it is time to evacuate. The family does evacuate Vietnam and takes a treacherous journey by boat to America. While fleeing to America was the safe thing to do for Ha and her family, the family feels completely lost in America. In addition to life adjustments in America, Ha has to adjust to the cruelty of children. At the height of the novel Ha is facing a physical fight with a bully who has been tormenting her since her arrival in the American school. Fortunately for Ha her older, much cooler brother Vu, swoops in saves her on his motorcycle.

Lai tells a timeless story about a girl going through life changes with the backdrop of dramatic events such as the Vietnam War.   Lai tells this story through verse novel organized into four parts over the time period of one year. Because the voices is that of a ten-year-old girl the poetry doesn't not have strict rhyme schemes, or elaborate metaphors, but it does experiment with line length, and imagery. For example Ha writes, "Uncle Son flares elbows into wings,/ lunges foward/protecting his children." Lai fills the pages with these simple yet powerful descriptions that make the novel a pleasure to read.

Spotlight

Rainbow takes place in part three of the novel just after the family is starting American schools and getting acquainted with life in America. The poem is a reflection of Ha's description of her new, different looking classmates.

Rainbow

I face the class.
MiSSS SScott speaks.
Each classmate says something.

I don't understand,
but I see.

Fire hair on skin dotted with spots.
Fuzzy dark hair on skin shiny as lacquer.
Hair the color of root on milky skin.
Lots of braids on milk chocolate.
White hair on pink boy.
Honey hair with orange ribbons on see-through skin.
Hair with barrettes in all colors on bronze bread.

I'm the only
straight black
on olive skin.

Follow-up Activity 

I love this poem because it describes most people in the class without saying "she has brown hair" or "she has red hair" it challenges the reader to make these pictures in their minds, but also done so artfully. I would use this poem to teach show not tell. Show not tell is a classic lesson in writing class where you encourage children to look a picture and describe what is there without simply naming the item. I would challenge the students to write a poem based on their classmates without using their classmates names or labeling them "kid in third row". These would make for great getting to know you poems to display at the beginning of the school year. 

All Kinds of Poetry: Poetic Form: Zombie Haiku by Ryan Mecum

Zombie Haiku by Ryan Mecum 

Bibliography

Mecum, Ryan. Zombie Haiku. Cincinnati, Ohio: HOW Books, 2008.

Review

Zombie Haiku mashes together two unlikely forms, gore and haiku. The verse novel starts with the journal writings of the new owner of the journal Chris Lynch. Lynch is running from the zombies that have taken over the world in the back drop of an airport. Lynch finds this journal that contains the haiku's of another owner. At the beginning of the haiku journal, the original owner is capturing the beauty of the world right before the zombie takeover. As haiku's progress, we learn that we are really reading the novels of a newly bitten human, and we read their transformation into a zombie. The poems are little expressions of the inner thoughts and feelings of a zombie as it is making its way through this new and violent life.

Mecum creates this eerie voice of a zombie through word choice, punctuation, font, images, and structure. Firstly, words and lines such as "With his jaw snapped off/ he can't bite into people..." this line is shockingly grotesque, but some how doesn't cross the line into inappropriate. It is these lines that keep the reader intrigued with one hand over their mouth, and reading out of the side of their left eye. Secondly, the punctuation ranges from uses of commas, hyphens, and colons. The punctuation adds to the rhythm of the poems and guide the reader through the poems seamlessly. The use of quotation marks brings in the voices of other humans and adds to the intensity of the novel; for example, "When there's no more room in Hell..." As the reader you then place yourself in the place of that human and experience the emotions of the human. In addition to punctuation, the font types and graphic images give the novel a feeling of authenticity. The handwriting font ranges from big to small to spread out to smashed together, and this detail creates the ominous mood. Finally, the structure of the haiku novel creates a movie in you mind. Opening with journal entries, and moving the character from human to zombie and then back again with the second character creates a truly unique collection of poetry.

Spotlight

The turning point of the novel when the main voice is bitten by zombie and he is making the transformation from human to zombie is an intense process and a teaching point in voice. The voice moves from one of scared and running to acceptance and empty.

My skin is drying.
my veins are much more pronounced
and I'm turning gray.

The diseased outside
slowly stop clawing the car,
uninterested.

