Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks. -Plutarch taken from brainyquote.com.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

It's Raining Laughter by Nikki Grimes - African American Poetry

Bibliography
Grimes, Nikki. 1997. IT’S RAINING LAUGHTER. Ill. by Myles C. Pinkney. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0803720033.
Review and Critical Analysis
            IT’S RAINING LAUGHTER is a book of poems that was inspired by Myles C. Pinkney’s exuberant and heartwarming collection of photographs of African American children. All of Grimes' poems are written in the first person, from the point of view of the children depicted in the book. Pinkney’s photos display a wide range of emotions, from playful to thoughtful; the reader senses that these children understand their uniqueness, and self worth. Their enjoyment of life is palpable. The poems are written in the form of stanzas. Three have a definite rhyme scheme to them, in SIDEWAYS BEAUTY and THE LAUGHING BOY the second and fourth lines of the quatrain rhyme and in AT THE LIBRARY the words at the end of each set of two lines rhyme. In addition, Grimes’ poems also have a strong narrative tone.
The language Grimes utilizes brings the children’s voices to life. REMEMBER is a compelling example of narration.  The young speaker in the poem is expressing both slight trepidation at standing up in front of a crowd performing her poem, and comfort in the fact that she has a supporter in the front row cheering her on. A sense of movement, music and energy pervades these poems as well. I AM is essentially a series of words that the young narrator uses to describe himself, the words depict a series of euphoric actions presenting the child as jubilant. However, the ending portrays the essence of children, they are joy. WHERE’D YOU GET THEM NAMES? is musical in nature. It not only has a refrain in the form of the repeated line, “Where’d you get them names?” but it also reads like a song, you can almost hear the music as you read. The manner in which Grimes uses her words to represent these children’s voices make her poems appealing to a young reader. The youthful reader would recognize and relate to the vocabulary used by the narrators and see themselves as this person.

Grimes’ readers would also identify with many of the childhood experiences discussed in her poetry. Two examples of this come from FOUR EYES and FRIENDS AGAIN. In FOUR EYES the narrator is upset at the way their glasses make them look, until the father says the glasses are “protecting two beautiful works of art.” This simple statement not only helps put the narrator at ease but also makes her feel special. Reading this poem would have the same effect on a young person. FRIENDS AGAIN, a poem about fighting with your best friend, and then reconciling, produces a similar affect. Children will recognize analogous experiences they have had with their friends and realize that forgiveness can be achieved and the relationship repaired.  The illustrations point to a particular child, in most cases, who fits the subject of the poem. However, the reader never truly gets a sense of whether the narrators are male or female, so that whoever reads the poems, boy or girl, they can easily identify with the narrator.

Poem Used to Support Critical Analysis and Follow Up Activity
From IT’S RAINING LAUGHTER

I’m Jelayni. Patrice.
Tiana. Charnelle.
When I was born
my mama gave me names that sing
so anyone could tell
that even newborn-baby cries
were music to her ears.

I’m a goofy giggler,
a sadness chaser,
a good-mood maker.
I find laughter in a cup,
pour it over all I see.
And when I smile, Grandma calls me
the spitting image of God’s joy.

I might be Joetta,
or Donelle Alshon
named after Aunt Ellen
and Grandfather Don.
Whatever I’m called
or may grow up to be,
I’m a work of art now, obviously.
Nikki Grimes
            IT’S RAINING LAUGHTER condenses the very essence of Grimes’ poetry. Each poem in this compilation is meant to evoke a single, individual child. A child with a distinct personality and unique hopes, dreams, loves and even fears. IT’S RAINING LAUGHTER also presents a deep sense of the musicality and movement that pervades the rest of the book.
          Ask each student to bring in a photograph of an event in their lives that was significant for them as an interesting follow-up activity. With that photograph as inspiration, the student would write their own poem about that event. It could be a positive or a negative incident, as long as it was meaningful to the child. Once the poems were written each student would explain their photo, why it has meaning for them, and conclude by reading their poem aloud. This activity emphasizes the qualities and experiences every child has that has made them unique.

