Diamond Willow by Helen Frost- VERSE NOVEL- MODULE 3

Helen Frost. 2008. Diamond Willow. New York. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.  ISBN 978-0-374-31776-8.

Diamond Willow written by Helen Frost is an easy to read verse novel.  The book is set in a remote area of Alaska.  Twelve year old Willow does not have a lot of friends and loves to spend time sledding with her father's sled dogs.  Willow finally gets to take her first dog sledding trip alone on a twelve mile journey to her grandparents house.  The trip goes terribly wrong when Roxy, the loved lead dog is blinded on the way back home after she runs into a fallen tree of a curve where Willow should have slowed down.  They end up having to put Roxy down which is extremely hard for Willow to deal with. 

This story is set in a fictional town in Alaska.  The story is told in a series of poems from Willow's point of view. The form that each poem takes on is inspired by the marks on a diamond willow stick.  Each poem is roughly in the shape of a diamond but there are no two poems that are exactly alike.  A really neat thing that Frost has added into each poem is a hidden meaning.  The words in bold face type come together to create their own message.  The poems do not rhyme but have so much sense imagery and emotional impact.  The love and compassion that you feel for Willow when she is about to lose her only friend, Roxy, is truly touching and is a tear jerker for sure. The characters are so well developed that you feel so close to them it's almost like this tragedy is happening to you while you are reading it.

There is so much appeal to this book.  The topic is naturally appealing to young people and will retain their attention.  I don't think you see a lot of books about the Alaska dog sledding sport and that topic is so interesting to children.  Children can connect with the animals and the girl in this story.  Children have to deal with putting an animal to sleep sometimes and dealing with the loss and sadness of this can be overwhelming.  Children will be able to connect with Willow on this feeling and sympathize with her.      

There are no illustrations to accompany this story but with the hidden meanings the poems children are sure to have just as much fun reading this book.  The poem that I are going to share with you is the poem where Roxy runs into the tree. 

The

dogs love

going fast as much

as I do.  When we come to

the curve at the bottom of the hill

I'll slow them down a little.  But not yet-

this is too much fun! Here's the curve.  What?

Whoa! Easy, Roxy! I brake hard, the dogs stop-

but not fast enough.  Roxy's howl cuts through me.

I set the snow hook, run to her-as fast as I can

through the deep.  I stumble; a branch

jabs into my leg.  Oww! It's my own

voice I hear, like the fault line

of an earthquake, with

everything breaking

around it.  Roxy

sticks her face

in the snow.

The snow

turns

red. 

Classroom/Library Connection

Recommended audience:  Ages 11-15

Before reading:  Before reading this poem I would ask the students what they think a diamond willow is and how is it formed? I would ask them if they have any pets and if so what kind of relationship do they share with their pets?  I would also ask them if they have ever read a verse novel before and what they think the features of a verse novel are?    

During reading:  Students will take turns reading one chapter out loud and going around the room. 

After reading:  After the entire book is read students will be divided into groups and discuss the hidden meanings to reveal Willow's thoughts and feelings.  After the book itself is discussed I will show the children a piece of a real Diamond Willow stick.  I want them to see how it is formed and what it looks like. 

Every Thing On It by Shel Silverstein- NEW POETRY BOOK (2011) Module 3

Shel Silverstein.2011. Every Thing On It. New York. HarperCollins.  ISBN 978-0-06-199816-4. 

Every Thing On It is written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein.  Members of Shel Silverstein's family selected poems and drawings from his personal archive for a volume to follow his much loved books such as Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, and Falling Up. The very first poem titled Years from Now is about Shel Silverstein's legacy in life and how much he truly will be missed since his death in 1999.  The poem goes like this: Although I cannot see your face, As you flip these poems awhile, Somewhere from some far-off place, I hear you laughing-and I smile. This and 129 other poems were chosen by Silverstein's family.  The poems vary in length, subject matter and difficulty. Some poems are for early readers and some are more in-depth which will expand their vocabulary. These poems are sure to attract every child's attention with his humor, silliness, and blunt sense of life.  Every single poem of his is great quality and no one will disappointed with this book.  There are several poems that are geared more towards adults with content like saving the whales and what materials are in their food but that is why this is a family fun book. Silberstein does not strive for perfect rhyming in his poems, some of the poems are rhyming poems while others sort of rhyme.  There are so many poems that offer sense imagery such as Food and Tiny Footprints. His poems not only stimulate a variety of thoughts and emotions but they also represent various moods.  Some poems are about school, family, friends, growing up and some are just funny about made up fictional characters. The format of the poems vary, some are very short while some take up three pages. Some of the shorter poems have several on a page while others are just by them self. There is an index in the back of the book to help you navigate through these wonderful titles.   