My lungs slow and stop.
and I can't find my heartbeat.
but I'm still hungry.

Follow-up Activity

I would use this collection of poems to demonstrate that poems can express the emotions of all sorts of living and none living things. I would as the students to chose something that goes from living to dead and speak the point of view of that thing. Whether it be fantasy creatures, plants, or animals I want the students to speak the voice of the typically unspoken, and tell the story of something that isn't typically heard.

All Kinds of Poetry: New Poetry: Hope is a Ferris Wheel by Robin Herrera

Hope is a Ferris Wheel by Robin Herrera

Bibliography 

Herrera, Robin. Hope Is a Ferris Wheel. New York City, New York: Amulet Books and Amulet Paperbacks, 2014.

Review

Hope is a Ferris Wheel is the story of a girl (Star Mackie), Emily Dickinson, and finding hope in the hopeless. After moving to a trailer park in California, Star, a ten-year-old girl, makes it her mission to start the most successful club her school has ever seen. After a rough start with the self titled "trailer park club," the innocent Star regroups and creates the "Emily Dickenson Club". From the inspiration of her boring and lame homeroom teacher Mr. Savage, Star finds a deep connection to the Emily Dickenson poem "Hope is a Thing with Feathers," and thus starts her journey to loving poetry.

Robin Herrera, the young, up and coming author, masterfully weaves together a poetic novel. Through a combination of list poetry, prose poems, and haiku's sprinkled throughout, Herrera builds a unique piece of literature. The list poetry comes in the form of vocabulary homework. Mr. Savage, Star's lame and boring teacher, assigns the class vocabulary words weekly. These vocabulary assignments, or list poetry, become an insight into Star's inner conflicts. Herrera uses the vocabulary list to help the reader understand the inner struggles both superficial and serious that Star navigates through. The prose poetry, true to its definition, comes in the form of paragraphs. The paragraphs
lead the reader through the novel focusing on Star's feelings, thoughts, fears, dreams, and most importantly her hope for the future. Lastly, Herrera comically uses haiku's to demonstrate the clubs attempts at poetry. These poems offer a comedic relief for the reader.

The hallmark of Hope is a Ferris Wheel is the honest, innocent, and strong voice of Star Mackie. If I did not know any better, I would assume a ten-year-old wrote the novel. The voice is true to the thoughts, actions, and feelings of a ten-year-old that the reader finds themselves in their own ten-year-old brain. Herrera's word choice for Star creates a girl who is observant about life and truly wants to seek a larger purpose. Star is the perfect balance of blind hope and realistic dreaming, and it is through word choice, voice, and structure that this beautiful character and novel is created.

Spotlight

Hope is a ferris wheel-
It takes you Low and High
And when you reach the Top.
It's like you can touch The Sky!
And when it takes you Down-
Hope becomes A Thing
That, When you're getting Off,
You take With you to Bring.

- By Star Mackie

The entire novel is written around Star writing this poem. It takes several attempts and quite a few life experiences to complete this poem. The poem is a clear mimic of Emily Dickenson's Hope is a Thing with Feathers, but it is written to express Star's recent realizations about life, hope, and the future.

Follow-up Activity 

A subplot of this story is the author study that Star and her friends experience in the Emily Dickenson Club. As a follow-up activity, I would ask my students to choose an author of poetry that they would like to study. I would have the students research and evaluate the poet, then create a book or small collection of unique poems that share the qualities of that author.

Major Poets and Awards: NCTE Award Winning Poet- Nikki Grimes

Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes

Bibliography 

Grimes, Nikki. 2011. Planet Middle School. New York: Bloomsbury Childrens.

ISBN: 978-1-59990-284-5

Review

Planet Middle School opens with a poem that doesn't tie together until the reader reaches the last few poems of the verse novel. Throughout the novel the reader is anticipating the meaning of that first poem. Nikki Grimes, well-known for her authenticity of voice, creates the character Joylin. Joy is a middle school age African-American girl who spends the novel trying to navigate the often confusing time of a middle school girl. Grimes touches on the topics of family dynamics, body acceptance, and friendships. Throughout the novel, Grimes uses different poetic forms ranging from free verse to haiku. The poetic variety gives the novel a natural rhythm that keeps the reader flipping pages. Planet Middle School is perfect for a young girl who is on the brink of understanding the complications life has too offer. Grimes takes these classic young adult themes and gives them a voice all girls can relate too.

