Carver

A Life in Poems
by Marilyn Nelson

Nelson, Marilyn. Carver : a Life in Poems. New York, NY: Scholastic, 2001.

ISBN 9780439456739

This book is written by one poet, Marilyn Nelson. Marilyn is a renowned author and poet who has received numerous awards and recognition in her life.This book itself has received many acknowledgments including the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award, being a Newberry Honor Book, and a Coretta Scott King Honor Book. A good amount of the poems in this collection have been included in other poetry books and publications.

Before the book starts, Nelson presents three quotes by George Washington Carver, one by Leo Tolstoy, and one by Albert Einstein. There is no table of contents but there is a list of poems in the back of the book that acts like an index. The book also contains a page with acknowledgments from the author and publisher. Credits for the photographs throughout the book are given in the back of the book along with a page containing notes on the first publication of poems. The photographs in this book represent real pictures of people and items that resemble pieces of Carver's life. They definitely enhance the historical theme of the story. The arrangement of the poems is important because they tell the story of George Washington Carver from birth to death. 

Carver : a life in poems is basically an eloquent biography written in poems about George Washington Carver. This representation of his life is done in fifty-nine poems. Readers will definitely have a better understanding of what life was like for an African American born slave who grew up to become a botanist, inventor, scholar, and incredible man. The poems are not too sentimental, but the reader will experience emotions as they read through this book. Readers will be amazed and enlightened by the challenges, obstacles, and accomplishments Carver goes through in his lifetime. He achieved a great deal for an African American in the 19th and 20th centuries. The poetic elements for this book focus on emotional impact and sense imagery. 

One poem that I would choose to highlight from this book is "1905". A good place to use this poem is in a history class to show how Carver initiates the Jesup wagon which includes taking his agricultural teachings to the poor who live in rural areas. The teacher will ask for volunteers to read aloud the five different stanzas of the poem, and have a class discussion after reading aloud. 

Excerpt from 1905 by Marilyn Nelson

(first two stanzas)

Looking out of the front page, a wild-haired,

gentle-eyed young German man stands

before a blackboard of incomprehensible equations.

Meanwhile, back in the quotidian,

Carver takes the school to the poor.

He outfits an open truck

with shelves for his jars

of canned fruit and compost,

bins for his croker sacks of seeds.

He travels roads barely discernible 

on the county map,

teaching former field-slaves

how to weave ditch weeds

into pretty table place mats,

how to keep their sweet potatoes form rotting

before winter hunger sets in,

how to make preacher-pleasing

mock fried chicken

without slaughtering a laying hen.

He notes patches of wild chicory

the farmers could collect

to free themselves form their taste

for high-priced imported caffeine.

Poems about Earth

The Elements in Poetry
Compiled by Andrew Fusek Peters

Peters, Andrew Fusek, comp. Poems about Earth. Mankato, MN: Cherrytree Books, 2008.

This collection of earth poems represents twenty-one different poets. There are some well known and prestigious poets such as John Keats, J. Patrick Lewis, and William Wordsworth. Poems from this book have been represented in other publications, but there is no mention of it in this book. 

The majority of the poems in the book have a consistent quality and are positive contributions to this collections. Young readers may not recognize the poets, but adults, teachers, and people in the writing community will know a few of the well named poets represented in this collection. All of the poems tie into the theme of earth. Some poems definitely stand out more than others, but they all speak of wonders in our natural world. Readers may experience a few emotions from certain poems. One poem, "After the Earthquake" will stimulate sympathy and sadness. The tone of the book is more educational than emotional. The selected poems will teach readers how to remember the difference between stalactites and stalagmites, plate tectonics, elements, and other earth related concepts. This book is full of poems containing many poetic elements. The most prominent element is personification. Almost every poem gives human characteristics to plants, bugs, elements, gravity, and other non-human items. There is also a lot of sound, figurative language, and sense imagery. This collection also has two concrete/shape poems, "Web of Life" and "Nature's Jewel".

