Module 3--A Verse Novel

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hesse, Karen. 1997. OUT OF THE DUST. New York: Scholastic Press
ISBN 0590360809


SUMMARY
This poignant historical fiction novel written in free verse form tells the story of fourteen year old Billie Jo Kelby and her family’s struggles during the 1930’s dust storms. The story starts out from the view point of Billie Jo and her reflections on her birth and how she has always been a disappointment to her father because she was born a boy and hence how she was named.

As the story progresses the reader learns of the hardships, devastation, and struggles that the people of this time lived through during this time in America’s history. For example, Billie Jo’s father leaves a bucket of kerosene near the stove and the mother picks it up thinking it is water and catches the stove and the surroundings on fire. The mother runs outside and Billie Jo thinking that she is helping throws the bucket outside; however, at the same time her mother is returning to the kitchen and catches on fire. She and her unborn fetus suffer for several days before eventually dying. Billie Jo’s hands gets burned in the process of saving her mother but the people are not as concerned about that as what happened to the mother and fetus. What is so ironic is the fact that all the neighbors and mourners at the funeral and lunch afterwards at the Kelby’s home focus on what Billie Jo did not on the carelessness of her father.

Before the accident Billie Jo had with the reluctance of her parents developed the talent of playing the piano. She inherited this trait from her mother who used to play at home before marrying and raising a family. After her hands were severely burned she gives up pursuing this dream due to charred and scarred hands as well as the painful memories playing the piano brings of her mother.

Billie Jo’s disconnect from her father, her destitute surroundings, along with her own grief lead to her to run away from home and try to find a better life away from all the sadness and poverty that surround her constantly. She hops a train illegally, which was termed a hobo and meets up with a fellow hobo. Through her conversations with him she discovers that home is where she longs to be. The kindness of others allows her to return to her beloved home and reconciliation with her father.

Once home she discovers that her father and a local single woman named Louise, who turns out to be her father’s night school teacher, have become friendly and are developing a close relationship. At first, Billie Jo is angry about this but through the slow, gentle, kind, unobtrusive ways of Louise Billie Jo warms up to her and by the end of the novel the reader is aware that not only are the Daddy and Louise going to be married but that Billie Jo will be alright and has come to terms with the death of her mother. Billie Jo is once again playing the piano as she did before the tragedy.



CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Hesse is a master at using concrete and abstract meanings in OUT OF THE DUST. Most readers will have had experience at one time or another with having dust covering some part of their body and at the same time through Hesse’s creative use of abstract thinking we also get a sense of what it must have been like to live day to day, month after month, with multiple layers of dust covering everything and everyone day and night.

The unmetered and unpatterned rhythm lends itself well to the free verse type such as this one. Hesse also has a gift for creating a powerful voice for her characters. She knows how to speak the language that a child during this era would talk and yet the language still is understandable and appealing to students today. Billie Jo and the other characters comes alive and even though they are fictional characters the reader is pulled into their lives and roots for them during times of triumph, and feels their pain and sadness during the tragedies that confront each and every one of them that lived during this time period in America’s history.

Each “mini” poem within the novel lends itself well to allowing the reader to use their mind’s eye and recreate the sense imagery. Many children have had similar experiences of using their senses to explore and experience the world around them. For example, from an excerpt on page 18 when Billie Jo has been sent to the local grocery store to get supplies for a cake her mother was making for Billie Jo’s father she states

I could smell apples,
ground coffee, and peppermint.
I sorted through the patterns on the feed bags,
sneezed dust,
blew my nose.


Hesse also has a wonderful way of creating a tone and mood that draws the reader from the first page and grasps him/her until the turning of the very last page. A reader makes an instant emotional connection with the characters in the story through the eloquent moving language that Hesse uses.

Every reader at some point in their lives, no matter their age or circumstances, has experienced a situation that to them was a crisis. Therefore, it is easy to identify with Billie Jo when she exclaims


The way I see it, hard times aren’t only
about money,
or drought,
or dust.
hard times are about losing spirit,
and hope,
and what happens when dreams dry up.


REVIEW EXCERPT
Publishers Weekly-"This intimate novel, written in stanza form, poetically conveys the heat, dust and wind of Oklahoma. With each meticulously arranged entry Hesse paints a vivid picture of her heroine's emotions."


