SWIRL BY SWIRL: SPIRALS IN NATURE

Joyce Sidman. 2011. SWIRL BY SWIRL: Spirals in Nature. New York; NY: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. ISBN: 9780547315836

In the book, Swirl by Swirl written by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Beth Krommes, the author and illustrator blend together words and picture to seamlessly demonstrate the simple but complex beauty of the spiral in nature.  This book of poetry could also span across the curriculum with so much scientific information on nature in a variety of forms.  The poem describes a spiral as “a snuggling shape” that “fits neatly in small places” serving many purposes.  The illustrations show the spirals in the underground dwelling of a variety of woodland creatures.  The spiral coils with anticipation waiting for  “…a chance to expand” showing the range of motion and activity in the forest.  The book continues through areas such as ocean, mountains and plants showing the utilitarian side and the simple beauty of this common shape.  Sidman’s words work to make the usual, unusual with her blend of language and imagery. 

A spiral reaches out to the world.

It winds around and around…

…and clings tightly,

grasping what it needs.

It never has trouble holding on.

This section of the poem shows the relationship between spirals in habitats like the ocean and jungle.  It highlights hoe creatures rely on the spiral to gather supplies and find safety in the environment.  This would be a great opportunity to share poetry in a science classroom and ask students to find spirals in their own life.  They would also consider the role of the spiral in their own life just as the poem and artwork reflect in the book. 

The illustrations of Krommes are essential to the portrayal of the piece.  The positioning of the bright and dark have stark contrast and highlight the nature of the spirals in nature.  The pieces demonstrate spirals in flowers and animals and places that would seem to be overlooked.  The images help the understanding of the work and engage the reader as they search for more and more spirals.  A great follow-up would be a nature walk in search of spirals. 

A KICK IN THE HEAD: AN EVERYDAY GUIDE TO POETIC FORMS

Janeczko, Paul B. A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-7636-4132-0.

A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms by Paul Janeczko and illustrated by Chris Raschka shares 29 styles of poetry ranging from limericks to haiku and offers concise and “kid-friendly” explanations of each form of poetry.  This book is the second in a trilogy highlighting different aspects of poetry.  Janeczko includes pieces from a variety of accomplished poets.  The pieces convey a range of emotion from silly to quite stoic.  The author brilliantly connects the young readers by offering a sports analogy in the explanation of rules.  This familiar comparison will encourage their interest in the underlying rules, which, Janeczko says, "make poetry--like sports--more fun."  After demonstrating the value of rules, the book then flips the concept and conveys the “rule-breaking” nature of poetry.  The Mule reminds the reader to make poetry his/her own.

The Mule

by Ogden Nash

In the word of mules

There are no rules.

One of the great things about this book is that the collection offers enough variety in text and complexity to use this book at a variety of levels, including secondary students.  The complex forms of poetry are engaging and well defined to help the reader understand the complex and the simple. 

As if the poetry of this piece wasn’t enough, the illustrations prove to be just as much of a draw as the words.  From cover to cover, this book is delightfully illustrated using mixed media to add visual interest to each page and connect with the pieces.

FALLING HARD: 100 LOVE POEMS BY TEENAGERS

Franco, Betsy, ed., 2008. Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.  ISBN: 9780763634377.

The poetry compilation, Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers, by Betsy Franco explores the wide range of emotion associated with teens and love.  Each poem is written by a teenager and explores the complex and confusing nature of such a strong emotion.  Through the 100 poems in the collection, the reader peers into the very soul of the writer of each piece…the elation, the heartbreak, and the obsession.  Perhaps there is no better description or introduction to the piece than the short, yet profound, “Love is Like” by Hector Jasso.  This piece could help students to spark a conversation about the nature of love in the life teens.  Teens could share their own thoughts on love by writing on post-it notes, having the teacher collect them (for anonymity to other students) and post and discuss on the board. 

Love is Like

by Hector Jasso

Love is like

the sweetness of honey

falling from a bee hive.

You have to be careful

not to get stung.

This book is most suitable for older students but will connect with those students once they see the raw truth conveyed in ach of the pieces.  These pieces provide great examples of different types of poetry and poetic elements. Students could employ these devices and write their own piece of love poetry.  

