Free Verse: Night Garden: Poems from the World of Dreams

Bibliography:
Wong, Janet.2000. Night Garden: Poems from the World of Dreams. Ill. Paschkis, Julie. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books. ISBN: 0689826176

Review:
Dreams. Everyone dreams. I dream almost every night. As I wake, these dreams often sneak away-only to be dreamed another day. Janet Wong has NOT let her dreams escape. In her wonderful book Night Garden: Poems from the World of Dreams, Wong explores the endless variety of dreams that we all experience. Dreams about ourselves, dreams of flying and falling, dreams of love ones we have lost and even the dreaded nightmare. All of the poems in this collection are concrete and easily understood and appreciated by children. Try reading Flying to children: In their dreams/my friends can fly./They flap their arms/and soar like hawks. When you do, I bet every hand will shoot up wanting to tell their dream of flying. These poems are written in free verse. No rhyming in these poems. However, there is a gentle rhythm about these poems that will appeal to readers. The tone of the poems changes depending on what type of dream Wong is describing. While reading these poems, I thought of the different dreams that I have had that were similar to Mrs. Wong's poems. Children will do the same. Julie Paschkis has collaborated with Janet Wong on several books. The illustrations were done in gouache on paper and are vibrant and subdued at the same time and add richness to all of the poems.
Poem Selection:
This is an excellent collection of poems to share with students. As an introduction, the teacher or librarian can talk about dreams: what are dreams, are there different types of dreams, how are daydreams different from the dreams you dream at night? , why do we dream? After discussing these questions, read Night Garden: Poems from the World of Dreams to students. You will need to let students read the poems again to themselves. After reading the poems several times and allowing students to read them silently to themselves, teachers and librarians can let students write about a dream that they have had.
The poem that I loved in this collection is called The Ones They Loved the Most. I lost my mom this past September. She has visited me a couple of times and I always wake trying to pull her back to me.
The Ones They Loved the Most
My mother says
the spirits of the dead
visit
in dreams,
seeking out
the ones they loved
the most.
When you are chosen,
remember to pull
at the air around you
when you wake,
pull and gulp it down,
swallow hard,
and those sweet memories
will stick
like cotton candy.

Extensions:
Learn more about Janet Wong at her website: http://www.janetwong.com/index.cfm
Learn more about illustrator Julie Paschkis: http://www.juliepaschkis.com/

Poetic Form: Concrete Poetry

Bibliography:

Janezko, Paul. 2001. A Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poems. Ill. Raschka, Chris. Massachuetts: Candwick Press. ISBN: 0763606618.

Review:

Paul Janezko has put together a book of thirty one concrete poems. These poems are written by different authors and include Douglas Florian, Joan Bransfield Graham and Robert Froman. Chris Raschka uses a mixed media of paint and torn paper that have a decidedly Picasso feel to add detail to these shaped poems. The book is written completely in concrete poetry form –even the copyright page. All of the copyright and CIP information is written in such a way as to create the traditional Copyright symbol of a circle with a “c” in the middle. Very cute! The book includes a note from the editor explaining that “concrete poems are different from regular poems” and gives a great introduction to this type of poetry. Concrete poetry is very playful and accessible to young readers. However, there are a few poems in this collections such as Eskimo Pie (pg. 16), Swan and Shadow (pg. 24) and Pattern Poem with an Elusive Intruder (pg.32) that will be difficult for children to comprehend. Nevertheless, the shape of these poems will engage the children and help them to see that words can be “shaped” in a way to represent what the poem is talking about. These poems will delight readers and will help them understand that the words create an image or feeling that is the essence of the topic. Most of these poems will be difficult to read aloud and are meant to be seen and felt rather than heard.

Poem Selection:

The poem that I have chosen to share from this book is Tennis Anyone? By Monica Kulling.

Tennis ******* is a
game I ******* could watch
for hours ****** but my
neck won’t ****** let me

Do you feel like your watching a tennis match when you read this? I do! As I read the poem, I had to laugh out loud. What a great experience for children! This collection of poems is perfect for challenging the typical idea that poetry has to rhyme and to see that poems can be more than meets the eye. Teachers from every subject area can use concrete poetry. Students can write a poem about any topic and have it take the shape they are writing about.
Extension:
Here are some excellent ideas and resources for concrete poetry.
http://www.candlewick.com/book_files/0763606618.kit.1.pdf
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/shape/

Verse Novel: All the Broken Pieces by Ann E. Burg

Bibliography:
Burg, Ann E. 2009. All the Broken Pieces. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN: 978054508927

Review:

All the Broken Pieces is the story of twelve-year-old Matt Pin. Told in first person, this novel blends historical fiction and poetry to tell how this young boy recovers from the ravages of the Vietnam War. Matt is the son of an American GI and a Vietnamese woman. Matt lived with his mother until he was ten years old. At the end of the war, Matt is airlifted out of Vietnam and adopted by an American family. During the past two years, Matt has been loved and cared for by his adoptive family but still struggles with the loss of his biological mother and brother and the horrific memories of the war. His family has tried to help Matt retain his Vietnamese culture by having him attend classes that taught him about Vietnam. Nevertheless, this was not the Vietnam that he remembers. “I close my eyes./I listen./I try to remember the colors,/but I cannot./I try to form the dragons from dust, /but I cannot./I try again./But I cannot./ My Vietnam/is drenched/in smoke and fog./It has no parks/or playgrounds,/no classrooms/or teachers./It is not on any map/or in any book./ My Vietnam is/only/a pocketful/of broken pieces/I carry/inside me.” (pg.22-23) . Although Matt struggles with his loss, he also integrates with his new culture. His adoptive parents help him develop a love of music and baseball and encourage him in all aspects of his life. He also receives the support from his teachers and coaches when some of his classmates do not accept him because he is Vietnamese. Matt has a LOT to deal with.

Author Ann E. Burg’s use of sparse language gets right to the point. Readers can feel the raw pain and emotion throughout the book that all the characters feel. All of the characters are believable and respond in a way that is to be expected. Young adult readers will learn about how confusing the war was for all people and learn about the tension and misconceptions among the American people of that time about the war. As I read the book, I felt a deep sadness for Matt and the Vietnamese people. By the end of the book, I felt hope that Matt would overcome the terrors of war and finally be happy.

All the Broken Pieces is an excellent novel to share with readers learning about how war affects people. Students in grades 6 and up will enjoy this novel and will gain an understanding of perspectives as they read.

Poem Selection:

As I read this novel. I kept thinking about how people do not always understand each other and often develop prejudices. In the novel, Matt has an enemy, Rob, who hates him and calls him names. Matt does not understand why. The baseball coach realized this and sets up an activity to help the team learn to rely on each other. He teams Matt and Rob together. Matt is willing to try but Rob is not. However, it is through this activity that Matt finally learns why Rob hates him so much.

“I hate you,/he says/My brother died/because of you.” (pg. 188)

After Rob says this, Matt is hit with images of the war, and the voices of the support group that he has attended with his dad and piano teacher. He suddenly remembers his Vietnamese mother singing to him and decides to respond to Rob.

“I lost my brother too,/I say, and/my words surprise me./He isn’t dead,/but he’s gone just the same./And it’s my fault./My mouth is saying stuff/I don’t even know I’m thinking./I’m sorry that your brother died./I’m really sorry./I know how you feel.”(pg. 190-191)

This is a turning point for Matt and Rob. Both boys realize that they have been hurt by the war and Matt finally starts healing. This novel is an excellent way to get students talking about prejudice, and not making judgments about people before they get to know them.

Douglas Florian

Bibliography:

Florian, Douglas. 2009. Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings. New York: Atheneum Books. ISBN: 9781416979784

Review:

Douglas Florian has written a book of poetry about one topic that everyone loves- Dinosaurs! This book of 20 poems will delight students of all ages. The first poem titled: “The Age of Dinosaurs” serves as an introduction to the different periods of time that dinosaurs lived: Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. The last poem, “The End of Dinosaurs”, explores the theories behind the dinosaurs demise. In between there are 18 poems about specific dinosaurs. Poems include the most commonly know dinosaurs such as the T-Rex and Triceratops to the more obscure such as the Baryonyx. Florian used rhyme and humor liberally throughout the book. Students will love reading these poems aloud. The poems are very concrete and will be understood by the youngest of readers. Each poem has a pronunciation guide (very helpful!) and the meaning of each dinosaurs name. Also included is a table of contents, a “glossarysaurs”, a list of dinosaur museums and fossil sites and a bibliography. Florian uses brown paper bags as the background and “gouache, collage, colored pencils, stencils, rubber stamps and “dinosaur dust” to illustrate the poems. Huge, full page spreads use muted colors and unexpected details to compliment the poems perfectly.

Poem Selection:

All of the poems are fantastic and fun. This is a great book to share with students who are interested in dinosaurs. Of course, most dinosaur books are in the nonfiction section 567 of the library. This book is perfect for sharing how poetry books can be about specific subjects that students love and introducing students to the poetry section of the library as well. Librarians and teachers could collaborate to have students do a research project on a specific dinosaur. Then share Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings as an introduction to the specific dinosaurs. Be sure to point out the glossary, bibliography and special features of the book and how they can aid students who are researching.

Triceratops
try-SAIR-a-tops (three-horned face)

Triceratops.
Try-scare-a-tops.
Try-wouldn't-want-to-dare-a-tops.
Triceratops.
Try-stare-a-tops.
Beware-and-please-take-care-a-tops.
Born with three great horns in place,
Triceratops was in your face.

http://floriancafe.blogspot.com/2009/04/4th-starred-review.html