Things I Have to Tell You: Poems and Writing by Teenage Girls edited and compiled by Betsy Franco - Poetry By Kids

Bibliography

Franco, Betsy. 2001. THINGS I HAVE TO TELL YOU: POEMS AND WRITING BY TEENAGE GIRLS. Ill. by Nina Nickles. Cambridge: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763609056.

Review and Critical Analysis

          THINGS I HAVE TO TELL YOU: POEMS AND WRITING BY TEENAGE GIRLS is a collection of writings in poem, essay and story format, edited and compiled by Betsy Franco, that explores the lives and issues faced by today’s teenage girls. There are over thirty pieces in this collection; each written by a girl ages twelve to eighteen. Franco also includes a Table of Contents that lists both the work and author.

This anthology is special because every poem, essay and story is written not by a well-known poet, but by an ordinary teenager with an authentic voice. This makes both the pieces and the authors extremely relatable to young girls. The reader may experience the same situations, problems, and triumphs in their own lives. The subject matter of the poems, and other works in this collection, are not presented in a pedantic manner. They are not attempting to lecture the reader. Teenagers would rarely share their feelings with family members, and perhaps not even friends, on the subjects discussed in this collection. Issues such as sexuality, drug addiction, body image and cutting are topics that are normally kept hidden, but here they are allowed to be expressed freely. 

The tone of this collection is very somber. This is not an upbeat, happy collection of writings, it is realistic and gritty. Laura Veuve demonstrates this in her untitled poem. She writes, “Perfect body – Shocking studies show eating disorders on the rise in teenage girls – Shocking Bullshit.” Veuve describes how society, and the way she was raised, forced her to conform to the idea that girls should be perfect in all ways, especially in the way they look. They should have a perfect body, and do whatever is necessary to maintain that look. Her sense of anger is palpable, as is her need to keep her eating disorder a secret in order to “protect” her friends and family from herself. In contrast, this collection can also be strong and defiant in the face of political correctness, as expressed in the poem entitled TALL SINGLE ISO COFFEE. The anonymous author writes, “Even if I didn’t want coffee and I was looking for some tall single it would be a girl…” In the first few lines of this poem the narrator takes note of the fact that when she asked for “a tall single” in the coffee shop, the young man serving her automatically assumed she was asking for him. However, the reader soon comes to the realization that this is not the case. The narrator is not afraid to express her sexuality, and to counteract the prevailing view that all girls should automatically look for male partners. 

There is a strong narrative quality to this collection. The reader gets a sense that the authors are telling their stories directly to them. They come to see that the authors are not looking for praise or judgment, just for a receptive audience to listen to what they have to say. Each of these pieces evokes a powerful, emotional response. One of the best examples of this is MY ODE TO CRANK by Lisa Woodward. In it she writes, “Your love for crank has grown so strong/ You’ll depend on it to fill the hole That has become so big inside.” This poem is a frightening representation of a young girls drug addiction, and, depending on the reader, has the ability to arouse horror or familiarity. 

The language in this collection is extremely visual, and expressive. It is not at a level where any young reader would have problems comprehending it, but these authors use especially creative words and phrases in much of their work. This is demonstrated in Mahogany Elaj Foster’s poem WORDS. She writes, “Words fly across the paper like blackbirds across the sky/Why not take that beautiful skill and use words like I love and I can and I will.” Foster, through her evocative language, is advocating using the ability to write beautifully to express positive, rather than negative, ideas. The reader can visualize the words gliding on to the page through the author's pen, much like blackbirds flying through the air. 


         The majority of the poems in this book are written in the form of stanzas. In addition, most are free verse with no rhyme scheme in use. There are some exceptions where the poems have alternating rhyme, but this is rare. This style makes many of the poems read like diary entries, which would enable any young girl reading them to instantly relate. The subjects discussed in these pieces are not something that a young reader would typically share, and perhaps only consign to a diary. 

Nina Nickles’ photographs are all in black and white and convey a very stark, urban feeling which enhances the author’s work. Many of the photographs represent the poems they accompany at face value; however, some portray a deeper meaning. The photo accompanying DAMN, I LOOK GOOD by Miriam Stone is a clear-cut, straightforward representation of the poem. The photo displays a young girl from a side view, you cannot see her face, but you do see her hand holding a makeup brush. Her pose is strong and confident, she knows she is beautiful and this is reflected in both the photo and the poem. The photograph for ESCAPE by Theresa Hossfeld however, is more layered. In it we see a girl in a bathtub, either just emerging from the water, or preparing to slide under it and hide from the world. This double layer of meaning is reflected in the poem. The narrator repeatedly expresses that she does not feel the confidence other see in her. She knows she must “take this test” that is life, like everyone, but she is always looking for a way to escape. 

Poem Used to Support Critical Analysis and How That Poem Would Be Introduced

From SECRETS

By: Jessica L. McCloskey, age 16

Do you know my secret,

Did I tell you it last night,

Were you listening to my dreams,

Were you hiding out of sight?

Do you look to find my secret,

Reading letters, reading notes,

Picking up sometimes on phone calls,

Opening books to see what I wrote?

Do you ever think to ask me about my secret,

Being honest and forthright,

With no lies or hidden feelings?

Only then will my secret come to light.

