Module 3 - Haiku Poetry

Photo Source:  Amazon Website. 2011. http://www.amazon.com (accessed February 22, 2011, using title as search term).

Summary: Stone bench in an empty park is a book of poetry selected by Paul B. Janeczo with photographic pictures by Henri Silberman. This book of poetry is all about finding the beauty and nature in the city. All of the poems and paragraphs relate to things seen in big cities like New York, London and Los Angeles. There are many well known poet’s poems in this book. These include poems by Myra Cohn Livingston, Nikki Grimes, J. Patrick Lewis, and Jane Yolen. The book also contains many other poets whose name I do not recognize. This mix of known and unknown poets is a sign of a quality poetry collection.

The book provides the reader with an introduction as to the history of haiku poems and the qualities that make a poem a haiku. Acknowledgements are located at the back of the book, giving information on the poet who wrote each poem. If the poem is found in another book, information is provided to locate that book.

Quality: The poems within this book are pretty amazing although I must admit that I might not have recognized some as haiku poems if I wasn’t told they were haiku. I always believed that haiku poetry had to follow a specific format of 17 syllables (three lines, with a 5-7-5 format). These haiku poems do not always follow that format. For example, a poem by Anita Wintz:

full moon shining

squeezes between skyscrapers

f

l

u

o

r

e

s

c

e

n

t

Once I overcame my belief in the strict formatting of the haiku, I came to really enjoy these poems although I realize that the poems that fit the strict format of a haiku are my favorite. The sound of these poems is so appealing. For anyone who has been to the city, these poems will bring a smile to his or her face. They will remind the reader of special times spent in the city by producing sensory images for the reader. One of my favorite, by Jane Yolen:

Ice-cream wrappers bloom

In overflowing baskets.

Summer in the park.

There is also a lot of detailed descriptions found in the poems. For example, Myra Linvingston talks about fences and concrete walls in two of her poems, there is talk of cranes in the poetry of Erica Silverman and J. Patrick Lewis, and other poets talk about flower stands, news stands, carousel horses and guys beating plastic paint pails as drums. All of these things one will only find in the city. The idea of presenting these city items and events in a poem is a unique and fresh idea from the other poetry I have seen.

Appeal: While I find this book fascinating and a joy to read, I do not think it would appeal to elementary or middle school age students unless those students live in a city. Not all of the poems in this book relate to familiar childhood experiences of all children. For example, the first poem by David E. LeCount refers to the “bridge toll-booth” and the second poem by Cor van den Heuvel refers to a newsstand. While these are interesting subjects to an adult who know something about them, I think the meaning of the poem will be lost on many children. I would read this book with high school students. If they are unfamiliar with the topic of one of the poems, they have the maturity to learn more about the particular topic on their own without major adult intervention. These poems would extend a high school students knowledge of life in the city.

Use: I would recommend this book to a high school photography teacher or art teacher. At the beginning of the book, the photographer wrote a note explaining how the poems were not written based on the pictures but instead he had to find the pictures that would fit with the poetry. As he says, he “let the haiku guide” him. This would be a good example to art students of letting poetry guide them in their art. After reading this, students could find other poetry and create their own interpretation of the poem either through photographs or other media.

References:

Janeczko, Paul B. ed. 2000. Stone bench in an empty park. Ill. Henri Silberman. New York: orchard Books. ISBN: 0-531-33259-4

Module 3 - Verse Novel

Photo Source:  Jennifer Roy's Website. 2011. http://www.jenniferroy.com/ (accessed February 22, 2011).

Summary: Yellow Star is a verse novel told in the narrative voice of a young child, Syvia Perlmutter. This is a historical fiction verse novel. Syvia Perlmutter was the author’s aunt. She was 4 ½ years old when World War II started and was one day short of her 10th birthday when it ended. All that happened to her and her family in between is written in this amazing 227 page novel. This novel has most of what all verse novels usually have: linear format, narrative style, realistic and candid, intense situations, emotional connections, informal/colloquial language, told from the first person’s point of view, and a strong sense of voice (Vardell). The only thing not typical about this verse novel is that it does not have multiple narrators. In addition to all of these things that make this a great verse novel, it contains some excellent stand alone poems. Here is just an example of one such poem and it is my favorite in the book:

The Pear

What if the Germans come into the yard?

What if the are looking out the window

of one of the buildings?

What if someone sees me?

