Poetry by Kids: FALLING HARD: 100 LOVE POEMS BY TEENAGERS

 



BIBLIOGRAPHY

Franco, Betsy. 2008. FALLING HARD: 100 LOVE POEMS BY TEENAGERS. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, Inc. ISBN: 978-0-7636-3437-7

REVIEW AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In FALLING HARD Betsy Franco has collected 100 poems from poets ranging in age from 13 to 18.  The poets are gay, straight, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual teenagers from all over the world.  This diverse group of teens seems to be just as diverse in their experiences with love and the emotions that come with it.  These real and inspiring poems are sure to impact readers.  The poems in this book are all about different facets of love and provide insight into the complex world of teenagers. 

FALLING HARD has the ability to evoke a wide variety of strong emotions.  A reader could go from smiling, to laughing, to crying while reading just a few poems.  With 100 poems about all aspects of love included, there is something for everyone to relate to in this book.  The language is raw and, at times, vulgar which adds to the strong emotional impact these poems have on the reader. 

There are a variety of poetic types included in this book as well as varying rhyme schemes.  This helps to keep each poem fresh in the readers mind.  The beginning of the book includes a table of contents that lists each of the 100 poems included in the book and which page to find them on.  At the conclusion of each poem the author’s name is listed, if given, along with their age.  The age of the poet adds a whole new complexity to the already deep poetry. 

 

Tilt the halo over my head

I don’t care what the caution tape read

It’s time to get a little dangerous

Let’s fall in love.

 

Forget the scriptures, forget the past

Conscience and common sense never last

It’s time to get a little curious

Let’s fall in love.

~Rachel McCarren, age 15


In a classroom, the teacher could put up the word "love".  The students could do a quick stop and jot of all the things and emotions that go along with love (happiness, rejection, heartbreak, trouble, etc.).  After the students are given some time to think and write down their thoughts, the teacher could read a few poems from the book.  Are they able to connect to the poems read out loud?  Is there another emotion they need to add to their list?  After reading a wide variety of poems about love from the book, are the teens inspired to write about their own experiences with love?  Since the majority of these poems are free verse, hopefully the students will focus on the words and emotions included in their poems and will feel free to write the poetry however they wish. 

Free Choice Poetry: LOVE THAT DOG

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Creech, Sharon. 2001. LOVE THAT DOG, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 0-06-029287-3

REVIEW AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Many students aren’t confident with poetry. They often don't understand the deeper meanings the teacher talks about in class, they think all poetry should rhyme, and they are unsure of how to read and write it.  Jack, the speaker in LOVE THAT DOG, feels all of these same things and writes about them in a series of journal entries that make up this novel in verse. 

Sharon Creech begins the novel with a journal entry by Jack that says “I don’t want to/ because boys/ don’t write poetry./ Girls do.”  In this free verse novel, the class reads Robert Frost, William Carlos Williams and even Jack's favorite, Walter Dean Myers.  As Jack continues writing he realizes poetry is not so bad and that it can be meaningful.  He makes a connection to a one of Walter Dean Myers' poems, "Love That Boy."  Jack is so moved by the poem that he even writes the author asking him to come visit his school. 

Sharon Creech has created a realistic voice for Jack by using authentic language in his journal entries that are written in verse.  The journal entries are one sided so the reader only hears Jack’s side of the conversation with his teacher.  The teacher’s side of the conversation is inferred based on Jack’s responses and questions in his entries.  Creech’s superior verse writing along with Jack’s relatable voice will appeal to a wide range of readers.  Readers will be able to relate to Jack’s feelings toward poetry, his heartbreak over losing his dog, and his excitement about meeting his favorite poet. 

LOVE THAT DOG is arranged like a journal with dates added above each poem, but reads much like a novel.  Creech has included a section at the end of the novel titled, “Some of the Poems Used by Miss Stretchberry” which includes the poems that Jack is responding to in his journal. Either whole or parts of these poems are printed in this section and allow readers to fully understand the response Jack had to each poem.

 

"Love that Dog"

(Inspired by Walter Dean Myers)

By Jack

 

Love that dog,

like a bird loves to fly

I said I love that dog

like a bird loves to fly

Love to call him in the morning

love to call him

“Hey there, Sky!”