          McCloskey’s poem SECRETS exemplifies the theme of the entire collection. These girls are sharing very personal topics, topics that most teenagers would be reluctant to reveal. In this case, McCloskey wants her family to not spy on her, but to ask her about her life, accept it, and possibly help her. The final lines state that only through honesty and trust, and without any hidden agendas on the part of her family, will she say what she really feels. This seems to be the request of all the authors of these pieces; just listen to what they have to say and think about their message. This poem contains that strong narrative feel, as if McCloskey were sitting down to explain to whoever was listening that this is the situation, and only if I feel you will not judge me will I tell you my story. As with the majority of the poems, it is written in stanza form. However, this is one of the few that contains a rhyme scheme. In each stanza the second and forth lines rhyme. 

          I would introduce this poem by saying to the students, “Today, I am not going to read you anything from a famous or well-known poet. Today, I am going to read you something written by a young girl, a girl who could be the same age as many of you. Her name is Jessica L. McCloskey and her poem is called SECRETS. I want you to listen to what she has to say, it could express feelings that many of you have experienced. After the reading we will talk about what this poem meant to you, and what your feelings were about the content and the themes presented. We will also discuss how you think the photograph did, or did not, fit in with the poem itself. ” As I read I would also display the book so the students could see Nina Nickles’ photograph of three young girls sitting on the sidewalk, which accompanies the poem. 

Hey, You! Poems to Skyscrapers, Mosquitoes and Other Fun Things selected by Paul B. Janeczko - Janeczko Collection

Bibliography

Janeczko, Paul. 2007. HEY, YOU! POEMS TO SKYSCRAPERS, MOSQUITOES, AND OTHER FUN THINGS. Ill.  by Robert Rayevsky. New York: Harper Collins. 
ISBN 9780060523473.

Review and Critical Analysis

          HEY, YOU! POEMS TO SKYSCRAPERS, MOSQUITOES, AND OTHER FUN THINGS is an anthology of 30 poems, selected by Paul Janeczko, about a diverse group of subjects. In the field of poetry ‘apostrophe’ is a term used to describe addressing poetry to inanimate objects, animals or concepts, and that is what the 30 poems in this anthology do, in tones that vary from silly, to mirthful, to subdued. Young readers will be able to readily identify with the subjects in this anthology. They may not have had personal experience with all of them; however, they most certainly would have been exposed to the less familiar ones through school, books or television. Many popular and well known authors of poetry were selected for inclusion in this collection including Nikki Grimes, Emily Dickinson, Douglas Florian and Bobbi Katz. Janeczko provides the reader with a Table of Contents which lists both title and author. 

          There is no discernible organization to this anthology, apart from the fact that in several instances there will be two different poems, one on each page, that relate to each other. OLD FARM IN NORTHERN MICHIGAN by Gary Gildner and TO A MAGGOT IN AN APPLE by Richard Edwards are examples of this. Gildner’s poem, which discusses a barn on the verge of toppling over, makes reference to the barn leaning too far “trying for those wormy apples.” Edwards' poem carries the theme forward as the chronicler of this piece bit into one of those same apples and discovered a worm inside. The narrator speaks directly to the worm throughout the poem. BEE, I’M EXPECTING YOU! by Emily Dickinson and STRAIGHT TALK by Nikki Grimes are two additional examples of poems that associate with each other. Dickinson’s poem is narrated by a fly, and is a letter to a bee asking when he will be returning now that spring has arrived. Grimes’ poem is a request by the narrator for the bees to leave and stop bothering him.

           All of the poems, apart from WHAT ARE YOU DOING? by Charles Reznikoff, are written in stanza form. Reznikoff's is two lines of non-rhyming poetry. The majority of the poems are written in free verse, with no obvious rhyme scheme. However, there are several instances of rhyming poetry found throughout the collection. For example, in SOFT-BOILED, a five line stanza by Russell Hoban, the first and second lines rhyme with each other, as do the third and fourth, the fifth line does not rhyme with any other. Another example is TO AN ASTRONAUT by Beverly McLoughland, which is written in four three line stanzas, where the last word of the first and second, and third and fourth, stanzas rhyme with each other. In CAMEL QUESTION, an eight line stanza by Bobbi Katz, the second and forth lines rhyme with each other, as do the sixth and eighth.

This anthology also contains one example of concrete poetry and several examples of letter poems. LIGHT by Joan Bransfield Graham, is the one example of concrete poetry. The poem itself takes the shape of the ray of light in Robert Rayevsky’s illustration. In addition to Emily Dickinson’s poem BEE, I’M EXPECTING YOU!, there are two other examples of letter poetry. DEAR SHELL by Karla Kuskin is two letters written to a seashell wherein the narrator comments on the sounds they hear when putting the shell to their ear. The last two lines of the poem are the second letter in which the narrator, very succinctly, states that the shell smells. LETTER POEM TO A MAILBOX by Marjorie Maddox is written as an homage to the blue metal mail boxes, and how they stand stalwart and secure, never failing to protect the letters and packages deposited within. 

          Several of these poems have features within the type that highlight important words or passages that relate to the subject matter the poem is examining. In LOVELY MOSQUITO by Doug MacLeod five words in the last line, “swipe!,” “splat!” and “I got you!” are all in large bold type, and different colors other than black, emphasizing the narrator’s triumph at finally killing the mosquito that was biting him. TO A MAGGOT IN AN APPLE by Richard Edwards has the last line in bold, and in red, to show the narrator’s squeamishness at the thought that his apple had more than one worm. It is the entire poem that is a different color in the case of LIGHT by Joan Bransfield Graham. The text is completely yellow to reinforce the subject matter. A final example comes from WARNING TO A FORK by Marjorie Maddox. This poem, warning a fork about the dangers of being consumed by the garbage disposal, has the word “beware” in uppercase red letters, strengthening the message of the entire poem. This technique of having words, sentences or entire poems in different colors and typefaces draws the young reader’s attention to critical elements within the poetry.