I am drawn to the tree

like a bee to honey.

Closer.

Closer.

I can touch the tree branches now.

I reach up and grasp the pear.

Its skin is yellow green,

ripe.

I twist it a bit, and the pear

pops off its branch

into my hand.

It is solid, smooth,

real.

There is no stopping now.

At this moment there are no Germans,

no worries.

There is only me and this pear.

I take a bite.

Cool, juicy, sweet.

Perfect.

Delicious!

I eat some more.

My hand gets a little sticky,

but I don’t care.

I am out in the sunshine

eating a pear,

just like any normal girl

who isn’t Jewish in Poland

on a regular day.

Suddenly I realize where I am,

what I am doing.

I had better get inside.

I am about to run back,

when I spot another pear on the tree,

a little smaller than my pear,

a little greener.

I think of Dora, and I grab it,

then turn and run

back to the building

with a pear in each hand.

Through the door,

down the hallway,

down the stairs,

into the cellar.

(Yellow Star, p. 168-170)

Quality: When examining this book against F. S. Goforth’s Selection and Evaluation Criteria, I find it to be of very good quality even though some of the evaluation criteria does not apply. One of the main items that makes this book such a good quality verse novel is the sensory images within the writing. For example, this portion of a poem that describes an event when the Germans came to move the Jews out of the ghetto and into the trains that would take the Jews to the concentration camps:

We start walking.

Papa and Mother.

Dora and me between them.

One family

among hundreds

being swept along with the tide,

sea of innocents simply

following orders

as dawn breaks

and the sun begins to rise.

(Yellow Star, a portion of “It is Time”, pg. 111-113).

There are many other examples like this throughout the book. As I read, I peppered the pages with my notes of “sense of surprise”, “powerful and thought provoking”, “imagery”, and “good, descriptive”. While there is no rhyming to these poems, there is a natural cadence to the writing. In some parts of the book, I found myself reading it as if it were any other novel. At other points in the book, I found myself pausing and reading the lines as if they could be stand alone poetry. Ms. Roy uses the language of Syvia in a way that gives the reader a real sense of what it was like, physically and emotionally, to be a Jew in Poland during World War II.

Appeal: This book will be very appealing to older elementary students and middle school students who are just beginning to understand the issues surrounding World War II and the plight of the Jewish people. Because it is told from a child’s perspective, it is likely to retain their attention much more than a typical non-fiction book on the subject would. Although the topic of war and genocide is, thankfully, not something today’s American children will be familiar with, the topic will be interesting to them. In addition to the tragedy of war, this novel is about the love and closeness Syvia has with her father, mother and sister. Many children will have familiar experiences and feelings as it relates to parents and siblings. The age group reading this novel will likely have only limited knowledge of the atrocities of the German army, therefore this novel will expand their knowledge base and enlighten children in ways that other books might not. Overall, this book rates high on the appeal scale!

Use: This book is one that should be read aloud to children by an adult who can really give strong voice to the reading. I would not recommend that it be read by students in the class because much of the voice of Syvia would be lost in the ever changing sound of different children’s voices. It would be best if read in conjunction with a unit on World War II. This book could be paired well with a lesson on Google Earth where the students could do searches on the places mentioned in the book. It would also work well with other research projects related to the Holocaust or World War II.

References:

Goforth, F.S. 1998. Literature and the Learner. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Roy, Jennifer. 2006. Yellow Star. New York: Marshall Cavindish.

Vardell, Sylvia. 2011. “Verse Novels for Young Adults”. Lecture Notes for Texas Woman’s University, LS 5663 Poetry.

Module 2 - Chocolate Dreams

Photo Source: Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/ (accessed February 12, 2011, using title as search term).

Summary: Chocolate Dreams is a book of poems written by Arnold Adoff, the 1988 NCTE award winner.  The poems are all about chocolate and the book is illustrated by Turi MacCombie with beautiful pictures of chocolate desserts and other chocolate things. While the book is not as vibrant as it might be if published today, it is still a beautiful book that will capture a reader’s attention. There is no table of contents in this book.  It begins very simply with a letter to the reader encouraging him or her to each chocolate while reading the pages. 

The most noticeable thing about Mr. Adoff’s poetry is the use of white space.  The information about Mr. Adoff at the end of the book tells us that the use of white space is very important to his work. He believes in making “music with words and space”.  Everything he writes, including his dedication and letter to reader at the beginning of the book, has unusual and unique use of the white space on the page.

