Poetry Review #33

Nothing Rhymes with Orange

Author: Adam Rex
Publisher: Chronicle Books, 2017
ISBN: 978-1452154435
Reading Ages: 5 - 8 years

Genre: Children's Humor, Children's Poetry Picture Book

4 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁🦁

Why 4 Roars? Hey, it's a rhyming party! I would love to attend a rhyming party. I imagine it would be very similar to a riff-off in one of the Pitch Perfect movies. (No abandoned pools, please!) 

Poetic Elements: This is a story in rhyme. The author uses humor to relate to the reader and draws them into the fun. Children will have no problems connecting to Orange and his problems. It is a great way to invite children to contemplate ways to include others. 

“Fruit! They're healthy happy colorful and cute!" Collage images show walking, talking fruit, including a banana surfing near a cabana and a lychee who is "just peachy"...followed by a wacky reference to Friedrich Nietzsche; meanwhile, Orange stands on the sidelines bemoaning the forced rhymes and the fact that "nothing rhymes with me." A joyous, chaotic, puzzling, and awkwardly cadenced ode to fruit and rhyming.” 

~~ The Horn Book

Appeal: The phonemic awareness skills are great for readers practicing their abilities. The book is bright and entertaining. 

"Funny, visually entertaining and - yes, here comes the fruit pun - fresh as can be."

~~ Chicago Tribune

"Cheers for not only nutrition but for thinking outside the bowl to include the unfairly marginalized."

~~Booklist

Overall Quality: There are energetic ink faces sketched onto the photos of fruit that give the fruit personality and temperament. This helps to keep the book moving along. While younger readers might be confused by some of the rhymes, it adds an extra layer to keep older readers engaged. I think older readers will be equally as excited to read the book. 

"Here's a twist: at party-time I like a little slice of lime!" 

"That's not really much of a twist." 

~~ Orange, 

Nothing Rhymes with Orange

A Junior Library Guild selection

NCTE Notable Poetry Books

Layout: The layout is a typical picture book structure. It does include interjections and comments from Orange from time to time that add a touch of charm. 

Connections:

Spotlight

"Who wouldn't travel anywhere/ to get an apple or a pear?" 

"I'll be back here if you need me." 

~~Orange, 

Nothing Rhymes with Orange

Sharing—This book would be an easy read-aloud. A great way to kick off National School Lunch Week. 

Activity: A Rhyming Riff-off, anyone? Let's try it. Divide kids into groups. The group must rhyme a few verses focused on a given category. If the group cannot rhyme and match the category, then they must skip their turn. After a group rhymes, the next group must start its rhyme with the last word of the previous group. And it’s a Rhyming Riff-off! Then, try the word orange!  

Poetry Review #32

Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir

Author: Nikki Grimes

Publisher: Wordsong, 2019
ISBN: 978-1629798813
Reading Ages: 15 and up

Genre: Poetry for Teens and Young Adults. 

I Gave This Book 4 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁🦁

Why 4 roars? This is an exceptionally well-written memoir. The reader cannot help but feel great sympathy for the author and her older sister. It is also very hard to read. I am not sure it would be something I would suggest for younger readers. I would not really recommend it without great thought and consideration for students under the age of 15. (There might be an exception for younger students with a counselor's supervision in bibliotherapy sessions.) 

Poetic Elements: The author uses free verse with great emotions to impact the reader. It is a narrative that creates a storyteller and a poet worth knowing and respecting. 

"With Ordinary Hazards, Grimes delivers a memoir in the form of a powerful and inspiring collection of poems. She details her early life through adulthood, and she unabashedly explores the highs as well as the lows. Young adults will identify with and connect to the many challenges explored in Grimes’ work, which delves into issues of love, family, responsibility, belonging, finding your place in the world, and fighting the monsters you know—and the ones you don’t. The memoir has heartbreaking moments—even soul-crushing ones—that will make readers ache for young Grimes and teens grappling with similar circumstances. But inspiring moments bolster her raw, resonant story, 

showing that there is always light at the end of the darkest of tunnels."

~~Booklist

Appeal: The author discusses her childhood experiences in this moving memoir.  The topics include relationships, trauma, sadness, hardships, and healing.  Grimes writes, “surviving is almost easy/ if you have a strategy/ and a copy of/ A Wrinkle in Time.”