Got Geography! poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins - Hopkins Collection

Bibliography
Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 2006. GOT GEOGRAPHY! Ill. by Philip Stanton. New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 978-0060556013.
Review and Critical Analysis
            GOT GEOGRAPHY! is a collection of poems compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins that depicts various topics relating to geography. Geographic terms such as latitude, longitude, explorers and the equator, along with geographic locations like mountains, oceans and forests are all given a voice. Sixteen authors contribute works to this collection and they are listed in the Table of Contents. Many of the poets will be familiar to young readers, among them Jane Yolen a renowned author of children’s literature and Francisco X. Alarcon, a prolific writer of bilingual poetry for children. Yolen’s poem HORIZON combines poetry with a little lesson in math, and Alarcón’s poem for this collection, ISLAND ISLA encourages us to have big dreams in both English and Spanish. The language of the poems themselves has the ability to bring images to life for the reader. Philip Stanton’s exquisite paintings not only enhance the visual images in the poetry, but they also stimulate the reader’s imagination. Each incredible illustration transports the reader to a magical place.
          Various types of poetry are presented in this book. Most are in stanza form, either quatrains, or verse paragraphs, meaning they have no fixed pattern. Drew Lamm and James Hildreth’s poem LATTITUDE LONGITUDE DREAMS is an excellent example of the quatrain form. There are three stanza’s each with four lines, where the second and fourth lines rhyme. David Harrison’s THE MOUNTAIN demonstrates the verse paragraph, three stanzas’ with no discernible pattern or rhyme scheme. The stanza is a common form utilized by many writers to introduce young readers to poetry. As a result it has become familiar and easily comprehensible  to young readers.

Another poetic device, refrain, is used in Carl Sandburg’s excerpt from NORTH ATLANTIC. In this poem Sandburg repeats the words “The sea always the same.” These repeated words serve two purposes in Sandburg’s poem. They convey to the reader that although in many ways the ocean never changes it is also a representation of the peacefulness of familiarity; removed from reality by the rhythm of the sea.

The language used in all of the poems in GOT GEOGRAPHY is tactile, and it has the ability to excite and engage the reader. It conjures up fun, beautiful, dangerous and mysterious ideas. Two excellent examples of this are COMPASS by Maria Fleming and AWESOME FORCES by Joan Bransfield Graham. Fleming uses the compass to create a sense that the world can be both scenic and enigmatic. From her images of “jewel green” jungles, “deep seas” and “distant lands” the reader is transported to the “wild places” of the earth, places they have most likely never seen, images that will excite and spark their imaginations. Graham shows a more volatile side to the earth. With words like “lava flows, geysers gush, canyons are carved by a river’s push” the reader recognizes the earth is a constantly evolving, sometimes perilous place. The language is easy for a young reader to understand, but the poems in this collection also include facts and ideas that are knew to a young reader, such as the length of the equator mentioned in Kathryn Madeline Allen’s IF I WERE THE EQUATOR. This book can both augment a young reader’s knowledge of geography, and help cultivate their imagination.
Poem Used to Support Critical Analysis and How That Poem Would Be Introduced
From THE WONDER OF…
Rebecca Kai Dotlich

Geography:
An amazing, phenomenal way
to gather glorious Earth
from harbor, to basin to bay.

from coastline, to canyon to crater,
from tunnel, to tundra, to sea,
to dark, tangled patches of forest,
resplendent with swampland and tree;

Behold! Massive mountain, deep mine,
wealthy with diamond and coal.
Meandering fjord, lone island.
One silent and chilly North Pole.

From continent to faraway continent,
by mile, by chartered degree;
this masterpiece of wonder:
Geography.
          Rebecca Kai Dotlich encapsulates many of the themes expressed in this book in her poem THE WONDER OF… She depicts the diverse landscapes and geographical features found on earth, such as mountains, jungles and fjords. She describes geography as a way to gather the Earth, to study the earth’s physical characteristics and the tools and people that enable that science to take place. Dotlich’s poem, written in four line stanzas where the second and fourth lines rhyme, captures an energetic picture of the earth and all its unique attributes.
          Before reading the poem students would be asked, “What does the word geography mean to you?” Everyone would have an opportunity to express their thoughts on the topic. After an initial discussion I would say, “Keep your ideas in mind, and we can talk about the similarities and differences afterwards. I am now going to read you a poem about someone else’s view of geography. The poem is called THE WONDER OF… by Rebecca Kai Dotlich.” Asking the question before the reading will provide a learning experience. The students will be interested to hear the poem to see if it includes any of ideas they may have mentioned. In addition, while reading the poem, I will display the book so students will experience Stanton's stunning illustration of hikers surrounded by tall cliffs, waterfalls, and verdant fields while hiking a narrow path near a distant city.