          Robert Rayevsky’s illustrations bring a sense of unity to this collection. His watercolors, that in most cases span two pages, provide a rich backdrop for the poetry. Each of his illustrations visually create key elements, and are wonderful counterpoints to the poems. There is also an abstract, cartoon like quality to them, which will appeal to young readers. This is best expressed in the illustration for the poems SKYSCRAPER by Dennis Lee and WHAT ARE YOU DOING? by Charles Reznikoff. This two page illustration of a city with a highway running through it presents the facial features of the people in a cartoon like and simple manner. Streaming hair and sparsely drawn facial features augment the lack of realism. Also, the cars and buildings are not highly detailed, and there are extreme similarities in their appearances. These illustrations are similar to what young people, the same age as the intended audience, would create, thereby producing more vivid images in their minds.   

Poem Used to Support Critical Analysis and Follow Up Activity

HELLO, BLACK HOLE

By: J. Patrick Lewis

Old black hole,

Too fat to hang

Far out in space,

You’ll pop-and BANG!

Your insides get

So blazing hot-

One day you’re there,

The next you’re not!

And no one knows

Exactly why

But in the ceiling

Of the sky,

Black hole, you swallow

Starry light

As big as day

And black as night.

          Lewis’ poem HELLO, BLACK HOLE describes a subject young readers will be familiar with from science class, the black hole. Its tone is quite amusing and it conveys a very buoyant tempo. Alternating lines within the poem rhyme, and it is written in stanza form. This poem also employs the technique of utilizing a unique element within the type. The ‘o’ in the word ‘hole’ is enlarged, and much bigger than the surrounding letters. This is done to not only emphasize the poem’s topic, but also to give the reader a visual impression of it within the words of the poem itself. Also, the word ‘black’ in the title is in black type, whereas the remaining poem is in white. Rayevsky’s illustration has muted, dark colors, with a large central circle in black on which the white type sits. This provides another visual clue to the reader. 

          This poem contains a lot of very visual words. As a result, a good follow up activity for this poem would be an art project. Students would be asked to listen to the poem, and then, using the words in the poem as inspiration, draw their own black holes. The students would be encouraged to use various types of drawing mediums, crayons, markers, paints, and to mix the mediums they use. Then, based on their art, the students would be asked to write their own short poems describing their individual black holes. To end the activity, students would be invited up to share their drawings, and their poems, and explain how both connect. 

P*Tag compiled by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong - Free Choice Poetry

Bibliography

Vardell, Sylvia and Wong, Janet. 2011. P*TAG. Ill. by Sylvia Vardell. PoetryTagTime.com. ISBN 9781937057060.

Review and Critical Analysis   
         P*TAG is an e-book anthology of 31 poems, written by 31 different poets, and compiled by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong. There is a Table of Contents that lists the names of each poet. Background information about each poet is found at the end of the book, along with websites for the majority of the poets in the anthology. In the beginning, and end, of the anthology is a description of the creation of the book. First, each poet was tagged, then asked to choose a photo that inspired them, from the selection taken and posted by Vardell, from this photo library blog: http://teenpoetrytagtime.blogspot.com/. Using that photo, and at least three words from the previous author’s work, each poet then composed a poem based on the inspiration provided by both the photo, and previous author. The poet then tagged another poet, and the process continued. Immediately following the final poem, P*TAG by Janet Wong, is a tag cloud displaying all the words that were shared among the poets. Each poet also had to write a short prose segment explaining how their work was linked not only to the previous author’s, but also to the photograph they personally selected. The layout of the book reflects this composition. The poet’s prose piece, explaining their photo choice and the inspiration derived from both the photos and previous author, appears first, followed by the actual photo, then the poem. 

The reusing of words is a creative element utilized in the composition of this anthology. At the end of each poem the words the author borrowed from the previous poet’s work are identified. Some, like Allan Wolf, Steven Withrow and Margarita Engle chose more than three words.  In certain instances words were carried over more than once, further linking the writings together, and reinforcing themes that occurred throughout the anthology. In one instance the exact same three words were repeated from one poem to next. Heidi Mordhorst first used the words “birthday,” “random” and “wish” in her poem A WISHING TREE. Mordhorst used the words to refer to the breath used to blow out birthday candles and how people tend to make wishes on very random things. Tracie Vaughn Zimmer employed those same three words, from Mordhorst’s poem, and used them to refer to a birthday cake, random postings on a blog and a wish a father has for his daughter in her poem P.K. Paul Janeczko again selected those exact three words for his poem FROM “A FRIEND.” Janeczko used them to refer to random birthday cards that expressed different wishes, and the random people to which the cards were given. In each of these three poems, the words are used to represent completely disparate ideas.