CONNECTIONS

There are many excellent verse novels available if you want to continue with your students in this genre. Here are four that I have selected:

Creech, Sharon. 2001. LOVE THAT DOG.
New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 0060292873
Frost, Helen. 2003. KEESHA’S HOUSE.
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0374400121
Grover, Lorie Ann. 2007. LOOSE THREADS.
New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 1416955623
Sones, Sonya. 2003. WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN’T KNOW.
New York: Simon Pulse. ISBN 0689855532

A couple of other books by Hesse include:
BROOKLYN BRIDGE. Illustrated by Chris Sheban.
New York: Macmillan. ISBN 0312378866
WITNESS. 2003. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0439272009

MODULE 3--POETRY BREAK: UNUSUAL FORM— A poem written in picture book form

MODULE 3--POETRY BREAK: UNUSUAL FORM—
A poem written in picture book form

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Siebert, Diane. 1981. TRAIN SONG. Paintings by Mike Wimmer.
New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0690047282


INTRODUCTION
This poem is written as a picture book. First, read SEYMOUR SIMON’S BOOK OF TRAINS then read TRAIN SONG.

Simon, Seymour. 2004. SEYMOUR SIMON’S BOOK OF TRAINS. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0064462234




out in back
railroad track
clickety-clack
clickety-clack
locomotives
cars in tow
going places:
Buffalo
New York City
Boston, Mass.
slowing ‘neath the overpass
Dallas
Fort Worth
Abilene
with stops at all points
in between
steel wheels rolling
on steel trails
rumbling
grumbling
on steel rails
engineers with striped hats
head-of-the-line aristocrats
up in front
sitting high
see them wave as go by
great trains
freight trains
talk about your late trains
the 509
right on time
straight through to L.A.
whistle blows
there she goes
slicing through the day
boxcars
flatcars
going-to-North Platte cares:
Cotton Belt
Santa Fe
New York Central
on their way
long trains
strong trains
singing-clickety-song trains
cars with lumber
cars with cattle
clickety-clacking
to Seattle
cars piled high with automobiles
wheels
on
wheels
on
wheels
on
wheels
tank cars hauling gasoline
diesel oil and kerosene
thirty hoppers in a row
hauling spuds from Idaho
caboose of yellow at the ends
disappearing 'round the bend
trains with passengers on board
clickety-clacking
rolling toward
their destinations far away
clickety-clacking
night and day
coaches
club cars
diners, too
dome cars with a perfect view
signal lights
green
yellow
red
railroad station up ahead
rolling
rolling
into town
toward the platform
slowing down
creaking
clanking
air brakes squeal
moaning
groaning
steel on steel
Overnighter to the bay
arrive at noon on Saturday
get a sleeper
don't be late
she's waiting on Track number 8
head conductor
dressed in black
peering up and down the track
checks his watch
now hear him shout:
"ALL ABOARD"
she's pulling out!
through the tunnel
going fast
clickety-clack
she's roaring past
the cities, suburbs, little towns
past forest greens and desert browns
spikes and crossties
smooth, worn rails
through the twilight
whistle wails
feel the rhythm
hear the sound
clickety-clacking
homeward bound
say good night
and
wave good-bye
hear the railroad lullaby







EXTENSIONS

Have the students make their own trains. The pattern is available at http://familyfun.go.com/printables/craft-templates/printable/train-engine/train-engine.html.


Also this book could be paired with:
O’Brien, Patrick. 2000. STEAM, SMOKE AND STEEL: BACK IN TIME WITH TRAINS. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing. ISBN 0881069698
Sobel, June. 2006. THE GOODNIGHT TRAIN.
Orlando: Harcourt. ISBN 0152054367

Poetry Book Review--Multicultural

POETRY BOOK REVIEW

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Janet S. Wong. 1996. A SUITCASE OF SEAWEED AND OTHER POEMS. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0689807880


SUMMARY
She has a background of Korean, Chinese and American. She has divided her book into three sections—one section per culture. She has written poetry about each and helps the reader/listener gain a better understanding of what is like to have such a varied heritage.

In the first section the Korean poems help her connect to her mother’s background. The next section is about her father’s Chinese heritage. Finally, in the last section she writes about her American heritage.


CRITICAL ANALYSIS
All of the poems written in this book are written in free verse form. Not only does she speak and write from the heart but she writes about topics that she is familiar with which packs a powerful punch. Wong has a powerful way with words and through her poems expresses a wide range of emotions.
For example, in LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT, which is in the first section of her book, the love that her mother and father have for each other as young lovers is evident and instantly a reader can envision the two running into each other’s arms after a playful chase once they have reunited after her father’s return from war.

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

I like to imagine Mother
when her face was full and smooth
and she wore her hair in a long braid,

and I like to imagine Father
with his crooked smile and his crooked crew cut,
wearing an American uniform,

running after her
in the narrow dirt streets
of her Korean village,

as she rushes away
laughing,
her long braid

wagging like the tail of a dog
that has found
a fresh bone.













