Requiem

Poems of the Terezin Ghetto

By Paul B. Janeczko

Janeczko, Paul B. Requiem : Poems of the Terezin Ghetto. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2011.

ISBN 9780763647278

This powerful and heartbreaking novel in poems tells stories of life in Terezin, a Czech concentration camp. The poems are the voices of fictitious prisoners and their oppressors in a time of death, despair, and injustice. With disquieting imagery this book is better suited for a more mature age group of students. Readers will experience a wealth of anger and sadness throughout this book, but they will also hear about bravery and strength. This novel would be a great companion for the eighth grade English curriculum. 

This novel is written by one single poet, Paul B. Janeczko. Janeczko is a well-known poet and anthologist, and he has published over 40 books in the last 30 years. In this book Janeczko explains how the Nazi's used Terezin as a false realty of how they treated Jews. Readers will admire his ability to create such a true representation of the degraded in a fictitious story.

The illustrations in the novel do not seem like anything special until you learn that they are historic illustrations drawn my inmates and found after the war ended. This information changes the readers focus when examining the illustrations. You will now find yourself staring at the details of the drawings and imagine what the person was feeling at the time. The book has a table of contents, an afterword, an author's note, and information on further study of the Holocaust and Terezin. Janeczko provides selected sources of books, websites, DVDs, foreign words and phrases, and art credits to aide in extending the learning of this time and place. 

A poem I would highlight from this novel is titled "Trude Reimer / 33456". For the poetry break, the teacher will ask for a volunteer to read the poem aloud to the class. Before any discussion the teacher will then ask the students to close their eyes and find out what they envision when the teacher reads the poem again aloud. Have a discussion on how the poem made the students feel, smell, hear, and what they think the prisoner felt.

Trude Reimer / 33456

I was a cat

with cat freedom

even if for only thirty minutes

even if I spoke but two lines

before it was back to the barracks

overcrowded with

the stink of bodies

the stink of fear

the stink of death.

But for those few minutes

I was free as any cat.

Walking on Earth & Touching the Sky

Poetry and Prose by Lakota Youth at Red Cloud Indian School
Edited by Timothy P. McLaughlin

McLaughlin, Timothy P., ed. Walking on Earth and Touching the Sky : Poetry and Prose by Lakota Youth 

     at Red Cloud Indian School. Illustrated by S. D. Nelson. New York, NY: Abrams Books for Young 

     Readers, 2012.   ISBN 9781419701795

This powerful collection edited by Timothy P. McLaughlin allows the Lakota youth at Red Cloud Indian School to express themselves through poetry and prose. All the poems are written by students grades five through eight and grants readers a chance to experience what it means to be Lakota and a kid in this century. It is important to read the introduction to understand the severe conditions of poverty, disease, drug and alcohol abuse, and unemployment these children live in and their cultural legacy.With the creative writing prompts of "Natural World", "Misery", "Native Thoughts", "Silence", "Spirit", "Family, Youth, and Dreams", and "Language" readers should expect to encounter a multitude of emotions including anger, sadness, appreciation, and love. 

All the poets in this book are students in grades five through eight. Some students are only present once while other students have more than one poem in one or more of the different sections. These students show their strength in allowing the world to read their deep feelings and emotions of life and their culture.

This original work is separated into seven different sections. The table of contents directs readers to the seven sections and not individual poems. This book also contains a foreword by Joseph M. Marshall III, an introduction, acknowledgments, an author's note, an index of titles, and an index of poets. Readers will have a plethora of information even through the illustrations. Each illustration is a never-before-published painting by author/illustrator, S.D. Nelson come with their own description and note from Nelson. The colors even in the layout are appealing with black backgrounds and bright text of predominately turquoise and orange. This book is an excellent introduction into a native american culture and poetry written by children. It would make a positive contribution to any public or school library.

A poem that I would highlight from this book is "Who Am I?" written by Dusty Black Elk. This poem would be a great introduction to having the students free write about who they are. This poem allows listeners and readers to reflect on the parts of their life that makes them who they truly are. The teacher will read the poem aloud to the class and discuss the symbolism and what the poet means in each line. The teacher will then read the poem aloud again and prompt the students to write a few lines about themselves in the same format.