It was not only words that were borrowed, but also themes. An excellent example of this is found in WALKING, WAITING by Julie Larios and WATER LILY PONDERING by Michele Krueger. WALKING, WAITING explores the idea of not being hemmed in by your surroundings. The bird narrator in the poem expresses a deep desire to fly away and begin the adventure that is life. In contrast to this, Krueger’s WATER LILY PONDERING expressed the opposite idea. In this poem, the water lily narrator wants nothing more than to remain deeply rooted to the pond in which it lives. It is happiest simply floating peacefully, and having no greater responsibility than to bloom and be attractive for whoever may look at it.  This borrowing of words and themes creates a connectedness throughout the book. Each poem in the anthology maintaines an association with every other poem.

 This anthology was intended for a teenage audience which is demonstrated by the subject matter and tone of the poems. Topics that teens can identify with, and relate to, permeate this anthology. Themes such as love, looking to the future and self-expression are prevalent throughout the book. Kathi Appelt’s poem HIS GUITAR is a perfect example of these themes. The narrator is describing a young man playing his guitar, but read in a deeper way it could also refer to a boy holding and caressing his girlfriend. Also, Janet Wong’s poem P*TAG brings to life the idea that tagging can be a striking form of self-expression, and that those who tag are simply trying to be recognized by others.

      The poems are composed in a variety of styles including, haiku, stanzas and couplets. Most of the poems have no distinguishable rhyme scheme and are written in free verse. However, HAIR by Charles Waters is a notable exception. In this poem the last word at the end of every set of two couplets rhymes with each other. Young people are able to identify with the language used throughout the anthology. The words used help express dreams, hope, love, worry and many other topics that young people struggle with, and face, every day. Many of the poems deal with multilayered subjects, others are simply humorous. These poems truly echo the audience for which this anthology was intended.  

Poem Used to Support Critical Analysis and How That Poem Would Be Introduced

From BEACH GLASS
By: Sara Holbrook

But do they want to be picked up,

sunstruck jewels that once were bottles,

bowls, wall tiles?

Now that the novelty of the beach has

worn them down

to smooth bits of frost white,

amber, emerald, sapphire mixed with

barely blue and rarely pink.

Each shard, its own story,

particulars tossed overboard,

discarded facts disconnected from their

origins.

But, wait!

It takes slow-walking patience to fill a

pocket full of untold stories.

Brief glints never enough, I can’t resist

hands-on contact with these

fractured memories,

reaching for them quickly before the next

wave

moves in to reclaim what just might be

the most important nugget.

Some seem too small to make an

impression

in any mosaic of history,

but I collect them anyway.

Others need to gain some more

perspective,

the edges too sharp to be safely handled.

I toss those back for more research

as children skip barefoot down the

beach.

BEACH GLASS by Sara Holbrook is about pieces of objects that used to be whole, pieces that tell their own story, while still being part of a larger narrative, the original object they were broken off from. This e-book anthology is much like that. It is all about using distinct photographs, and pieces of other author’s poems, through the repeated words and themes, to create completely new poetry. Only certain photos and words are chosen, just like in Holbrook’s poem, where the narrator only chooses certain pieces of glass to keep. The words and photos not used, like the rejected pieces of glass, are not chosen because they are too rough and do not help the author express their vision. Like the words, each poem in this anthology is a piece of a whole. Each of those pieces, or poems, represents a different thought about issues relevant to teenagers.

 I would introduce this poem by saying, “The poem I am about to share with you, BEACH GLASS by Sara Holbrook, is about finding treasures that tell a story. The treasures are small and not quite whole, but they each have their own special story to tell. First, I will read you the author’s own thoughts on her work, and then I will read the poem aloud.” Sharing the author’s prose piece before reading the poem helps set up a context for the listeners. It also may help those students who have difficulty understanding poetry to grasp what the author is trying to say. Before the actual reading, I would also display the photograph, taken by Vardell, that helped inspire Holbrook’s poem, so the audience would have a visual reference for the subject matter.

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman - Sidman Poetry

Bibliography

Sidman, Joyce. 2009. RED SINGS FROM TREETOPS: A YEAR IN COLORS. Ill. by Pamela Zagarenski. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. ISBN 978-0547014944.

Review and Critical Analysis

            RED SINGS FROM TREETOPS: A YEAR IN COLORS by Joyce Sidman presents a unique approach to the subject of the changing seasons. Instead of using words such as snowflakes in a poem about winter, or flowers in a work concerning spring, Sidman uses colors to represent the objects, smells, feelings and sounds associated with each season. In the actual text the word for the color is printed in that color ink. This reinforces the feeling of the color and gives life to the word. Each poem within the individual seasons usually focuses on only one color; however, there are poems that reference multiple colors. The colors are also repeated throughout the collection which lends uniformity to the book. None of the poems have titles, only the sections do, and they are named after each season. Sidman’s collection of over twenty poems is written in free verse, with no fixed rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. This sustains the poems, rather than detracting from them. As the seasons progress, starting with spring and ending with winter, the poems flow smoothly one into the next.

Sidman’s language is extremely visual. This can be seen in SPRING with the colors yellow and purple. Sidman writes, “In spring, Yellow and Purple hold hands. They beam at each other with bright velvet faces.” Her descriptions are drawn from nature, in this case pansies, and they are enhanced by Pamela Zagarenski’s painted illustrations. Zagarenski creates the perfect setting for Sidman’s words and brings them to visual life. The illustrations also have numerous quirky and unexpected elements in them. At first glance, they appear to be normal paintings that are based on Sidman’s poetry. If you look closer however, a different layer appears. There is a collage like quality to the illustrations giving the appearance of cut outs being added into the paintings. This is evident in the poem set in SUMMER about the color purple. The walkway in front of the house, along with the trees, resemble pages cut out of a book. In addition, the paisley like details on the house appear to have originated elsewhere and been cut out and added to Zagarenski's painting. The majority of the figures, whether person or animal or snowman, are wearing crowns. In many of the illustrations the name of the season is incorporated in an unexpected way. This technique is demonstrated in WINTER with the color pink. The word winter is written all along the female figure’s scarf, reminiscent of a striped pattern on the fabric.