 "As poetically written as Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming with a story as hard-hitting as Sapphire’s Push....the striking free-verse poems powerfully convey how a passion for writing fueled her will to survive and embrace her own resilience.... (a) must-read for aspiring writers." 

~~ The Horn Book 

Overall Quality: The memoir is educational and does have a positive message for the reader. There is violence, drug use, foster homes, graphic rape, gang members, and mental illness. However, it still manages to convey hope and healing to those who might need it most. 

"(W)ritten in highly readable verse and delivers a relatable message characterized by pathos and resilience... this book is an homage to the fortifying effect of written expression. School counselors can use this text as bibliotherapy for students in similar situations (and it) can also act as mentor text in classroom lessons on memoir writing or when teaching confessional poetry." 

~~ School Library Connection

ALA Michael Printz Honor Book (Young Adult), ALA Robert F. Sibert Honor Book (Nonfiction), 2020 Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award for Nonfiction, and Arnold Adoff Poetry Award for Teens 

Layout: The book is organized chronologically and begins in 1950 and ends in 1966. 

Connections:

Spotlight Poem -

“October Surprise”

Birthday celebrations

in foster care

are rare.

Who bothers about

the day you were born?

But when I turned seven,

Mrs. B baked

a chocolate cake

with buttercream icing.

I don't recall

anyone baking me

a birthday cake before.

Maybe that's why

I baptized my first slice

with tears.

Sharing: The book could perhaps be shared in a book talk that included portions of the poems read aloud. Students would need to be advised about the topics the memoir included and those topics carefully and sensitively handled. 

School counselors might consider using the book in bibliotherapy sessions. 

    

Activity: A discussion on the different types of memoirs might be a nice activity. Examples might include autobiographical, celebrity, event, childhood, etc. 

Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir -Book Talk

Poetry Review #31

World Make Way: New Poems Inspired by Art from The Metropolitan Museum 

Editor: Lee Bennett Hopkins, The Metropolitan Museum of Art & contributors

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 2018
ISBN: 978-1419728457
Reading Ages: 5-9 years

Genre: Children's Poetry, Picture Book, Art History, Anthology

 4 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁🦁

Why 4 Roars? I loved the concept for this collection of poetry. The ability to combine art history with children's poetry was innovative and makes the reader wonder what other areas of education could be infused with poetry. 

Poetic Elements:

The poetry is as diverse and as different as the works of art they are utilizing. The blending of art and words provides a celebration for the senses.

"The book’s true spotlight is on diversity—in the background of the poets, the style of the artworks, and the method of interpretation chosen by each poet . . . The poems emphasize that in art and poetry there is no right answer, rather a myriad of different interpretations. Accordingly, there is something for every young reader in this delightful collection." 

~~ Booklist

“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.” 

~~ Leonardo da Vinci

Appeal: The appeal of this collection for me was that I got to look at a piece of art through a poet's eyes. The perception or view of art in another's mind and the translation into words was fascinating and rewarding. 

"The specially commissioned poems, which easily lend themselves to reading aloud, are well matched with their individual artwork and can be excellent springboards for further discussion about the picture." 

~~ School Library Journal

Overall Quality: The collection offers 18 poems written by poets responding to some of the most popular works of art at The Metropolitan Museum. 

"And the whole book is really based on a form from the Greek called ekphrastic poetry, where poems are inspired by art. I assigned these varied paintings to 18 of the top children's poets in America, who would then write their emotions toward the painting. Rather than describing the painting, it's what they feel."

~~ Lee Bennett Hopkins

Some of the participating poets are Marilyn Singer, Alma Flor Alda, Carole Boston Weatherford, Mary Cassatt, Fernando Botero, Winslow Homer, Naomi Shihab Nye, J. Patrick Lewis, Marilyn Nelson, and Utagawa Hiroshige.  

Layout: Along with the artwork and poems there is an introduction, a really useful biography of each poet and artist that I very much enjoyed, and an index. 

Connections:

Sharing - This collection would be a great way to introduce poems for poetry month to students, or an excellent method to launch an assortment of poets and art history as a combined project.

Spotlight Poem - My favorite poem in the collection was written by Marilyn Singer.

 

Paint Me

Hurry up and

                paint me,

I have things to do,

more than you.