Who Am I? 

by Dusty Black Elk

I am a rose in a patch of weeds.

I am a storybook mixed in with some dictionaries.

I am a chokecherry bush surrounded by oak trees.

I am a window that is broken.

I am a boy with lots of sisters.

I am an Indian surrounded by white people.

I am a football player at a basketball game.

I am a cat with a bunch of dogs.

I am an angel around a lot of devils.

I am a Walkman at a rock concert.

I am a block that tries to fit into a circle.

One Big Rain

Poems for Rainy Days

Compiled by Rita Gray

Gray, Rita, comp. One Big Rain : Poems for Rainy Days. Illustrated by Ryan O'Rourke. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2010.   ISBN 9781570917165

This book presents a collection of twenty rain-themed poems. The book starts off with a table of contents followed by an introduction and a note about haiku translations, and concludes with acknowledgments organized by seasons. The poems in this book are arranged by seasons starting with Autumn and finishing with Summer. Each season contains five poems with two of them being translated Japanese haiku's. Ryan O'Rourke's oil illustrations are delicate and pleasant while capturing the essence of rain with blues, grays, and olive greens.

This collection offers twenty different poems and twenty different poets including the compiler, Rita Gray. Other poets presented in this book are Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg, Lilian Moore, R. Olivares Figueroa (translated from Spanish), and Sigbjrn Obsfelder (translated from Norwegian). The illustrator, Ryan O'Rourke's work has been admired in galleries, newspapers, and magazines, including a weekly illustration for the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine.

Gray has selected an appropriate variety of poems presenting different poetic styles with  the common theme of rain. This book will provide a great introduction to the different sounds and figurative language poets use. Elementary teachers will appreciate the easy link between science and English because this compilation of poems provides a connection in curriculum with poetry and weather. The poems do not contain too much sentiment, but readers will recall their own experiences in the rain from the mood expressed through the poems.

One poem I would highlight from this collection is "Rain" which is translated from the Norwegian by Sarah J. Hails. The would be a fun poem to start with the teacher reading the poem out loud and then progress by adding the students in at different times, and then finally reading the poem in cannon. This may be difficult at first attempt because the students might get tongue tied. Everyone is sure to enjoy this poetry break.

Rain
(Translated from the Norwegian by Sarah J. Hails)
-Sigbjorn Obstfelder

One is one, and two is two-
we sing in huddles,
we hop in puddles.
Plip, plop,
we drip on roof top,
trip, trop,
the rain will not stop.
Rain, rain, rain, rain,
bucketing rain,
chucketing rain,
rain, rain, rain, rain,
wonderfully raw,
wet to the core!
One is one, and two is two-
we sing in huddles,
we hop in puddles.

Plip, plop,
we drip on roof top,
trip, trop,
the rain will not stop.

Water Sings Blue

Ocean Poems
by Kate Coombs
Illustrated by Meilo So

Coombs, Kate. Water Sings Blue : Ocean Poems. Illustrated by Meilo So. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Book, 2012.

ISBN 9780811872843

Just like the title says, all of the poems in this book are about anything involving the ocean. Poems include fish and creatures who live in the ocean, birds who flock to the ocean, waves, boats, and sand. Each poem provides a positive contribution to the overall theme. Readers will experience more than they might expect to find related to the ocean. The connection of beagles to seagulls in "Seagulls" is a little strange, but the rhyming has a nice flow. Two poems that stand out are "Blue Whale" and "Shipwreck". They are combined on two pages and displayed vertically to show the length of the whale and the shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean. Readers may not experience emotions from this book, but they will be able to visualize the waves, a tide pool, colorful fish, and much more. The poet, Kate Coombs uses gentle sound and figurative language for her poetic elements in this book. 

This collection of twenty-three poems is written by one author, Kate Coombs. This is her first collection of poetry, but she has written one picture book and two middle grade novels. This collection was inspired by her childhood living in Southern California writing poems and collection shells on the beach. Coombs has created a great way for children to experience the enjoyment of the ocean without the travel or getting their feet wet.