 

 

This book would be perfect to use to throughout a poetry unit.  The teacher could share the poems that Jack is responding to which are at back of the book.  The teacher could lead a discussion and have the kids respond to them and then read Jack’s response.  Was their response similar to his?  After they study and write poetry throughout the unit, do their feelings about it change?  At the conclusion of the unit, the kids could find a poem that inspires them and write their own poetry like Jack did in the book. 

Janeczko Poetry: A FOOT IN THE MOUTH: POEMS TO SPEAK, SING, AND SHOUT

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Janeczko, Paul. 2009. A FOOT IN THE MOUTH: POEMS TO SPEAK, SING, AND SHOUT. Ill by Chris Raschka. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. IBSN: 978-0-7636-0663-3.

REVIEW AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS

A FOOT IN THE MOUTH is a poem anthology compiled by Paul B. Janeczko and illustrated by Chris Raschka. It is the follow-up book to the series containing A POKE IN THE I (2001) and A KICK IN THE HEAD (2005), also written by Janeczko. All 37 poems in this anthology are designed to be read out loud.  Janeczko’s explains in his introduction, “Poetry is sound. Oh, sure it’s other things, too, but sound needs to be near the top of the list. To hear the sound of a poem, really hear it, you need to read it aloud. Or have someone read it to you.” 

A FOOT IN THE MOUTH includes many different types of poetry written by familiar poets or authors as well as others that are less well known.  Old classic poets like Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear, as well as more modern poets like Georgia Heard and Douglas Florian are all featured in this book.  The poems are organized by poems for one voice, tongue twisters, two voices, list poems, three voices, short poems, bilingual poems, rhymed poems, limericks, and poems for a group.  A table of contents is included to help the reader easily navigate the book. 

 

A FOOT IN THE MOUTH contains poems about everything from ping pong to the Nicaraguan Revolution.  The language and tone of the poems included in the book is as varied as the subject matter.  Everything from humorous poems like "Pasta Parade" to much more serious poems like "My Memories of the Nicaraguan Revolution" are included.  The poems all include strong sound elements like rhyme, alliteration, repetition and onomatopoeia.  These elements help to ensure each poem is a treat for the readers ears.

 

While the poems are pleasing to the ears, the illustrations are pleasing to the eyes.  Chris Raschka uses ink and water colors on torn paper to create vivid and bright illustrations.  The unconventional illustrations add to and sometimes further explain the poems.  Although the illustrations are bright and bold, Raschka has left enough white space on the page so they don't distract from the poetry itself. 

"Squirrel and Acorn"

Where's that nut
I hid in the fall?
Bad news!
Bad news!
Can't recall.
Must think,
Try hard,
Somewhere
In the yard.
Look here,
Look there,
Bad news!
Nowhere!

I'm here

Below,

Just under the

Snow,

Off to his

Right--

Well out of

Sight.

He can't

Recall?

Then I'll

Grow tall.

Could be a

Tree.

Good news!

Good news!

Good news

for me!

 

This poem is written for two voices, a squirrel and an acorn.  The illustrations show a squirrel with his hands on his head, looking confused and an acorn buried below the snow possibly sprouting roots to begin to grow tall. 

 

This book lends itself well to inferencing lessons as well as adding expression to our reading.  Because the poems are meant to be read aloud, they are written with a lot of voice.  To be able to read the poems with expression a reader has to infer what the tone of the poem is.  For example, in "Squirrel and Acorn" the reader can use the clues in the poem to infer the squirrel is sort of frantically trying to find the acorn and is disappointed when he can't find it.  When this is read aloud, the expression the reader uses should match his mood.  The acorn, on the other hand, seems to be cautiously optimistic at first that he won't be found and his excitement grows when he realizes that the squirrel has forgotten where he hid the acorn and he can grow into a tree.  Students could perform their interpretations of the poems, paying close attention to their expression. 

 

 

Performance Poetry: YOU READ TO ME, I'LL READ TO YOU VERY SHORT FABLES TO READ TOGETHER

BIBLIOGRAPHY: 

Hoberman, Mary Ann. 2010. YOU READ TO ME, I’LL READ TO YOU: VERY SHORT FABLES TO READ TOGETHER. Ill. by Michael Emberley. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-04117-1

REVIEW AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

In the fifth book of the Your Read to me series,  author Mary Ann Hoberman and illustrator Michael Emberley have teamed up to create Very Short Fables to Read Together.  You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fables to Read Together is a collection of 13 traditional Aesop’s fables told in rhyme and written for two voices.  The book begins with an introduction that explains how to read the poems in the book with a partner.  The orange text on the left is for one reader and the green text on the right is for another reader.  The pink text that is included is meant to be read chorally by both readers.

