Verse Novel: Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

Bibliography –

Creech, Sharon. 2001. Love that dog: A novel. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN – 9780060292874.

Critical Review –

Creech creates a verse novel that is powerfully funny yet powerfully poignant. The story is of an adolescent boy named Jack who initially believes that writing poetry is just for girls. Creech masterfully lays out the plot through the journal writings of Jack. His journal covers from September 3th to June 6^th which represents a school year. Jack writes in his journal as part of class assignments in response to poems that his teacher Miss Stretchberry reads to the class. The poems that are referred to are included at the end for reference. While the teacher does not make a direct appearance, the reader learns quite a bit about her. She does not give up on Jack and continually encourages him in his poetry writing and his desire to write a letter to the poet Walter Dean Meyers asking him to visit their school.

Each poem is generally short but packed with meaning. She uses a variety of devices to convey meaning. She uses italics to show dialogue that Jack is repeating from his teacher. Another interesting use of type is when she changes the font to match a word like typing the word small in a very small font or the word thin in a very tall thin font. One of the most endearing qualities is the use of authentic comedy conveyed through the voice of Jack. It would be difficult if not impossible to read Jack’s critique of Robert Frost’s poem “The Pasture” and not laugh out loud. Jack’s voice is childlike but makes powerful points. For example, Jack uses the phrase, “get killed dead.” While it may seem repetitious from an adult point of view, his meaning is crystal clear. The finality of death echoes through his young voice.

At first, Jack begins experimenting with poetry as words written in short lines and demands that his poems remain anonymous. Eventually he is confident enough to share with his classmates that he is the poet. Throughout the journal, the reader witnesses Jack grow as a poet all culminating in his heart wrenching poem about his dog Sky. It is probably a good idea to have a box of tissue handy for this one. Even though it is superbly foreshadowed, the reader feels compelled to read each word.

Below is one poem that Jack is very reluctant to share because it is one that he states was inspired by the poet Walter Dean Meyers, and he is afraid that Mr. Meyers may get upset with him for copying his words.

Love That Dog

(Inspired by Walter Dean Myers)

By Jack

Love that dog,

like a bird loves to fly

I said I love that dog

like a bird loves to fly

Love to call him in the morning

love to call him

"Hey there, Sky!"

Kid Connection –

To introduce the poem, read the first stanza of the poem “Love That Boy” by Walter Dean Meyers. Then, have to students read “Love That Dog” by Jack reading alternating lines. As a follow-up, explain that Jack was afraid that Mr. Meyers may be upset about Jack copying so much of his poem. Read some of the poems from the novel that reveal this fear. Next, have the students discuss whether or not they feel Mr. Meyers would get upset.

Poetic Form: The Cuckoo's Haiku and other birding poems by Michael J. Rosen

Bibliography –

Rosen, Michael J. 2009. The Cuckoo’s haiku and other birding poems. Ill. by Stan Fellows. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press. ISBN – 9780763630492.

Critical Review –

In this collection of haiku poems, Rosen along with his illustrator Fellows, create a wonderful auditory and visual experience for the reader. Using the theme of birds, Rosen divides the poems into sections by the season which one could expect to observe the particular bird, for example, spring would be a likely time to spot a Canadian Goose or a Northern Cardinal. Each bird is presented on a two page spread layout with the haiku on one page and vivid illustrations across both pages. The illustrations done in watercolors and pencil not only show what the bird looks like in life-like detail but also collages images relating to the bird’s natural environment and activities. Additionally in random and varying page locations, the bird’s name is written in elaborate script along with various brief yet interesting facts about the bird. After the poems is a note section which lists the birds in the order they appear in the collection with a picture and a paragraph detailing more information about that bird.

This beautiful collection is both visually and poetically amazing. Each haiku is a quick glimpse in an exact moment of the bird’s life. It is as if the reader can experience the moment the bird was spotted by Rosen, and he takes a haiku snapshot. While a table of contents would be helpful, the division of birds by season and the listing in order of appearance in the endnotes section does help the reader locate an exact bird. Rosen is faithful to the traditional haiku structure and expertly uses sensory images to create a realistic experience for the reader. Also, he uses simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration and onomatopoeia as staples to create his lasting impressions. The visually engaging illustrations and large font type for the poems are ideal for all ages; however, the script writing is inaccessible for younger children. Below is an example from the collection.