JAZZ

Myers, Walter Dean.  2006. JAZZ.  Ill. by Christopher Myers.  New York:Holiday House.  ISBN 9780823415458.

The book, Jazz, by Walter Dean Myers is a musically poetic tribute to the birthplace of jazz music, New Orleans.  The poetry carefully and thoughtfully shows the evolution and relationship between the music and New Orleans.  This colorful book offers up background information to provide a context and then weaves together poem after poem about the people, places, and instruments of jazz music throughout history.  Although some of the pieces are a bit mature for younger audiences, there are pieces that could be shared with students of all age groups.  The illustrations are richly colorful --just like the music—with a variety of scripts and fonts for emphasis as the words dance around the page mimicking the musical pacing of jazz. 

                                                                                     

“Twenty-Finger Jack" appears with a picture of a soulful looking man who hands, shown on the piano keys, give the impression of twenty fingers. This piece would be a great to get the kids up and moving as the piece personifies the instruments and music.  The rhythm and rhyme scheme are reflective of the style of music and offer a slowing and acceleration students will find enjoyable as they interact with the text. 

Well, the walls are shaking,
and the ceiling’s coming down
‘Cause twenty-finger Jack
has just come back to town
The keyboard’s jumping,
and the music’s going round
and round
If he had any sense,
he left it in the lost-and-found
He here go
Be ba boodie, be ba boodie, boo
Be ba boodie, be ba ba ba, boodie, boo

The onomatopoeia present in the piece is a great way to draw students in and allow them the opportunity to feel like a real “jazzer” as they sing along with the piece.  The book highlights the strong connection between New Orleans, Jazz, and the African American community.  With such greats as Louis Armstrong featured on the pages, children will get a lesson on many historical elements as the pages unfold.  In addition to the background information in the back, the book also offers a glossary for some unfamiliar terms.  A fun extension may be to integrate jazz instruments into the lesson and allow students the opportunity to play on the instruments to accompany their poetry. 

JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT

Taback, Simms. 1999. JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT. Ill. by Simms Taback. New York: Penguin. 0670878553.

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback is a retelling of a classic Yiddish Folk song with the simple message to be that you can always make something out of nothing.  In the beginning of the story, Joseph is faced with what to do with his worn overcoat.  Instead of tossing it out, he turns it into a jacket and goes to the fair.  His jacket transitions to a vest, then to a scarf, tie, handkerchief, and finally a button.  After the button is lost, his journey does not end.  He decides to make a book about it and teach us “…you can always make something out of nothing.”  The illustrations and cutouts of the book add unexpected twist and contribute to the anticipation and suspense of the story.  Each cut out strategically frames the clothing, as it becomes a smaller and smaller item.  The pictures are colorful and sprinkled with allusions to Jewish culture.

This book is a clever mixture of a fun folk tale and artistry. The cutouts mesh together each page and underscore the theme to reuse, conserve and always be thankful for what you have.  In addition to the cutouts, the mixed media artwork adds visual appeal and interest to the book.  Each page also offers “hidden” treasures by sprinkling elements of Jewish culture throughout the pages.  Careful observers will find traditional food and drink, Hebrew writing, and traditional Yiddish sheet music among others.  Upon the lost button that was fashion of his last remaining scrap of the overcoat, the book states “Now he had nothing” but the Jewish proverb on the wall, “What one has, one doesn’t want, and doesn’t have” foreshadows that this is not the end.  The industrious Joseph writes a book about the experience to preserve it.  This book would be a great performance piece for younger students, especially if the traditional Jewish music were integrated into the performances.  The repetition and progression of the overcoat’s transition would be engaging to a young audience and link tightly together.

Joseph had a little overcoat,

It was old and worn

So he made jacket out of it,

And went to the fair.

Joseph had a little jacket,

But it got old and worn.

So he made a vest out of it.

And danced at his nephew’s wedding,

But it got old and worn.

Through performance the students could explore traditional Jewish culture, events, foods, etc.  Students could also use prompts to assist with the performance elements of the piece. 