Most of the fables included in the book are well known, but some of them might be less familiar to readers.  Hoberman has taken traditional fables and included slight variations, while keeping the classic tale intact.  For example, in the fable The Hare and the Tortoise the race takes place on bicycles, but the storyline is the same.  Each fable concludes with a moral, which is meant to be read chorally.  The moral at the end of The Hare and the Tortoise is “Just keep up an even pace. / Slow and steady wins the race.”

Hoberman uses rhyme and rhythm to engage young and old readers alike.  The language used in the poems is simple enough for emerging readers, but the story and moral of the fable aren’t lost because of the simplicity.  The rhyming text along with the format of the poems adds an extra element of fun to these traditional fables. 

Each fable stretches across two, full pages and is supplemented by Michael Emberley’s watercolor spot illustrations.  There are multiple illustrations included with each fable which are relatively small, yet very detailed.  The illustrations are strategically placed on the page and do a great job of depicting what is happening at that point in the poem.  This allows the reader to check their comprehension as they read and also helps to keep young readers entertained. 

THE GRASSHOPPER AND THE ANT

It’s summertime and all day long

I dance my dance and sing my song.

It’s summertime and all the day

I work so hard and never play.

How foolish of these boring ants!

Why should I work when I can dance?

With all these oats and grain and wheat,

There’s lots of food for me to eat!

I’ve hidden every seed I got.

I’ve stored it in a secret spot.

When winter comes with snow and ice,

These seeds of mine will taste so nice.

Oh, dear, the year is growing old.

The days and nights are getting cold.

The grain is gone, the fields are bare.

I can’t find dinner anywhere.

Now that the summer days are past

And wintertime is here at last,

How smart I was to think ahead.

The winds may blow but I’ll be fed. 

Oh, Ant, I know that you’re my friend.

Do you have, please, some seeds to lend?

If you will let me eat my fill,

I’ll pay you back, I swear I will. 

While I worked hard all summer long,

What did you do?  You sang your song!

Well, now it’s winter, as you see,

So dance your dance!  Don’t bother me!

Moral:            Dance your dance, but not all day.

                        You must work as well as play.  

When learning about fables, these poems would be a perfect addition.  The teacher could split the kids up into pairs and assign them a poem.  The kids could create basic puppets that represent the characters in their poem out of popsicle sticks.  Each group could perform their fable for the class and lead a discussion on the moral or theme of their fable.  The puppets along with the poems could be kept out so that students have a chance to read and perform many different fables.  

Hopkins Award Poetry: BEHOLD THE BOLD UMBRELLAPHANT AND OTHER POEMS

BIBLIOGRAPHY: 

Prelutsky, Jack. 2006. BEHOLD THE BOLD UMBRELLAPHANT AND OTHER POEMS. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books. ISBN: 978-0-06-054317-4.

REVIEW AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS:  

Behold the Umbrellaphant is a collection of 17 poems written by Jack Prelutsky.  Each poem is about a creature that is part animal and part inanimate object.  For example, the Alarmadillos have alarm clocks for bodies, and the Ballpoint Penguins can write with their beaks.  The poems are fun and extremely witty.  Prelutzky has included clever wordplay with rhyme and meter that make them a great choice for read alouds.

A table of contents is included at the beginning of the book to help readers find their favorite poems quickly and easily.  Carin Berger has used unique collage illustrations to perfectly complement Prelutsky’s unconventional creatures he has created in his poems.  She has included many details and layers in her collages that make the creatures in the illustrations really come to life.  

THE CLOCKTOPUS

Emerging from the salty sea,

A wondrous beast appears.

It clearly is a CLOCKTOPUS,

We marvel as it nears.

It moves with slow precision

At a never-changing pace,

Its tentacles in tempo

With the clock upon its face.

While undulating east to west

Across the swirling sand,

It ticks away the minutes,

And it has a second hand.

We watch it for an hour

And it never goes astray-

There's nothing like a CLOCKTOPUS 

To tell the time of day. 

Berger's illustration is of an octopus with a clock for a face and a clock of some kind on each of his eight arms.  She has cleverly made parts of the clock that is the octopus face appear to look like eyes.  

Kids would have a great time creating their own illustrations for these poems.  The teacher or librarian could read the poems out loud without showing the illustrations.  To make sure they understand the animal and the object that are combined, the teacher/librarian could lead a class discussion.  The kids could then illustrate their mental images and compare illustrations with other students in the class to see each other's mental images.  

