Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
1. Bibliography
Kadohata, Cynthia. 2006. Weedflower. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
ISBN: 978-0-689-86574-9
Dewey Classification: Fic
Reading Level: 5.0
2. Summary This beautifully written story is about a young Japanese girl living with the prejudice and outcast society after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The story leads you through her family being shipped from their home to camps in ohter states until matters calm down around the world. This journal of her trials through this time are tender and heartbreaking, but make for a great read.
3. Critical Analysis
The main character is so real to life in this story, you feel you are there with Sumiko, going through her disappointement when she is not allowed to go to the birthday party, her fear when they had to burn all their belongings and get on a bus with darkened windows to travel to a "camp" with other people they did not know, and her joy of finding a true friend in the field around the camp. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Sumiko was scared of what would happen to her uncle, grandfather and the many elders that lived in their community, when they were arrested and taken far north. But Sumiko learns to embrace her cultural differences and accept that she is a gardener of flowers and loves the earth. Her dream of becoming a flower shop owner became her goal once she realized her self-worth. The author writes a well written story of a time of hardship through a dark period of time for Japanese - Americans.
4. Reviews
Bluebonnet Book Award 2007 - 2008
Horn Book
Kadohata follows her Newbery-winning Kira-Kira (rev. 3/04) with a novel about a Japanese-American girl, Sumiko, who is twelve in 1941. Though her parents died years before, Sumiko doesn't feel like an orphan; she loves her family's California flower farm, where she lives contentedly with her younger brother, aunt, uncle, cousins, and beloved grandfather. Life changes dramatically when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor; first Sumiko's grandfather and uncle are arrested, and then the rest of the family ends up in an internment camp in Poston, Arizona. The writing is mostly, though not consistently, compelling, with numerous details of camp life seamlessly woven into the story. Kadohata also adds some depth with a friendship between Sumiko and a Mohave boy (the camp is on tribal lands). The low-key tone and subdued dramatic arc fit the story, in which camp life is mainly an uneventful struggle against boredom; the novel also reveals why people such as Sumiko's family quietly accepted arrest and internment. Kadohata again creates a sympathetic, believable young protagonist and a vividly realized setting.
Kirkus Review
Post-Pearl Harbor Japanese-American internment is seen from the eyes of a young girl who eventually manages to bloom after she is uprooted and planted in the Arizona desert. Twelve-year-old Sumiko and her little brother Tak-Tak live with their aunt and uncle on a flower farm in California. The only Japanese student in her class, Sumiko longs for friends and acceptance. She loves the fields of "weedflowers" and dreams of owning her own flower shop. After Pearl Harbor, Sumiko and her family are removed from their land and transported to an internment camp on an Indian reservation in Poston, Ariz. Surrounded by fields of dust, Sumiko's "dream was gone and she didn't know what would take its place," until she teams up with her neighbor Mr. Moto to make the desert bloom and escape the "ultimate boredom" of the camp. And when Sumiko meets Frank, a Mohave boy who resents the Japanese on his land, she finds an unlikely, but true friend. Like weedflowers, hope survives in this quietly powerful story.
5. Connections
Ideas: Journal Sumiko's feelings about how she is treated and how she feels about moving from camp to camp.
Websites:
http://suzyred.com/2007weedflower.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UWwvJjsMSs
Books about the same topic or by the same author:
Raven, Margot Theis. Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot. ISBN: 978-1-58536-069-7
Lemke, Donald B. Captured Off Guard:The Attack on Pearl Harbor. ISBN-13: 978-1-43420-443-1 Kadohata, Cynthia. Kira-Kira. ISBN: 978-0-689-85639-6
Kadohata, Cynthia. A Million Shades of Gray. ISBN: 978-1-41691-883-7
A Jar of Dreams by Yoshiko Uchida
1. Bibliography
Uchida, Yoshiko. 1993. A Jar of Dreams. Oklahoma: Aladdin Paperbacks.
