Poetry Review: Janeczko Collection

Dirty Laundry Pile : Poems in Different Voices                      selected by Paul Janeczko                               Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Bibliographic Citation: Janeczko, Paul. Dirty laundry pile:poems in different voices. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. New York: Harper Collins. 2001.

Review: This poetry book is a compilation of many poems by many authors. The theme of the book seems to be keeping items and places clean. The broom, the leaves from a tree, the bear's cave, to using the washing machine. Then there are the poems told from the point of view of the tree, animal, and insect. The poetry selected for this book uses great wording, font and word picture to add to the meaning of the poetry.  Most of the poems are rhyming and help keep kids interested in reading one more.  A must have for every shelf!

The Vacuum Cleaner's Revenge
by Patricia Hubbell

I munch. I crunch.
I zoom. I roar.

I clatter-clack
Across the floor.

I swallow twigs.
I slurp dead bugs.

I suck the cat hair
From the rugs.

My stomach full
Of dirt and dust

I gulp another
Pizza crust.

A tiresome life -
All work, no play -

I think I'll swallow you today!

Introduction to Share:The above poem is a great way to get started with this book.  After reading the title and thinking about what the book could be about, read the poem, not the title, and see if students and guess what object it is describing.  What other objects around your house could you write a simple poem about from the object's perspective? The television? The dishwasher? The fun poetry you could come up with modeling after this poem would be great. Another fun poem in this book is the Dirty Laundry Pile.  The poem is told from the perspective of the laundry and how you cannot ignore it when it starts to smell. What other items could smell or make noise to make you notice them? What short poem or rhyming riddle could be written about that item?

Poetry Review: Poetry and Fiction

All Asleep

by Charlotte Pomerantz

Illustrated by Nancy Tafuri

Bibliographic Citation: Pomerantz, Charlotte. All asleep. Illustrated by Nancy Tafuri. New York: Greenwillow Books. 1984.

ISBN: 0-688-03762-3

Review: This sweet collection of lullabies and poems made for sharing at bedtime are the perfect end to the day with your special little one.  The sing-song lullabies help make this the best book to share to help settle someone down to fall asleep. 

Grandma's Lullaby

Close your eyes,

My precious love,

Grandma's little

Turtledove.

Go to sleep now,

Pretty kitty,

Grandma's little

Chickabiddy.

Stop your crying,

Cuddly cutie,

Grandma's little

Sweet patootie.

Issum, wissum,

Popsy, wopsy,

Tootsie wootsie

Lollypopsie.

Diddims

Huggle

Snuggle pup

And now, for Grandma's sake, hush up!

Introduction to Share: This is a great way to get children to talk about their bedtime routines.  How can each person make their routine into a short poem? What do you do the same every night? Who is always there with you? What helps you fall asleep?

See how we can connect this poetry book with the next book.



Interrupting Chicken                        written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein   

Bibliographic Citation: Stein, David Ezra. Interrupting Chicken.  Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. 2010.

ISBN: 978-0-7636-4168-9

Review: This 2011 Caldecott Honor Book is a great story about bedtime routines and telling stories before going to sleep. Only, in this story, the little chicken keeps ending the story before Dad can. He does not seem to be making any progress in getting the little chicken to sleep with his stories. Maybe he should try reading some of the poems from All Asleep.

Connection to Poetry:  This book shows the importance of what bedtime story to tell.  In Interrupting Chicken, the little chicken knew all the stories and wanted to change the ending.  If he were read the poetry, they would have that lullaby quality that helps to settle you down to go to sleep.   What are some other poems that you know that you could tell at bedtime that would help little chicken go to sleep? Students could make up a short poem as if they were trying to get little chicken to go to sleep.      

Poetry Review: Poetry by Kids

Come and Play: Children of Our World Having Fun - Poems by Children          edited by Ayana Lowe                               pictures from Magnum Photos, Inc.

Bibilographic Citation: Come and play : children of our world having fun / poems by children. Edited by Ayana Lowe. Pictures from Magnum Photos. London:Bloomsbury. 2008.

ISBN: 978-1-59990-246-3

Review: This beautifully written and colorfully put together poetry book is a great addition to any poetry collection. The editor refers to some of their writing as "word riffs" and poetry. I love how the "authors" sign the inside covers of the book. It gives the book that much more appeal, knowing that the students took that much pride in their book. The students were given a picture of a place and time unknown to them.  Their job was to write a poem based upon the expressions of the people in the picture and what could have been happening. In the back of the book is a reference to all the photographs for the book. It tells you about the picture and where it was taken. Most of the poetry is free verse and shows how poetry can be found in all places and in all things.

The Humanoids

Stay in your row.

Stay in your seat.

Do not wiggle or move your feet.

LIFT OFF!

It's not a Disney ride.

But what happens

when you look inside?

Introduction to Share: This poem would be great read-aloud in a monotone, robotic voice. Students would enjoy trying to figure out what the picture would look like if they were given the opportunity to only hear the poem and not see the photograph. Another great activity to do with this book would be to see if students could match the poem with the photograph.  What words made you figure out the match? Now that students understand how the authors write the poems, students could be given their own photographs to write a poem about the picture. I believe students would enjoy this activity!

Poetry Review: Sidman Poetry

This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness                                 by Joyce Sidman                      Illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski

Bibliographic Citation: Sidman, Joyce. This is just to say: poems of apology and forgiveness. Illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. Chicago:Houghton-Mifflin. 2007.

