FACE BUG

FACE BUG

by J. Patrick Lewis

Photographs by Frederic B. Siskind

Illustrations by Kelly Murphy

Image credit: www.amazon.com

Bibliography

Lewis, J. Patrick. 2013. Face Bug. Honesdale, PA: WordSong. ISBN 9781590789254

Critical Analysis and Review

From award-winning poet J. Patrick Lewis, this themed collection of insect poems has an amusing premise.  The whole book is designed to be a visit to a museum for bugs in which all of the exhibits are close-up portraits of bugs.  The opening poem titled "Grand Opening: The Face Bug Museum" sets the scene as it says "Our Smithsonian--from Dragon-, Horse-, and Butterfly to Bee--/ Is a hoppin', bug eye-poppin' photo show."  Kelly Murphy's ink and graphite illustrations show the bugs as they move through the museum viewing each exhibit.  Frederic B. Siskind's outstanding zoomed-in photography of a bug face is the focal point of each page.  Then, Lewis's poem about the bug pictured is on the facing page.  

Lewis's poetry usually consists of three to four stanzas of humorous rhymes.  He utilizes line breaks and creative spacing to make the poems visually appealing on the page.  Lewis uses metaphor comparing the Hickory Horned Devil to "Mother Nature's Frankenstein." Some of his poems have a surprise ending like in "Bush Katydid" which ends with the line "To sunlight, I'm a magnet/ To windshields, I'm a... splat!"

Spotlight Poem

EASTERN DOBSONFLY

Corydalus cornutus

by J. Patrick Lewis

I love you, Mr. Dobsonfly.

Why?

           Because of your huge mandible!

           (Understandable)

           Because your life is mostly larval.

           (A river marvel)

           Because of those bucktooth incisors.

           (Your hypnotizers)

           Because you live the life aquatic.

           (How exotic!)
            And

            There's 

            Another

            Reason

            Why--

                           Because I'm Mrs. Dobsonfly.

This poem exemplifies the work of J. Patrick Lewis in this collection because it is full of content-based vocabulary, it has excellent rhythm, and a twist at the end!  I absolutely adore the unique rhyming words in this poem - mandible/understandable and incisors/hypnotizers.  These words are so much fun to say and hear.

I would introduce this poem to second graders, because they complete an extensive insect study each year.  After reading, we would discuss all the different aspects Mrs. Dobsonfly loves about her husband.  Then, I would challenge the students to write their own "love" poem about one of the insects that they are studying from the point of view of his or her wife or husband.  The second graders observe mealworms so one might begin with a poem with "I love you, Mr. Mealworm" and continue to describe the irresistible traits of a mealworm.

POETREES

POETREES
by Douglas Florian

Image credit: www.simonandschuster.com

Bibliography

Florian, Douglas. 2010. Poetrees. New York: Beach Lane Books. ISBN 9781416986720

Critical Analysis and Review

Written and illustrated by poet and artist Douglas Florian, this themed collection is a celebration of trees.  Of the eighteen poems in this book, five focus on the parts of a tree including seeds, roots, tree rings, leaves, and bark.  The other poems focus on different types of trees.  From the familiar oak, giant sequoia, and willow to the very rare scribbly gum and monkey puzzle tree, this collection describes a diverse group of trees.

Florian's rhythmic and rhyming poetry is perfect to read aloud with children.  Many of his poems show the reader how the words should be read like in "Paper Birch" which reads "Grows where it's cold/ Paper birrrrrrrrrrrrrch" with the extended /r/ sound.  The use of bold print, loosely spaced words, and line breaks all help the reader to read the poems with the correct emphasis.  Florian is a master of wordplay.  Get ready for tree puns galore with words like "cen-trees," "tree-mendous," and seeds that are "ex-seed-ingly small." The poetry forms are varied with mostly free verse and two concrete poems, "The Seed" and "Tree Rings."