ISBN: 978-0-689-71672-0
Dewey Classification: Fic
Reading Level: 5.6
2. Summary When Rinko's aunt from Japan visits for the first time, Rinko is a little apprehensive. After she gets to know her aunt, she learns that her aunt coming was a blessing in disguise and showed her what a wonderful family she has.
3. Critical Analysis Rinko is a typical 11 year old becoming a teenager and learning about the world and people around her. The story takes place 6 years before Pearl Harbor, yet our characters see the prejudice shown toward them for being "different" even before Japanes became outcasts after the war began. Rinko learns, from her Aunt Waka, that being different is ok. Her aunt shows her how strong each family member is and how each one has something special they contribute. Aunt Waka was the changing force that made this family turn from the rut they were in and start living their dreams. Her dad opened his mechanic/repair show, her brother, Cal, was returning to college to become an engineer, her mom started her laundry business and Rinko still wanted to be a teacher. I could only imagine how Rinko and her family felt living in this time around people who were not always nice to people from other countries. "Bullies" trying to knock them out of business by making threats and even killing their dog. The author demonstrates the trials of living in this tumultuos time.
4. Reviews
Horn Book
An ingenious simplicity and grace mark the first-person telling of the story of 11-year-old Rinko and her Japanese family in Berkeley, California. Times are hard for everyone in 1935, but being Japanese is, for Rinko, an added burden.
Wilson's Children
A young girl grows up in a closely-knit Japanese American family in California during the 1930's, a time of great prejudice.
5. Connections
Ideas:
Just like Rinko's aunt sent a letter about her visit, write a letter to someone special that you would like to visit. Tell about the things you would go see and do.
Websites:
http://www.angelfire.com/anime2/100import/uchida.html
http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/Byrnes-famous/YOSHIL1.html
http://www.janm.org/exhibitions/fft/m/EI_timeline.htm
Books by the same author:
Uchida, Yoshiko. The Best Bad Thing. ISBN: 978-0-689-71745-1
Uchida, Yoshiko. Journey Home. ISBN: 978-0-689-71641-6
Uchida, Yoshiko. Two Foolish Cats. ISBN: 0-689-50397-0
Uchida, Yoshiko. Sumi's Prize. ISBN: 0-684-13157-9
Uchida, Yoshiko. Sea of Gold. ISBN: 0-88739-056-0
Elijah of Buxton by Christpher Paul Curtis
1. Bibliography
Curtis, Christopher Paul. 2007. Elijah of Buxton. New York: Scholastic.ISBN: 978-0-439-02344-3Dewey Classification: Fic
Reading Level: 5.6
2. Summary
This wonderful story of Elijah growing up as the first freeborn in the Settlement of Canada shows the trials of freed slaves escaping through the Underground Railroad to Canada, becoming a part of the community, starting their own farm and learning to trust other people. Elijah is the young boy learning to become a man and not a "frag-gile ninny". This story leads him through many discoveries about the world and about himself.
3. Critical Analysis
The time of slavery and slaves escaping is the background setting for this wonderfully written story. Elijah Freeman was the first free born baby in the Settlement (the town, Buxton, founded for the escaped slaves and noted in the author's note at the end of the book) and, at the age of 12, began trying to show how he has grown-up. Like any typical boy, he went to school to learn to read, went to church every Sunday, worked everyday cleaning stalls, went fishing when he could and played with firends. The "Preacher" that visited their community is the one person that they found out could not be trusted. Elijah knew him best from time spent with him while fishing and going to the carnival. Elijah saw the darker side of this man that was not really a preacher. When the preacher steals money from Mr. Leroy, one of the members, Elijah helps him try to find the Preacher. They travel to America to look for him. When Mr. Leroy dies, he promises to find the Preacher and belly shoot him. Elijah sees a different way of life (slavery) that he had never seen, only heard of, when he finds the preacher, dead, and discovers 6 runaway slaves that had been caught and were being sent back. He ends up saving the baby of the group and returns to Buxton. The many historical facts written around this story make it a very enjoyable read. Christopher Paul Curtis has a way of writing that is entertaining and informative.
