Poetry A-Z: B is for Biographical

While I love poems about nature and the world around me, I find poems about real people and/or historical figures to be inspirational forms for sharing the stories about their lives and accomplishments. 

BIOGRAPHICAL - of or pertaining to a person's life

In perusing my bookshelves I realized that while I have many biographical poetry books, the books of one author first captured my attention.

César: ¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes We Can, written by Carmen Bernier-Grand and illustrated by David Diaz, is a biography of Chávez told in a series of 19 free verse poems. The back matter in this book is extensive and includes a section of notes, a glossary, a short synopsis of Chávez's life, a brief chronology, the author's sources, and a collection of Chávez's quotes. It is one of the most comprehensive and moving biographies of the man I have ever read. What is different about this work is that it does not shy away from the difficulties and injustices he faced in his life. Instead, his life story is told head on, shining a spotlight on the good and bad times. Here is one of my favorite poems from the book.

Crooked Lines

"God has written in exceedingly
crooked lines."

What made César follow
Father McDonnell
from camp to camp
and Mass to Mass?

What made Father McDonnell
give César the teachings and prayers
of Saint Francis of Assisi:
"Lord, make me an instrument
of your peace"?

Why did a book about Saint Francis
mention Mahatma Gandhi,
a man of peace who won many battles
against injustices in India?

Why did César talk
to Father McDonnell
about his passion for peaceful change
and the leadership hidden deep
inside him?

What made Father McDonnell
send Fred Ross, from the
Community Service Organization,
to see César?

God's crooked lines.

The next biography Carmen tackled was Frida: ¡Viva la vida! Long Live Life!. In this book the poems are largely accompanied by the paintings of Frida Kahlo, though a few photographs of Frida are included. I knew nothing about Frida's personal life until I read this book. The 26 poems capture her strength in the face of adversity, her passion, and the poignant experiences that marked her life. Here is a poem describing an early event that shaped her life.

Hummingbird Wings

I am a wounded hummingbird
caged in my room for nine months
with polio, crippling polio.

Warm towels soaked in walnut water
ease the pain in my leg,
a thin, drying twig.

I hide in the walnut wardrobe,
put on a white sock,
another on top,
and another.
Is the right leg as fat as the other?

The cage opens.
Now I have wings.

As with César, the back matter in this book is also extensive and includes quotes from the letters and diary of Frida Kahlo, a short overview of Frida's life, a brief chronology, a glossary, the author's sources, and a section of notes.

After writing about Frida Kahlo, it makes a great deal of sense that Carmen's next work would be about Diego River. Diego: Bigger Than Life follows the form of the first two biographies and is another exceptionally well-researched volume about the artist. This one contains a whopping 34 poems. The emotion that resonates in these poems is a testament to how well Carmen writes. I'll have to admit that there was little I liked about the man after reading this, but the connection between his passionate, controversial life and art is unmistakable. Here's a poem that describes his art.

Brimming With Mexican Light

As naturally as I breathe,
I painted in grand scale the colors of Mexico—
clearer, richer, more full of light than colors in Europe.

As naturally as I speak,
I painted in grand scale the music of Mexico
in markets, crowds, festivals—
Burning of the Judases, the Dance of the Deer.

As naturally as I sweat,
I painted in grand scale the workers of Mexico
in fields, mines, streets—
Indians carrying bundles of calla lilies.

A million public walls
wouldn't be enough
to paint all the beauty of Mexico.

All Poems ©Carmen Bernier-Grand. All rights reserved.

These titles were followed by Alicia Alonso: Prima Ballerina, a poetic biography of the prima ballerina assoluta of Cuba, and Picasso: I the King, Yo el rey, a collection of 40 poems about the life of the artist.

I have long had an interest in African American scientists and inventors, so finding Marilyn Nelson's book Carver: A Life in Poems was a revelation. Finally, here was the story of a remarkable man in language as inspiring as his life! Here is one of my favorite poems from the book.

Clay

God's breath on a compound of silica,
alumina, and various oxides—
primarily iron—gave Adam life.
There is a primal, almost mystical
connection between humankind and clay,
from the footed, bellied first receptacles
to frescoed Renaissance cathedral walls.
To Carver's eye, the muddy creek banks say
Here, to be dug up, strained, and painted on,
is loveliness the poorest can afford:
azures, ochres . . . Scraps of discarded board
are landscapes. Cabins undistinguished brown
bloom like slaves freed to struggle toward self-worth.
Beauty is commonplace, as cheap as dirt.