The book's layout starts with a table of contents and concludes with an author index, acknowledgments, picture credits, a short note about the anthologist, and information on the three other books in The Elements of Poetry series. There does not seem to be a specific arrangement of the poems. They can be used in any order, by themselves, or together. The commonality that all the poems have is Earth. As a collection these poems represent our natural world. All of the pictures and illustrations are distinctive to each poem. Some pages have a picture background representing the poem, while others have a single picture on a solid background. The illustrations do not overpower the poems, and they are not a main attraction for this book. They complement the poems, but they are not extraordinary. This book can provide an easy connection to science in the English classroom.

A poem I would highlight from the book is "The Sunflower" by Polly Peters. A good way to include this in the classroom would be to have some students act out the different stanzas while other students read aloud. This would be a fun poetry break that the students can fully get involved. Student participation is require for this poetry break.

Excerpt from The Sunflower by Polly Peters

(last 3 stanzas)

now I am uncurling

young leaves on either side

then whoosh! I'm stretching upwards

first straight and tall, then wide.

my leaves are arched like bird's wings,

they flutter in the air.

my petals are unfurling

like a plate with yellow hair.

look at me! I'm swaying

a leaning, smiling tower.

I turn my face to catch the sun,

a tall and proud sunflower.

A Poke in the I

A Collection of Concrete Poems
Selected by Paul B. Janeczko

Janeczko, Paul B., comp. A Poke in the I. Illustrated by Chris Raschka. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2001. ISBN 0763606618

This book is a collection of 30 concrete poems written by visual poets and selected by Paul B. Janeczko. Each poem has been used in another published text, but was selected because of its style and concrete nature to be part of this book. When Janeczko puts together a book focusing on concrete poems he does not disappoint. Every piece of text in this book is written in concrete form, including the title page verso and notes from the editor. The notes from the editor content is arranged like the sounds coming out of a saxophone, and teach the reader about the form of concrete poetry. Janeczko goes all out and even writes his table of contents in the shape of a table. Each item in the table of contents is listed by the poem title, poet, and page number. There does not seem to be a particular reason for the arrangement of the poems. Readers will easily be able to locate certain poems through the table of contents, and they will be able to find their original sources with the acknowledgement pages in the back of the book.

Chris Raschka's illustrations are original and imaginative. His artistic style includes a mixture of watercolors and torn paper collages. The illustrations are extremely important to this book because they play a major role in the poem's structure. Some of the poems only contain one word, so the illustration helps the reader connect to the poem. Raschka does a great job in not overwhelming the reader with illustrations by having a white background so the text and art can stand out. While the focus of this book is concrete poems, readers will still experience all sorts of sounds and figurative language, particularly will alliteration consonance, assonance. Readers will have fun reading this book in class or for entertainment. They will also enjoy the multiple ways to display and read poems. The intended audience for this book is children ages eight to fourteen years old. This book will make a positive addition to a classroom or library collection. 

The poem I have selected to highlight for a poetry break is "Tennis Anyone?". In the book, this poem is written on two pages and a line is drawn between the two to represent a tennis ball going back and forth in a tennis game. A fun way to present this poem would be to have two students on opposite sides of the room toss a tennis ball back and forth. The students will recite their lines of the poem when they have the ball. Students will be engaged by the movement and actual interaction in the presentation of the poem. Below is the poem, but keep in mind that it has more power when accompanied by illustrations or an appropriate presentation.

Tennis Anyone? 
by Monica Kulling

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

Forest Has a Song

Poems by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

VanDerwater, Amy Ludwig. Forest Has a Song. Illustrated by Robbin Gourley. New York, NY: Clarion Book, 2013. ISBN 9780618843497

This book is a colorful collection of 26 poems written by one poet, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater. Each of the 26 poems is strong enough to be used independent of this book, but when they are kept together they tell a beautiful story. The theme of this book is a forest. Every poem either has a connection to the forest or is the forest whispering. The poems will give readers a chance to listen to what the forest has to say as it invites a little girl and her dog to visit. Along the journey through the forest, readers will experience all sounds, rhythms, and uses of figurative language. Readers will easily make a connection to the forest. VanDerwater provides just enough emotional impact with this feel good book of poems. To allow readers to easily identify when a poem has different voices, VanDerwater uses italic lettering to distinguish who is speaking. This book is geared toward elementary and middle grade children as the intended audience.


