Poetry Review: Poetic Form

Dogku by Andrew Clements

Illustrated by Tim Bowers

Bibliographic Citation: Clements, Andrew. Dogku. Illustrated by Tim Bowers. New York: Simon & Schuster. 2007.

ISBN-13: 978-0-68985-823-9

Review: The Haiku rhythm found in this story makes it a must share. The endearing story, told through the 17 syllable pattern per page, of a stray dog looking for a home, makes for the perfect book for trying your own version of haiku.  The imagery evoked from the specific vocabulary, used to produce this pattern, appeals to readers of all ages due to the familiar circumstances when meeting a stray animal.

Morning brings children.
Hugs, licks, barking, and laughing.
Warmer than sunshine.

Introduction to Share: Haiku: 17 syllables arranged in a 5/7/5 pattern. The possibilities are limitless for ideas when writing haiku.  This story uses this pattern to tell the whole story. The sample given above is a perfect example of how just a short pattern can tell a small story.  Students will find it easy to write about a pet when using words as in this sample. Each haiku could be used individually as an example or the author's note in the back of the book, expressing his reasons for writing haiku, could be used to "hook" students into writing. 

Poetry Review: Douglas Florian Poetry

Poetrees written and illustrated by Douglas Florian








Bibliographic Citation: Florian, Douglas. Poetrees. New York: Beach Lane Books. 2010.
ISBN-13: 978-1-41698-672-0

Review:This cleverly written book about the different shapes, sizes and origins of tress has great rhyme and rhythm to the poetry ear. There are a couple of concrete poems that add to the appeal of the imagery and illustrations of this book.  Mr. Florian's witty concept of having the book open to read from top to bottom only adds to the interest building about this book.  The vocabulary used to add vivid pictures makes this book a must share.

Scribbly Gum
The scribbly gum's smooth gray bark
Has lines where larvae left their mark.
Their nibbling left a scribbly drawing -
A work of art by boring, gnawing.
From their munching, lunching, chewing -
Lovely woodcuts for the viewing.

Introduction to Share: Reading this book aloud to students would be a wonderful treat all by itself. In a science class that is studying larvae and all that they do, students can get a visual image of this poem without ever seeing the illustration.  The vocabulary used to describe what the larvae does and how it looks, leads to students being able to draw what they hear. Teachers and students could bring in - or go outside and find - seeds, leaves, bark, flowers and describe their object. When they combine all their poems, what a wonderful science/nature book they have made.

Poetry Review: Multicultural Poetry

Yum! MmMm! Que rico! America's Sprouting by Pat Mora
Illustrated by Rafael Lopez







Bibliographic Citation: Mora, Pat. Yum! MmMm! Que rico! America's Sprouting. Illustrated by Rafael Lopez. New York: Lee & Low Books. 2007.
ISBN-13: 978-1-58430-271-1

Review: Pat Mora's book of native American foods in haiku's is truly an original piece of work.  Because of the specific wording needed for haiku, using the precise number of syllables, vocabulary knowledge is essential.  The words she selected are a vivid combination of imagery and sensory words.  She makes you feel and taste how wonderful each food item is that is mentioned.  The added narrative of information regarding the origins of each of the foods only adds to the deeper meaning and sentimental value as to why they were selected for this book. The colorful illustrations add to the whimsical feel of this book so that you feel as though you are part of the enjoyment through picture and words.

Peanut
Smear nutty butter,
then jelly.  Gooey party,
my sandwich and me.

Introduction to Share: This book just screams for you to bring in the mentioned food items and share!  What a great vocabulary builder when students begin describing the foods in these poems.  They can use their new words to make new poems to go along with Mrs. Mora's.  As an extension, different types of foods - a favorite food - could be brought in for student to describe using sensory and descriptive words.  Using these new words, students can write a haiku to follow Mrs. Mora's pattern in her book.  Once their haiku is written, they can research the origin of the food they wrote about.

Poetry Review: NCTE Award Poetry

Spot the Plot : A Riddle Book of Book Riddles by J. Patrick Lewis
Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger







Bibliographic Citation: Lewis, J. Patrick. Spot the Plot: A Riddle Book of Book Riddles. Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. San Fransisco: Chronicle Books. 2009.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8118-4668-4

Review: This cleverly written book will have teachers and children reading more to guess the answer!  Each poem is clues to a well-known book. The rhythm of some of the poems is catchy to the student, with the added bonus of trying to tie the clues together. Some poems even have clues within the poem by playing on the word. (ex. Toto - ly)  A couple of concrete poems add to the appeal of this book.  For those that get stuck on the story, the answers are provided in the back of the book!