Streets, countries, continents to see,

outside of this atelier.

I cannot spare more hours.

I'm tired of this dress, these flowers.

I'm young, a girl, it's true,

But I insist,

                World make way.

You've captured my expression

and the way I hold my hands. 

So, dear old man, please end this 

session.

Hurry up and

                paint me.

Finish today!  

  

Activity: This would be a great poem to have students expand upon in a written or classroom discussion. Why does the girl in the poem insist, "World make way" when she is being painted?  Why do you think someone was painting her portrait? Questions that prompt a writing response or lively dialog would work well with this project. 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Poetry Review #30

 Stampede!: Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School

Author: Laura Purdie Salas
Illustrator: Steven Salerno
Publisher: Clarion Books, 2009
ISBN:978-0618914883

Reading Ages: 7 to 9 years

Genre: Children's Poetry, Humor. 

I Gave This Book 4 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁🦁

Why 4 Roars? While I was not super excited about the caparisons of children to animals as a literary device in this collection, children however, will most probably find this collection entertaining and funny.  

Poetic Elements: Most of the poems were cute and interesting, but there were several that simply left me flat. I think trying to compare children to wild animals is difficult to do without repeating some of the animalistic qualities. 

"No need to visit the zoo to see animals, young scholars—just look at your classmates. From the buzzing “bees” swarming over the playground to the starving pre-lunch “bear” with the rumbling tummy and the “blazing / cardinal, / winging / away” from the rumor of a crush, school is well populated with wild creatures. Salas captures 18 of them in very short, first-person rhymes, and like fugitives from The Island of Dr. Moreau, the children in Salerno’s supple, loosely drawn cartoon illustrations sport an array of evocative animal ears, tails, patterned clothes, and altered facial features. The wild verses are positively shot through with simile and metaphor, 

and young readers will run just as rampant, 

flocking to these pitch-perfect portrayals of their peers and selves. Grades 1-3." 

~~ John Peters, Booklist Review

  "[A] large, riotous picture book collection...with spot-on emotional truths...It's a satisfying whole worth reading and rereading aloud and LOUD."

~~ Poetry for Children blog,

by Sylvia Vardell (Prof at Texas Woman's Univ, author of POETRY ALOUD HERE)

Appeal: While poetry is very subjective, I have read several of Salas's other poems that really resonated with me. I think her work as a poet is quite impressive. A few poems in this collection felt a little rushed and disjointed.  

 "No food fights or bullying here; it’s not that kind of wild. But these children have some behavioral characteristics that can be likened to animals’ habits. One child tucks his face into his sweater, turtlelike, to avoid answering a question. The monkey king swings on the jungle gym and the new student is a bewildered mouse in a maze. While several of Salas’s very simple verses are sharp and clever, too many are flawed, either by tenuous child-animal connections or, in some cases, by stretching the theme to the breaking point. There is also a problem of repetition: Three poems about crowds of children in the schoolyard variously compare them to swarming bees, flocks of sparrows and stampeding elephants. Salerno’s digitally enhanced gouache illustrations are bright and spirited, but only a few succeed in complementing the poems. Instead, there seems to be a level of discomfort in handling the material, as if they’re not quite sure how to balance the appearance of the child as animal. Uneven and disappointing."

                        ~~ Kirkus Reviews

Overall Quality: There are 18 poems about children in school, and the emphasis is on how school brings out the wild side in children.

 "Grade 2–4—In 18 verses and whimsical pictures, the behavior of children is likened to that of animals as hunger transforms them into ravenous beasts, a new girl is turned into a mouse lost in a maze of hallways, and the final bell sets off a stampede of thundering elephants. In "Here, Boy," for example, a hungry youngster becomes a dog racing to get his food in the cafeteria: "Lunch bell starts ringing,/down the hallway I bound./I'm a dog who's just heard/the can-opener sound." The cartoon illustration depicts him with floppy ears, a collar round his neck, and his long belt looped behind him like a leash. These child-friendly verses may induce a wry chuckle or two, but overall, they're not memorable. Salerno has a great sense of composition, but his busy illustrations often distract from the simple imagery. Stick with stronger collections of school poetry, such as Jack Prelutsky's What a Day It Was at School! 

(HarperCollins, 2006)."