Grimes transforms these heavy-hitting themes into authentic poems about what a young girl struggles with early on in life. Grimes uses a figurative language, word choice, and emotional impact to create these concise yet spirited poems. For example, in the poem titled "Beginnings" Grimes introduces Joylin's best friend by describing how they met and their common interest basketball; furthermore, Grimes writes the line  "Jake doesn't talk much,/but the silences between us/are filled with friendship," the reader can immediately identify the feeling of true friendship between the characters. All readers have that friend that silence can be felt and enjoyed without feeling the pressures to talk, and Grimes strings together those words to perfect describe everyone's best friend.

In addition, she uses language like "'That's nice,' Dad whispers/ and turns away,/ letting all the air/ out of Caden's balloon/ and mine," to personify the feelings of disappointment children can feel from their parents. Another example of Grimes honing in on that relevant, authentic voice. Planet Middle School is a collection of poems that help guide the feelings of a young girl to a path of reflection and understanding of lives different milestones. 

Spotlight

One of the most unique poems titled Tom Boy questions this idea of what it means to be a girl when the girl doesn't identify with heteronormativities. The poem is filled with question marks that immediately speak to this idea of girls questioning what is forced upon them, a message often preached but not supported in the classroom.


Tom Boy

What does that

even mean?

And where did it come from?

And if there's a Tom Boy,

how come there's no Jane Girl?

I'm just sayin'.

Follow-up Activity

I would save this poem for my club of all girls. I would have the students corral read this poem to give it a sense of unity and understanding of the differences that exist within a group of girls. I would have the girls identify qualities that they consider to be unacceptable about a girl. I would have them identify a time they judged a girl they didn't know and why they made these judgments. After sharing these stories, I would have the girls think of a negative name they have been called and question its meaning to them and its impact on others when they use this name. Then I would have them create a poem that reflects their feels and emotions about the negative name, mimicking its punctuation and line length techniques. 

Major Poets and Awards: Florian: Poetrees by Douglas Florian

Poetrees by Douglas Florian   

Bibliography

Florian, Douglas. 2010. Poetrees. New York: Beach Lane Books.
ISBN:978-1-4169-8672-0

Review

Poetrees is a clever, informative, artistic book of poems about the diverse beauty of the life of a tree. Douglas Florian is an artist with both the brush and the tongue. Florian's book opens vertically creating an elongated treelike effect on the reader. Each page has a painting that is a visual representation of the poems meaning or topic. For example, on page one the first poem is appropriately titled "The Seed." The poem is short and the words are arranged in the shape of an infinity symbol to represent the cyclic nature of a trees and growth; in addition, there is an enlarged painting beneath the poem of the inside of a seed. The painting says as much as the poem itself. 

As the book progresses Florian dapples in different rhyme schemes and eloquently tinkers with different forms of poetry. On page 19 Florian uses the entire page to create a majestic piece of poetry about a Giant Sequoias. The poem takes on the AABB rhyme scheme; the line lengths range from two words to three words to four words per line that adds to the overall rhythm of the poem; finally a piece of art accompanies the poem transforming the words into a visual for the reader. For this particular poem Florain uses a combination of paint and clip art to create a Giant Sequoia. 

The word play throughout the book keeps a new reader laughing, smiling, and asking for more. As I read this particular book to a four year old he found the onamonapias and double meaning words in the "Bark" poem to be hilarious and wanted me to reread the poem as many times as I was going to allow. It was in his reaction that it became clear that this book is the perfect book to introduce the silly side of poetry. 

Keeping with the informative nature of Florian poetry books, the book caps off with a glossary of terms and trees used in the book. Because of this feature, I would utilize this book in an elementary science class before introducing the unit on tree cycles. 

Spotlight

The poem "Leaves" is a simple fun poem that ends with another perfect example of multiple meaning words. The poems simple descriptions of leaves makes the content reachable for new readers, but the word choice is still strong and rich.

Leaves

Lobed Leaves.
Oval Leaves.
Smooth leaves or jagged.
Heart-shaped.
Odd-Shaped.
Leaves eaten ragged.
Fan-like.
Light leaves.
Dark.
Leathery.
Feathery.
Leaves in a park.
Two points.
Ten points.
Points like a saw.
Lovely leaves.
Leave me in awe.