One of my favorite poems in her second section is MONEY ORDER. It is like the saying goes “the pasture is always greener on the other side.” In the poem her family works hard, scrimps and saves to send money back to her family in China. How ironic that her family later learns that the money that was sent to the family members was used to purchase a television set so they could learn about all the possessions that Americans have and see how wealthy the American people live.

MONEY ORDER
We eat salt fish and rice,
night after night after night,
to save some money
to send
to cousins
I never have seen

who used our money last year
to buy a color TV,
so they could watch
rich Americans
eating
steak and potatoes.


REVIEW EXCERPT

School Library Journal-“Wong was born in America of Chinese and Korean heritage, but the basic subjects she addresses in neat stanzas of free verse aim at the heart of any family, any race.”


CONNECTIONS

Explore the various cultures that make up the fabric of the United States. Have the students write poems that express their heritage.

Bring in a variety of foods that are native to Korea and China and have the students see them precooked, taste raw if applicable, cook in a wok if applicable, and then have a feast with the prepared foods.

Read, enjoy, and explore other poetry books written by Janet S. Wong such as:
YOU HAVE TO WRITE. 2002. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0689834098
ALEX AND THE WEDNESDAY CHESS CLUB. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0689858906
TWIST: YOGA POEMS. 2007. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0689873948
GOOD LUCK GOLD AND OTHER POEMS. 1994. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0689506171
KNOCK ON WOOD: POEMS ABOUT SUPERSTITIONS. 2003.
New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0689855125

A Book of Poetry by Douglas Florian

POETRY BOOK REVIEW

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Douglas Florian. 2000. MAMMALABILIA. Orlando: Harcourt. ISBN 0152021671


SUMMARY
Florian writes twenty one different poems dedicated to twenty one different real mammals that inhabit our earth. The poems celebrate all kinds of mammals. Some of the poems explore the lives of mammals such as lemurs that live most of their lives off the ground while other poems describe the characteristics of mammals that live all their lives on the ground and seldom frequent the water except for drinking purposes like zebras do. Finally, some of the poems are focused on the types of mammals that love the land and water equally such as the otter do.



CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The master poet and illustrator Florian uses a variety of poetry in this mammal anthology. For example in his poem entitled THE HIPPO he uses a shape poem to describe a typical day in the life of a hippo. In the first line By day the hippo loves to float my child described it this way “those are his eyes as he is looking out of the water because you can only see his eyes as he is floating.” The second line says On swamps and lakes, much like a boat which my child commented that the shape of this line reminded him of the wide mouth of the hippo. The third line reads At night from water it retreats, and this reminded him of how the hippo’s body starts to narrow closer to its legs. The rest of the poem reads as follows: And eats
and eats
and eats
and eats.
These last parts recalled to him how the hippo’s body gets slimmer and slimmer until finally the slenderness of the hippo’s legs is reached which is odd compared to the rest of its body. This book was very relevant to our nighttime reading routine because we had viewed on this particular day an animal movie which contained a hippo along with a zebra, gorilla, elephant, and giraffe. Therefore, his recollection of exactly how the mammals in the movie looked like and how they were described, illustrated, and “written” about (meaning if Florian wrote the poem in shape form) in this anthology were fresh in his mind and made the poems come alive.




Another variation that Florian uses is the rhyming pattern of “aaa.” In the poem THE RHEBOK he writes:
The rhebok’s main
Claim to fame
Is its name.


He uses the same type of pattern in the unique poem THE GIRAFFE.
Rubber-necker
Double-decker
Cloud-checker
Star-trekker

Florian’s creative yet factual descriptions of mammals not only help children understand the uniqueness of each animals being depicted but the way he writes and illustrates his work begs for the book to be read again and again.


REVIEW EXCERPT

Publishers Weekly-“This collection of 21 short light verse brims with whimsy and fun. The artwork taps into childlike qualities without being simplistic; the animal portraits are clever yet appropriate. An irresistible homage to mammal memorabilia.”




