Genre 3 - Poetry

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
1. Bibliography
Hesse, Karen. 1997. Out of the Dust. New York: Scholastic, Inc.
ISBN: 978-0-590-36080-7
Dewey Classification: Fic
Reading Level: 4.5


2. Summary
A 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 Analysis
What 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. Reviews
Newbery Medal/Honor 1998
Horn 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. Connections
Listen 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: 978-0-545-08092-7
Hesse, Karen. Witness. ISBN: 978-0-439-27199-8


This is Just to Say : Poems of Apology and Forgiveness
by Joyce Sidman
1. Bibliography
Sidman, 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: 811
Reading Level: 3.9

2. 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. Reviews
Bluebonnet Award Book 2008-2009
Horn 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: 978-0-7613-9809-7
Sidman, Joyce. The World According to Dog : Poems and Teen Voices. ISBN: 978-0-618-28381-1

Toasting Marshmallows : Camping Poems
by Kristine O'Connell George
1. Bibliography
George, Kristine O'Connell. 2001. Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems. Ill. by Kate Kiesler. New York. Clarion Books.
ISBN: 978-0-618-04597-6
Dewey: 811
Reading Level: 2.8
2. Summary
The 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 Analysis
This 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. Reviews
Bluebonnet 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)