Quality: The poems in the book have a familiar quality to them as most readers will understand and share Mr. Adoff’s love of chocolate.  The poems have concrete meaning, with experiences that are likely to be part of the reader’s life at one time or another.  Take for example the poem “I Love My Mom. I Love My Pop. I Love My Dog. I Love My Sheep.” where Mr. Adoff describes the necessity of eating the top off of a chocolate covered cherry so that you can get your tongue into the center and lick the center filling. 

These poems do not rhyme and are hard for me to describe.  They have a cadence to them that comes in large part because of the way they are typeset; the way in which the white space is used. At first, I did not like this about the book and it was only after several readings that I began to appreciate the brilliance of Mr. Adoff’s writing. Some, that I would never have described as poems, are the ones I like best and that evoke great sensory images.  For example, “The Straw” tells a tale of the straw being invented by a boy who fell into a vat of chocolate milk.  In the end, he meets his demise by falling into a milk carton-making machine and ends up in pieces all over the world.

Appeal: I believe this book of poetry should be shared with high school students.  I don’t think children younger than high school age will understand the cleverness of Mr. Adoff’s writing.  Younger children will not understand much of the vocabulary or references made in the book.  For the high school student, however, I believe this book would be very appealing. 

My Favorite: My favorite is Mr. Adoff’s version of Hansel and Gretel.  It is rather long so I will only include an excerpt of the end of the poem; but to explain, Mr. Adoff creates a situation where Hansel and Gretel are captured by a wicked witch who only feeds them broccoli and apple juice; they get very strong and finally escape to return home.  Here is the remainder of the poem:

“Life In the Forest, Or: Bad News… Good News… Bad News …”

Upon hearing the wondrous tale of their

broccoli behavior and escape, their

parents vow to buy only broccoli and

apple juice forevermore. And

                                                   Hansel

                                                        and

                                                    Gretel

are put to work chopping wood to pay

for all this green goodness. Healthy

and tired and sad, they fall asleep

each night so hungry for a brown morsel

of mouth-melting chocolate … thinking of

the candy house in the forest… and the

kindly face

                of the

smiling

witch.

Use:  I think I would use this book with high school students to showcase how creative they can be in their own writing.  I would show students that through the use of white space in writing, different effects can be created.  This is also a good book to showcase how poetry can be created without the need of rhyming terms. 

I also think that because of the use of white space, different student might give a different oral interpretation of each poem.  It would be interesting to separate students into groups of two.  Give each pair the same poem with an assignment to individually review the poem and give an oral reading of the poem. I anticipate that the rhythm and cadence might be different for each individual.  If so, it would be a good exercise to show how poems can affect individuals in different ways.

References:

Adoff, Arnold. 1989. Chocolate Dreams. Ill. Turi MacCombie. New York, N.Y.: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books. ISBN: 0-688-06822-7.

Module 2 - Yum! MmMm! Qué rico!: America’s Sproutings

Photo Source:  Barnes and Noble Website. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ (accessed February 12, 2011 using title as search term).

Summary: Yum! İMmMm! İQué rico!: America’s Sproutings is a book of haiku poetry written by Pat Mora with beautiful pictures by Rafael López. Each haiku poem is about a food that is native to Central and South America. In addition to the haiku poems contained within the book, Mrs. Mora has written information about the origins of each food.

Quality: Throughout this book, the sensory images run rampant. Mrs. Mora uses the language of her poetry to evoke the reader’s senses throughout the book. The illustrations grab the reader with beautiful, simple pictures in vibrant colors. Each illustration perfectly fits with the poem and the description being given of the food item. Mrs. Mora continues the appeal to the reader’s sense of smell, taste and touch by the words she chooses. Here are some examples of the sensory language for each food:

                Chile - Dad “laughs when tears fill his eyes”

                Chocolate - “brown magic melts on your tongue”

                Peanut - “smear nutty butter”

                Pineapple - “a stiff, spiky hat on thick prickly skin”

                Tomato - “squirts seedy, juicy splatter”

The foods showcased in this book are ones that are likely familiar to the reader. In the seventeen short syllables of a haiku poem, Mrs. Mora manages to perfectly describe the food and illicit fond memories for the reader. In addition to the poems, Mrs. Mora provides a paragraph about each food’s origin and history that is well researched as indicated in the front of the book where Mrs. Mora lists her sources of information for the book. The poems and information provided in the book are consistent in quality throughout.