After studying animal adaptations, kids could create their own animal/object combinations and create a poem about it.  The object could serve as an adaptation for the animal that gives it an advantage in some way.  After they write their poem, they could illustrate their new creature they have created.  

Sidman Poetry: DARK EMPEROR

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Sidman, Joyce. 2010. Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night. Ill. by Rick Allen. New York: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. ISBN 978-0-547-15228-8

REVIEW AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS:  

Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night, is a collection of poems by Joyce Sidman that celebrate the world that comes alive after dark.   Sidman has cleverly organized Dark Emperor.  The poem collection begins at dusk with “Welcome to the Night” and ends at dawn when the sun beings to rise with “Moon’s Lament.”  In between she features poems about 8 nocturnal creatures of the night and 2 plants that are found in the woods during the night. 

Included in the margin of each page is a short note on the creature or object of the night featured in the poem.  These notes give further information about the object’s behaviors and characteristics.  They are also carefully written and aren’t just full of dry facts.  Instead, Sidman has included factual information that not only adds to the beautiful poetry and illustrations, but is also interesting and entertaining for the reader. 

There are many poetic forms included in this book such as verse, lyrical, and concrete.  Some poems, like “Welcome to the Night,” have a clear rhyme pattern while others like “Love Poem of the Primrose Moth” do not contain any rhyme. Her use of rhythm makes the poems easy and fun to read and add to the imagery of the poems.  Sidman’s use of descriptive language makes the poems exciting and rich with sensory details.  She creates strong mental images with the use of similes, like “where the moss grows like candy.”  In “Oak After Dark” she uses personification “I stretch my roots into the hill/and slowly, slowly, drink my fill. /A thousand crickets scream my name, yet I remain the same, the same.” This book of poetry keeps the reader’s interest by featuring poems that have variations in content and style.  

Rick Allen’s illustrations are gorgeous linoleum cut prints covered with gouache.  Sidman’s poems are written from the perspective of each creature in the book and Allen’s illustrations perfectly add to their voice.  The block-prints, combined with dark colors, create a shadowy effect and the details of the illustrations complement the actions in Sidman’s poems perfectly.  The poetry, illustrations, and informational text in the margins combine to create a rich and informative experience for young and old readers alike.   

WELCOME TO THE NIGHT

To all of you who crawl and creep,
who buzz and chirp and hoot and peep,
who wake at dusk and throw off sleep:
Welcome to the night.

To you who make the forest sing,
who dip and dodge on silent wing,
who flutter, hover, clasp, and cling:
Welcome to the night!

Come feel the cool and shadowed breeze,
come smell your way among the trees,
come touch rough bark and leathered leaves:
Welcome to the night.  

The night's a sea of dappled dark,
the night's a feast of sound and spark,
the night's a wild, enchanted park.
Welcome to the night!

Welcome to the Night is the first poem in the book and it welcomes the reader to the nighttime adventure they are about to embark on.  Students could list the different animals that they see during the daytime and at nighttime.  They could continue to read the rest of the poems into the book and add to the list of animals that are found during the night.  After reading, the children could choose an animal that isn't mentioned in the book and research its habits and behaviors.  They could write a poem, illustrate it, and write a short informational paragraph like Sidman has done in her book.  The class could compile all the poems together to create a class book.  

Students could also create a movie of the poem they wrote about their animal or about a creature featured in Dark Emperor.  They could include pictures of the animal, its habitat, and even include sounds the animal makes.    

Biopgraphical Poetry: CORETTA SCOTT

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

 

Shange, Ntozake, Ill. by Kadir Nelson. 2009. CORETTA SCOTT. New York: Katherine Tegen Books.  ISBN: 978-0-06-125364-5

 

REVIEW AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS 

 

 

This poetry picture book by Ntozake Shange is a moving story that is not only a biography on Coretta Scott, but also gives students a historical glimpse at life in the South during the 1960s.  Shange’s powerful free verse poetry beings with Coretta’s childhood when Coretta and her siblings “walked all/of five miles to/the nearest colored school/in the darkness/with the dew dampening/their feet.”  The very next page shows the young children with wounded looks on their faces because a "white school bus/ left a/ funnel of dust/on their faces."  The story continues to tell of her marriage to Martin Luther King Jr. and their leadership roles in the Civil Rights Movement.  The book ends with “ain't gonna let nobody turn me round/gonna keep on a-walkin'/keep on a-talkin'/walkin' up to freedom land/singin’ always singin’” and shows Coretta Scott and MLK Jr. leading a march with people following them and the last page shows a close up picture of Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King Jr.’s faces as they sing a song.  These last few pages show that Mr. and Mrs. King were dedicated to fighting for freedom peacefully until the end. 