THIS IS JUST TO SAY: POEMS OF APOLOGY AND FORGIVENESS

Sidman, Joyce, and Pamela Zagarenski. THIS IS JUST TO SAY: POEMS OF APOLOGY AND FORGIVENESS. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2007. 0618616802.

This is
         Just
             to
                Say
Poems of Apology and Forgiveness

This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness by Joyce Sidman and Pamela Zagarenski is a sincere and honest look at something that is so difficult to say:  “I’m sorry.”  In this book, a class of sixth graders write poems of apology to people they have wronged along the way.  Each piece is an honest account of the incidents that lead up to needing to apologize.  Some of the topics are humorous, like “Dodge Ball Crazy” and some are quite serious like “Fashion Sense” but all are honest and straight forward from the heart.  Each young poet worked to refine his/her piece to its finest form to have the piece published.  Along the ay, they came up with the idea to have the person receiving the apology to write back to them about the poem.  These pieces became part of the collection of poetry that went into the book.  Each of the pieces shows the hard work and command of poetic elements each student possessed in writing the pieces.  A variety of poetic forms are used along the way and shows the evolution of some of the writing.  The Introduction, like the poems, is artfully honest about the struggle of 6^th graders producing a book.  The second half of the book contains the responses to the apologies.  The piece that responds to Carmen’s heartfelt remorse in “Fashion Sense” shows the genuine nature of forgiveness.  This would be a nice piece to use when teaching a character lesson to students.  It’s important to realize that apologies are important but accepting the apology is also important. 

Haiku for Carmen

Just these few words,

And spring sunlight fills the room;

My dress turns to sky.

The accompanying artwork shows the freeing nature of the piece.  Each illustration in the book lends itself to the theme of the poem and leads to reader to a deeper understanding of each piece.  Students could expand o the concept by creating their own apology poems and creating and decorating cards of apology to someone or something they feel they have wronged. 

COMETS, STARS, THE MOON, AND MARS

Florian, Douglas. COMETS, STARS, THE MOON, AND MARS. New York: Harcourt, 2007. ISBN 0152053727.

Comets, Stars, the Moon and Mars written and illustrated by Douglas Florian is a delightful blend of science and poetry taking on a topic kids typically love: space.  This picture book weaves together 20 short and engaging poems about the planets and other space elements such as comets and stars.  These pieces are easily accessible with simple, yet informative pieces throughout the book.  The scientifically sound information on space would serve well in a science classroom to engage the reader and provide a cross curricular opportunity to the reader.  Each of the poems employs an element of humor and rhyme scheme in the piece.  This acts to pull the reader in and help them connect and remember some of the information provided in the book.  To reinforce the scientific side and clarify confusing words and concepts, Florian provides a “Galactic Glossary” at the end of the book to aid the reader.  Each poem is illustrated with a wonderful mixed media creation integrating the art and poem together in a complimentary way. 

Each planet features its very own poem paying homage to the planet’s unique qualities.  The book would work to reinforce scientific details after the teacher completed an introduction to the planets.  Students could even create a diagram of the solar system and add details and coloring as each poem in read by the teacher.  The rhythm and rhyme scheme of each piece will help aide the memory of the students.  The poem, “Mercury” gives a fun twist to the planet’s attributes. 

“Mercury”

Speedy, nimble, quick, and fast,

Round the sun is rushing past.

Always racing, on the run…

You’d run, too, so near the sun.

The book does not limit itself to just the planets; it also highlights other parts of space such as constellations and black holes.  The pieces work to give details to highlight each thing’s special contribution to the solar system.  “The Black Hole” balances the mystery and fun of this space enigma. 

“The Black Hole”

Nothing’s black as

A black hole

(Not black ink or lumps of coal.)

Some are small

And some quite wide.

Gravity pulls

All things inside

Like a giant

Cosmic broom.

(Wish I had one in my room.)

By juxtaposing the potential scariness of the dark black hole with the familiar concept of a dirty room, the author makes a fun and memorable connection for the young audience.  The details are memorable and will stick with the reader. A fun extension activity may be for the students to have pre-cut planets and create their own “planet poetry” as they study each planet and other elements of space. They could highlight different facts than the original piece and employ different forms of poetry to add in a more challenging element for more advanced students.