POETRY BOOK REVIEWS
1.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Grimes, Nikki. 2006. THANKS A MILLION. Ill. by Cozbi A. Cabrera.
New York, NY: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 0688172938
2. PLOT SUMMARY
The 2006
NCTE Poetry Award winner writes a beautiful collection of poems that say “thank
you” in different ways for many different reasons. Each poem describes a
situation from the point of view of a young person in which they express
gratefulness.
3.
CRITICAL
ANALYSIS
The book
exhibits different forms of poetry to convey the message of “thanks”. In the poem “Even the Trees” the author
writes a haiku which personifies the gratitude trees demonstrate. There was a riddle in the poem titled
“Mystery”. In case the reader could not
guess the answer to the riddle, it is written at the bottom of the page upside
down. The poem titled “Homemade Card” is
written in the form of a rebus which is illustrated beautifully with pictures
of animals, objects, numbers and letters as well to convey the meaning of the
poem.
The
illustrator uses acrylic paints to display the multicultural, multiracial
characters in the book. Everyone
everywhere has something to show gratitude for, and the book demonstrates that.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
SCHOOL
LIBRARY JOURNAL review: “K-Gr
4-Sixteen thoughtful poems about being thankful for everyday things.”
KIRKUS
review: “Gratitude for simple pleasures and small kindnesses is the theme of
Grimes’s newest collection of poems.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Children
should be encouraged to think about something or someone that they are thankful
for then write a poem in one of the forms used in the book.
*Other
books of poetry by this author include:
Grimes, Nikki. THE WATCHER. ISBN 978-0802854452
Grimes, Nikki. a dime a dozen.
ISBN 978-0-8037-2227-9
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Florian, Douglas. 2010. POETREES. New York, NY: Beach Lane
Books. ISBN 9781416986720
2. PLOT SUMMARY
A book of
poems all about trees. This book
explains the growth, function and development of different types of trees. If
you are unfamiliar with the terms used in the poems, there is a “Glossatree” in
the back of the book to help.
.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The text
and images in this book are displayed in a very interesting way. The entire book must be read in the vertical
orientation. In the poem titled “The Seed” the words are typed in an infinity
symbol to display the continuation of the life cycle. “Roots” is a poem that arranges the letters
for the words “down” and “pours” in a vertical pattern to illustrate the
meaning of the words. The organization
of this book is unique and intriguing.
Douglas
Florian shows his love for trees in these beautiful illustrations of watercolor
paints, oil pastels, colored pencils, rubber stamps and collage form primed on
brown paper bags. These illustrations
create a visual that matches with the words of each poem but the words alone,
in their unique visual display could stand alone to convey the same imagery.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
KIRKUS
review: “Trees
receive a witty and informative rhyming appreciation...”
BOOKLIST
review: “Starting with the book’s title and ending with a final ‘glossatree’,
the world play in Florian’s latest poetry collection provides plenty of fun...”
5. CONNECTIONS
*After
reading this book have students choose their favorite poem from the book and
create their own illustration for that poem.
*Other books
of tree poems:
O’Connell
George, Kristine. OLD ELM SPEAKS: TREE
POEMS. ISBN 0395876117
Hutchens,
Verlie. TREES. ISBN 1481447076
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Woodson, Jacqueline. 2014.
BROWN GIRL DREAMING. New York, NY:
Nancy Paulsen Books. ISBN 9780399252518
2. PLOT SUMMARY
A free
verse biographical poetry book that describes a young girl’s life in two
worlds, Greenville, South Carolina and Brooklyn, New York. The author explains how the experiences in
the two worlds ultimately shape her future that is to come.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This
captivating book begins with a diagram depicting three generations of Woodson’s
family tree. This visual is necessary to
understand the dynamic of the characters in the poems. Organized in chronological order, each poem
tells a story of the author’s past.
There are a series of haiku poems titled “How to Listen”. There are 10
of them throughout the book, strategically placed provoking thought on a topic
already mentioned in a previous poem. At
the end of the book, the author includes photographs of her family. Although the poems are full of language that
evoke the emotions conveyed, the photographs add more of an emotional
attachment to the story for the reader, seeing the real-life people mentioned
in the poems reinforces the imagery in the language of the poems. Readers can find at least one experience in
this book that they can relate to.
.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
2014 National Book Award Winner for Young
People’s Literature
2015
Coretta Scott King Award
2015
Newbery Honor Award
Starred
review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
review: “The
emotions and high-quality writing make it a book well worth recommending.”
Starred
review in BOOKLIST
review: “A memorable affecting novel about the sustaining power of love and
friendship.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*After reading
the book, readers can discuss relationships with family members and the
emotions behind the dynamics of those relationships.
*Other books
by Jacqueline Woodson that include poetry:
Woodson, Jacqueline.
LOCOMOTION. ISBN 9780142415528
Woodson, Jacqueline. THE OTHER SIDE. ISBN 9780399231162
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Garcia McCall, Guadalupe.
2011. UNDER THE MESQUITE. New York,
NY: Lee & Low Books Inc. ISBN 9781600604294
2. PLOT SUMMARY
This is
the story of a young immigrant girl named Lupita. She must
take on responsibilities that she does not want due to a family crisis. Once
the crisis is over, Lupita must decide what her path in life will be.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This
beautiful novel in verse is written in only one point of view, that of the main
character. The poems use similes and metaphors to describe emotions and actions
throughout. The poem “Swimming the Rio
Grande” uses several metaphors and similes to describe the actions of the
family out for a swim. The language is
captivating. There is no need for
illustrations, the author uses vivid descriptive adjectives to make the novel
come alive. The reader can close their
eyes and get a mental picture of the action described in the poems.
The book
concludes with a reference section. This
section helps the reader define Spanish terms used in the book. It includes correct pronunciations to help
the reader get a feel for the way the language is spoken by those who live in
this region of Texas where the setting of the novel takes place. This reference section helps the reader
better understand the culture.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
2012 Pura Belpré
Author Award
SCHOOL
LIBRARY JOURNAL review: “This
novel rightfully won Pura Belpré Author
Award and it deserves wide exposure.”
BOOKLIST
review: “The close-knit family relationships, especially Mami and Lupita’s, are
vividly portrayed, as is the healing comfort Lupita finds in words, whether
written in her notebooks or performed on stage.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Students
could choose their favorite poem from the novel and perform it as a dramatic reading.
*Other novels
in verse about immigrant families include:
Lai, Thanhha.
INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN. ISBN 9780061962783
Thompson, Holly.
ORCHARDS. ISBN 9780385739788
