Poem Selected by Lee Bennet Hopkins: Got Geography!

Bibliography:
Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 2006. Got Geography!.New York: Greenwillow Books.
ISBN: 9780060556013.

Review:
Lee Bennett Hopkins has gathered sixteen poems by various authors including J. Patrick Lewis, Joan Bransfield Graham, and Carl Sandburg. The poems all focus on different aspects of geography: latitude, longitude, physical features such as mountains, forests, waterfalls, volcanoes, using a compass and all of the features on maps. The poems vary widely in form. Several of the poems are very abstract and younger children may not understand the references. One example of this is the poem : from North Atlantic by Carl Sandburg. "The Sea gives all/and yet the sea keeps something back./The sea takes without asking./The sea is a worker, a thief, and a loafter." Even though younger children may not understand this poem it s has a sophistication that should be shared and discussed. Other poems are concrete, lighhearted and fun. One such poem is Compass by Maria Fleming. The rhythm and rhyme of this poem will appeal to children and could be used to discuss the rich vocabulary contained within. The illustrations are done in vivid, acrylic paint. Although the illustrations are simple they fill up the page with details that add to the understanding of the poem and will be appealing to readers.
Poem Selection:
I have chosen to highlight the poem Compass by Maria Fleming. The poem is not the first in the book but I feel it would be a great introduction to a geography unit or lesson because it contains rich vocabulary. The rhythm and rhyme is fun and upbeat, the mood light and lends itself to a discussion of exactly what geography entails. In addition, I can see this as being an introduction to a program that students perform during a PTA meeting or other planned celebration. Perhaps students can write their own poems about places they have learned about and them put together the performance with this poem as the introduction.

Compass by Maria Fleming
Compass, Compass/
Point the way/
To wild places/
Where few stray./
Across deep seas/
To distant lands,/
Toward arctic ice/
And desert sands,/
To jungles gleaming/
Jewel-green,/
To mountaintop/
And deep ravine./
Guide me around/
The globe and then,/
Compass/
Point me home again. /