~~Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA, School Library Journal

In the poem "Here, Boy," I think that equating a hungry child to a dog hearing a can-opener sound might be funny to a child, but I think the humor is probably lost on many adult readers.  

I did read several of the poems to children and they found them to be funny and quite comical. 

"These poems are delightful on several levels. The analogies are fun in and of themselves, and then enhanced by Salas' playful language." ~ ~Jen Robinson's Book Page

Layout: The layout is easy to follow and well organized. 

The illustrations were somewhat predictable, but I am sure most children can relate to the funny conglomerations of half animal and half child.

Connections:
Sharing - Sharing the poems in this collection with children was pretty easy.  The use of animals makes it very relatable for children. A simple session of a poetry reading and you are stampeding in the right direction. 

  
Activity - The activity I chose to correlate to the poems was a simple one. The children were allowed to collect several parts of animals (heads, tails, feet, etc.,) that they could put together to create a new animal. They were asked to choose parts that represented themselves. 

These were cut out pictures or drawn and pieced together. For older students, using a computer to copy and paste together the parts of the animals worked well. They then discussed why they choose each part and how it related to their own experiences in school.

Spotlight Poem:

"Blush” from Stampede! Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School

Book Review #29

Honey on the Page: A Treasury of Yiddish Children’s Literature

 

Editor: Miriam Udel
Translator: Miriam Udel
Publisher: New York University Press, 2020

ISBN: 9781479874132
Illustrations: Paula Cohen
Photos: S. Seidler-Feller
Reading Ages: 10 - 18 years

Genre: Children’s Stories and Poems, Children's Jewish Fiction Books, Anthology. 

Topic: Yiddish Stories and Poems for Children.

5 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁

Why 5 Roars? I think this is a valuable resource for those interested in learning more about the Yiddish community. 

The title refers to the sweetness of the Torah; which is a cute play on words. A taste of honey was also part of a custom of introducing children to education.

“Around the 12th century, a custom developed in Germany of bringing a child to school for the first time on Shavuot.” “And the rabbi puts a little honey on the slate and the child licks the honey from the letters with his tongue. And then they bring the honey cake upon which is inscribed 'The Lord God gave me a skilled tongue to know…”
 (Isaiah 50: 4-5)
~~ David Golinkin, The Jerusalem Post

There are several interesting references to this custom and similar ones like it.  

“A child who licks honey from a slate and who eats honey cake and a hard-boiled egg on the first day of school will immediately understand that the 

Torah is ‘as sweet as honey.’" 
~~ David Golinkin, The Jerusalem Post

Critical Analysis:

In my opinion, we need more people interested in saving the past literary works of our cultural expressions. 

  

"An extensive collection of Yiddish literary texts for children translated into English, this anthology contains works from familiar as well as not so widely known Yiddish language writers... [A] comprehensive and valuable set of stories and poetry." 

~Kirkus Reviews

Accuracy: Miriam Udel is an associate professor in German Studies at the Tam Institute of Jewish Studies at Emory University.

"A modern classic of Jewish children’s literature. Miriam Udel has opened 

wide the treasure chest of 

Yiddish tales for the young, and parents and children of all ages are in her debt." 

~~Jeremy Dauber, Atran Professor of Yiddish Language, Literature, and Culture, Columbia University

Organization: I had no problem finding my way around the collection of stories and poems.

 

“Arranged thematically―from school days to the holidays—the book takes readers from Jewish holidays and history to folktales and fables, from stories of humanistic ethics to multi-generational family sagas.” 

~~ New York Press Publishing Reviews

Design: The design gives you something of an European old-world tradition and attitude to the work, which works well with the poems and stories. 

"There is much in this wonderful collection for Jewish parents who want to give their children a taste of Jewish folk culture. But what stands out are the tales emphasizing the radical Jewish heritage that is inseparable from the linguistic culture that is Yiddishkeit, the inflections of which are faithfully cap- tured in Udel’s translations: stories about Labzik, the proletarian puppy (by the great Khaver Paver); about a child whose willingness to sacrifice all his toys for the sake of peace convinces the ruler of his country to give up war (“A Boy and His Samovar”); and about birds who refuse to sing until all the caged birds in their city are freed (“The Birds Go on Strike”). Udel’s excellent introduction and her selections from out-of-print books and magazines published throughout the Jewish diaspora provide a fascinating survey of Yiddish children’s literature. 