Shange has written this poetry picture book without any punctuation which allows the reader to focus on the simple, but powerful words.  She has filled the book with rich imagery that adds depth to the words in the poem.  The oil painted illustrations by Kadir Nelson truly bring out all the emotion that Shange has written about in the text.  Readers will want to savor the bold, often double page spread illustrations, looking for new details and emotions at each glance. 

 

The book ends with a note by author Ntozake Shange about the life of Coretta Scott King.  It is a thorough, but not long winded, biography of Coretta Scott King's life along with a photograph of her speaking to a large crowd.  This summary of her life, along with the photograph, help to fill in the factual holes left behind by the poetry format of the book.

  

This biographical poetry book on Coretta Scott King provides a unique opportunity for teachers to share about her life in poetry format.  During Black History Month, students are often exposed to famous African Americans and their contributions to society.  After reading this book and learning about Coretta Scott King, the teacher or librarian could introduce the Coretta Scott King Award to the students.  This award is given to "African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that show an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values"(American Library Association).  The students could explore the authors' and illustrators' books that have won this award over the years.  What can they learn about the African American culture and what they endured in the past?  This activity will not only expose students to African American culture and history, but also different authors and illustrators and many different types of text. 

 

 

 

"The Coretta Scott King Book Awards", American Library Association, January 18, 2009.

http://www.ala.org/emiert/cskbookawards (Accessed April 4, 2013)

Social Studies Poetry: AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bates, Katharine Lee. 2004. AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-08338-6.

REVIEW AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This is a beautifully illustrated poetry picture book version of Katharine Lee Bates' 1893 poem, "America the Beautiful." The poem was later turned into the famous American patriotic song that we are all so familiar with. Chris Gall created the illustrations by using hand engraving on clay-covered board, and then used a computer to adjust the colors and other elements. The result of this combination is pictures that are detailed and beautiful. These full page images perfectly correspond to the words that are listed on the adjacent page.

The page beside the refrain, "From sea to shining sea," Gall shows Sacajawea and her son traveling the Missouri River with Lewis and Clark. He also includes images from more recent events. The New York firemen of 9/11 are shown hoisting the flag at Ground Zero for "Who more than self their country loved/ And mercy more than life!" The wide range of images from different time periods in history that are included in the book show the timelessness of the poem and help to paint the full picture of what America embodies.

At the conclusion of the book there is an "About the Artwork" page which shows a small picture of each image included in the book. Next to each image is a description of what is seen in the artwork or an explanation of why it was used. These descriptions and explanations are helpful to the reader because they ensure that they fully understand the connection between the images and the words.

Teachers could use this book to teach the meaning of the words included in the poem. The teacher could display the words to the song on the board and have the students identify words in which they are unsure of the meaning. Then read the book America the Beautiful and show the students the pictures. Lead the class in a discussion about the pictures and how they relate to the words on the page. Discuss with them how the pictures in a book can help with comprehension of the story or poem. Next, look back at all the words and phrases that the class didn't understand and see if they now understand them after reading this poem picture book and having the class discussion.

This book is also great to use when learning about different areas of the United States. Many of the pictures feature a landmark or geographic feature from a specific place in the US. These places could be plotted on a map and students could be shown photographs of the actual landmark or geographic feature and learn about the area. Have any students visited these places or recognize them from a movie, book, or TV show? Does that background knowledge help them to understand the words in the poem?

Science Poetry: AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT: POEMS ABOUT SPACE

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Salas, Laura Purdie. 2008. AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT: POEMS ABOUT SPACE. Minnesota: Capstone. ISBN 978-1-4296-1207-4

REVIEW AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS

AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT : POEMS ABOUT SPACE is a collection of 15 fun and educational poems that are all centered around the topic of space and space exploration. Laura Purdie Salas has included a full page photograph to complement each poem. These amazing photographs, along with the engaging poems, will help to spark even more interest about the topics written about in the book.

The poems are not written to strictly teach kids facts about space. Instead, some poems are written just for fun and some are filled with facts that are presented in a fun way. For example, in "Here Girl!" Salas uses personification to describe The Mars Lander as if it were a dog.