Poems ©Marilyn Nelson. All rights reserved.

Borrowed Names: Poems About Laura Ingalls Wilder, Madam C.J. Walker, Marie Curie, and Their Daughters, written by Jeannine Atkins, tells the story of three daughters moving from childhood to adulthood. Each of the three sections of the book begins with a bit of backstory about the mother and daughter and where their story in poems begins. The poems convey a real sense of person, and after reading them you feel you really know these women in an intimate way.

Irene Curie's story begins with birth of her younger sister and follows with the untimely death of her father, living with grief, her mother's second Nobel medal, war, Irene's studies at the Sorbonne, working side-by-side with her mother, and more. Here' are excerpts from two of the Curie poems.

from Without School Bells (p. 160-161)

Irene can't worry about yawns or crushes.
She needs to comprehend
the laws of radiance, reflection, refraction.
Every question and answer binds her
to the one world her mother loves.


from Paris (p. 185)

Irene and Mé now work side by side, though Irene
can't forget one of them
keeps two Nobel Prizes in her bureau.

Poems ©Jeannine Atkins. All rights reserved.

As with the other stories in the book, Irene's ends with a section entitled Legacies, that tells of her life after her mother's death. The book ends with a timeline marking important events in the lives of the three mothers and daughters. A selected bibliography is also included.

The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano, written by Margarita Engle and illustrated by Sean Qualls, is a novel-length biography written in verse that tells of the boyhood of a nineteenth-century Cuban slave who secretly learned to read and wrote poetry about beauty, despite the harshness of the world in which he lived. The poems are told from the perspectives of Juan himself, his parents, his owners (two different women), and others involved in his life. Here's an excerpt.

Juan (p. 38-39)

Even though I am not free
     there are things that I love
     in this world, this mansion, palace
     this strange home where I live
     even though it doesn't always feel exactly
     like living
     or home

I love to sit in the central courtyard
     looking up a a ceiling of sky
     looking around at the fragrant garden
     of jasmine and tuberose
     looking down at the mosaics on the floor
     chips of tile swirled into stories
     of kings and castles
     jungles and beasts

I love the singing fountain, ripening fruit trees
     a view of high balconies dancing in the wind
     the rhythm of archways and columns
     railings of wrought iron in  the shapes
     of black metal peacocks
     and angels playing harps
     I like to think that the angels are real
     the music mine

I roam the vast rooms
     filled with paintings and statues
I dance in the ballroom when no one is looking
I try out the musical instruments
I sit in the rocking chairs, swaying
     to my own secret song
     a silent moment
     of peace

Poems ©Margarita Engle. All rights reserved.

This is a heart-wrenching life story, beautifully told. As sad as parts of it are, there is hope here. Engle provides a historical note about Manzano in the back matter of the book. Here's an excerpt.

Juan often said that he hoped to write a novel about his life. He never had the chance. In fact, strict censorship by the colonial Spanish government prevented all Cuban poets and novelists from writing verses or stories about slavery. 

The life story of Juan Francisco Manzano is known only because some of his autobiographical notes were smuggled to England, where they were published by abolitionists who hoped to raise support for their cause.

The historical note is followed by examples of Manzano's poetry, in Spanish and English translation.

That's it for B. See you tomorrow for some A inspired poetry ponderings.

Poetry A-Z: C is for Collaborative

I love reading poetry, but I like it even better when it's read aloud. I like the sound of the rhyme, the feel of the meter, and the way words swim around inside my head before escaping from my lips. Poetry was spoken aloud long before it was written down. Since poetry comes to us today on the page, we often forget that. Poetry needs to be read AND heard. So open a book of poems and shout out a favorite poem. Better yet, grab a partner and try reading together.

COLLABORATIVE - produced or conducted by two or more parties working together

I am quite fond of all the books in Mary Ann Hoberman's You Read to Me, I'll Read to You series. Titles include:

• You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Stories to Read Together (2001)
• You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together (2004)
• You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Mother Goose Tales to Read Together (2005)
• You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together (2007)
• You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fables to Read Together (2010)

Told in two voices, these rhyming stories are meant to be read loud. Each story appears in three colors--one for the first voice/reader, another for the second voice/reader, and a third for when both voices read in unison. When I wanted to encourage my son to read aloud and wanted to introduce more poetry into his book diet, we started with the Very Short Fairy Tales. He's in middle school now, but I'll admit we still pull this one and Short Scary Tales off the shelf every so often. Here's an excerpt from Very Short Fairy Tales.