No More Homework! No More Tests! Kids Favorite Funny School Poems selected by Bruce Lansky - School Poetry


Bibliography
Lansky, Bruce. 1997. NO MORE HOMEWORK! NO MORE TESTS! KIDS FAVORITE FUNNY SCHOOL POEMS. Ill. by Stephen Carpenter. New York: Meadowbrook Press. ISBN 978-0671577026.
Review and Critical Analysis
            NO MORE HOMEWORK! NO MORE TESTS!: KIDS FAVORITE FUNNY SCHOOL POEMS compiled by Bruce Lansky is an anthology of 52 humorous poems, written by over twenty different authors, about all aspects of elementary school. Many well-known authors are featured in this anthology including Shel Silverstein, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Jack Prelutsky and Lansky himself. The book contains a Table of Contents that lists both author and title, and an Author Index, which facilitates looking up the poems.
          The poems in Lansky’s anthology are loosely grouped according to subject such as riding the bus, the school cafeteria and excuses for not doing your homework. These sections are not labeled as such within the book, but the reader can discern this organization from the manner in which the poems are arranged. The majority of the narrators in these poems are students. The stanza form was utilized in the majority of the poems. Couplet is a recurring rhyme scheme in this book, employed in such poems as LOOK OUT! by Max Fatchen, WHAT I FOUND IN MY DESK by Bruce Lansky and BRAIN DRAIN by Max Fatchen. The rhymes flow together well, and if read aloud would sound smooth and rhythmic to the ear. Repetition is also used cleverly  in the poem MEASLES by Bruce Lansky. Lansky repeats the line “There are measles on my…” then adds a body part to describe the young narrator painting fake measles all over himself to, hopefully, be excused from a test the next day.

          The language used by the authors is precise. One of the best examples of this is RECESS by Timothy Tocher. This poem describes what happens to several children during recess, and the reader has no problem conjuring the image of Samantha skinning a knee or Harry being stung by a bee. However, Tocher is still able to make the tone of the poem quite funny.

          Several of the poems in this anthology have unique features, or draw their inspiration from other works. MOST OUTSTANDING STUDENTS OF THE YEAR AWARDS and THE TEACHER’S SHOW, both by Bruce Lansky, allow for personalization by the reader. There are spaces to fill in the names of individual students, teachers and schools. MARY HAD SOME BUBBLE GUM by Anonymous is distinct due to the fact that it’s sound and rhythm is taken from MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB. Finally, CLASS DISMISSED by Bruce Lansky is special since it is meant to be sung to the tune of THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC. All of the poems in this book lend themselves to being read aloud very effectively. 

          Readers will have no trouble relating to, and understanding, the material expressed in these poems. Younger children will recognize many of the troublesome and hilarious experiences that go along with attending elementary school, and older readers will also be able to reminisce about these incidents.

          Stephen Carpenter’s illustrations are a delightful compliment to these poems. Many of the illustrations take up two pages with one poem on each page that relates to the image. There are also instances where there are separate illustrations on each page, with a corresponding poem. The illustrations are all in black and white and drawn in a very cartoon like fashion with hyperbolic effects.
Poem Used to Support Critical Analysis and Follow Up Activity
From A TEACHER’S LAMENT

Don’t tell me the cat ate your math sheet,
And your spelling words went down the drain,
And you couldn’t decipher your homework,
Because it was soaked in the rain.

Don’t tell me you slaved for hours
On the project that’s due today,
And you would have had it finished
If your snake hadn’t run away.

I’m tired of all your excuses;
They are really a terrible bore.
Besides, I forgot my own work,
At home in my study drawer.
Kalli Dakos
            While the majority of the poems in this anthology depict school from the student’s point of view, Dakos’ poem highlights the teacher’s. The subject matter, excuses for not turning in homework, is reflected elsewhere in the anthology, but here it is turned on its head by the fact that it is the teacher who has forgotten her work. Dakos’ words produce exceptional images; the reader can clearly see students experiencing all of the excuses the narrator mentions. This poem exemplifies the humor and emotion prevalent throughout the anthology. This poem, like so many others in this anthology would be perfect in a read aloud session, the rhyme has a cadence that creates a very up tempo feeling and enables the poem to flow effortlessly.
          An interesting follow up activity to this poem would be a discussion between the students and the reader. Questions like: “What funny excuses can you think of to explain forgetting your homework?” and “What is the most interesting part of this poem to you and why?” would be a lively start to a no doubt humorous exchange. This would combine a learning opportunity with an amusing experience.