Here, Girl!
 

She rolls
and roams
and wags her tail
She never needs to see the vet

I love her
silver
shiny coat
She’s my planetary pet!

 

Although this poem is silly, the picture included is of a rover that resembles a dog on a surface that appears to be the surface of Mars. There is a caption on he photograph that says, "The Mars Lander explores Mars." The fun poem, combined with the picture and caption, might spark students' interest and encourage them to learn more about space exploration. Captions appear on many photographs in the book which help to explain what the reader is looking at in the picture.

Other poems, like "Then There Were Eight" are educational, but still appropriate for a young audience.

Then There Were Eight

 

Poor ball of ice, we know you exist; but you’re
Little and solid and we must insist on
Undoing the past, so though you’ll be missed, we’ve
Taken you
Off of the “real planet” list



Salas has included several different poetic forms throughout the book. At the conclusion of the poems, a poetic glossary is found. This includes definitions of some of the poetic elements found in the poems, as well as five poetic forms included in the book. Salas has listed the poem title and page number that the reader can find an example of that form in the book. This allows the reader to have quick access to an example poem that goes along with the definition. A glossary is also included at the back of the book that gives the pronunciation and definition for words that might be unknown to a young reader. Several books and Internet sites are listed for the reader should they want to learn more about space. 


This book is a perfect companion to a space unit. The poems could be used to engage the learner before they learn about each planet. After reading each poem, the students could write down any questions they have about space. The could then lead to an inquiry unit where the kids' questions guide their research on space.

The book could also be shared with students during or after they learn about the planets and space. Students could write a poem about a space topic that they have learned about in class. The teacher could compile all of the poems into a class book that would feature different forms of poetry about many different space topics. After each student shared their poem with the class, the book could go in the class library to be read over and over again.

New Poetry Book: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BOOK OF ANIMAL POETRY

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

Lewis, J. Patrick. 2012. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BOOK OF ANIMAL POETRY: 200 POEMS WITH PHOTOGRAPHS THAT SQUEAK, SOAR, AND ROAR! Washington, D.C.: National Geographic. 978-1-4263-1009-6

 

REVIEW AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS

 

Edited by J. Patrick Lewis, this anthology includes 200 poems about many different animals written by classic poets such as Lewis Carroll, Emily Dickinson, and Robert Frost and modern day favorites such as Jack Prelutsky, Jane Yolen, and Douglas Florian.  Everything from limericks, haiku, shape poems, and free verse are included in this comprehensive collection of amazing animal poetry.  Accompanying each poem is a beautiful photograph and there are some photographs that have more than one poem associated with them.  Each photograph includes a label that tells you what the picture is showing in case the reader needs clarification. 

 

The animal poems are split into eight different sections within he book. They are “the big ones”, “the little ones”, “the winged ones”, “the water ones”, “the strange ones”, “the noisy ones”, and “the quiet ones”.  Along with organizing the poems into sections, the poems are indexed by title, poet, first line, and subject making each of the 200 poems very accessible.  With around 170 pages and 200 poems, J. Patrick Lews mentions in his introduction that "This book is not for reading straight through."  It is intended to be a book of poetry and photographs that can be enjoyed bit by bit, over an extended period of time.  The wide variety of animals, poetic forms, tone, and comprehensive indices included in the anthology make this possible. 

 

GRANDPA BEAR'S LULLABY

 

The night is long

But fur is deep.

You will be warm

In winder sleep.

 

The food is gone

But dreams are sweet

And they will be

Your winter meat.

 

The cave is drank

But dreams are bright

And they will serve

As winter light.

 

Sleep, my little cubs, sleep.

 

~Jane Yolen

 

This poem imagines what a grandpa bear might tell his cubs as he tries to get them to sleep for the winter.  Yolen not only entertains us with this sweet, imaginative poem, but also informs us about bears hibernating in the winter.  This could easily be used in the classroom when teaching kids about hibernation or during the study of bears.  The photograph included with this poem is of an adult grizzly bear with its cub in a field of tall, green grass. 

 

ELETELEPHONY

 

Once there was an elephant,

Who tried to use the telephant -

No! No! I mean an elephone

Who tried to use the telephone-

(Dear me!  I'm not certain quite

That even now I've got it right.)

