2011 Award Schneider Award + Poetry Book

Photo source: Barnes and Noble Website,
www.barnesandnoble.com (accessed April 17, 2011).

Photo source: Barnes and Noble Website,
www.barnesandnoble.com (accessed April 17, 2011).

The Novel:  After ever After  is a novel about two 8th grade boys who have survived cancer and who are trying to return to a normal life.  One boy, Jeffrey Alpers, was known as “the boy who had cancer” because he had always been a part of this school.  The other boy, Thaddeus Ibsen moves into the school and becomes Jeffrey’s best friend because he is also a cancer survivor.  The “gorgeous” Lindsey Abraham comes to the school and becomes Jeffrey’s girlfriend.  The three become a trio whose lives are showcased in the book.  The book showcases the struggle of these 8th graders as they deal with friends, relationships the dreaded state tests (which require passing to move on to 9th grade), the struggles of being a cancer survivor and what happens when the cancer returns.

The Poetry Book: Journey Through Heartsongs is Mattie J.T. Stepanek’s second book of poetry.  What makes this book amazing is that it is written by a boy who, at the time of publication, was 11 years old.  He had a rare form of muscular dystrophy that was genetically transmitted.  He had three siblings who had died from the same disease.  He started writing poetry when he was three years old. 

Quality:

The Novel:  After ever after is a very well written book.  It uses language that is easily understood by the upper elementary and middle school student.  It deals with issues that middle school students deal with as well as some that we all pray students will never have to deal with.  This book is the 2011 winner of the Schneider Family Book Award.  This award is given to an author for a book that “embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.” (ALA Website)

The Poetry Book:  This book is well written in the language of a child. I say the language of a child because the vocabulary is advanced but not too complicated.  The feelings and emotions conveyed in the poems, however, are very deep and extremely mature for a child of Mattie Stepanek’s age.  Some of the poems  date back to the time he was 3 years old.  You can see the maturity in the poems as he gets older as each poem is dated.  A good example of this is found in the following two poems:

“Never-ending Story” (written when the poet was 4; Jamie was his brother):  Once upon a time/there was a Jamie and a Mattie/and for a while/they were both alive/but one day/Jamie died/and of that/Mattie cried/and this story goes/On and on and on/with a Jamie dying/ and a Mattie crying/and on and on like that/ever- and after-after.

“Rebecca’s Reminder” (written when the poet was 10): It is sad/when a friend/dies/death becomes/suddenly/painful/suddenly/real/suddenly/reminding/when a friend/dies/perhaps/we should/suddenly/remember/how real/death is/and wonder/how our/LIFE/ will be/suddenly/ based on how much of/a friend we are/now/regularly.

Appeal:

The Novel:  Although this book won a middles school award and it the characthers are 8th grade students, I believe this novel will appeal to children from grades 5 through 8.  It is easy to read and they will find it relevant to themselves and their peers.

The Poetry Book: This book fits along with the novel in that it is all about living and dying with a severe illness.  It reflects on the emotions felt by the person with the illness as well as those around him and the survivors of those who have died with an illness.  This book will appeal to grades 4 and above.  Adults will appreciate the poignancy of this book.

Use:

The Poetry book and the novel would work well together as a class exercise.  Students can read both books as a class.  Discuss how personal the poems are to Mattie’s life.  He is really putting his heart into each poem he writes to discuss his illness and his feelings for his brothers and sisters who have gone before him.  After reading the novel and the poetry book, ask students to write a poem from the perspective of one of the characters in the book.  There are many for them to choose from: the three main characters, the parents and siblings of these characters, or the several teachers mentioned in the book.  It could even be taken to the extreme and students could write a poem from the perspective of Thad’s wheelchair and Jeffrey’s bicycle.

References:

ALA Website. 2011. http://www.ala.org/template.cfm?template=/CFApps/awards_info/award_detail_home.cfm&FilePublishTitle=Awards,%20Grants%20and%20Scholarships&uid=A839B3A9DB37CD78 (accessed April 17, 2011).

Sonnenblick, Jordan. 2010. After ever after. NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN: 978-0-439-83706-4.

Stepanek, Mattie J.T. 2001. Journey Through Heartsongs. Alexandria, VA: VSP Books. ISBN: 1-893622-10-X.