4. Reviews
Newbery Award
Coretta Scott King Award
Kirkus Review
Eleven-year-old Elijah Freeman is known for two things: being the first child born free in Buxton, Canada, and throwing up on the great Frederick Douglass. It's 1859, in Buxton, a settlement for slaves making it to freedom in Canada, a setting so thoroughly evoked, with characters so real, that readers will live the story, not just read it. This is not a zip-ahead-and-see-what-happens-next novel. It's for settling into and savoring the rich, masterful storytelling, for getting to know Elijah, Cooter and the Preacher, for laughing at stories of hoop snakes, toady-frogs and fish-head chunking and crying when Leroy finally gets money to buy back his wife and children, but has the money stolen. Then Elijah journeys to America and risks his life to do what's right. This is Curtis's best novel yet, and no doubt many readers, young and old, will finish and say, "This is one of the best books I have ever read." (author's note) (Fiction. 9+)
Booklist
Grades 6-8. After his mother rebukes him for screaming that hoop snakes have invaded Buxton, gullible 11-year-old Elijah confesses to readers that “there ain’t nothing in the world she wants more than for me to quit being so doggone fra-gile.” Inexperienced and prone to mistakes, yet kind, courageous, and understanding, Elijah has the distinction of being the first child born in the Buxton Settlement, which was founded in Ontario in 1849 as a haven for former slaves. Narrator Elijah tells an episodic story that builds a broad picture of Buxton’s residents before plunging into the dramatic events that take him out of Buxton and, quite possibly, out of his depth. In the author’s note, Curtis relates the difficulty of tackling the subject of slavery realistically through a child’s first-person perspective. Here, readers learn about conditions in slavery at a distance, though the horrors become increasingly apparent. Among the more memorable scenes are those in which Elijah meets escaped slaves—first, those who have made it to Canada and, later, those who have been retaken by slave catchers. Central to the story, these scenes show an emotional range and a subtlety unusual in children’s fiction. Many readers drawn to the book by humor will find themselves at times on the edges of their seats in suspense and, at other moments, moved to tears. A fine, original novel from a gifted storyteller.
5. ConnectionsIdeas: Students write about what they would do if faced with the same problems as Elijah - slavery, stealing.Websites:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHKT7-igYNUhttp://suzyred.com/2008elijah.htmlhttp://content.scholastic.com/browse/collection.jsp?id=49Books by the same author: Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy. ISBN: 978-0-385-32306-2 Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963: A Novel. ISBN-13: 978-0-440-41412-4 Curtis, Christopher Paul. Mr. Chickee's Funny Money. ISBN-13: 978-0-440-22919-3Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bucking the Sarge. ISBN-13: 978-0-385-90159-8
The Boy on Fairfield Street : How Ted Geisel Grew up to Become Dr. Seuss by Kathleen Krull 1. BibliographyKrull, Kathleen. 2004.The Boy on Fairfield Street : How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss ; Ill. by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher; with decorative illustrations by Dr. Seuss. New York: Random House.ISBN: 978-0-375-92298-5
Dewey Classification: 813Reading Level: 3.92. SummaryIn this wonderful story, you learn how the famous writer and illustrator, Dr. Seuss, came to be. You see how he grew up, what he learned and how it influenced the person he became. You see where the child inside this imaginative writer and illustrator started.