CONNECTIONS

Some other poetry books that have not only been written by Florian but also illustrated by him are as follows (this list is not exhaustive but will get you get started if after reading or have read MAMMALABILIA you enjoyed it as much as my son and I did):

BEAST FEAST. 1994. Orlando: Harcourt ISBN 0152951784
BOW WOW MEOW MEOW. 2003. Orlando: Harcourt ISBN 0152163956
COMETS, STARS, THE MOON, AND MARS. 2007.
Orlando: Harcourt ISBN 9780152053727
INSECTLOPEDIA. 1998. Orlando: Harcourt ISBN 0152013067
LAUGH-ETERIA. 1999. San Diego: Harcourt ISBN 0152020845
ON THE WING. 1996. Orlando: Harcourt ISBN 0152004971

A poem written by an NCTE Award winning poet

MODULE 2-MAJOR POETS AND AWARDS -POETRY BREAK: NCTE AWARD POET –A poem written by an NCTE Award winning poet


BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mary Ann Hoberman. 1998. THE LLAMA WHO HAD NO PAJAMA-100 FAVORITE POEMS. Illustrated by Betty Fraser. Orlando: Harcourt. ISBN 0329457195



INTRODUCTION
This poem would be great in the spring time when new life is starting after the long winter months. If at all possible get a frog at the tadpole stage and keep in the proper environment in the classroom as it matures from a tadpole into a frog. Each stage of the frog’s growth provides many opportunities for discussion and poetry writing. Once the frog is fully grown release it in its natural habitat.


FROG
Pollywiggle
Pollywog
Tadpole
Bullfrog
Leaps on
Long legs
Jug-o-rum
Jelly eggs
Sticky tongue
Tricks flies
Spied by
Flicker eyes
Wet skin
Cold blood
Squats in
Mucky mud
Leaps on
Long legs
Jug-o-rum
Jelly eggs
Laid in
Wet bog...
Pollywiggle
Pollywog.

EXTENSIONS
The students can write poems about what the frog is doing now that it is living in its natural habitat.
The students can write poems about our animals that start out life in one form and end up looking very different when fully grown.

POETRY BOOK REVIEW: HOPKINS ANTHOLOGY

POETRY BOOK REVIEW

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lee Bennett Hopkins. 2002. HOME TO ME/POEMS ACROSS AMERICA. Illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. New York: Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

ISBN 0439340969

SUMMARY

This book contains 15 poems selected by Hopkins—including one by him. Each poem is by a different poet and is written about a different place in America. Each poet eloquently describes the wonderful vast parts of the United States that make it the great nation that it is. For example, the first poem in the book is entitled A PLACE CALLED PRAIRIE and is penned by Rebecca Kai Dotlich. She describes vividly what life is like for a person living in the mid-western part of the United States. In contrast Joan Bransfield Graham paints a picture in her poem WILDWOOD BY-THE-SEA what life would be or is like for someone who loves living near an ocean. The book concludes with a short bio about each of the poets mentioned in the anthology.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The poets in this anthology use concrete examples in their poems to help the reader get a sense of what it is like to experience the place being described in the poem. The varied rhythmic patterns in the book provide vast opportunities for discussion about meter and pattern and the reason the poet may have had for choosing to use a predictable pattern over free verse and vice versa. When it comes to sound and the rhyme(s) used by the fifteen poets this are again as varied as the poets themselves. The poets are also skilled at using assonance, alliteration, consonance, and onomatopoeia.

The sense imagery in this anthology allows a reader with a means of connecting with the poets because they can understand the love and admiration that the poet has for a place being described if the reader has had a similar experience. And if the reader has not had the pleasure of visiting for him/her self the part of America being written about then they can get a feel and appreciation for another part of the country that makes up the United States of America.

The poets create this experience through the use of sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. For example, in the poem by Patricia Hubbell entitled ON MY ISLAND she writes

in part: I watch sleek seals on wave-wet rocks,/rowboats bobbing at weathered docks./I hear the buoy’s lonely bell,/I touch a chalky oyster shell./All about me, pines grow tall./All about me, seagulls call. These images also provide an emotional connection for a reader who lives or has lived in America because each poem describes a particular environment that is unique and specific to that part of the United States.

REVIEW EXCERPT

School Library Journal-“ The styles and rhythms vary; some poets write in rhyming iambic pentameter while others choose free verse to describe their homes. Alcorn's thoughtful, folklike illustrations creatively depict the settings.”

CONNECTIONS

Some of the poetry collection books compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins are:

MARVELOUS MATH: A BOOK OF POEMS.

New York: Aladdin (imprint of Simon & Schuster). ISBN 0689844425

SPECTACULAR SCIENCE: A BOOK OF POEMS.

New York: Aladdin (imprint of Simon & Schuster). ISBN 0689851200

WONDERFUL WORDS: POEMS ABOUT READING, WRITING, SPEAKING, AND LISTENING. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0689835884

SURPRISES. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0064441059

AMERICA AT WAR: POEMS SELECTED BY LEE BENNETT HOPKINS.

New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 1416918329

HAND IN HAND: AN AMERICAN HISTORY THROUGH POETRY.

New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 067173315X

MY AMERICA: A POETRY ATLAS OF THE UNITED STATES.

New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0689812477