The layout of this collection of poems is centered around the ocean. The book's watercolor illustrations are delicate and playful. Each illustration emphasizes the wonders of the ocean world. This book begins with a poem and ends with a poem. There is not a table of contents, page numbers, or an index to help find individual poems. 

A poem I would highlight from this book is "Ocean Realty". This is a great poem to have the students present to the class by acting, drawing, a puppet show, or another creative way. The teacher will read aloud the poem to the class a few times before the students split up into groups to start to plan their presentation. 

Ocean Realty

by Kate Coombs

My name's Frank Hermit.

Here-take my card.

So you want a house 

with a porch and yard?

I have listings for periwinkles,

whelks, and wentletraps;

turbans, tops, and moon shells;

a palatial conch, perhaps?

That one's not available-

I'm waiting for the snail

to vacate his townhouse

and put it up for sale.

But this place has a deck

and a nice view of the land-

beachfront property

is always in demand!

Dark Emperor

& Other Poems of the Night
Written by Joyce Sidman
Illustrated by Rick Allen

Sidman, Joyce. Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night. Illustrated by Rick Allen. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2010.

ISBN 9780547152288

This book is a collection of twelve poems about nocturnal life in a forest written by Joyce Sidman. All the poems involve creatures, plants, and trees that come alive at night in a forest. While all the poems have a consistent theme, there doesn't seem to be a special sequence to the poems. This makes it easier to use a single poem without changing the integrity of the story. Readers will not experience too many emotions from this book. What they will receive is entertainment and knowledge through Sidman's poems and factual descriptions. There are a variety of poetic elements including figurative language, sounds, and shape. The last poem in the book, "Moon's Lament" is a medieval style of poetry called ubi sunt. This book will be good to use as a way to connect poetry and the science curriculum. This book has several honors and awards attached to it like being a Newberry Honor Book, a Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Honor book, and a Boston Globe/Horn Book Award Honor, to name a few.

The layout of this book combined with the illustrations is amazingly unique and detailed. The book starts with a two page illustration of a forest at sunset with an owl flying and leaves blowing, and is wrapped up at the end with the same forest at sun rise. Rick Allen's illustrations were created by a special process called relief printing. This process is very intricate and timely using linoleum and/or wood, many carving tools, and for this book hand colored with gouache. Sidman provides the readers with a table of contents and a glossary of unfamiliar terms. Throughout the book, each poem has been given two pages. One page displays the poem and a small illustration, and the other page contains the large illustration for the poem and a note on the science facts that the illustrations and poems represent.

The poet, Joyce Sidman is a well-known poet in the writing world and this book definitely shows her writing style. This is the debut for Rick Allen, the illustrator, in the picture book genre. These two have really shown their talents together in this beautiful book.

One poem I would highlight from this book to use in a poetry break is "Oak After Dark". Without showing the students the title of the poem or the illustration in the book, give volunteer students each a stanza to read aloud to the class. The teacher will then read the poem again aloud as the students close their eyes and visualize the poem in their thoughts. This will lead to a class discussion about what the students were imagining from hearing the poem. Then tell the students the title and picture, and see how the students react. Did anyone guess or imagine an oak tree?

Oak After Dark

by Joyce Sidman

As nighttime rustles at my knee,

I stand in silent gravity

and quietly continue chores

of feeding leaves and sealing pores.

While beetles whisper in my bark,

while warblers roost in branches dark,

I stretch my roots into the hill

and slowly, slowly, drink my fill.

A thousand crickets scream my name,

yet I remain the same, the same.

I do not rest, I do not sleep,

and all my promises I keep:

to stand while all the seasons fly,

to anchor earth,

                      to touch the sky.

Joyful Noise

Poems for Two Voices
by Paul Fleischman
illustrated by Eric Beddows

Fleischman, Paul. Joyful Noise : Poems for Two Voices. Illustrated by Eric Beddows. N.p.: Harper and Row, 1988.