Follow-Up Lesson 

As I previously mentioned, I would use this book to introduce a science unit on the tree cycle and genetic variety because it generalizes the life of a tree and hints at the idea of genetic variety. I would model this poem after an investigation on leaves. I would have the young students collect and observe different leaves making sure they listed their different characteristics. Then I would read them "Leaves" and have them recreate the list form poem using the different descriptions they came up with in their observations. Having the students realize that science and reading can overlap in a meaningful way is a lesson that can make abstract poetry into something as concrete as science.






                                                        

Major Poets and Awards: Multicultural Poetry- Dizzy in Your Eyes by Pat Mora

Dizzy in Your Eyes by Pat Mora

Bibliography 

Mora, Pat. 2010. Dizzy In Your Eyes. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

ISBN: 978-0-375-94565-6

Review

Dizzy in Your Eyes opens with an informative yet sincere letter to the reader. The letter explains that the book begins with free verse style and then progresses to stylistic forms such as haiku, sonnets, and clerihew. The letter continues with an example of a clerihew titled Pat Mora. To keep with the nature of the poems form, Mora's clerihew pokes gentle fun at herself as a poet. Following the delightfully explanatory letter, comes a book of poems that reach every emotion love has to offer.

As promised, Mora begins the book with a free verse poem titled "Weird" the poem, like other poems in the collection, Weird captures this minute feeling a person has as they attempt to reach out to another person of interest for the first time. Continuing, Mora writes poems that find these indiscernible feelings a person has as they are exploring the different angles of love in life, and she flawlessly strings words together to personify those emotions.

The poems are published on only the odd numbered pages with abstract graphic art on the even number pages. The upshot from publishing the poems on odd number pages is the flow that is created for the reader. As the reader finishes one poem the flow to the next is seamless and effortless. There is a sense of desire to see what emotion Mora is going to explore next. Another repercussion of printing the poems on odd pages is the helpful definition of the poetic form that is sporadically printed on the even numbered pages. Just as Mora mentioned in the letter to the reader she explores different poetic forms throughout the novel, and on the even numbered pages she defines the poetic form and indicates its usage in other poems throughout the book.

One of the most unique qualities to Mora's poems is the fact that the speakers of each poem changes from poem to poem. The reader is never really sure if the speaker is a boy, a girl, an older speakers, or a younger speaker. The poems are also just as wide as they are deep. They expand from the idea of "boyfriend" "girlfriend" love to sisterly love, to blended family, and split family love. However, the poems are open to personal interpretation. For example, the poem titled "Back Then" captivates the feeling someone has as they are remembering the feeling of excitement. The line "...and I'd feel like I'd swallowed a slice of sun" is written in past tense and allows the reader to interpret that as either a loss of the feeling or as a simple remembrance of person and the feeling they evoked for the speaker. Mora recreates this idea of personal interpretation throughout the collection which makes Dizzy in Your Eyes a collection that can be read over and over again.

As a side note: I got this book from the Euless Public Library and as I was reading I found that three poems were torn out of the novel. I think this fact alone proves that the poems speak to its readers and even motivates them to keep the poem for themselves. 

Spotlight 

The poem titled "Broken Home?" is a tanka poem that Mora notes is purposefully divided into two sections to show the passage of time. The first half of the poem highlights the traumatic experience children often experience as their parents make a decision to be co-parents and to not remain husband and wife. The word choice in part one reflects the voice of a young child trying to navigate the idea of what it means to be from a broken home. In part two the word choice reflects a young adult who understands that labels are for onlookers not for participants.  

Broken Home?

I

Long, sad, first weekend, 

my strange room: a cold, white box.

My brother pouts, cries.

Another first: Dad cooking. 

Is our home really broken?

II

Two houses, one home. 

Birthdays pull us together.

Singing heals our hurts.

Us four, always family, 

a home we make for ourselves. 

Follow-up lesson 

For this poem a follow-up lesson would be a more serious lesson for students and children that revolves around the theme just because an aspect of your life isn't considered "ideal" doesn't mean your life does have value or purpose. I would have the students identify something about themselves that they would consider atypical including: divorced parents, a blended family, an LGBT family unit, also including personal irregularity such as: attention deficient disorder, dyslexia, dysgraphia, too tall, or too short, anything the student feels makes them different, Then I would have them plot out a tanka poem of their own that captures their feelings about their difference. 