The illustrations done by Robbin Gourley are beautiful. Gourley is represented on every single page of the book, from patterns of different colored leaves on the inside front and back covers, to an illustration for every poem, to a solid color painted blank page. Gourley's artistic style and use of watercolors is delicate and realistic. The illustrations and poems are perfectly matched, and each illustration definitely enhances the power of the poem. The layout of this book is simple and only contains illustrations and poetry. There is no table of contents, index, or reference page to find individual poems by. I would definitely recommended this book for libraries who serve children and young adults.


One poem I would highlight from this book to use in a poetry break is "April Walking". I chose this short poem because it packs a punch with alliteration and a touch of end rhyme. One way to integrate this poem into a lesson is in a speech or theater class. To assist with public speaking students recite sayings to help them not to get tongue tied. As a warm up, students will read this poem aloud several times. This poem is fun to read because it can twist the tongue. This could also be used in a reading classroom to take a mental break from serious work. 

April Waking
by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater


Ferny frondy fiddleheads
unfurl curls from dirty beds.
Stretching stems they sweetly sing
greenest greetings sent to Spring.

Stop Pretending

What happened when my big sister went crazy
by Sonya Sones

Sones, Sonya. Stop Pretending : What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy. New York, NY: Harper Collins, 1999. ISBN 0439250706

This novel is a collection of free-verse poems all written by one poet, Sonya Sones. This novel is an exploration through a young girl's life as she deals with the hospitalization of her older sister for mental health reasons. Each poem is a stepping stone through her emotional roller coaster during a difficult time in her life. Some of the poems are simple transitions between events, while others have deep meaning and presence in the story. The poems in this book were meant to be used together to explain the story Sones has to tell. This novel is not overly sentimental, but it does contain serious and emotional subject matter. Readers may empathize or sympathize, but they will definitely have some kind of emotional connection to this story. There are happy, serious, and depressing moods that are exhibited through the poems. In Sones' free-verse poems there is not a prominent sound or rhythm. She mainly writes with emotional impact and a touch of figurative language and sense imagery. The intended audience for this novel is females grades six through nine.

The layout of the book is important to the story that is being told. The only illustration for this book are the three pictures on the dust jacket. The pictures display blurry images of a female with a camera. Two of the pictures are the same image. Before the story beings, the author provides an acknowledgements page where she gives thanks to the people who guided and supported her in the journey of writing this novel. There is not a table of contents or index to help readers find individual poems. However, there is an author's note in the back of the book that gives the readers an insight into Sones' motivation in writing this novel. In this note, Sones writes about the preceding and resulting events of the story. In her conclusion, Sones offers resources on seeking help for mental health problems for yourself or someone you may know by listing helpful company names and phone numbers. This is a great novel to open people's awareness to mental health disorders, and how a whole family is affected by this disease. I would recommended this book for school and public libraries.

When thinking about how I would integrate this book into a lesson I decided that I would like to do a unit on the book, but have little activities and extension with certain poems. One of those poems would be "Minus". I chose this poem mainly for the last stanza in the poem. After reading the poem aloud together and then silently on their own, the student will give their interpretation of "4-1=0". Students will write their thoughts on a post it before they leave class as an exit ticket. The next day the teacher will have arranged the common interpretations and present them to the class. 

Minus

by Sonya Sones

Last night

Sister wasn't there

to help me study for my math test.

Father tried to fill in

but he's never been as good at math

as her.

This morning

I'm sitting here

taking the test

but the numbers on the page

keep scrambling

in my head

and the only equation

I really understand is:

4 - 1 = 0.

Comets, Stars, The Moon, and Mars

Space Poems and Paintings

By Douglas Florian

Florian, Douglas. Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars : Space Poems and Paintings. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, 2007.

ISBN 9780152053727

This book is a wonderful collection of space poems and paintings all created by author Douglas Florian. This is a perfect book to help reinforce space concepts in the science classroom.