The poems in this collection contain both movement and sound effects. This is evident in the season of SUMMER with the color red, “Red darts, jags, hovers; a blur of wings, a sequined throat. Red whispers along my finger with little beetle feet.” In this particular poem Sidman is referring to a hummingbird and a ladybug. It is the hummingbird that hovers, and the ladybug that whispers. In the season of SPRING, describing the color white, Sidman states, “White sounds like storms: snapped twigs and bouncing hail, blink of lightning and rattling BOOM!” Here, the white relates to a thunder storm and the noises coming from the white cloud and thunderbolt. The sounds are lively and exciting, they will help hold reader’s or listener’s interest.  Also, since the poetry incorporates a lot of movement, the cadence has a smooth, rapid flow.

          The colors not only represent objects, but also how those objects feel and smell as well. There is a strong element of personification in many of the poems in this collection. An excellent example of this can be found in SUMMER with the color black, “Black holds secrets in summer: night-sky Black, underneath-stones Black.” Sidman is assigning human qualities to the objects represented by the color black, making them secretive and mysterious.  In FALL, through the color purple, Sidman writes, “Fall smells Purple: old leaves, crushed berries, squishy plums with worms in them.” Here Sidman takes many purple objects found in fall and focuses on how they smell. That combined smell is, to her, what the season itself smells like. 

Poem Used to Support Critical Analysis and How That Poem Would Be Introduced

From the section entitled SUMMER

By: Joyce Sidman

And where is Blue?

Humming, shimmering,

snoozing in the lazy haze.

Dancing on water

with Yellow and Green.

In summer,

Blue grows new names:

turquoise,

    azure,

       cerulean.

         Sidman’s poem from SUMMER is demonstrative of her affinity for incorporating motion and sound. In this poem, blue represents the butterflies that fly about lazily on the summer air, humming as they go. Also, the yellow and green are references to fish that jump out of the blue ocean water. Here the fish present another look at personification. Sidman brings the colors to life by literally having them dance.

            I would introduce this poem by asking the students, “When you think of the colors blue, green and yellow, in relation to summer, what do you think of?” After everyone has had time to answer I would say, “I am now going to read you a poem by Joyce Sidman. In it she is going to describe what those colors mean to her when she thinks of summer.” While reading I would also exhibit Zagarenski’s vivid illustrations so listeners could see all of the objects Sidman references in her poetry.

Button Up!: Wrinkled Rhymes by Alice Schertle - Hopkins Award Poetry

Bibliography

Schertle, Alice. 2009. BUTTON UP!: WRINKLED RHYMES. Ill. by Petra Mathers. New York: Harcourt Children’s Books. ISBN 978-0152050504.

Review and Critical Analysis

            Alice Schertle’s book BUTTON UP!: WRINKLED RHYMES is an up-tempo, humorous collection of poems narrated by the clothing worn by the animal characters. Schertle utilizes the technique of personification throughout the collection very successfully. Every piece of clothing belongs to a different owner, and as such each of these fifteen narrative poems has a distinct voice which comes through clearly. The collection is not organized in any particular fashion, and one poem does not relate to another. Every poem stands alone; what unifies them is the fact that they are all about clothing and how children use and wear that clothing. Schertle includes a Table of Contents for quick reference to the poems.

          Schertle’s poetry is well suited to its young audience. The language she uses describes not only the clothing, but also the different situations in which the owners of the clothing find themselves. In VIOLET’S HIKING HAT the reader experiences a day in the life of Violet and her hat, which she never takes off. The hat describes being worn out on a hike, playing in the park, laying out at night and watching the stars, taking a bath with Violet and finally going to sleep with her. Young readers experience the hat’s day right along with the hat itself. In CLYDE’S COSTUME the reader is treated to a Halloween Trick-or-treating experience in conjunction with the gingham sheet Clyde uses to make a ghost costume. The sheet describes being “the hit of Halloween night.” Schertle’s language is very expressive of the clothing, the lives the clothing live and the emotions the clothing feel.

          Recognizable childhood activities abound in the poems JAMELIA’S DRESS-UP CLOTHES and BOB'S BICYCLE HELMET. JAMELIA'S DRESS-UP CLOTHES describes one of children's most loved pursuits, playing dress up. This is the only poem that has the voice of more than one piece of clothing. A swimsuit, shoes, tops and panty hose are all worn by Jamelia at one time, and the reader gets the impression that the clothes enjoy the activity of dress up just as much as Jamelia. BOB’S BICYCLE HELMET is a poem full of action. The helmet describes riding on Bob’s head as he “climbs hills,” “does wheelies” and “takes spills” while riding his bike. The helmet repeatedly makes the point that no matter what activity Bob decides to undertake it will protect him.