3. Critical AnalysisThe amazing Dr. Seuss is seen as the normal child, Theodor Geisel, growing up on Fairfield Street in Springfield, Massachusetts. You read through his life of birthday parties, visiting the zoo where his father worked and the stories or non-sense lists he and his mother would do at bedtime. The story reads almost as a fictional story until you get to the author's note entitled, On Beyond Fairfield Street. The author talks about the life and times of the gifted writer and illustrator after the story ended. She states, "He wrote and drew to please himself." This statement sums up the person we all She cites all the great works written and illustrated by Dr. Seuss and shows what book each Seuss drawing found on each page came from. Extra sources and further readings are also added to the end of this book for those that are fascinated by Dr. Seuss. The beautifully colorful paintings done by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher face each page of writing to further enhance the story of the normalcy of Ted Geisel's childhood through college. 4. ReviewsBluebonnet Award Book 2005 -2006Horn Book
With additional illustrations by Dr. Seuss. This affectionate survey centers on Geisel's boyhood, plus a bit on his brush with higher education, concluding with the first months of his career. The high points are summarized, but the real story here is of a boy who couldn't stop doodling. Krull does a good job of linking such early propensities with what turned up later in Geisel's books. Nostalgic full-page paintings nicely recall illustrations of the period.Library Media Connection
Kathleen Krull presents a touching view of the life of Ted Geisel from early childhood visiting the zoo to his young adult years at Dartmouth College, as well as the poignant events that shaped his life. Geisel's unique view of the world while growing up in Springfield, Massachusetts marked him by many members of the community as a dreamer, but his imagination and supportive German-immigrant parents enabled him to create fanciful creatures that reflected positive and negative human behaviors. Although most teachers and peers considered him a mediocre student, he proved to his detractors that he could be a successful author and illustrator, which encouraged children to read....5. ConnectionsIdea: Have students tell about their favorite Dr. Seuss story and draw a picture to make a classroom book of Dr. Seuss. Websites:http://suzyred.com/2005seuss.html http://www.seussville.com/main.php?section=home&isbn=&catalogID=&eventID Books by the same author or topic:Seuss, Dr. The Cat in the Hat. ISBN: 978-0-394-90001-8Floran, Jill. Dr. Seuss. ISBN: 978-1-59036-028-6Weidt, Maryann N. Oh, The Places He Went : A Story About Dr. Seuss-- Theodore Seuss Geisel. ISBN: 978-0-87614-823-5
The Paper Airplane Book by Seymour Simon1. BibliographySimon, Seymour. 1976. The Paper Airplane Book ; Ill. by Byron Barton. London: Puffin.ISBN: 978-0-14-030925-6Dewey Classification: 745.592Reading Level: 3.92. SummaryHave you ever wondered what type of paper airplane would fly the best? Or how a large jumbo jet stays in the air? This informative book tells all the background information about how an airplane (paper and real) flies. Then the step by step instructions help you make the perfect paper airplane while explaining why each fold,cut or paper weight works the best.3. Critical AnalysisThe many experiments conducted and tested to see how wind currents and weight effect the flight of the plane. The way the author consistently compares actual airplanes and paper airplanes and principles behind how they fly is the consistent theme throughout this book. The in-depth information behind the theory of flight is explained in relate-able and understandable terms for any age, as I can attest to with my own children taking the book and making the airplanes shown in the book. The sources are cited in the back of the book and are from reputable organizations. The pencil drawing illustrations by Byron Barton enhance the book to show step-by-step directions on how to fold different paper airplanes.4. ReviewsChildren's Literature
It's a natural progression from planes in books to planes in the air-paper planes, that is. Mr. Simon manages to impart lots of information about the principles of flight and the "hows" and "whys" of airplane design along with his experiments. Booklist
"The principles of flight and airplane design are elucidated in this book of entertaining experiments with paper airplanes".5. ConnectionsIdeas: Have students make paper airplanes and test how well they fly. Measure the distance and see what made that plane fly further.Websites:
http://www.seymoursimon.com/http://www.amazingpaperairplanes.com/Favorites.htmlBooks by this author or related to this topic:Schmidt, Norman. Best Ever Paper Airplanes. ISBN: 978-1-895569-83-4Simon, Seymour. From Paper Airplanes to Outer Space. ISBN: 978-1-57274-374-8Harbo, Christopher. The Kids' Guide to Paper Airplanes. ISBN: 978-1-42962-274-5
We Are The Ship : The Story of Negro League Baseball words and paintings by Kadir Nelson1. BibliographyNelson, Kadir. 2008. We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball; with words and paintings by Kadir Nelson. New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion.ISBN: 978-0-7868-0832-8