The illustrations in this book are creative and a little abstract. Florian uses a combination of artistic styles to create the backgrounds of each page and poem. Each poem has a specific illustration filling up two pages and the poem is presented on one of the pages. Florian's interesting techniques definitely aide in enriching the content of each poem, and providing a helpful visual for readers. The book's layout is fairly straight forward with a table of contents in the front, and a glossary, selected bibliography, further reading, and title page verso in the back. The "Galactic Glossary" is extremely important to have when trying to teach real life concepts to young people. The only time the reader will see page numbers is on a page that holds a poem, and the page numbers are placed on the sides of the pages. This is not a traditional method of numbering pages but it is unique.

The consistency of this book is in the connection to space, and every poem has some sort of rhyming pattern. Each poem teaches readers about a single planet or space vocabulary word. Readers will experience humor, enjoyment, and knowledge as they read or have the poems read to them. One poem that stands out from the rest is "A Galaxy" because it is written as concrete or shape poetry. The words of the poem are displayed in a spiral, similar to a spiral of a black hole. Students will find this poem very interesting to read. All poems are short and sweet. They entertain the reader with end rhyming patterns and figurative language.

This book would be a positive addition to any library that serves children and young adults. I would recommend this book to all elementary science teachers to use in conjunction with space lessons. For example, a science teacher could read this book to introduce all the planets in our solar system. It will definitely enrich the student's learning.

It is really hard to pick just one poem to highlight from this book because they all are fabulous. The poem I would highlight is "A Galaxy". I would have this used during a poetry break. During a stopping point in an English teacher's lesson, the poem can be blown up and presented on the board or projector. The teacher will ask the students to read the poem silently and give them a little time. Then they will have a discussion on if the students had a difficult time reading the poem because of it's shape. After a little discussion the teacher or a selected student will read the poem to the class. This can lead into a lesson on concrete poems, or just be a nice little break from the busy work in class. The following is a picture of the poem written out. It doesn't not have the same effect without it's shape.

A Galaxy

by Douglas Florian

A Maze Me

A Poem for Girls

by Naomi Shihab Nye

Nye, Naomi Shihab. A Maze Me : Poems for Girls. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books, 2005.

ISBN 0060581891

This book is a delightful collection of over 70 poems written from observations and experiences of Naomi Shihab Nye. All of the poems in this book are free verse, and they talk about life experiences of girls in childhood and teenage years. This book was written for girls ages 12 to 17 years old. Nye writes these poems like they are her own thoughts and young readers will be able to connect with poems. There is a very strong personal connection to be had when reading this book. 

This collection is simply arranged and separated by five sections. Each section is beautifully introduced with pastel-colored illustrations by Terre Maher. The beginning of the book contains a table of contents and introduction where the author talks about childhood and reminisces about school days before adulthood. She even suggests young readers to start writing three lines everyday about anything they want. She believes the reader will be able to make connections and truly learn more about who they are. This introduction really helps add to the personal touch of this book. The back of the book has an index that is a little different than most. The poems are listed by alphabetized first lines. The back cover and the inside dust jacket information are not summaries but actual poems to represent the contents of the book.

Poems in this book are not too flashy or complicated to read and understand. Some have abstract content, but the majority are descriptive and full of sense imagery, emotional impact, and figurative language. Nye writes a few poems with some rhyming features, but there is no specific rhyming patterns in her writing. She does include many metaphors and examples of personification. This is an overall pleasant book that is definitely recommended to have in any library who serves middle to high school age females.

A poem I would choose to highlight from this book would be Ellipse. As a Reading/English class warm-up, the teacher would read the poem aloud to the students. The students would then be asked to write down their impression of the poem. What came to mind as you were listening to the poem? Can you visually see punctuation marks on people? How do you feel about the poem? After a few minutes of reflection there would be a whole class discussion on the student's impression of the poem and the use of punctuation as physical markings on a person. This could also lead into a lesson on the mentioned punctuation marks and how they are normally used.

Ellipse
By Naomi Shihab Nye

My father has a parenthesis
on either side of his mouth.
His new words 
live inside his old words.
And there's a strange semicolon
birthmark on my neck-
what does it mean,
my sentence is incomplete?

Please,
live with me in the open slope
of a question mark.
Don't answer it!
Curl up in a comma
that says more, and more, and more...