Howe'er it was, he got his trunk

Entangled in the telephunk;

The more he tried to get it free,

The louder buzzed the telephee -

(I fear I'd better drop the song

Of elephop and telephong!)

 

~Laura E. Richards

 

ELETELEPHONY will surely get kids of all ages laughing out loud as they read it or hear it read out loud to them.  The variety of poetic forms along with different tones throughout the book will keep readers interested and guarantees there is something for everyone in this collection of animal poems. 

 

At the conclusion of the book there is a full two page spread included to encourage children to write their own poetry.   Students could research a particular animal and write a poem that showcases their animal.  Like the poems in this book, their poem could be informative or just plain silly. 

 

 

Poetic Form: GUYKU: A YEAR OF HAIKU FOR BOYS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Raczka, Bob. 2010. GUYKU: A YEAR OF HAIKU FOR BOYS. Ill. by Reynolds, Peter H. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. ISBN: 978-0-547-24003-9

REVIEW AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Author Bob Raczka and illustrator Peter Reynolds have teamed up to create GUYKU: A YEAR OF HAIKU FOR BOYS.   This fun book is a great introduction to haiku for kids written from the perspective of a young boy.  It was written specifically for boy audience, but even girls would enjoy these playful poems.  GUYKU takes the reader through the seasons starting with spring and ending with winter.  In each seasonal section Raczka focuses his haiku poems on things that boys would do outdoors during that season.  He writes about activities such as kite flying, tree climbing, playing in the leaves, and wishing for a snow day – all of which kids have probably experienced firsthand.  Reynolds’ watercolor illustrations complement the poems perfectly.  They truly capture the spirit of boys’ outdoor adventures and the simplistic nature of a haiku. 

Some of the poems will make readers laugh out loud and others will trigger a memory of a similar experience.  Raczka uses similes, metaphors, and personification throughout the collection of haiku poems in GUYKU.  These literary elements are used to help convey the fun, lighthearted tone of the poetry while creating a vivid mental image for the reader. 

Skip, skip skip, skip, plunk!
Five ripple rings in a row -
my best throw ever!

This haiku poem, along with the wonderful illustration, portrays the sheer joy that a little boy experiences when he successfully skips a rock on a warm summer day.  Raczka masterfully paints pictures with his words throughout this book that will be inviting and fun for young and old readers alike. 

Teachers could explain to students the form and characteristics of a haiku after reading GUYKU.  They could then take students on a nature walk and have them come up with the topic of their haiku based on what they saw on the walk.  This could be in conjunction with a study of the seasons and could be done throughout the year.  The poems could be grouped together by season and even by gender and made into class books.  The kids would love to read each others haikus. 

Verse Novel: INSIDE OUT & BACK AGAIN

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lai, Thanhha. 2011. INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-196278-3

REVIEW AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Kim Ha lives in Vietnam during the war with her mother and three older brothers.  Her father went on a Navy mission when Ha was just one and they haven't heard from him since.  The opportunity arises for the family to flee Saigon and make a new life in America.  Ha's mother decided this is the best plan for their family and they board a boat headed for a new life.  After departing the ship and staying in two temporary refugee camps, Ha and her family finally settle in Alabama with a sponsor family. There they must learn to find work, make friends, deal with bullies, a new language. and figure out how to become Americans. 

INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN is told through three sections of free-verse poems and takes place over the course of one year, 1975.  The poetry format makes Ha's story easy to read and takes reader through a wide range of emotions without a lot of text to sift through.  Told in first person narrative, it often seems as if you are reading Ha's diary.  Each poem ends with the date, but some end with "every day" showing that she deals with those events and feelings every day.  Lai successfully uses imagery in her poems to allow the reader connect with the characters' situations and emotions during their difficult journey. 


"First Rule"

Brother Quang says
add an s to nouns
to mean more than one
even if there's
already an s
sitting there.

Glass
Glass-es

All day
I practice
squeezing hisses
through my teeth.

Whoever invented
English
must have loved
snakes.

~August 17

Thanhha Lai reveals in the author's note that Ha's story was inspired by her own memories of the Vietnam War and fleeing to Alabama with her family.  She mentions that she wanted to write this emotional story not only to tell the facts of the journey, but also to capture the feelings and challenges people go through during their lives.  Lai challenges the reader to "sit close to someone you love and implore that person to tell and tell and tell their story."

Ha experiences bullying as she adjusts to her new life in Alabama. This book could be used to lead students in a rich discussion of acceptance, tolerance, and ways we can help prevent bullying. 