To accompany these wonderful poems are amazing illustrations done by Shel Silverstein himself.  Not every single title has an illustration.  The ones that do are done in a black ink drawing fashion against a white background.  His drawings are funny and fit the poems so perfectly they are sure to make every reader laugh and appreciate them.    

I was so glad to see another book done with poems from Shel Silverstein.  Even though he has passed away his poems will be shared with generations to come.  The poem that I would like to share with you is called THE ONE WHO INVENTED TRICK OR TREAT.  I read this poem and thought it was funny and charming and I hope you feel the same. 

THE ONE WHO INVENTED TRICK OR TREAT

Yes, I invented "trick or treat"

So you could fill your mouth with sweets-

Candy bars and lemon drops,

Marshmallows and Tootsie Pops,

Butterscotch and bubble gum.

Hold out your hand-they'll give you some

Chocolate kisses, Juiubes,

Sourballs and jelly beans.

Have a cake-some cookies too. 

Take a couple-grab a few

Peppermint sticks and Mary Janes,

Licorice whips and candy canes. 

Slurp some soda, munch a pie,

Don't let those M&M's go by,

Chew that toffee, munch those treats,

Get that caramel in your teeth.

Then come see me, I'll be here-

I'm your friendly dentist, dear.   

Classroom/Library Connection

Recommended audience:  Ages 7-13

Before reading:  Before reading this poem I would ask the students if they knew who Shel Silverstein was.  He has wrote some amazing poetry and I would tell them that I would want to share some with them. 

During reading:  I would read the poem slowly so they can truly appreciate the poem and the hidden meaning behind it with the dentist. 

Reread the poem: I would then discuss the poem with them and have the class do research behind who Shel Silverstein was.  Then I would reread the poem and maybe some others to them.    

After reading:  In Shel Silverstein's honor I would ask each one of the students to select some of his poetry books and do just like Silverstein's family did. Create a book of their favorite poems written by Shel Silverstein and share one of them in front of the class.  This would expose them to several of his works and truly appreciate the wonderful poet that he was!

GUYKU: A Year of Haiku for Boys:POETIC FORM: MODULE 3

written by Bob Raczka; art by Peter Reynolds.2010.  Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.  ISBN 978-0-547-24003-9    

Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys is written by Bob Raczka with art done by Peter H. Reynolds.  The poems are written to grab the attention of boys.  These poems are written about the four seasons with six poems per season.  The book starts out with Spring and then goes in chronological order of the seasons which makes this a great arrangement.  None of the poems have titles they are just about a specific season. The content of the poems are based upon outdoor activities that appeal to boys. Some of the poems are action based such as: following deer tracks, skipping rocks and fighting off mosquitoes.  Other poems are sensory based such as counting how many snowflakes it will take to make a snow day, feeling grasshoppers hitting you, and counting stars.  This book is written completely in haiku format which is nonrhyming.  Haiku's consist of three lines with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second line, and five in the third line.  Haiku's really appeal to children because they are easy to understand, short and about topics that children enjoy, usually nature. 

All of these activities that are written about appeal to young children both boys and girls.  Children will be able to relate to these experiences.  While most children will be able to relate to flying kites, making snowman, roasting marshmallows they may not be as familiar with playing with cattails, seeing mashed penny's on a train tack, or using squadrons as helicopters from the maple tree. By reading some of these activities they will expand their vocabulary and activities and it will stimulate imagination when reading these new concepts.  These poems will also stimulate a variety of thought process from children.  If they have not done some of these outdoor things I am sure that they will be curious about them and want to do them or if they have it will bring back an emotional experience from them when remembering a time that they had while doing one of these activities.  These poems are not about sentimental things which really makes them appeal to boys.  Sometimes children think about love when they think about poetry but since that is not always the case at all this is a good book to use to show otherwise because it is so fun.    

To accompany these wonderful poems is awesome art work.  They are cartoon like drawings in watercolor and digital color.  They are mostly done in brown with splashes of color relating the season the poem is about.  The illustrations are humorous to the poems which will appeal to children.  There are author and illustrator notes at the end of the book to explain the haiku form and to encourage writing haiku and the creative process behind the art work.  These poems are great read alouds to children.   

The poem I would like to share with you is about summer, it goes like this:

With the ember end

of my long marshmallow stick,

I draw on the dark. 

Classroom/Library Connection

Recommended audience:  Ages 5-8

Before reading:  Before reading this poem I would ask the children what types of activities they do in the summer time.  I would tell them I am going to read a poem to them and they have to guess what the little boy is doing. 

During reading:  I would read the poem slowly so they can try to visualize what the boy is doing in the poem.    
Reread the poem:   Before having them guess what the boy is doing out loud I will have each of the children sit quietly with a piece of paper and draw out what they saw.  Everyone visualizes things differently.  After they are all finished with their drawing I will collect all their papers and we will discuss as a class what the boy was doing and I will reread the poem. 