The Three Bears

I'm Goldilocks.

I'm Baby Bear.

What pretty fur!

What pretty hair!

Why are you here?

You're in my bed.

I'm in your bed?

That's what I said.

Why are you here?

I lost my way.

I found your house.

And thought I'd stay.

And then you ate

My porridge up

And drank my milk

Right from my cup.

Poem © Mary Ann Hoberman. All rights reserved.

Messing Around on the Monkey Bars: And Other School Poems for Two Voices, written by Betsy Franco and illustrated by Jessie Hartland, is a collection of school poems that takes readers on a ride around the school and schoolyard, beginning with the school bus and ending with the final school bell. In between there are poems about lunch money, homework, recess, the library and more. In the author's note Franco says "Though these poems can be read silently and enjoyed by a single person, they are the most fun when read aloud by two people." This is followed by a graphic that shows what the voices look like. In the poem below, the plain font is Voice 1, the bold font is Voice 2, and the larger bold font is for both voices to speak at the same time.

Messing Around on the Monkey Bars

Time for recess!
Here we are,

messing around
on the monkey bars!

Hand over hand,
fast or slow,

calling to
our friends below.

Skipping two bars,
skipping three,

dangling down
by just our knees.

Swinging up
above the ground,

missing bars
and tumbling down.

Hooting, howling,
here we are,

messing around
on the monkey bars!

Poem ©Betsy Franco. All rights reserved.

For information on how to use this book in the classroom you can download a teacher's guide for Franco's book.

Seeds, Bees, Butterflies, and More!: Poems for Two Voices, written by Carole Gerber and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin, is a collection of 18 poems that explore nature close up. As these are poems for two voices, one person reads the lines on the left, while one reads the poems on the right. The parts are in different colors, making it easy to differentiate. Lines in the center of the page with letters in both colors are meant to be read simultaneously. The poems are a perfect blend of science and poetry, highlighting pollination, germination, seed dispersal, metamorphosis, and much more.  Here's an excerpt.

We Can Fly

Wheeee! I fly by helicoptering.
	I move by parachute.
I took off from a maple tree inside my whirling suit.
	I launched my gentle journey from a dandelion’s head.
I rotate as I travel.
	I choose to drift instead.
Well, I’ve met gliders on my trips.
	And I’ve watched spinners spin.
No matter how seeds fly around . . .
We’re carried by the wind. Poem © Carole Gerber. All rights reserved.

Farmer's Garden: Rhymes for Two Voices, written by David Harrison and illustrated by Arden Johnson-Petrov, is a collection of poems in which Farmer's dog converses with some of the animals and plants he meets in the garden. The 15 poems are short, generally two-to-four lines per stanza, and are printed in two fonts that clearly show where the lines alternate between the two speakers. Here's an example.

Beetle

Beetle, Beetle,
why so fast?

                              Out of my way!
                              I must get past!

Beetle, Beetle,
where do you run?

                              Away from the lizard
                              and out of the sun.

Beetle, Beetle
what will you do?

                              I'll drink a drop
                              of morning dew.

Poem © David Harrison. All rights reserved.

Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, written by Paul Fleischman and illustrated by Eric Beddows, was the recipient of the 1989 Newbery Medal. The book begins in this way.

The following poems were written to be read aloud by two readers at once, one taking the left-hand part, the other taking the right-hand part. The poems should be read from top to bottom, the two parts meshing in a musical duet. When both readers have lines at the same horizontal level, those lines are to be spoken simultaneously.

From here, readers/speakers must jump right in. As a former member of a crew team, the poem Water Boatmen particularly appeals to me.

Poem © Paul Fleischman. All rights reserved.

All the poems in this book celebrate the lives of insects, from grasshoppers and honeybees to moths and fireflies. The poems are indeed joyous to recite.