Dewey Classification: 796.357Reading Level: 6.02. SummaryYou have to really want to play a game bad enough to go through what the men on the Negro League Baseball went through. The historical background information learned through the eyes of the players of the Negro League Baseball is spectacular. You learn the hardships and love of playing the game in a time when segregation was extremely harsh on these talented ball players.3. Critical AnalysisInstead of the ordinary chapter, you are thrown into the baseball game by reading each "Inning". Each Inning talks about the time period from the 1st Inning where the Negro Baseball League began to the Extra Innings where the Negro Leagues ended. The forward by Hank Aaron, an all-time impressive black baseball player, sets the tone for this book by talking about how the game was played because they loved it : not for the money, fame or glory. As Hank Aaron says, "...Baseball has been my passion," which is the theme stated throughout this informational book. The multitude of informative stats from the Negro Leaguers who make it to the Major Leagues and into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the inspirational Author's Note, acknowledgements and Bibliography make the total package of this book an excellent source for research about this topic. The end notes state where the author received most of his information for this book. Voices from the Great Black Baseball Leagues looks like one of the books that shows many of the players from this time period in our history. The beautiful color paintings done by the author add to the depth and love of the heartwarming story told through the eyes of the players during this glorious time in their lives.4. Reviews and AwardsBluebonnet Award Book 2009-2010Coretta Scott King AwardThe Robert F. Sibert MedalBooklist
Award-winning illustrator and first-time author Nelson’s history of the Negro Leagues, told from the vantage point of an unnamed narrator, reads like an old-timer regaling his grandchildren with tales of baseball greats Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and others who forged the path toward breaking the race barrier before Jackie Robinson made his historic debut. The narrative showcases the pride and comradery of the Negro Leagues, celebrates triumphing on one’s own terms and embracing adversity, even as it clearly shows the “us” and “them” mentality bred by segregation. If the story is the pitch, though, it’s the artwork that blasts the book into the stands. Nelson often works from a straight-on vantage point, as if the players took time out of the action to peer at the viewer from history, eyes leveled and challenging, before turning back to the field of play....For students and fans (and those even older than the suggested grade level), this is the book to accomplish just that.Library Media Connection
Through text and artwork that pulses with life, Nelson has created a book that brings personality to the Negro Baseball League. Using the voice of "Everyman" in the league, this book will attract readers because of the full and double-page vibrant, realistic oil paintings, and immerse the reader in the compelling story being told. The author brings out interesting details about the league such as bus trips where players would relieve a sleepy driver and players would entertain their teammates. The reader meets famous players, like Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson, and the equally talented lesser known players. One enters the world of joy in the game of baseball and the hurt of segregation through stories that take place away from the ballpark as well as on the field. One need not be a baseball fan to enjoy this book, because it's more than a sports story. It's a story of real people enduring more than many of us can imagine, playing a game they love. The book's title comes from "We are the ship; all else is the sea" a quote from Rube Foster, the founder of the Negro National League. Highly Recommended. Nelda Brangwin, Cherry Valley Elementary School, Duvall, Washington5. ConnectionsIdeas: Have students write a letter to a former player (whether mailed or kept in class) and talk about how the book inspires the love of baseball.Websites:http://suzyred.com/2009-we-are-the-ship.htmlhttp://www.negroleaguebaseball.com/Books related to the topic:Auch, Mary Jane. One-Handed Catch. ISBN: 978-0-8050-7900-5Lord, Bette. In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson. ISBN: 978-0-06-024004-2Golenbock, Peter. Hank Aaron : Brave in Every Way. ISBN: 978-0-15-202093-4
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse1. BibliographyHesse, Karen. 1997. Out of the Dust. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN: 978-0-590-36080-7Dewey Classification: FicReading Level: 4.52. SummaryA book done in verse poetry, tells of BillieJo's hardships of living in the dust bowl during the depression era. You learn of her heartaches, regrets and love of the home she has always known. A beautifully written story told from a young girl's point of view.3. Critical AnalysisWhat a wonderful story Karen Hesse leads you through in this book of free-verse poems. You are taken in by Billie Jo's views of her life in the dust-bowl. She describes how the wind and sand seep through the cracks and leave a film of dust on everything, why the dishes were turned face-down until ready for use, and the image of the dust storm coming towards her. Your heart goes out to her when she loses her mother and baby brother because of a mistake that she has to live with and learn to forgive herself and her dad. Her scars are constant reminders of what could have been and what she lost, as in the chapter titled Let Down: "My hands wouldn't work. / I just sat on the piano bench,/ staring down at the keys." Then she learns, after she tries to leave, that the place she thought she wanted to get away from, was actually the place she could never leave - home. Each chapter of this book could stand alone as a single poem, yet the whole story leads you through a time in history through the eyes of a child.