Northern Mockingbird

the one-man bird band:

diva, choir, and orchestra

unbroken record

Kid Connection –

Although this poem collection could be used for a variety of age groups and instructional objectives, the above haiku would be an excellent choice for high school students to pair with the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. First, introduce the poem by discussing a famous quote from the book. The author Harper Lee writes, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy…but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Read the poem to the class. Next, ask for three student volunteers to read the poem one line each. This will help reinforce the reading skill of pausing at the end of a line of poetry. Repeat this style of line by line reading until every student who would like to participate has a chance to do so. A poem cannot be read too many times. Then, lead a discussion over how this haiku connects with the book quote, and how the mockingbird in the novel is used as a symbol for some of the characters. As a follow-up activity, have the students select a character from the novel that is a “mockingbird” and write a haiku for that character. If time and resources permit, have the students use a computer to create illustrations or draw their own illustrations for their haiku poems.

Florian Poetry: In the Swim by Douglas Florian

Bibliography –

Florian, Douglas. 2001. In the swim. Orlando, FL: First Voyager Books. ISBN – 9780152024376.

Critical Review –

This anthology of poems contains twenty-one Florian poems about salt water and fresh water sea creatures with each poem having an accompanying illustration also created by Florian. He crafts a wonderfully witty poetry anthology where his illustrations marvelously match his humorous poems that naturally prompt the reader to investigate if the curious facts stated in the poems are true. In the case of the poem, “Starfish,” Starfish truly do not have a brain, or at least not in the sense that we do. Florian is as creative with his structure as he is with his wittiness. For example in his poem, “Sawfish,” he writes the poem in a zigzag manner resembling a saw cutting.

Florian is just as clever with his word play; he is downright “punny.” In his poem, “Catfish,” he uses the premise of explaining why a fish would not want to be a cat. In other instances, he is inventive with his words like “eel-ementary” in the poem, “The Eel.” His illustrations also perfectly complement the poems and add to his clever use of humor. In his poem, “The Piranhas” he makes the point that Piranhas have bad manners, and his illustration shows a piranha with his tongue sticking out which is the perfect image for lacking in manners. For his illustrations, Florian uses watercolor on rough French watercolor paper to create his child appealing images.

In the poem below, Florian not only gives interesting facts about the sea creature, he also uses language in a very interesting way. As with most of the poems in this anthology, he has a clever rhyme. Additionally, his imaginative use of words begs for a contest on naming words that mean small. Children will be reeled into this entertaining anthology on sea creatures.

The Tetra

The itty-bitty, pretty tetra

Is small, minute, petite, et cetra.

Kid Connection –

Before reading the above poem, discuss with the children heteronyms. Be sure to use “minute” (time) and “minute” (size) as an example. Then, read the poem to the children. As you are reading, decrease your volume with the decrease in font. As a follow-up, have students write their own two line poems using a heteronym.

Multicultural Poetry: Yum! MmMm! Que Rico! by Pat Mora

Bibliography –

Mora, Pat. 2007. Yum! MmMm! que rico!: Americas’ sproutings. Ill. by Rafael Lopez. New York: Lee and Low Books, Inc. ISBN – 9781584302711.

Critical Review –

Pat Mora assembles fourteen haikus celebrating not only the taste but also the experience in the mouth of various foods that are natively grown in the Americas. Opposite each poem, she provides thoroughly researched information on each food’s origins and includes some very interesting trivia about the food. The poems are arranged alphabetically: blueberry, chile, chocolate, corn, cranberry, papaya, peanuts, pecan, pineapple, potatoes, prickly pear, pumpkin, tomato, and vanilla. Some of the foods will be very familiar to children and others will not, but the fascinating facts acquaint the children to those foods.