Big Talk: Poems for Four Voices, written by Paul Fleischman and illustrated by Beppe Giacobbe, takes the ideas presented in Joyful Noise and ramps up the volume (and chaos) to four voices. There is no particular theme to these poems, but they are fun and will appeal to a wide range of readers/speakers. In describing the book Fleischman said, "Families used to play games together and make music together. We did both all through my childhood. I wanted to give families something they could perform together—not in Carnegie Hall, but around the table." You can download an article about the book and learn more about how the poems were inspired. Instead of voices reading columns of information, readers this time find their parts on colored bars, reminiscent of reading music. Don't fret if you don't have this skill, as clear instructions for reading are included.


That's it for C. See you tomorrow for some B inspired poetry ponderings.

Poetry A-Z: D is for Dolorous

I have a few poetry books that are hard to read, evoking such heartbreak and sadness. Generally these books tell of tragic events in our history or the unimaginable horrors associated with war. While these topics are difficult, the writers of such books bring readers important perspectives and open our eyes to injustices in this world that cannot and should not be ignored. 

DOLOROUS - feeling or expressing great sorrow or distress

A Wreath for Emmett Till, written by Marilyn Nelson and illustrated by Philippe Lardy, is a heroic crown of sonnets, or a sequence of 15 sonnets that are interlinked like a normal crown of sonnets, except in the heroic crown the last sonnet is made entirely from the first lines of the previous 14 sonnets. One of the things that makes this heroic crown such an achievement is the the last sonnet is also an acrostic poem, in which the first letters of each line spell out the phrase “RIP Emmett L. Till.”

The poems in this crown are not easy to read. They are unsettling, shocking, and sad, but this is an important event in the history of our nation that needs to be told again and again. The book ends with a short biography of Emmett Till, extensive notes on the 15 sonnets, and an artist's note. The tempera illustrations by Philippe Lardy quietly reflect the themes and moods of the sonnets.

One of the sonnets in this crown is written from the perspective of the tree witnessing the lynching, and echoes some of the sentiments expressed in Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem The Haunted Oak.

Pierced by the screams of a shortened childhood,
my heartwood has been scarred for fifty years
by what I heard, with hundreds of green ears.
That jackal laughter. Two hundred years I stood
listening to small struggles to find food,
to the songs of creature life, which disappears
and comes again, to the music of the spheres.
Two hundred years of deaths I understood.
Then slaughter axed one quiet summer night,
shivering the deep silence of the stars.
A running boy, five men in close pursuit.
One dark, five pale faces in the moonlight.
Noise, silence, back-slaps. One match, five cigars.
Emmett Till's name still catches in the throat.

Poem ©Marilyn Nelson. All rights reserved.

When you have some time, listen to Marilyn Nelson discuss and read excerpts from A Wreath for Emmett Till.
You can also listen to an interview with Marilyn Nelson on NPR and hear her read the poem. If you are interested in using this book in he classroom, you can download a teacher's guide from Houghton Mifflin.

Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto, written by Paul Janeczko and accompanied by illustrations created by prisoners (and found after the War), is a collection that provides a heartbreaking, shocking, and brutally honest picture of the lives of inmates in the Terezin Ghetto. The walled city of Theresienstadt, Czechoslovakia (Terezin) was a ghetto for Jews transported from Prague and other cities and a way station to the gas chamber. Here's a bit about the camp from the Afterword.

What set Terezin apart from Nazi death camps was the nature of many of its inmates. Terezin became "home" for many of the Jewish intellectuals and artists of Prague. As a result, it became a prison in which the arts were tolerated, then encouraged as a Nazi propaganda tool. Classical music and opera performances were commonplace, despite the horrors and cruelty of captivity. 

There is beauty in this collection, even though readers repeatedly experience loss and death. The humanity and strength of the victims, the depravity of the SS, and the horror that was the Holocaust  is evident in Janezcko's carefully chosen words. Reading this is like watching a train wreck—you want to look away, but can't. I wanted to stop reading, but couldn't put it down.

Here's an excerpt from one of the poems.

Tomasz Kassenwitz/11850

For nearly sixteen years of Fridays
Willi and I played chess in the park
unless snow drove us
to the back corner of Bloom's.
Only for death—
when my beloved Helen passed,
when his son fell through the ice—
did we miss.
. . .
On a most glorious morning in October
Willi placed the peppermints on the table
but did not sit.
I looked up at the face of sorrow.
He picked up the white king
then laid it softly on its side.
“I can no longer play with you,”
said a false voice.
The sun is blue 
would have made as much sense.