Module 6 - Poetry by Kids

Photo Source: Barnes and Noble. http://www.barnesandnoble.com (accessed April 10, 2011).

Summary:  This collection of poems by Naomi Shihab Nye is very personal.  It is a collection of poems from 100 poets who were children when they wrote the poetry.  Ms. Nye was a writer-in-the-schools in 1974.  This was a position funded by the Texas Commission on the Arts.  According to the poet information on the book Jacket, Ms. Nye has continued in this capacity at least until 2000 when the book was published.  The poems are selections chosen from poems Ms. Nye had collected over the course of 25 years working with students in grades 1 - 12.  There is a very interesting “Forward” and “Afterward” in the book that will interest all who reads the book.  Also very interesting, is the snippets of information found in the Index to the poems.  These snippets containing a look into some of the students and teachers Ms. Nye met during the time she was a writer-in-the-schools.

Quality:  The poems are good quality.  The print is nice and large which will encourage reluctant readers and will be helpful to younger readers.  Unfortunately, there are no illustrations which might cause some students not to read this book.  The vocabulary is easy and references are made to things children are familiar with.  Some of the poems are light hearted while others deal with things we wish children didn’t have to deal with, such as loneliness and a violent household.  The imagery is very vivid in some of these poems.  It is somewhat difficult to gage the quality of these poems because there is no clear indication of the age of the poet.  It would be helpful if the age or grade information was given, in addition to the name of the poet.

Appeal:  The poems are written by children so are in language that will be familiar to children.  Additionally, the subjects they discuss are familiar to children.  For example, poet Jeffrey Trevino writes about things he would like to do, including collecting rocks on Venus (pg. 4).  An additional example is the poem by Rachel Dealy where she describes her “Mimi” as one who never gets mad and smelled of perfume (pg. 72).While the quality of the poems is not that of an older, perhaps professional  poet, many are amazingly complex and thought provoking.  My favorite poem is by Bill Collins and is found on page 66.  It has no title, but is as follows:

When I used to go to the beach

my mother would take a saltshaker

and make the water salty

With great expertise

she would taste, salt, taste

and salt again

five minutes or so

until she decided it was right

Then I would go swimming

thinking my mother

salted the whole ocean

however large it was

I now know

my mother isn’t responsible

for the salty ocean

It takes some of the fun

out of going to the beach

Use:   Often children think they can’t write poetry; that it is too hard. I would use this book as an example to students of how good children’s poetry can really be.  I would use it, along with the information I’ve learned from Georgia Heard’s For the Good of the Earth and Sun: Teaching Poetry to teach children how to see the images of what they are trying to say and write those images down.  I would use the poem “In the Morning” by Mary Gutierrez (p. 64) as a perfect example.  It says, in part:

I wake up

5:30 am

to a silent house

in a silent room

to a silent morning

--- wake up

5:30 am

leave the house

6:20 am

before the yelling

before the screaming

before the pain

Any use for these poems would a to discuss with students how illustrations can add interest to poems.  Students could choose various poems from the book to illustrate.

Finally, this book might be useful to a counselor when dealing with students who are having troubles like those mentioned in the various poems.

References:

Heard, Georgia. 1989. For the good of the earth and sun: teaching poetry. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Nye, Naomi Shihab. 2000. Salting the Ocean: 100 Poems by Young Poets. Ill. Ashley Bryan. New York: HarperCollins Children’s Books. ISBN: 0-688-16193-6.

Module 6 - Janeczko Collection

Photo Source:  Barnes and Noble. http://www.barnesandnoble.com (accessed April 10, 2011).

Summary: This is a small book containing 24 poems written by some of the best known contemporary poets.  I say this because many of these authors are the ones I’ve learned about during my course at Texas Woman’s University.  In fact, it was such a thrill to read this book and recognize the names of the poets.  The book has a two page Table of Contents giving the name of each poem, the page number and the poet. Each poem is illustrated in watercolor by Christine Davenier.

Quality: This book has obvious quality when you consider the poets included in the book.  There are poems by Walter Dean Myers, Myra Cohn Livingston, Judity Viorst, Nikki Grimes, Colin McNaughton, Paul B. Janeczko, Naomi Shihab Nye and many more.  The language of the book is well suited for elementary students as well as upper level students.