~~Julia L. Mickenberg, author of American Girls in Red Russia

Style: I think the style is simple enough to follow along and enjoy for most readers, although there might be some references to Yiddish and Jewish culture that might be missed by those not particularly familiar with the customs. 

 "Parents will read stories from Honey on the Page aloud until their children can read by themselves, and most stories are simple, yet clever and subtle enough for every age." ~~Atlanta Jewish Times

Connections:

New York University Press 

Book Review #28

 The Snow Dancer

Author: Addie Boswell 

Illustrator: Mercè López
Publisher: Two Lions, 2020
ISBN: 978-1542093170
Reading Level: 3 - 7 years

Main Characters: Sofia

Plot: The world is covered in snow when Sofia awakes. She is the first one in her neighborhood to discover the thrill of dancing in the newly fallen snow. Others soon join in the fun. Sofia shares her snow dancing with another little girl with "delicate wings attached to her coat." Sofia ends her day with a sense of satisfaction for a "perfect snow day" and a cup of hot cocoa. 

Settings: Somewhere during winter with beautifully fallen new snow in the park. 

Genre/Theme/Style: Children's picture book. Themes: quiet, snow, dancing, movement, simple pleasures, magic, and wonder. 

The style is simple and reminds me of the wonders of nature. 

 5 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁

Critical Analysis: The illustrations are beautiful and lend themselves well to the feeling of quiet. They remind the reader that quiet is important for creativity and self-expression. As Sofia begins to share her quiet world with others, she finds value in relationships and interactions as well. 

“Bright, expressive illustrations created in acrylic, graphite, and digital media highlight a willowy young dancer’s snow-day experience…Vivid imagery, onomatopoeia, and supple blue-gradient typography enliven Sofia’s journey as she learns to share her snow day. A dynamic tale of cooperation, 

adaptation, and friendship.” 

~~ Publishers Weekly

Why 5 Roars? This book is one of my new favorites. It reminds the reader of their first experience with nature's wonder and the mystery that is snow. The crunch sounds, the feel of silence and renewal, the special connection we feel with the natural world. 

“Frosty blues and whites usher in the snow that blankets this effervescent tale of snow-day bliss…The text and illustrations work together wonderfully to convey the sights and sounds of a snowy day, as well as the magic and excitement inherent to these unplanned days off of school. A spirited paean to the snow day that will appeal to children and their parents.” ~~Booklist

I hope children's libraries will consider adding this charming book to their collections. 

Illustrations: Mercè López’s elegant illustrations are certainly a large part of the enchantment this book offers readers.

Connections:

Winter Hokey Pokey

Book Review #27

 Meshuggah Food Faces  

Authors: Bill and Claire Wurtzel
Publisher: Behrman House Publishing, 2020
ISBN: 978-1681150666
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Topics: Humor, Kid's Cooking, Yiddish Culture.

I Gave This Book 4 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁🦁

Why 4 Roars? I love the idea of creating food faces with children and the tidbits of Yiddish culture and humor are very witty. I think this book would work well for many different ages and reading levels.  

Critical Analysis
Accuracy: 

The authors have written several other popular Children's Picture Books using food. 

They include the following:
Funny Food: 365 Fun, Healthy, Silly, Creative Breakfasts, Funny Food Made Easy: Creative, Fun, & Healthy Breakfasts, Lunches, & Snacks, and Foodie Faces. 

“A standout…Some picture books cry out to be shared, and this is a prime example. Teachers will enjoy reading it aloud during units on feelings, while kids will want to show it to friends and family. From cover to cover, 

great fun.” ~~Booklist 

Design: The design uses actual food to create the edible art work.

“Though the concept is simple, the intricacies of each face beg for closer examination, and readers might find themselves transfixed in wonder at the fantastical creations.... A visually delightful experience."

~~Kirkus

Style: The name, Meshuggah Food Faces translates into Crazy Food Faces, a great title for the book.  There are quite a few crazy food faces, such as Albert Pinestein, and cousin Yetta the Yenta. 

“Engaging…fresh….A playful addition recommended for libraries that serve young children.”

~~ School Library Journal

Connections: Meshuggah Food Faces