          Many of the poems employ various, very readable, rhyme schemes. In certain cases the second and fourth lines of a four line stanza rhyme, while the first and third do not. Another example is when Schertle employs alternating rhyme, or where the first and third, and second and fourth, lines of a four line stanza rhyme. Whether the poems have a discernible rhyme scheme or not, they all flow extremely well and would be perfect to use in any read aloud activity. One poem in particular that is well suited to a read aloud is THE SONG OF HARVEY’S GALOSHES. This poem has a very musical quality to it, utilizing onomatopoeia and also incorporating call and response. There are points in the poem where someone reading it would read a particular line, and then that line could be repeated back to them by the audience. An example would be the first line, “When it’s raining Harvey always puts us on, puts us on,” The italicized line would be the line the audience would repeat back to the reader.

          Petra Mathers’ watercolor illustrations add a whimsical element to this collection, primarily because she chose to depict animals, not people, wearing the clothing. Children will delight in seeing ostriches in sweaters, alligators in pajamas and cats in oversized blue jackets. The illustrations are brightly colored, humorous, and playful. Mathers skillfully depicts the emotions the author intended in these endearing illustrations. For example in JACK’S SOCCER JERSEY readers see Jack in various poses and emotional expressions. Mathers portrays concentration as Jack bounces the soccer ball off his knee, watchfulness as Jack lines up the ball to be kicked into the goal and jubilation when Jack scores a goal. Mathers’ illustrations help bring Schertle’s poems to life.

Poem Used to Support Critical Analysis and Follow Up Activity

WANDA’S SWIMSUIT

By: Alice Schertle

We like to be wet,

Wanda and I,

I’m Wanda’s swimsuit,

we don’t like dry.

Ready, set,  jump!

   Scrunch up small-

       Look out down below-

Everybody dry

just got wetter.

(Wanda and I

think wetter is better.)

          Schertle’s poem WANDA’S SWIMSUIT makes use of the stanza form and an alternating rhyme scheme. There are three stanzas in WANDA’S SWIMSUIT. In the first and third stanzas, the first and third lines rhyme, as do the second and fourth; however, the second stanza, with only three lines, has no rhyme scheme. This poem vividly describes a feat young children love to enact in swimming pools, jumping in cannonball style, spraying everyone in sight with water. The swimsuit narrator in this poem enjoys being wet more than anything and that comes across convincingly, as does the motion and activity that takes place in this poem. Readers can clearly imagine running and jumping into a pool in exactly the same manner as it is described by the swimsuit narrator. WANDA’S SWIMSUIT embodies the tone and personification found throughout Schertle’s collection. The swimsuit narrator speaks with a voice full of humor and excitement, making it easily relatable to young readers. Swimming is a childhood activity most young people enjoy, and they will take away a sense of fun and impish pleasure from this poem.

          An inventive follow up activity for students would be for them to write their own poem from the point of view of being a swimsuit. Questions like “Where in the world would they most like to swim?” “Do they like cannonballs, why or why not?” and “What color, shape and design would they be as a swimsuit?” would all help students think creatively about writing their poems. The poems would be written as concrete poems, meaning they could resemble the shapes of the swimsuits themselves, or something about the location the students discuss in their poetry. The locations the students pick would also be excellent segues into Geography lessons. Stress that there is no limit on their imagination. These poems are meant to be fun and exciting.

The Friendly Four by Eloise Greenfield - Performance Poetry

Bibliography

Greenfield, Eloise. 2006. THE FRIENDLY FOUR. Ill. by Jan Spivey Gilchrist. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-0060007591.

Review and Critical Analysis

            THE FRIENDLY FOUR by Eloise Greenfield is what is known as performance poetry. Each of the thirty four poems in the book are meant to be read aloud by one or more people. In the case of this particular book there are roles for four people, two boys and two girls. These narrators, Drummond (or Drum), Dorene, Louis and Rae, are sharing their story of a summer vacation spent together. Every individual poem is a mini narrative poem unto itself with its own story, however, all of the poems linked together create a larger story of one summer where these children meet and get to know one another. Greenfield includes a Table of Contents which shows the narrator, or narrators, incorporated into each poem. Drum, Dorene, Louis and Rae each have lines in a separate color, red, blue, green and purple respectively. Black is used to identify when more than one person speaks the same lines together. This is a convenient device making it simple for children to read these poems aloud. They can easily keep track of not only their own lines, but also when everyone has to read the same lines together. Since each narrator has its own distinct voice, it allows for creativity and expression when children read these poems aloud.

         Young readers will see both familiar themes, and themes that they may not personally have experienced intermingled in this book. The recognizable topics of family, friends and all their varied meanings appear throughout this book. In AFTER THE BABY, a poem for one voice, Drum is frustrated because the babysitter is taking care of his baby brother and will not take him to the park. Any child with younger siblings will instantly relate to the frustration of being ignored in favor of a younger brother or sister. In MEETING DORENE, a poem for two voices, Drum goes to visit the house of a little girl, Dorene, who just moved to the neighborhood. He invites her out to play, and they become fast friends. Every child will relate to the idea of seeing a new neighbor, or a new kid at school, and wanting to meet them and become their friend. Less well known themes include adoption, and having to leave home when a parent becomes ill. In SOMEONE, a poem for one voice, Louis describes his feelings of happiness at finally having a mama who pays attention to him and loves him. In RAE, also a poem for one voice, the narrator expresses the loneliness and worry she feels at having to leave home for a time because her mother is sick. Young readers may not have experienced these situations personally, but the emotions in the poetry will still be something they can comprehend and relate to.