This book would be a perfect addition to a unit of study on the Vietnam War and the Fall of Saigon which is studied in high school US history classes.  By reading the book, the students would get a feel for what life was like for the refugees who had to leave their homes because of the war.  Since the book is based on real life events, it would give a human story to the history they are learning about. 

Florian Poetry: INSECTLOPEDIA

BIBLIOGRAPHY


Florian, Douglas. 1998. INSECTLOPEDIA. Ill. by Douglas Florian. San Diego: Harcourt. ISBN 9780152013066.

REVIEW AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS

 

All 21 poems in INSECTLOPEDIA are written by Douglas Florian and are centered around an insect theme.  Florian has taken a topic that may make some readers squirm in their seats and has made it fun and educational.  Some of Douglas Florian's poems describe the insect’s physical features, while others discuss insect habitats or diet. Readers will learn many interesting facts about the insects while reading these enjoyable poems.  A table of contents is included at the beginning of the book for the readers convenience.

Many different types of poems are included in INSECTLOPEDIA.  Florian's uses the concrete poetry form to add to his poems about the inchworm, whirligig beetles, and termites.  He uses alliteration, rhythms, and rhyme throughout the book that keep the reader interested.  Florian often incorporates rhyme at the end of lines in his poems.  He also plays with sound and meter, and the placement of words on the page to create poems that are unique. 

Florian’s illustrations are as wonderful as the poems themselves. Watercolor on primed brown paper bags with collage is used in the illustrations to truly bring the insect poems to life.  Personification is used to give the insects human characteristics.  His illustrations incorporate the human qualities he gives his insects in the poems.  For example, the daddy longlegs is shown lifting weights, the inchworm is inching his way down a highway, and a waterbug is reading his Father's Day card.

“The Monarch Butterfly”

He is a monarch

He is a king.

He flies great migrations.

Past nations he wings.

He is a monarch.

He is a prince.

When blackbirds attack him,

From poison they wince.

He is a monarch.

He is a duke.

Swallows that swallow him

Frequently puke.

 

Students can use these poems as a spring board into research on a particular insect.  What questions do they have after reading this poem?  Are there parts they don't fully understand?  After researching the insect, can they better explain each part of the poem and how it relates to the insect. 

Many of the poems are written in first person, which could lead to a great lesson on point of view.  The students could write a poem about the same insect from a different point of view. 

NCTE Award Poetry: SWIRL BY SWIRL: SPIRALS IN NATURE

BIBLIOGRAPHY


Sidman, Joyce. 2011. SWIRL BY SWIRL: SPIRALS IN NATURE. Ill. by Beth Krommes. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-547-31583-6

REVIEW AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS

SWIRL BY SWIRL is a poetry picture book all about the spiral shape and where it can be found in nature.   One poem is continued throughout the entire book.  Sidman describes the spirals with her words and Krommes' beautiful illustrations show the spirals found in nature.  Figurative language and sensory images are used to help spirals come to life.  Personification is used throughout the book.  For example, when describing the spirals found on the horns of a Mernio Sheep, Sidman says, "It knows how to defend itself."  Rhythm and repetition are used in SWIRL BY SWIRL.  “A spiral is a snuggling shape,” is an example of alliteration used in the poem.  

Each page describes a familiar object in nature that features a swirl.  These are all things that kids will have some background knowledge on, but might not have necessarily noticed they all have the swirl shape.  

The full, two page illustrations in this book are vibrant, colorful, and detailed.  The artwork illustrates what is being described on each page, and included in the illustrations are labels of the objects that include the spiral shape.  There is a page included at the back of the book that gives details about how the spiral shape is used in each of the objects mentioned in the book.  

A spiral reaches out, too,

exploring the world.

It winds

around

and around...

...and clings tight,

grasping what it needs.

It never has trouble holding on.

This part of the poem is describing an octopus, sea horse, spider monkey, and elephant.  The illustrations on these two pages clearly show the objects that the words are describing.  

Students could find objects in nature that include a shape and write poems about that shape.  They could either take pictures of the shape found in nature, if possible, or illustrate their findings.  At the end of their poem, they could explain in more detail how the shape is used in nature. 

Have students brainstorm other objects in nature that involve swirls.  Allow students to investigate several different shells and the animals that live inside.  They will be able to tell similarities and differences in the shells and animals.   

Students could learn more about Fibonacci numbers and create a Fibonacci Swirl.