4. ReviewsNewbery Medal/Honor 1998Horn Book
In first-person free-verse poems fourteen-year-old Billie Jo Kelby relates her Depression-era experiences in the Oklahoma panhandle. Billie Jo's aborted escape from the dust bowl almost gets lost in a procession of bleak events, instead of serving as the book's climax. Yet her voice, nearly every word informed by longing, provides an immediacy that expressively depicts both a grim historical era and one family's healing.School Library Journal
After facing loss after loss during the Oklahoma Dust Bowl, Billie Jo begins to reconstruct her life. A triumphant story, eloquently told through prose-poetry.5.
ConnectionsListen to the audio tape performed by Marika Mashburn.
http://www.eduscapes.com/newbery/98a.html for additional ideas to share with this book. *More books like this one or by this author:
Burg, Ann E. All the Broken Pieces : A Novel in Verse. ISBN: 978-0-545-08092-7Hesse, Karen. Witness. ISBN: 978-0-439-27199-8
This is Just to Say : Poems of Apology and Forgiveness
by Joyce Sidman
1. BibliographySidman, Joyce. 2007. This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness. Ill. by Pamela Zagernski. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN: 978-0-618-61680-0
Dewey Classification: 811Reading Level: 3.92. Summary
The book of poetry presented in two parts: apologies and responses, is clever, heartwarming and cute. The students write their apologies for certain things done or said to other students, teachers or family. The second part has responses (sometimes forgiveness) to the apologies. Some are comical, sad, and humble. A wonderful book to share by reading from both parts of the book.
3. Critical Analysis This poetry book contains a number of different types of poems. There are haikus, a two person poem, and rhythm and rhyme poems. The clever format of the book is what makes this book so appealing: first part is the apology letter/poems and the second part is the forgiveness or response poems. The reader has to flip from part 1 to part 2 to keep up with the paired writings. For example, in part 1, the poem It Was Quiet, Tenzin writes to his dog that he just lost, "I'm sorry we had to do this./ We wanted to save you some pain./ I hope we did the right thing." In part 2, the poem Losing Einstein, the custodian writes to Tenzin, "You were loving him, and he was loving you back. / That's how he went. / And that's how a dog should go." One of my favorite responses is based on a familiar rhyme entitled, Roses are Red: "Roses are red,/ violets are blue./ I'm still really pissed off at you." This poem was written as a response between sisters! The apology poem is called The Black Spot and talks of how she stabbed her sister with a pencil and the lead remains in her sisters' hand. Some of the letters are funny, some are sad, some are just honest words spoken and written in poetry form. The artwork done by Pamela Zafarenski shows the faces of the imaginary students in this book and makes them seem real to the reader by having pictures that look like they were done by the students in the book. 4. ReviewsBluebonnet Award Book 2008-2009Horn Book
This book is a collection of "sorry poems" and responses, ostensibly (but not always believably) written, illustrated, and collected by a sixth-grade class. Though the poems are not as varied in tone or style as could be desired, they provide intimate, often touching glimpses of relationships by which real classes might be inspired.Library Media Connection
Every school should purchase a copy of this book of poetic apologies and responses. The title poem by William Carlos Williams sets the tone. Sidman sought help in writing a poem to her mother from a group of fourth graders in one of her writing workshops, which became the impetus for this book. Zagarenski uses typical schoolchildren materials as a background for her colorful, whimsical drawings that brighten the pages of this book. She captures the essence of childhood on each page. The poems reflect different stages of resolution; some apologies are sincere, others not. Some of the responses are more forgiving than others. Some of the poems are humorous, some sad, and some of the responses are unexpected....5. Connections*Have students write their apology letter to someone special and the response they would like to get back. http://suzyred.com/2008apologyandforgivenesspoems.html A website with many activities to go along with this book. *Other books by this author:
Sidman, Joyce. Just Us Two Poems About Animal Dads. ISBN: 978-0-7613-9809-7Sidman, Joyce. The World According to Dog : Poems and Teen Voices. ISBN: 978-0-618-28381-1 
Toasting Marshmallows : Camping Poems
by Kristine O'Connell George1. BibliographyGeorge, Kristine O'Connell. 2001. Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems. Ill. by Kate Kiesler. New York. Clarion Books. ISBN: 978-0-618-04597-6Dewey: 811Reading Level: 2.82. SummaryThe wonderful memories made on a camping trip are colorfully worded in the poems of this book. All the many things you can see, hear and do on a camping trip are found in this collection of poems by Kristine O'Connell George.
3. Critical AnalysisThis classic view of going camping shares the sights, sounds and sensations of a camping trip in the woods through poetry. The many verses in this book describe beautifully, and creatively, what can be seen, heard, felt and happen on a camping trip. The wide variety of cute, funny, thoughtful and surprising poems make this a great book to share. Who has not gotten dressed while in a sleeping bag or sat by a fire and felt hot on the front and cold on the back? The many animals experienced while on this camping trip: a doe, a moose, a chipmunk are all described beautifully in this book. Scooter, the dog, is cleverly described as "loose-boned, easy" while asleep on the floor at home, but in the woods, hair standing up and teeth bared, "Tonight, Scooter/ is Timer Wolf." Some of the poems talk about the quiet peacefulness of being in a place all alone. In the poem Sleeping Outside, she talks about how small she feels compared to the big wide opened sky. The gorgeous paintings that accompany the poems, bring them to life. The picture of the poem Wild Mustard, shows the beauty of the yellow flowers blooming in an open field. The artistry of the illustrations add to the overall depth of the poems in this wonderful book. 4. ReviewsBluebonnet Award Book 2008-2009
Horn Book
The pleasure and surprises of going camping are conveyed in eighteen brief poems. Familiar camping experiences--including pitching a tent, sleeping in a sleeping bag, and watching a chipmunk--are described, in addition to more unusual experiences like walking through a field of mustard, seeing a moose, and discovering a cave. Richly colored paintings enhance the verses.School Library Journal
George has penned 30 sublimely simple poems that capture the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations of a family's camping trip, from pitching the tent to pulling up stakes and returning home. All of the selections convey a child-focused sense of wonder as the campers explore the lakefront and surrounding terrain, enjoy the marvels of the natural world, relish meals round the campfire, and toast marshmallows ("This is art-/a time of serious reflection/as my pillowed confection/slowly reaches golden perfection"). The poems are varied and inventive, replete with marvelous images and universal truths....5.
Connections*
Have students draw a picture of their favorite camping trip and then write a small sentence to describe their trip - make their sentence into a line of poetry studying (Haiku, Concrete...).http://suzyred.com/2003toastingmarsh.htm A great website with more resources to go along with this book.*More books like this one or by this author:George, Kristine O'Connell. Old Elm Speaks : Tree Poems ISBN: 978-0-395-87611-4
Hundal, Nancy. Camping. ISBN: 978-1-55041-686-2 (a free verse poem)
A Jar of Dreams by Yoshiko Uchida
Elijah of Buxton by Christpher Paul Curtis
