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.