Florian creates beautiful works of art to illustrate each poem.  He uses a wide variety of mediums including gouache watercolors, colored pencils, rubber stamps, oil pastels, and collage on primed paper bags.  The wrinkly and creased paper bags provide an earthy background for each illustration.  The colorful collages are varied in style and sometimes abstract.  This book is uniquely designed with a vertical format, so that the trees stretch upward across the double-page spread.

This book contains an informative "Glossatree" that provides scientific facts about each tree and tree part.  In the Author's Note, the reader learns that Florian has fond memories of climbing trees and a deep love for trees.  A bibliography is also included.

Spotlight Poem

BARK

by Douglas Florian

The outer bark of trees is dead,
So when trees grow, the bark is shed.
It cracks.
        It flakes.
                It splits.
                         It peels.
From fire, heat, and cold it shields.
It comes in an array of hues--
Of browns or reds or greens or blues.
It's rough or tough
Or strewn with spines.
Bumpy, lumpy, filled with lines.
Or found with fronds
That all jut out.
The bark's a thing to bark about.

This rhyming poem is a good example of the tree-themed poetry in this collection.  Florian has a gift for choosing words that beg to be read aloud with children as in this poem.  There is also an opportunity for learning with the science content that is packed into Florian's tree poems, including how the bark is protection from fire, heat, and cold.

This poem would be an especially fun poetry break to use in a science class when studying trees. After reading aloud "Bark" several times and discussing how the bark functions as protection for the tree trunk.  The teacher would take students outside with paper and some peeled crayons to do a bark rubbing on any tree trunks in the schoolyard.  Using the bark rubbing paper, students could use this as a background to write their own tree poem.  

TAP DANCING ON THE ROOF

TAP DANCING ON THE ROOF

Sijo (Poems) by Linda Sue Park

Pictures by Istvan Banyai

Image credit: www.lindasuepark.com

Bibliography

Park, Linda Sue. 2007. Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (Poems). New York: Clarion Books. 

ISBN 9780618234837

Critical Analysis and Review

This is a unique collection of 28 poems written by Linda Sue Park.  Each poem is written in the Sijo form, which is an ancient form of Korean poetry.  The first page titled "About Sijo" explains that this form includes three lines with 14-16 syllables each.  The poems in this collection are written about a variety of topics, but each follows the sijo style.  In sijo, the first line introduces the theme, the second line develops the theme, and the third line is the closure but also has a twist.  Some of the sijo in this book are "divided into six shorter lines" due to space restrictions of the page.

Many of Park's poems are humorous and employ wordplay.  In "Tide Line," the metaphor that the ocean "redecorated the beach" as the tide came in is a delightful image.  The imagery in "October" creates a strong visual as the "wind rearranges the leaves" and "then it plays tag with a plastic bag".  The sijo have a twist or pun in the third line, so it is fun to decipher what it is in each poem.  In "Vanishing Act," the sun shines on a child's snowman family and the twist is the that he predicts that tomorrow he will "find three carrots on the ground."  The cleverness of Park's words, in just 44-46 syllables, is enjoyable to read.  

Each poem is illustrated with digitally produced line drawings and few colors.  Banyai's cartoon-like style may be familiar to those that have read his popular wordless picture books Zoom and Re-zoom. The pale, mostly black and white drawings allow the poem to stand out on the page.  Some of the drawings are playful, but others are almost surreal.

Even if one is not familiar with sijo as a form, the author's note and historical background sections provide plenty of information about the Korean style.  Park also offers a list of tips to help readers that are inspired to write their own sijo.  

Spotlight Poem

BEDTIME SNACKS

by Linda Sue Park

Good: Cookies and one glass of milk

for two dunkers -- me and my dad.

Better: Popcorn, a video,

and sleeping bags stuffed with friends.

Best: Blanket pulled up over my head--

book, flashlight, and chocolate bar.

I chose this poem because it is an excellent example of a sijo as it clearly introduces the topic of a snack at bedtime in lines 1 and 2.  Then, it builds to an even better bedtime snack in lines 3 and 4.  Then, it concludes in lines 5 and 6 with the author's favorite bedtime snack.  I think the twist in this poem is the unexpected chocolate bar.  