Mora scatters in a few Spanish words in her poems which are easily identified since they are in italics, and she provides the translation for the words on the reverse side of the title page. Her colorful haikus use sensory imagery, alliteration, assonance, and personification. She ends her anthology with a letter to the reader in which she creates a “fast-clapping or jump-rope rhyme” using the foods from her poems.

The illustrations, extra details, and haikus work together to create multicultural themes of the Americas and their foods. Using acrylic on wood-panel, Lopez creates bright, vivid pictures with lots of reds, oranges, greens, and blues. The illustrations are as inviting as the poems. While text is small for younger children to see, they will be drawn into the pictures to hold their attention as they listen. The poem below is an example of Mora’s anthology. In this haiku, she uses sensory imagery so the reader can experience just how hot the chili is. She also uses assonance with the long “i” sound in the words “bites,” “fire,” “eyes,” and “sighs.” This long “i” sound seems to stretch out the fire of the chile on the tongue.

Chile

Dad bites green mouth-fire,
laughs when tears fill his eyes, sighs,
"Mmmm! This heat tastes good."

Kid Connection –

Introduce the above poem by asking children to share what is their favorite food and explain what they know about it. Next, read the poem and share the fun facts about the food. Ask for student volunteers to share their experiences with foods. Next, follow-up with Mora’s suggestion and have the students fast-clap or jump rope (if weather permits) her ending rhyme on foods. This poem would make a nice introduction for a social studies lesson.

NCTE Award Poetry: A Pocketful of Poems by Nikki Grimes

Bibliography –

Grimes, Nikki. 2001. A pocketful of poems. Ill. by Javaka Steptoe. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN – 9780395938683.

Critical Review –

This poetry anthology is a celebration of African-American urban culture. Nikki Grimes assembles twenty-eight poems that cover the experiences of a girl named “Tiana” over the course of one year. She moves from spring to summer to fall then winter. The structure of the poems is inventive. Grimes begins her anthology with a poem that introduces her intentions for the rest of the collection. She graciously invites the reader to join in her playful exploration of words by inviting them to “borrow most of them/if you want to.” For the next twenty-six poems, she starts with a word and then creates two poems that encapsulate that word for her. The first in the pair is generally a short free verse poem that offers an explanation of the word’s significance.

Then, using her contemporary style of haiku, Grimes pairs a second poem using the same word. While she departs from some of the traditional Eastern cultural elements such as line lengths and nature themes, Grimes does stay faithful to the seventeen syllable structure. Each poem is rich with poetic elements, such as, alliteration, smiles, onomatopoeia, allusion, and personification. The final poem in the collection is a short free verse poem that expresses her feelings about haiku. Then Grimes adds an author’s note that explains her intentions for the collection and ends with another invitation to the reader, “…maybe you’ll try writing some of your own!”

Likewise, the illustrations wonderfully celebrate American-American culture without being stereotypical. Through the layering of images, Steptoe creates a 3-D effect that causes the images to lift up off the page. He uses a collage style that includes a wide diversity of materials. Steptoe’s illustrations perfectly harmonize the mood of each poem. Most are playful and some are humorous.

The poems below are an example of the creative pairing. Both are composed using the word “Spring.” The first one is the short free verse, and the second one is the haiku. In the first one, Grimes uses alliteration and simile to cultivate her images of spring. In her haiku, she has the flowers shouting which is a wonderfully striking personification. When the reader pictures a flower blooming in the spring, one can hear the flower shouting.

Spring

Look! Here's a fresh
green growing word.
SPRING. I plant it
like a seed.

Mama's window box--
purple flowers shout the news.
Finally--it's spring!

Kid Connection –

To introduce these poems, have a plant that it beginning to bloom and lead a discussion with the students pointing out that some flowers on the plant are still buds, but some are open. Then read the above poems. For younger students, a follow-up activity of writing their own haiku would be easy to do using Grimes seventeen syllable structure. For older students, this collection would be an excellent choice to pair with an Eastern style of haiku and have the students compare and contrast the differences in structure and theme. For science class, these poems would make a terrific introduction for a lesson on plant reproduction.