          The book progresses in a chronological order, with each new narrator meeting the others and becoming part of this group of friends. They play games and have all sorts of adventures. One of the best adventures, which comprises the latter half of the book, is their idea to build a town of their own. In the poems LET’S MAKE A TOWN and HERE COMES THE TRUCK we see this idea develop. They  create their own town out of paint, cardboard, tape and markers and call it Goodsummer. The reader then experiences a series of poems, meant to be read by four voices, of the adventures the children have in Goodsummer. There are several “buildings” in Goodsummer, and a poem represents every one. Each of these poems is a little mini narrative which tells a story about the scenarios the children act out in each location. Poems such as AT THE BANK and AT THE LIBRARY are perfect examples of this.       

          The majority of the poems do not have a defined rhyme scheme. Two exceptions to this are NEIGHBORS and GOING TO GET RAE. NEIGHBORS is written in the form of a single stanza, where the words at the end of every set of two lines rhyme with each other. GOING TO GET RAE employs a different rhyme scheme. Here the poem is written out in three four line stanzas, and the words at the end of every second and fourth line in each stanza rhyme. Each of the poems in this collection has a natural rhythm to it, they all read very well due to the unaffected, conversational language that Greenfield employs.

          The watercolor illustrations by Jan Spivey Gilchrist are very brightly colored, creating a lasting impression of these children’s surroundings. The peaceful, bucolic setting makes the reader want to join these friends. Gilchrist uses black lines to help define objects, and also to depict movement. For example in PLAYGROUND Greenfield’s poem portrays the many  activities that children partake in at a playground, swinging, sliding down slides, running around and even stopping to rest. Gilchrist’s one page illustration for this poem is made up of four vignettes highlighting each of these activities. The motion and enjoyment the children are experiencing is contagious. 

Poem Used to Support Critical Analysis and How That Poem Would Be Introduced

WE DID IT!

By: Eloise Greenfield

Rae:                 We painted for days and days,

Louis:               Monday through Friday,

                        and Monday through Friday again

Louis and Rae: (not counting the day Drum knocked over

                        a can of paint, and we had to clean it up).

Dorene:            But now, it’s finished,

                        so let’s lift our tired arms and say,

All:                  “Hooray! We did it! We built our own town!"

Drum:               We’ve got:

All:                    One bank, one library, one church,

                         two toy stores, one bookstore, one school,

                         and so forth, and so forth.

Rae:                  To get here, just drive

                         south, east, west and north.

Drum:               You can’t miss it. Look for

                         the sign that says:

All:                    Welcome to the Town of Goodsummer

                         Population 4.

          Greenfield’s poem WE DID IT!, meant to be read by all four voices, is one of the best examples of narration to be found in this book. It describes the creation of Goodsummer, and within that description the theme of friendship is paramount. Everyone worked together on a project that was important to all. As with many of the poems, there is no rhyme scheme. This is also one of the most conversational poems in the book as well. Each narrator contributes fairly equally, and the back and forth interplay between narrators is smooth. This poem would also remind young readers about experiences they had with their friends creating their own worlds to play in.

          An effective way to introduce this poem would be by asking the students if they like to play games with their friends in which everyone creates a fictional world. A small amount of time would be given for responses. After the students answer, I would introduce the poem by saying, “Today I am going to invite four people up, two boys and two girls, to read a poem entitled WE DID IT! by Eloise Greenfield, about friends who did just that. They built their own town out of cardboard and paint, and spent a wonderful summer creating fun games to play.” I would then hand out copies of the poem to each of the four students. Finally, I would ascribe each of the four students a role, assigning one to read the title and one to read the author's name, and let them read the poem aloud to the other students in the audience. I would hold up the book so the students could see Gilchrist’s illustrations and partake of the experience.

Trailblazers: Poems of Exploration by Bobbi Katz - Biographical Poetry

Bibliography

Katz, Bobbi. 2007. TRAILBLAZERS: POEMS OF EXPLORATION. Ill. by Carin Berger. New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 9780688165338.

Review and Critical Analysis           

            TRAILBLAZERS: POEMS OF EXPLORATION by Bobbi Katz is a collection of over one hundred poems that tell the stories of some of both the famous, and lesser known, explorers throughout history who often risked their lives and the lives of others to achieve extraordinary, visionary feats. Also included in this collection are a significant number of poems devoted to female explorers, and one regarding machines. The exploits of the wide variety of explorers, male, female and mechanical, that Katz examines is inspirational to young readers. There is a Table of Contents listing both the title of the poem and the explorer to whom the poem refers. At the back of the book Katz provides a wealth of resources to the reader. The Author’s Note provides the reader with a broad overview of the history of exploration. About the Explorers is an alphabetical list of short biographies of each of the individuals mentioned in the poems. There is also an in-depth Bibliography that includes books, articles and one video. Finally, Katz provides an alphabetical Index of both Titles and First Lines of each of the poems.

          The poems in this collection are written in the first person, either as a combination of voices where both the explorer and others speak, or they are written from the points of view of those who observed, or were a part of, the lives of these individuals. This adds extra depth to the collection. Because many of the poems, or parts of the poems, are written from a third party’s point of view, the reader is given a somewhat less biased account of the lives of these explorers. By not having each explorer narrate their own story, the reader is presented with a more developed picture of what life was like during the time each of these expeditions took place. OVERHEARD ON THE ENDEAVOR is a poem narrated by both James Cook and other members of his expedition to Tahiti to observe the “transit of Venus.” Each of these narrators represents a different job, thus creating a more complete picture of the expedition and its purpose. REMARKS TO SIR FRANCIS DRAKE is an example of a poem narrated completely by a third party. Queen Elizabeth I praises Drake’s actions pillaging Spanish ships on behalf of the English crown.