I would introduce this poem to children by asking if they have ever had a bedtime snack.  We would discuss different snack items that they have had before.  I would use the "Good, Better, Best" model to challenge students to write their own sijo using this poem as a mentor text.  Even if students did not get the syllable requirements exactly correct, I think they would enjoy trying to come up with a twist at the end, which Park deems the most difficult part of writing sijo.

ALMOST LATE TO SCHOOL AND MORE SCHOOL POEMS

ALMOST LATE TO SCHOOL AND MORE SCHOOL POEMS

by Carol Diggory Shields

Illustrated by Paul Meisel

Image credit: www.scholastic.com

Bibliography
Shields, Carol Diggory.  2009. Almost Late to School and More School Poems.  New York: Puffin Books. ISBN 9780142403288

Review and Critical Analysis
In this follow up to Lunch Money and Other Poems About School, Carol Diggory Shields writes another school-themed poetry collection.  Almost Late to School and More School Poems is a twenty-two poem collection that is a lighthearted take on topics such as the first day of school, show and tell, and recess.  Shields also writes poems about the negative aspects of school such as jealousy, detention, and name calling.  Most students will be able to relate to these familiar topics and appreciate the humor in Shields's writing.

Almost Late to School and More School Poems has rhyming text throughout, but the poems vary in length and the final poem, "Poem for Two Voices", is formatted for two readers.  This collection features poetic elements such as rhythm and personification in "Old Blue".

Meisel's lively illustrations are colorful and feel kid-drawn.  The style of drawing nicely complements Shields's fun poems.  Almost Late to School and More School Poems also features a table of contents.


Spotlight Poem 

SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT
by Carol Diggory Shields

PURPOSE:
The purpose of my project this year
Is to make my brother disappear

HYPOTHESIS:
The world would be a better place
If my brother vanished without a trace

MATERIALS:
3 erasers
White-out
Disappearing ink
1 younger brother
1 kitchen sink

PROCEDURE:
Chop up the erasers
Add the white-out and the ink
Rub it on the brother
While he's standing in the sink

RESULTS:
The kid was disappearing!
I had almost proved my theorem!
When all at once my mom camp home
And made me re-appear him.

CONCLUSION:
Experiment a failure
My brother is still here
But I'm already planning
For the science fair next year

I chose this as the spotlight poem because of its tongue-in-cheek hilarity.  Children love humorous poetry and this poem fits the bill and has some science content intertwined as well.

I would use this poem as a Poetry Break before a science lesson.  Most grades learn about the scientific process each year and this poem could be a silly icebreaker for such a lesson.  Even though the premise is meant to be funny, the scientific process terms are accurate.  A noted benefit of poetry is to expand student's vocabularies.  This poem has words like "theorem", "disappear", and "re-appear" that would be introduced to students.  

POEMS IN THE ATTIC

POEMS IN THE ATTIC

by Nikki Grimes

Illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon

Image credit: www.leeandlow.com

Bibliography

Grimes, Nikki. 2015. Poems in the Attic. New York: Lee and Low Books.  ISBN 9781620140277

Critical Analysis and Review

This poetry collection is the story of a seven-year-old girl who finds a set of poems in her Grandmother's attic written by her mother.  Through reading the poems, she finds out that her mother moved around to different Air Force bases as a military brat, but always wrote down her memories in poem.  Interestingly, the two characters' words alternate throughout the book as the young girl reads each of her mother's poems.  It is easy to understand which character wrote the poem, because the daughter's poems appear on the left side, while the mother's poems are on the right side and in italics. 

Grimes is best known for her skill in deftly using poetry to tell a story.  To some readers, this book may not even seem like a collection of poetry because the story is so richly woven into each poem.  In this book, the poems have numerous poetic elements woven throughout.  In "Air Force Brat", the young girl describes her mother's "childhood on wings", a metaphor for moving from place to place. In "Aurora Borealis", the  children watch a "dancing rainbow / shimmy 'cross Alaska's sky" showing the use of sensory images.  These poems evoke strong feelings, but are not overly sentimental.  In "Moving Day", the young girl empathizes with her mother musing, "I get dizzy thinking about / all those good-byes."  Finally, the young girl decides to "copy Mama's poems, then / stitch them together with mine" as a gift to her mother.  

