Poetry Paws--Module Five

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sidman, Joyce. 2006. Meow Ruff: A Story in Concrete Poetry. Ill. by Michelle Berg. Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. ISBN-13: 978-0618448944.

SUMMARY
A concrete poetry book that is suited for children ages 4-8. Thirty-two pages of colorful illustrations and creative poem structure--this book can appeal to the younger age group as well as provide entertainment to the adult reader whilst the child is being read to.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

I enjoyed this book because of the creative way the poet used the elements of concrete (or shape) poetry to further express herself. On one hand, the story of the dog and cat adventure can entertain and engage the younger child and it can seem as if it is the only story of the book...until you begin to read the poetry within the sidewalk of the book. That is when one realizes that the story has more to it than meets the eye. The poetry comes from the background illustrations (e.g., the sidewalk, the clouds, the grass, etc.) This little surprise of hidden concrete poetry, when pointed out to the child, will make the book even more enjoyable. I found myself fully engaged and searching for the next concrete poem and delighting in how the poet creatively shaped the poems within the scenes.

Excerpt

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Introduction/Extension: A fun way to introduce this book is to use similar looking dog and cat puppets to engage the young audience. The teacher or leader of the story time can also share his or her feelings about the book initially and encourage the children to share their likes and dislikes of the book.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Myers, Walter Dean. 2008. Jazz. Ill. by Christopher Myers. New York: Holiday House. ISBN-13: 978-0823421732

SUMMARY
A great book that is intended for the young adult. This book introduces the audience to Jazz and the New Orleans culture. Native New Orleans will enjoy the presentation of their local  traditions and ceremony displayed within.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Myers did a fine job writing this book with a mix of long and short phrasing throughout. Some of the poetry, when read aloud, sounds like a blues/jazz song--which probably was the writer's intent. The use of short and choppy phrases bode well with mimicking syncopation and other musical elements. On the same note, long phrasing was also used to mimic long-winded singing or a legato feel. This book will appeal to natives of Louisiana or lovers of the New Orleans alike. The illustrations are colorful fluid paintings--completed by the son, Christopher Myers--that help the reader with the imagery of seeing the culture that the poet is trying to share.

Excerpt of Good-Bye To Old Bob Johnson

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Introduction/Extension: A good way to introduce this book is to use either an actual musician (e.g., a trumpeter) or a Jazz enthusiast to help present this book and the Jazz genre. Inviting someone from New Orleans as a guest speaker would be great also to further explore the New Orleans lifestyle.



BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fleischman, Paul. 2008. Big Talk: Poems for Four Voices. Ill. by Beppe Giacobbe. Massachusetts: Candlewick. ISBN-13: 978-0763638054.

SUMMARY
A clever, color-coded book of juvenile poetry for two or more readers to participate in choral reading.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This book is crazy and fun to perform. I actually did it with another person--so a total of two people. I giggled the whole way through. If I found it humorous, I'm sure this book will also amuse children--especially if done with friends or classmates. The way the author wrote the poetry resembles four-part sheet music. The poetry used is easy then becomes progressively harder. There are three different poems in all. At the beginning of the book, the author explains how to read the book and suggests tips to follow to successfully read the book.

Excerpt

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Introduction/Extension:
One way to introduce this book is to provide an enthusiastic group of individuals to perform the activities in front of the class (preferably people that are not shy). An excellent extension is to expose the readers to four-part choral sheet music and encourage structuring previously written poetry into poems for two to four voices. Later, a presentation of the project can be presented to the class. 


This is a poetry evaluation for LS 5663 Poetry For Children and Young Adults--a class at Texas Woman's University (TWU).