          The tone of the poems in this collection varies widely from humorous and enlivened, to serious and in some cases grisly. THE FIRST EXPLORERS is a poem written for two voices. It is a humorous exchange between Adam and Eve after their expulsion from Eden. ON THE SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY presents a more serious tone as the reader hears Sally Ride verifying that everything is secure and in place before the Discovery lifts off. RETURNING HOME reflects the more horrid tone. This poem is narrated from the point of view of Penelope, the daughter of Crateros who was one of Alexander the Great’s soldiers. Penelope vividly describes the death and destruction inherent in conquering a city. While not every category of poem will appeal to every reader, the broader selection of styles makes this a most enjoyable collection. 

          Two poetic forms that are used repeatedly in Katz’s anthology are poems written for two voices and those that are written in the form of journal entries. The poems written for two voices are easily identifiable because the second voice in the poem is written in italics. THE PLAN OF THE MONGOL COMMANDERS, with two narrators who were commanders in Genghis Khan’s army, and TWO VOICES HEARD ON THE DARK CONTINENT, about Henry Stanley’s encounter with Dr. Livingstone, are just two examples of the poems in this collection that were written for two voices. THE VOYAGE OF MAGELLAN DIARY ENTRIES, and WEST AFRICA NOTES, a poem narrated by African explorer Mary Kingsley, are both examples of poems in the form of diary entries. This journal entry style of poems showcases how these explorer's expeditions evolved and developed over time. Reading aloud any of the poems in this collection would be an asset to any Social Studies, Science or History lesson, however the poems in diary form, or those written for two voices, lend themselves extremely well to being performed.

          One poem in Katz’s anthology is a concrete poem. SUMMITING is a poem told from the point of view of Sir Edmund Hillary’s sherpa Tenzing Norgay. Norgay narrates his journey with Hillary ascending Mt. Everest. The poem is spread over two pages. It starts on the bottom corner of the right hand page and gradually climbs to the top corner of the left hand page, just as Hillary and Norgay scaled Mt. Everest itself.

          There is a nice balance in this collection between poems written in free verse, and those with a rhyme scheme. The majority of the poems are written in stanza form which enables readers of almost any age to be familiar with their structure. All of the poems, due to their subject matter, have an effective narrative tone. They read as mini biographies of people who have made extraordinary accomplishments in their lifetimes.

          Carin Berger’s illustrations, all drawn in black and white, are very minimal. Not every poem has an accompanying illustration, however when illustrations are present they highlight crucial elements within the poem. A BRIEF AUTOBIOGRAPHY, a poem about Ida Pfeiffer, a travel writer, has a globe as it’s illustration. VOICES HEARD ON THE WAY TO TENOCHTITLAN, about Hernando Cortés and narrated from both the Spanish and Aztec points of view, has an illustration of an Aztec temple with an accompanying figure meant to represent an Aztec warrior. The illustrations are subtle, but they help reinforce the themes within Katz’s poetry.

Poem Used to Support Critical Analysis and Follow Up Activity

From IMAGINING THE FUTURE

By: Bobbi Katz

Spirit:                                                                                      Opportunity:

Who will future explorers be?                                               Who will future explorers be?

Space orbiters like Odyssey!                                                Space orbiters like Odyssey!

And my robots like my mate and me!                                    And robots like my mate and me!

I’m Spirit.                                                                              

                                                                                           I’m Opportunity.

And we don’t beg

for snacks or meals.

                                                                                          Nor do we leap

nor do we race.

We keep a slow and steady pace.                                      We keep a slow and steady pace.

With panels powered by the sun,

                                                                                         inch by inch we’ll get things done.

Rovers: hounds of the red planet!

                                                                                        Why risk life? Let robots man it.

NASA counts on my mate and me!                                   NASA counts on my mate and me!

I’m Spirit                                                                               

                                                                                                I’m Opportunity.

          Katz’s IMAGINING THE FUTURE is the only poem not narrated by a human being. In this case it is the voices of two rovers sent on an exploratory mission to Mars. This poem was written in stanza form with a rhyme scheme wherein every set of two lines rhymes. There are also instances within the poem where lines spoken by Spirit rhyme with those spoken by Opportunity. Every individual chronicled in this anthology was, in their own way, ahead of their time, achieving extraordinary feats through ingenuity and bravery. IMAGINING THE FUTURE, and the entire collection, exemplifies the explorer’s intrepid spirit while venturing into the unknown. These two robots, illustrating the form of poem written for two voices, are the voice of future exploration. Today, the cutting edge technology of robotics is used for investigations into various locations in space as well as places on Earth, such as the deep sea.

          For a follow up activity I would engage the class in a craft project. I would have the students construct their own idea of what a planetary rover should be out of Legos. A certain amount of time would be allocated every day to the construction. There would be a project leader and they would work cooperatively with the other students. The students would be free to be as imaginative as possible with the design. They would decide where their robot would explore and what the robot was looking for. How it was designed would be completely up to the students. I would also have them name the robot and write a poem about its mission. This activity would occur over several weeks.