ISBN-13: 978-0-618-61680-0

Review: This clever book of poetry written mostly in letter form between the two persons that have had an argument of some sort, can be funny, touching and sometimes just not so sincere.  The poetry is divided into two sections.  The first part are the poems asking for forgiveness or apologizing.  The second part are the poems in response to the apology.  Students have fun flipping back and forth from the front to the back to read each poem. The short, rhyming poems have some that are familiar to all and some newly written poetry to make you think.

to Carmen
   Haiku for Carmen

    Just these few warm words,
and spring sunlight fills the room;
    my dress turns to sky.

by Ruth Merz

Introduction to Share: This poem is the response to a poem from the student apologizing for making fun of the teacher's dress.  But what a great way to get students involved in perspective.  After reading the apology and response, students could write an alternate response to the student from the teacher. Other ideas: after completing a favorite read-aloud, students could use the character to write poetry from the perspective of the character, apologizing for something they did in the story and then write what another character could say back to them.  Or, what could animals apologize for to their humans? What about bugs? Could they be sorry for biting, stinking or stinging? The possibilities could be endless for writing.  Just have fun thinking about it from someone else's point of view.

Poetry Review: Hopkins Award Poetry

Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems  by Joyce Sidman                              Illustrated by Becky Prange

Bibliographic Citation: Sidman, Joyce. Song of the water boatman & other pond poems. Illustrated by Becky Prange. Chicago: Houghton-Mifflin. 2005.

ISBN-13: 978-0-618-13547-9

Review:This beautifully written book about all the many creatures found around water and how they emerge after winter, through the summer and fall and back into winter, it just phenomenal. The side notes that give you more information regarding the insect or animal mentioned in the poem helps the reader understand a little more about this creature.  The glossary in the back of the book furthers student understanding of unfamiliar words encountered in the book.  The artwork guides you through the changing seasons and has splendid pictures of the highlighted creatures in the poetry. Each poem is a tribute to the pond animals by having each poems wording represent the way the creature may sound, its way of emerging, flying, singing, swimming.... The poem gives you the effect of taking on the personality of it's subject.

Listen for Me

Listen for me on a spring night,

on a wet night,

on a rainy night.

Listen for me on a still night,

for in the night I sing.

Introduction to Share: A great place to start with this poetry book would be to locate the soundtrack of a pond and have it playing while you are reading this book.  By doing a little background research into other creatures that are located near a pond, children could write additional poetry that could be added to this book.  Another idea would be to share the poetry without sharing the artwork and have students draw their own picture of what the poetry tells them about the pond creature.  The shared poem above would be a great way to share an origami project by having students fold a frog and write descriptive words taken from the poem on their folded frog.  What other animals could be studied and written about and placed into a book in this same manner?  Forrest animals? Desert animals/creatures?  Endless ideas could be made into more poetry books.

Poetry Review: Performance Poetry

Big Talk: Poems for Four Voices                                           by Paul Fleischman                        Illustrated by Beppe Giacobbe

Bibliographic Citation: Fleischman, Paul. Big talk: poems for four voices. Illustrated by Beppe Giacobbe. Massachusetts:Candlewick Press. 2000.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7636-0636-7

Review: This colorful, eye-catching poetry book will have kids trying to read it, only to realize that the best way to read it is out loud with three other friends! Kids will enjoy reading and performing these poems. They are cleverly written for the older/upper elementary student to relate to, understand and enjoy.  The repetition of the poetry helps the readers read together and allow it to make sense. The rhythm of the poem will shine through as they read it aloud multiple times. The colored lines make it simple enough to follow along with your dedicated line to share.

Seventh-Grade Soap Opera

  Brenda calls Gregory

                            Derek snubs Catherine

                                                               Ingrid tells Beverly

                                                                                         Jason eyes Jacqueline

Rick gives his e-mail address to Penelope

                                                                 Faith invites Gwendolyn

                                                                 Faith invites Gwendolyn

                                                                 Faith invites Gwendolyn   Chelsea lets Brad read her answers in history.....

(my lines are not exact as in the book)

Introduction to Share:  This poetry book would be a great example of how to demonstrate why poetry is best understood when it is read aloud.  The teacher, or even a lone student, trying to read this poem to themselves or aloud to a class, would not make much sense. But, by assigning lines, the students can read their part and perform it for others to help it make better sense. Students will definitly identify with the "drama" portrayed in the portion of the poem shared. Just by giving these few lines, students can get the idea and could continue writing the poem, in their own words, to make it more relevant to their lives.  Another poem from this book is Ghosts' Grace. This poem is from the perspective of four ghosts watching and remembering what food was like when they were alive.  This poem opens the door for a very cute play for students to act out and for others to write a second act.

Poetry Review: Social Studies

Lady Liberty: A Biography

by Doreen Rappaport

Illustrated by Matt Tavares

Bibliographic Citation: Rappaport, Dorreen. Lady Liberty: A Biography. Illustrated by Matt Tavares. Cambridge:Candlewick Press. 2008.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7636-2530-6

Review:  The poetry of this book is divided into poems about the persons involved in the design, building and construction of the Statue of Liberty.  Each poems talks about the person, their role in helping with every part of the statue and their feelings about it.  I enjoy how the first and last poems and quotes are written by the author to set the scene for the poetry story and how she relates it to her own life.

Emma Lazarus

Poet

New York City. November 1883

Soon when people arrive in the New World,

they will be welcomed

by a caring, powerful woman.

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me:

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

Introduction to Share: The many ideas that come to mind in sharing ways to expand on this author's idea are great! By going to this WebQuest: Lady Liberty WebQuest that goes along with this book, after reading the story, students can research more information regarding the statue. I made this WebQuest in another class to be a supportive addition to this book.
Another idea: students could select another American icon and write a poem about it.  Pam Munoz Ryan's book about the flag would be a great example.