After reading:  I would have the children redraw their picture now that they know what it is about and see how they differ.  This would be such a fun way to introduce Haikus.             



Another Jar of Tiny Stars- NCTE Award Poetry-MODULE 2

Cullinan, Bernice E. and Deborah Wooten, (Ed.) (2009) Another Tiny Jar
of Stars. Portraits by Marc Nadel. Honesdale, Pennsylvania: Boyds
Mills Press. ISBN-13: 978-1-59078-726-7
REVIEW
Another Jar of Tiny Stars is a wonderful book that consists of several collections of poems from a wide variety of poets.  There are a total of 15 different poets including Lee Bennett Hopkins, Nikki Grimes, and Eve Merriam.  The book is divided into sections which introduces a new
poet and gives a brief collection of their work.  All of the poets featured in this book have received the award: The National Council of Teachers of English Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children.  At the end of the book is a biographical section titled About the Poets,
which gives a little information on the poet.  There is such a wide variety of poems in this book with very different types of rhyming styles.  Some of the books are serious, some are hilarious and each poem has a different theme and meaning behind it which will make
children love this entire collection. The illustrations in this book are very unique and different.  At the beginning of each section that introduces a new poet their portrait appears to be in a gray watercolor painting format. Each portrait is followed by a brief quotation from the poet.
Each poem was so different from one another that I wanted to share so many poems with you however; I think I selected my favorite poem titled Big Sister because it reminded me so much of my sister. 

Big Sister

I have a big sister;

She's taller and older;

On tiptoe I only

Reach up to her shoulder;

But I have a secret

But I haven't told her. 

            (It's how to grow faster

             Until I grow past her.)

I watch what she's eating;

I watch what she's drinking;

I don't let her notice

Or see what I'm thinking;

But each time that she

Takes a bite, I take two;

And that way she only

Eats half what I do.

I have a big sister;

She's taller and older;

On tiptoe I only

Reach up to her shoulder;

But I have a secret

That I haven't told her.

            (The way I will beat her

            Is just to outeat her!)  
Classroom/Library Connection

 Recommended audience:  Ages 8-12

Due to the importance of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children I would use this book in an English lesson.  I had never heard of this award before this class and I wish I would have.  Children are still learning about poetry and how wonderful is it to be able to teach them about an award through poetry.  I like this to because children get such a mix of styles and rhyming that there is a poem in here that will appeal to everyone.    

Before reading:  I would read several poems to the children from Another Jar of Tiny Stars collection of poetry.  I would make sure to tell them to listen carefully because they are very important poems. 
During reading:  I would read a group of selected poems slowly so they can visualize all the content that each poem has. 
Reread the poem:   Before rereading the poems I would as a class do some research on the NCTE award so the children were familiar with the award and what it means.  Then I would reread the poems that I had previously and have the children think about why these poems won this award. 
After reading:  I would have the children write their own poems and encourage them to do their very best work and pretend that they are going to submit them to win this award.  They could all share their poetry with the class and something that they learned about this award. 

Dizzy In Your Eyes: Poems About Love: MODULE 2 Multicultural Poetry!

Review

Dizzy in Your Eyes is a wonderful collection of poems by Pat Mora pertaining to one of the most difficult things all teenagers deal with…love.  The poems are a reflection of family, love, and life.  This collection of poetry is divided in four stages of love; new love, losing love, the healing process of losing love, and falling in love all over again.  There are 50 poems in this collection that starts out in free verse. 

This book is absolutely wonderful for teenagers to read.  They can relate the poems to their own life and maybe some of the poetry will help them overcome some of their feelings about new and exciting love or even about the pain and heartache of losing love.  Even as an adult as I read through these poems it brought back memories of my first love, the heartache in high school of loving love and the wonderful love I have now.    It sends a great message to teens at the end, no matter how painful things get you will fall in love again and to not give up on love just because it hurts sometimes. 

The layout of this book is very much written for teenagers.  There are definitions of the type of poem represented to the left of the poem page.  There is a huge diversity of poems in this book including tanka, tercet, list poem, dialogue, blank verse, letter poem, and many more.  It was nice to have the description of the poem because some of the forms I had never heard about and it was interesting to read about the format before reading the poem. Some of the poems also contain some Spanish words to learn as your reading the poems.  There are also many cultural meanings brought up in the poems such as speaking Russian, being Musliam, having a French grandma, and many other cultural add ins.     

Each poem is complemented by abstract designs such as circles, lines and rectangles.  They are subtle and done in a light gray color so they do not take away from the poem.  This is a must read for both teenage boys and girls!

I had so many favorite poems in this book it was extremely hard for me to select just one to share with everyone but I did find one that I could relate to as a teenage girl.  

Doubts

What if guys think I can’t kiss because I can think?

