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.   

CARVER: A LIFE IN POEMS

Nelson, M. (2001). CARVER: A LIFE IN POEMS. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 9781886910539.

Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson is a collection of poetry assembled to tell the story of George Washington Carver’s life. This award-winning book shares the inspiring story of this pioneering African-American icon from his adoption into a white family to his final days. These pieces show the strong work ethic and determination of Carver as a boy and a young man.  His efforts to find a school to educate him and to build his skills in spite of all the adversity that may be in front of him, will serve to inspire young readers to learn more about Carver and his historical contributions.  Many young readers may not be familiar with his life and reading these pieces of poetry may be less daunting than reading a large biography.  These accessible pieces will open the readers’ minds and help inspire the reader to act on their own dreams.  Carver’s story is certain to inspire young readers. 

The black and white photography will help to give context and comprehension to the story of Carver’s life and the societal context of the pieces in the book. The photos help to build validity in the biographical information on this inspirational figure.  Poems such as “Four a.m. in the Woods” will connect with students embarking on their own self-discoveries.  The imagery and rhythm work together to convey to the reader the overall feel and sounds associated with the night.  Poems such as this are a great opportunity for the reader to find common ground with a prolific figure and build a connection to the piece. 

Four a.m. in the Woods

Darkness softens, a thin

tissue of mist between trees.

One by one the day's

uncountable voices come out

like twilight fireflies, like stars.

The perceiving self sits

with his back against rough bark,

casting ten thousand questions into the future.

As shadows take shape, the curtains part

for the length of time it takes to gasp,

and behold, the purpose of his

life dawns on him.

After students have read Carver: A Life in Poems, they may be inspired to read more biographical poems. Students could expand learning by researching an important historical figure and developing their own biographical poetry based on the life of the iconic figure.