Appeal: These poems have a humorous quality to them but are not “knee slapping” funny.  Instead they are humorous in the sense that all readers will have been in the situations described in these poems and will smile at the thought of many. There are poems about your worst enemy, about your loneliness, about your dog, and about your best friend.  A small sampling of poems that should have wide appeal.  My favorite is:

To You

By Karla Kuskin

I think I could walk

through the simmering sand

if I held your hand.

I think I could swim

the skin shivering sea

if you would accompany me.

And run on ragged, windy heights,

climb rugged rocks

and walk on air.

I think I could do anything at all,

if you were there.

Use: This would be a great poetry book to read in February when people are celebrating Valentine’s Day.  In an elementary setting, Valentine’s Day is more about friendships than it is about love. A teacher could read this book and have students write a poem to their friend, or alternatively (keeping with the theme of the book), someone who is not much of a friend.  Of course, in writing the negative poems the writer should never mention names.

Additionally, there is a great poem on page 20 by Nikki Grimes, “Summertime Sharing”, that would be perfect for a three person dramatization.  One person would act as Danitra, one person would act as her friend and the third would read the poem while the first two acted it out.  Since this is a poem about summer, it would be good for a presentation to the school at the end of the year.

References:

Janeczko, Paul B., ed. 1999. Very Best (almost) Friends: Poems of Friendship. Ill. Christine Davenier. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 0-7686-0475-5.

Module 5 - Poetry for Two Voices

Photo Source:  Barnes and Noble. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ (accessed March 29, 2011)

Summary:  Messing around on the monkey bars is a wonderfully illustrated book of poetry for two voices that elementary children will find very appealing.  It contains a Table of Contents that will be helpful to a teacher wanting to use the book’s poems randomly.  It is easy to find poems that relate to specific topics such as bus rides, new students, lunch money, lost and found, homework and recess. In an introductory note, the author explains how to read the book using two readers.  The different voices are designated by three different typefaces used: one type for the first reader, a second type for the second reader, and a third type for reading in unison. At the back of this book, is a very helpful two page suggestion on “adventurous ways” to read seven specific poems.

Quality: The poems are short and sweet.  They use language that will be easily understood by the intended audience, elementary students.  One wonderful thing about these poems is the use of onomatopoeia.  For example, in the poem, “Whirr, Whirr, Zing, Zap”, the reader finds the words whirr, zing, zap, thud, bonk, boing, grrr, broom, rap and tick-tock.  The rhymes of the poems are natural and not forced. Many of the rhymes are found in the second voice of the poem.  For example:

“New Kid at School”

Where did you come from?

Far away.

Miss your friends?

Every day.

Where do you live?

Maple Street.

What’s your name?

Call me Pete.

How old are you?

Just turned eight.

You like hoops?

Yeah, great.

Got any friends?

Nope, not yet.

Wanna play?

You bet!

Appeal:  These poems will really appeal to elementary school students.  They encourage the participation of the students and present situations students are very familiar with.  Not only can I envision students reading these poems I can foresee them performing the poems much like mini plays.  Students will have so much fun with this book of poetry.  The performance aspect of the poetry is so obvious that teachers will not have to think hard to figure out a way to get students moving and involved with these poems.

Use:  As mentioned above, teachers could just use these poems for performance poetry and the joy that it brings.  “Jenny’s Pencil” would be a perfect starter poem for performance.  It says in part:

Tap, tap

Tap, tap

Tap, tap

Tap, tap

Tap, tap                While we’re reading

Tap, tap                and we’re writing

Student could take turns being the student to physically tap their pencil on the table.  By the end of the poem, all students are tapping their pencil. Other poems such as “Jump Rope Jingle” and “Backboard Rap” could be used in physical education class if you had a P.E. teacher willing to play around with the students using poetry.  The poem,  “Me and Joe Lining Up After Recess”,  which concludes with two children being sent to the back of the line for misbehaving in line, could be used to teach students how to behave correctly in line.  These are only some examples of the many uses that can be made of this book of poems.

References:

Franco, Betsy. 2009. Messing around on the monkey bars and other school poems for two voices. Ill. Jessie Hartland. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.