                What if I ask her out and she laughs?

Why are all the guys I know so short?

                Why do girls like those handsome fakes

                with fast cars and fat wallets?

Can I eat less and less until I’m transparent and shine?

                Why do their eyes squint when we speak Russian?

Do boys really imagine all of us without clothes?

                What if no one wants to touch me because I’m too fat?

Why do they start whispering about me when I walk by?

                When I dance, why do my feet get stuck, as if must is a foreign language?

Does anyone care about the real me?

                Does my breath smell like a fish tank?

Why don’t the like him just because he’s Muslim?

                What if the way I kiss is dull, like oatmeal?

Why do adults say, “What do you know about love?”

                Why is my dog the only one who really understands me?

How does it feel to be married?

                Why do my parents kiss in public?

Not only could I relate to this poem as a teenage girl or even as a girl now, but I liked how you had the guys’ perspective in the poem too.  It’s not only the girls who worry about things like this and I know that sometimes I forget that and so many girls.  It so easy to think how hard love is for you that you don’t realize what the other sex is going through as well.  Teachers and librarians can use this book any many effective ways, especially since Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching.  I looked up some different activities and for those of you that are looking for something fun for young adults on love and poetry check this out: http://www.patmora.com/teenideas.htm#act

Classroom/Library Connection

 Recommended audience:  Grades 7^th-12^th   

Before reading: Before reading this collection of poetry have the kids close their eyes and think about someone they love more than anything in the world.  This could be a boyfriend/girlfriend/ family member/ even a pet.   

During reading: Select several of the poems from the different stages and read them out loud. 

Reread the poem:  After they have heard some of the love poems re-read them and encourage the kids to think about their loved one while reading the poems and see if the poems relate to them.   

After reading: Have the kids create their own poetry book for someone special.  This would make a great Valentine’s Day gift. The book can be a mix or original poetry and already published poetry with appropriate citation given to the author.  They can illustrate their book with drawings or photos of the person the poetry book if to, maybe photos of them together.  Kids will love doing this as a Valentine’s Day gift, a classic homemade gift that has so much meaning behind it!  

 

Mora, Pat. 2010. Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems about Love. New York. Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-375-84375-4

Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings: MODULE 2! Florian Poetry

Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings

Florian, Douglas. 2009. Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings. New York. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-I-4169-7978-4. 

REVIEW

Douglas Florian has created twenty separate poems about specific dinosaurs in this amazing picture book.  Each poem begins with the name of the dinosaur, pronunciation of the dinosaur, and the brief meaning behind the name of the dinosaur.  The poems have great rhyming and are about true characteristics of that specific dinosaur.  The poems are so fun to read out loud.  Children will the find the comparisons between the dinosaur and everyday objects hilarious.  For example the poem titled Brachiosaurus “Longer than a tennis court. Bigger than a barge.  I never knew a lizard could ever be so large.”  While the poems are silly and fun it is a good way for younger children to about this prehistoric time.  While I loved the poems I thought the illustrations were a little weird.  They are done in a crayon drawing, or cut outs.  Some poems had better illustrations than other.  I really liked the Tyrannosaurus rex illustrations but I did not care for the Pterosaurs illustrations. 

For the children who want to know more about the dinosaurs the poems were about there is a Glossarysaurus in the back which provides factual information on the dinosaurs that the poems were based around. 

One of my favorite poems from this book was

 Barosaurus

BAR-oh-SAW-rus (heavy lizard)

I’m higher than five elephants.

I’m longer than most whales.

My giant neck is balanced by

My forty-three-foot tail.

A tail that is my weapon.

It wings from side to side.

From nose to tail I’m ninety feet-

Hey kid, ya wanna ride?

Classroom/Library Connection

 Recommended audience:  Ages 7-11 

Most all children love the mystery behind dinosaurs and love learning about them.  This is a fun way to read about them while they are learning facts.  Most schools do a prehistoric unit and this would be a great way to introduce the unit. 

Before reading: Ask children what their favorite dinosaur is.  Have them write some facts that they know about that dinosaur or think they know about it. 

During reading: Read several poems to the class about the popular dinosaurs to them slowly so that they can hear all the facts about the dinosaur.  Ask them what their favorite one was.    

Reread the poem: The second time around re-read the poem and have children listen for all the fun things in the poem.  Have them pick out there favorite part and dinosaur. 

After reading: Have the children pick their dinosaur that they want to spend a week researching and finding facts out about.  Then have them write their own poem that is full of facts and share them in front of the class so everyone can learn about all the dinosaurs.  Have them do a crayon drawing on their dinosaur just like Florian did

There are so many fun things you can do with this book.   It can be used just for fun or for learning.  Librarians could use this in a dinosaur themed storytime and teachers have endless options available to them.  I would recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a fun education poetry book on dinosaurs.