There is no table of contents, index or topical headings to direct the reader; however, the poems appear in alphabetical order of the foods described.

Appeal: I believe this book will appeal to children and teachers alike. Children will like the vibrant color and the simplicity of a haiku poems. Most children will be familiar with the foods of this book. Some foods may be a bit unfamiliar, such as papaya and vanilla. The addition the descriptive paragraph to go along with each poem, will extend and enrich a student’s knowledge of each food item. The language used by Mrs. Mora is simplistic enough to allow this book to be used with even young children. The sensory language will stimulate the emotions of the reader. I can see teachers using this book for classroom lessons and students using this for specific research projects as well as non-structured learning.

My favorite: It is so hard to pick a favorite. I have several and I will say that I can’t imagine these poems without the illustrations. They bring the poems to life. I chose the poem “Cranberry” to list in this review as my favorite because even without the illustrations, Mrs. Mora’s words create all the imagery needed.

“Cranberry”

Marsh-floating hard bead

Simmers then POPS! In hot pot.

Scarlet fireworks.

Use: Because this book has three clear sections to it: the haiku poems, the illustrations and the paragraph describing the subject of the haiku, I can see using this book for a collaborative lesson with a librarian, an English teacher and an Art teacher. The librarian could read the book in the library and have students chose various topics to write a haiku about. The English teacher could then have the students do research about the topic of their haiku poem. The art teacher could have students provide the illustration. All items could come together to create a class book to be displayed during poetry month in April.

References:

Mora, Pat. 2007. Yum! İMmMm! İQué rico!: America’s Sproutings. Ill. Rafael López. New York, N.Y.: Lee & Low Books, Inc. ISBN: 978-1-58430-271-1

Module 2 - Douglas Florian's book - Insectlopedia

Photo Source:  Barnes and Noble. http://www.barnesandnoble.com,  (accessed February 6, 2011, using title as search term).

Summary:  The title of this book is a bit misleading.  Insectlopedia, by Douglas Florian, is book dedicated to insects and spiders.  The reader will find a very helpful table of contents listing the 21 insects represented in the book.  Each poem is a two page spread with the poem on one page and Mr. Florian’s drawings on the other. 

Quality:  This book earns high ratings from me for quality.  Mr. Florian’s pictures provide a sensory image for each of the insects and spiders in a fun way.  While students will recognize each of the insects and spiders, I doubt they will respond with the “oh, gross” or “yuck!” responses that might come from actual photographs of these things. These poems are written in rhymes which come very easily to the ready.  They seem to flow without thought. There is also a lot of variety in the formatting of the poems.  Some have lots of white space, some, like “Inchworm” and “The Termites” are concrete poems, and one, “The Whirligig Beetles” is written in a circle.  These different formats will keep the reader interested page after page.

Appeal: This book will appeal to a student audience for several reasons.  First, the illustrations and the formatting mentioned above will keep students’ attention.  Second, the topic of this book is familiar to students.  The book starts with “The Caterpillar”, an insect that most students are aware of by Kindergarten. It goes next to “The Dragonfly” which is an insect students might not be so familiar with but steps immediately into another familiar friend, “The Daddy Longlegs”.  This interlacing of the familiar with the unfamiliar will keep students turning the pages of this book. The language used is very good for young students. There are a few words young students won’t know but they will know enough to understand the poems. These poems will also expand the knowledge students have about insects and spiders.  For example, in “The Dragonfly” and “The Praying Mantis”, students learn that dragonflies eat flies, bees and mosquitoes and praying mantis eats caterpillars, moths and bees.

My Favorite: I can’t say I have just one favorite because I really like all of these poems.  I had not known of Douglas Florian prior to this review and I’m glad I have discovered him.  One of my favorites is:

“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.

Use:  I can see this book being used well by all grades in elementary school, but I particularly see it being used in 1st grade with studies of insects and spiders.  It would be very easy to only read portions of this book, as needed.  The poems could be used as a way to introduce other books about a particular insect.  Because the language is so simple, most of these poems could be read by students in choral reading. The artwork in the book is so perfectly descriptive of the written word that I can also see this being used in an upper level art class with students working on illustrating written material. 

References:

Florian, Douglas. 1998. Insectlopedia. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace & Company. ISBN: 0-15-201306-7.