Poem ©Paul Janeczko. All rights reserved.

You can hear Paul read this poem and one other in the video below.


That's it for D. See you tomorrow for some C inspired poetry ponderings.

Poetry A-Z: E is for Earthy

I swear I didn't plan this! Imagine my surprise when I realized that the letter E would fall on Earth Day. Talk about serendipitous! There are many ways this post could go, so while these books may not seem connected to each other, they nicely fit the word of the day and include some of my favorite books about nature and the history of the Earth.

EARTHY - of the nature of or consisting of earth or soil

The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and Imagination, with poems selected by Mary Ann Hoberman and Linda Winston, is a stunning collection of poetry and information. The book includes a CD where many of the selected poets read their own works. Included among the authors are William Blake, Joseph Bruchac, Emily Dickinson, T. S Eliot, Barbara Juster Esbensen, Douglas Florian, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, D. H. Lawrence, Myra Cohn Livingston, David, McCord, Eve Merriam, Lilian Moore, Ogden Nash, Mary Oliver, Carl Sandburg, Alice Schertle, Joyce Sidman, Walt Whitman, and Valerie Worth, and many more. Here's a bit from the introduction that will give you a sense of how this anthology was put together.

Like Darwin, anthologists are passionate collectors, but the specimens we collect are poems. However, the process of collection in both areas is similar. At first, we simply gathered together as many poems as we could find that fit the subject we have chosen for your book. Then we decided how the book would be organized and we sorted our poems into the various categories we had chosen. The next step was putting the poems into some sort of order within these divisions so that they related thematically to their immediate neighbors.

. . .

The poems in this book explore many of the roots and limbs of Darwin's Tree, the branching tree that shows the connections among all forms of life. For some of these poems, we have offered brief comments or pointed out links to other poems.

The book is divided into the sections named below. For each one you'll find a brief excerpt or description of the kinds of poems in that section.

• Oh, Fields of Wonder - "Both poets and scientists wonder at and about the world."
• The Sea is Our Mother - "The poems in this section recall life's watery origins as well as the Earth's own geological beginnings. "
• Prehistoric Praise - Fossil poems
• Think Like a Tree - "We wouldn't be here without plants."
• Meditations of a Tortoise - "In both Iroquois and Hindu legends, the earth is supported on the back of a giant turtle."
• Some Primal Termite - "Naturalists define fitness as the ability of a species to reproduce itself in the greatest numbers and to adapt to the widest range of environments. According to this definition, insects are the fittest of all living creatures."
• Everything That Lives Wants to Fly - "Along with Archaeopteryx (the earliest known bird), Darwin's finches play a key role in evolutionary theory."
• I Am the Family Face - Poems on family in all its forms
• Hurt No Living Thing - "It is natural for species to go extinct, but the rate at which this is happening today is unprecedented."

Here is one of the poems. Can you guess which section it is found in?

Cross-Purposes

The fickle bee believes it’s he
Who profits from the flower;
But as he drinks, the flower thinks
She has him in her power.

Her nectar is the reason
That she blooms, the bee is sure;
But flower knows her nectar
Is there merely for allure.

And as he leaves, the bee believes
He”ll sample someone new;
But flower knows that where he goes,
Her pollen’s going, too.

Poem ©Mary Ann Hoberman. All rights reserved.

Footnotes accompany many of the poems. These include explications of both the content and form of the poem. There is also a glossary of scientific and poetic terms, as well as a brief biography of the included poets.

Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature, written by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Mark Herald, is a collection of poems that move through the year from spring to winter. Each seasonal section contains more than 12 poems and includes a mix of reflections and suggestions for how children can enjoy the world around them. A nice blend of science and poetry, the verses are easy to read and offer plenty of information. Here's a poem appropriate for our very late spring.

Cherry Blossoms 

Last week the twigs were just twigs,
bare and black and boring,
but now—blossoms!

At first there were only little patches
of pink petals,
but now—blossoms, blossoms!

In parks, on streets, in gardens --
pools of pink spread,
and now we're lost in blossoms, blossoms, blossoms!

Poem ©Nicola Davies. All rights reserved.