INTRODUCTION TO POETRY: SCHOOL POETRY: A Funeral in the Bathroom by Kalli Dakos

A Funeral in the Bathroom 

Bibliography:

Dakos, Kalli, and Mark Beech. 2011. A Funeral In The Bathroom. Chicago, Ill.: Albert Whitman & Co.

Review

A Funeral in the Bathroom is a collection of poems written by Kalli Dakos. The collection is knitted together by lighthearted poems about student's and their adventures into the school bathroom. While some of the poems are silly and fun, others can offer some insight in to the reality students deal with inside at school. On each page the reader enjoys a poem, illustration, and on some pages even a riddle. The illustrations are hand drawings that are both comical and diverse. The variety of meaning, rhythm, and sound keep the reader laughing, singing, and thinking throughout the book. Dakos does an exquisite job of threading together silly poems ranging from a "Flushaphoic" to deeper poems about a students internal battle with illness. Dakos makes it a point to bind together poems for all levels of understanding. Not only do the images and poetic elements create a delightful collection, but Dakos takes poetic license when it comes to word position. The layout of the poems and the way Dakos organizes the words in a few poems to help reflect the meaning. 

Spotlight poem

"There Should be a Place Kids Can Go" is the perfect poem to discuss rhythm, rhyme scheme, repetition, and metaphors. In addition, the book covers themes of need for privacy, escape, and independence that so many students (and parents) struggle with in junior high. Analyzing figurative language and making connections would work well with this poem. Most students will identify with the need to have a place where they can be alone. 

There Should be a Place Kids Can Go

There should be a place
kids can go
when life has dealt
another blow.

There should be a shuttle 
to hitch a ride
into the dark
when we need to hide. 

There should be a garden
or a room to pray 
when pets die
and friends move away.

There should be a tree
kids can climb
when life is a poem
that's lost its rhyme.

When life is a poem
that's lost its rhyme,
kids head to the bathroom
all the time. 

Follow-up Activity

In an English class students could create another stanza to the poem that includes the same qualities, such as, rhyme scheme, metaphor and repetition. I would also consider starting out a professional development session with this poem because it reminds teachers that aside from all the work we do kids are little humans that need space and time too.  

INTRODUCING POETRY: AFRICAN AMERICAN POETRY: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

The Crossover: By Kwane Alexander

Bibliography:

Alexander, Kwame. The Crossover.

Review:

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander is a verse novel that tells the story of Josh Bell a.k.a. Filthy McNasty. Josh Bell and his twin brother Jordan Bell (JB) are the star basketball players for their junior high basketball team. The reader learns about the wholesome Bell family through the eyes of Josh Bell.  Each poem begins with a title that doubles as the first line in the poem, and the poems vary from short, four words per line, two lines per stanza, to multi-lines, multi-stanza, and multi-page poems. Alexander also uses a range of poetic elements including, figurative language, word position, and repetition. The novel is divided into four quarters that, like a basketball game, become more intense as they progress. Alexander also spinkles in "Basketball Rules" that double as life rules; leaving a trail of advice and lessons for the reader. The poems give an incredible insight into the mind and spirit of a junior high boy while still being completely relatable for the reader. I would recommend this to any reader interested in the life and struggles of young males. 

Spotlight Poem: 

Ode to My Hair

If my hair were a tree

I'd climb it.

I'd kneel down beneath

and enshrine it.

I'd treat it like gold

and then mine it.

Each day before school

I unwind it.

And right before games 

I entwine it.

These locks on my head, 

I designed it.

And one last thing if 

you don't mind it:

That bet you just made?

I DECLINE IT. 

Kwame Alexander's voice is so strong in this poem that I can hear an eighth grade boy speaking it as I read. I would use this poem to spotlight for students the use of voice in a poem. I could point out all the active verbs and how they give the poem its personality. I would also use this poem to teach rhythm. The poem does have a clear cadence as you are reading, but the rhyme scheme is not strict. I would have students mimic this quality in their own writing. I would ask them to choose a feature they feel confident about and have them write an ode where I can hear their voice through the rhythm and cadence.