One special train.
One little boy.
One Christmas gift -
not quite a toy:

A reindeer bell
jingling good cheer
that only believers
in Santa hear.
        (The Polar Express)

Introduction to Share: For younger students unfamiliar with the related stories, it would be wise for a teacher to have a copy of these books out in front of the students for them to see and pick from while reading the poems.  This gives the perfect opportunity to introduce a great story to read later. For older students, make the book into a puzzle: have the clues from the poetry written on a card that students have to match with the title of the book.  After sharing the poetry in this story, teachers could have students make their own poetry (rhyming, concrete, haiku...) with their favorite story and they could trade their clue-poem with other students.  Added depth, have students design their own illustrations to go with their clue-poem to make into a collection.

Poetry Review: African American Poetry

My People by Langston Hughes
Photographs by: Charles R. Smith, Jr.







Bibiliographic Citation: Hughes, Langston. My People. Photographs by Charles R. Smith, Jr. New York: Ginee Seo Books/Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 2009.
ISBN: 978-1-41693-540-7

Review: This beautifully written poem is illustrated with poignant photographs that are so purposefully chosen to depict the words of the page. The smiles, the eyes, even the souls are seen in each picture as stated with each word.  The tone of the poetry is that of pride for the many generations of people. The poetry is easy to read and understand with a repeating theme of "my people". Langston Hughes makes you think about what makes a person beautiful.

Excerpt from My People:
The stars
are beautiful,
so the eyes
of my people.

Introduction to Share: This excerpt from the poem is a great example to share with students in having them think about why the author compared stars to eyes.  What picture comes to your mind when you hear these words? Do you see a little kid's face/eyes when they open the best gift on Christmas morning? or do you see the stars on a clear night and the sparkle in someone's eyes?  It makes you think about the wording and the comparisons of the two concepts.

Poetry Review: Hopkins Collection

My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins

Illustrator: Stephen Alcorn

Bibliographic Citation: Hopkins, Lee Bennett. My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States. Ill. by Stephen Alcorn. New York: Simon & Schuster. 2000.

ISBN:978-0-689-81247-7

Review:  This compilation of poems about the places and things you see all around the United States is a great poetry book to start a geography unit.  The book is divided into sections of the country and the poems are related to that region.  Each author has their own style for writing, but each poem is beautifully written and artistically draws a mental picture with words what the regions, area, or town would look like. The tone set for this book is one of pride for the different areas of our great country.  You can truly tell that the poems selected show the parts of the country that we are proud to call home. The many authors selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins demonstrate the beauty they see for that area.

City Blockades
    by Lee Bennett Hopkins
I feel so small
standing beneath the tall
buildings that wall
me and the pigeons in
from the light of the
sky.

Introduction to Share: Geography lessons abound with this poetry book.  Pick a section of the country and read a few of the poems aloud to see if the students can figure out what state or region the author is describing (as long as the poem does not give the state name).  The poem selected could be used to discuss where this person is - based upon the vocabulary used, we know that tall buildings are blocking the light and that there are pigeons, letting us know that we are in a big city, maybe New York.

Poetry Review: School Poetry

Stampede! Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School by Laura Purdie Salas                 Illustrator: Steven Salerno

Bibliographic Citation: Salas, Laura Purdie. Stampede! Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School. Ill. by Steven Salerno. Boston: Clarion Books. 2009.

ISBN: 978-0-618-91488-3

Review: Laura Purdie Salas has written a collection of colorful school poetry with an undelying connection to animals.  Students and teachers will love the rhyming words and patterns of each poem and how the students in the poem are related to an animal. The title of the book prepares you for the animalistic school characteristics of this book and the illustrations show how the author's interpretations of each poem/animal relate.  It is an easy to read-aloud poetry share.

Turtleneck

I tuck my face into my sweater,
still as can be.

I should have studied, but I didn't.
PLEASE - don't call on me.

Introduction to Share: This poem would be great to share with the class and talk about many aspects for school:  How to be prepared for class, Responsibilites as a student, The mood of the student hiding. You could also talk about how the teacher always seems to know which student did not do their homework or study like they should have.  This is also a great lesson for animal adaptations: the turtle hides when it is frightened. How does this apply to a student in a classroom?