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.