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.