Poems in the Attic has additional content in an author's note, in which Grimes explains that she has a lot of friends who were military brats and their stories inspired this work of fiction.  There is also a brief description of the Air Force Bases and their locations that are featured in the Mother's poems.  Grimes also provides information about the two forms of poetry used in the story.  The young narrator tells her story in consistent three to four line free verse.  The mother's poems from the attic are all written in tanka with a specific syllable count.  Grimes encourages readers to try out free verse and tanka on their own.  

Spotlight Poem

GRANDMA SAYS
by Nikki Grimes

Memories can be like sandcastles

the waves wash away.

My mama glued her memories with words

so they would last forever.

I chose this poem because this whole poetry collection is about a young girl learning about her mother's memories preserved in poems.  This poem compares memories to sandcastles because they "wash away".  The little girl was able to learn more about her mother's interesting life because her mother "glued" her memories into poems, so they didn't "wash away".

To introduce "Grandma Says" with students, we would discuss memories with a few questions.  Can you remember being a baby?  Can you remember being a toddler? Can you remember last year?  Do you think you would you be able to remember special memories more vividly if you wrote them down in a journal?  What about in a poem?  After reading the entire text, I would ask students, "How do you think that you could preserve your memories so they don't wash away?"  As a follow up activity, students could begin creating a daily poetry journal to preserve their memories.  

CITY I LOVE

CITY I LOVE 

by Lee Bennett Hopkins

 Illustrated by Marcellus Hall

Image credit: www.commonsensemedia.com

Bibliography

Hopkins, Lee Bennett.  2009. City I Love. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers.  ISBN 9780810983274

Critical Review and Analysis

This book is a collection of poems written by the award-winning poet Lee Bennett Hopkins.  These poems take the reader on an international journey as each one conjures images of an urban location from around the world.  From Venice, to Tokyo, to New York City, eighteen of the world's largest cities are depicted in the poems and illustrations.

Marcellus Hall uses brush and ink and bright watercolors to show a backpacking dog traveling around the world.  The paintings show various types of architecture along with some recognizable landmarks like Big Ben, the Pyramids, and the Golden Gate Bridge stretching across a double-page spread.  The cities that are shown in each poem are also marked on a breezy blue-green world map on the endpapers of the book.  

Though the illustrations are delightful, the poetry is what brings to life the bustling city on each page. This is a themed collection of poems that each focus on some aspect of living in a urban setting. Though the entire collection is penned by Hopkins, the poems vary in length and tone.  Most of the poems are free verse with exception of "Sparrow", a haiku.  Hopkins utilizes many poetic elements that make these poems so much fun to read aloud.  There is personification in "Mother's Plea" which is written from the point of view of an annoyed mother pigeon pleading with noisy traffic in Paris.   The metaphor of the poem "Subways Are People" is obvious as the busy subway is described as "People dashing / Steel flashing / Up and down and round the town".  In "City I Love", the alliterative description of the street sweeper as it "swishes, swashes / sputters / of sweepers / swooshing litter" is a almost a tongue twister.  

Spotlight Poem

CITY

by Lee Bennett Hopkins

Mile-long skyscrapers are my trees 

Subway's whoosh -- my summer breeze.

A hydrant is my swimming pool

Where friends and I find some cool. 

City is the place to be.

City is the place for me.

CITY is a poem that celebrates the ways that urban dwellers enjoy certain aspects of life differently than others, but they still love it.  It is written in rhyming couplets with several metaphors in this short poem.   This poem and others in the collection could be easily integrated with Social Studies curriculum when learning about urban, suburban, and rural communities.

I would introduce this poem by asking students if they have ever visited downtown Dallas or other large city.  What did it look like?  What did it sound like?  What was different about it from their own town?  Then, I would explain that in this poem, the poet describes how people in cities enjoy their summer.  After reading this poem aloud and discussing the descriptions of city life, I would invite students to write their own poem about where they live.