ISBN 0060218533

This amazing collection of poems is meant to be read out loud by two people. Paul Fleischman writes the poems in side-by-side parts that two people will read individually and simultaneously. Each poem features characteristics and habits of 14 insects. Some insects included in the book are mayflies, book lice, cicadas, and honeybees. Readers will enjoy the figurative language and detailed illustrations that Fleischman and Beddows have created for these musical duets. Some poems have a touch of humor while others have a more solemn tone. Readers of all ages will adore this fascinating guide to the insect world.

Fleischman, the poet and Beddows, the illustrator come together again in this collection of insects. Before this compilation they worked together on I am Phoenix which Joyful Noise is a companion book to. These two artists definitely compliment each other's talents.

This book provides readers with a table of contents and a note from the author, all before the poems begin. The note is extremely helpful in explaining how the poems are to be read. Joyful Noise is a collection of poems about insect and does not represent an overall story, so it has a distinct theme but no concrete sequence. Beddows' black and white pencil drawings can be described as soft, delicate, strong, and detailed. Each poem is excellently matched with one to two illustrations of the insects represented in the poem.

One poem I would highlight from this book is "Book Lice". I imagine this poem being used in a poetry break for enjoyment and a good representation of performance poetry with two voices. With the content being about book lice, it would be good for the librarian to join the classroom teacher in performing this poem to a class. The presenters need to make sure and have fun with this using props and even costumes to enhance the students enjoyment.

Book Lice
by Paul Fleischman
(excerpt from beginning)

I was born in a
fine old edition of Schiller
                                            While I started life
                                             in a private eye thriller
We're book lice                    We're book lice
who dwell                             who dwell
in these dusty bookshelves.    in these dusty bookshelves.
Later I lodged in
Scott's works--volume 50
                                             While I passed my youth
                                              in an Agatha Christie

Remember the Bridge

Poems of a People
by Carole Boston Weatherford

Weatherford, Carole Boston. Remember the Bridge : Poems of a People. New York, NY: Philomel Books, 2002.

 ISBN 9780399237263

This collection of twenty-nine poems was written by a single poet, Carole Boston Weatherford. She starts the book off with an African tree and the poem "Mother Africa Speaks to Civilization".There is not any mention of the poems in this book being included in any other poetry books. Weatherford is a renowned poet with poems in children's books, anthologies, and journals. 

For the layout of this book, there is no table of contents or index to aide readers in finding individual poems. The back of the book contains an author's notes page about her inspiration for writing these poems, and a page for photo and illustration credits. The illustrations throughout the book consist of real photographs, drawings, and sketches of the people and items talked about in the poems. All illustrations and photos in this book make excellent historical visuals for these poems written for and about African American heroes of the past. Weatherford shows her respect and admiration for these heroes through her poems.

Weatherford has an unique style by starting the poems off with "Remember the Bridge" and closes with "I am the Bridge". The symbolism of the people being the bridge is brilliant and inspiring. Every poem has a strong presence, and is a positive contribution to this collection and the theme of African American heroes in our history. There is a variety of poems written in free verse, rhyme, and meter. This book is written for people to learn and remember the sacrifices and challenges African Americans have made to get to where they are today. Weatherford wants her readers to remember the past and never forget. Remember the Bridge was written for children and young adults, but might be more suitable for the upper elementary through high school age. This book would be a treasure for any public or school library. Teachers will be draw to the symbolism, poetic elements, and the historical presence of this book. 

One poem I would highlight from this book is "I am the Bridge". For this poetry break the teacher will ask the students to close their eyes in visualize what the poem is saying as he/she reads the poem aloud. Then as a class have a discussion on what the students imagined from this poem. Then show the students the photograph associated with the poem. Now read the poem again. Do the students have a different view of the poem? Discuss the symbolism the poet represent in this poem.

Excerpt from I am the Bridge by Carole Boston Weatherford

The bridge is men and women,

famous and unknown,

leaving paths of memories,

timeless stepping stones.

I follow in the shadows

of heroes without names

and keep the faith of elders

who lean on hickory canes.

I hear the beat of Africa

drumming deep within,

bear the scar of slavery

beneath my ebony skin.

I stand with valiant soldiers 

who claim the victory

and jump in jubilation

with slaves at long last free.