Nest, Nook, & Cranny, written by Susan Blackaby and illustrated by Jamie Hogan, is a collection of 22 poems that explore animals and the homes they make. Arranged by habitat (desert, grassland, shoreline, wetland, and woodland), the poems take a range of forms, including villanelle, triolet, cinquain, sonnet, and more. The book opens with these words in a section entitled Before You Begin.

habitat - the natural home of an animal or plant 

The poems in this collection are loosely arranged by habitat, but you will find that coyotes, buts, and birds (to name a few) don't give a hoot about labels. Thanks to accommodations or adaptations or both, some creatures can live anyplace. Keep that in mind when the boundaries blur.

My favorite poem from the book reminds me of a creature I stumbled upon more than once as a child while traipsing through the woods and fields around my house.

A doe will pick a thicket
As a place to place her fawn,
Its speckled hide well hidden
In the dappled forest lawn.
A bed safe in the shadows—
Mossy cushion, leafy crest—
A doe will pick a thicket
As a place to make a nest.

Poem ©Susan Blackaby. All rights reserved.

This book is complemented by a two-page section describing the habitats used to organize the poem, as well as a lengthy section of author notes about each poem, the inspiration for them, and information about the forms.

I hope you get outside today to enjoy Earth Day. If you get a chance, take one of these books with you and enjoy a bit of nature poetry as well.

That's it for E. See you tomorrow for some D inspired poetry ponderings.

Poetry A-Z: F is for Fictitious

I really wanted to go with fables or  fairy tales for F, but as I was perusing my bookshelves I realized I had a number of books about imaginary creatures. Those books inspired my choice of today's word.  

FICTITIOUS - not real or true, being imaginary or having been fabricated

Imaginary Menagerie: A Book of Curious Creatures, written by Julie Larios and illustrated by Julie Paschkis, is a collection of poems that describe all manner of mythical creatures. Readers will find poems for dragon, mermaid, firebird, centaur, trolls, cockatrice, hobgoblins, sea serpent, thunderbird, sphinx, will o' the wishp, gargoyle, naga, and phoenix here. For those unfamiliar with some of these creatures, a full text glossary provides information on the origin of the legend surrounding each one. My son's favorite poem is about dragons.

DRAGON

The air around me
burns bright as the sun.
I tell wild rivers
which way to run.
I'm arrow tailed,
fish scaled,
a luck bringer.
When I fly,
it's a flame song the world sings.
But you can ride safely
between my wings.

My favorite (today anyway!) is this one.

GARGOYLE

How can a beast speak
with a stone tongue,
with a stone throat?
My mouth is a rainspout. I screech. I shout.
How can a best fly
with stone wings?
I fly when the bells ring and the hunchback is home.
Does a stone beast sleep
in a stone nest?
I am on guard. I never rest.

Poems ©Julie Larios. All rights reserved.

To celebrate National Poetry Month in 2008, Harcourt produced a Poetry Kit based entirely on Julie's book Imaginary Menagerie: A Book of Curious Creatures. 

The Hidden Bestiary: A Marvelous, Mysterious  and (Maybe Even) Magical Creatures, written by Judy Young and illustrations by Laura Francesca Filippucci, is a collection of poems in the form of diary entries. Basil Bernard Barnswhitten (BBS) first visits the Finchhaven Museum of Extraordinary Curiosities, Oddities & Improbabilities to research a variety of creatures to determine if they "Are extinct or endangered/Or never existed." He then travels around the world to verify the information. Here's the first creature poem.

Tasmanian Tiger

A tasmanian tiger,

With stripes on his back,

Was the first on my list

So I searched through each rack.

When I found a case broken!

Can there be a wee chance

That the creature escaped

And once more gets to prance?

But alas it could not,

There's no room for debate.

The Thylacines met

A most terrible fate.

Later in his travels, BBS writes about the Kracken.

Kracken

The sailors, they warned me,
But I'm sure they're mistaken,
Of a giant sea monster,
A mean, fearsome kracken.

It rose from great depths,
And spied with huge eyes,
Sinking ships with long arms,
But I'm sure these are lies.

Poems ©Judy Young. All rights reserved.

The back matter of the book contains a Field Guide to the animals studied by BBS. For each animal readers will find habitat, a description, behavior, diet, and status. 

Scranimals, written by Jack Prelutsky and illustrated by Peter Sis, is a collection of 19 poems about the trip to and from Scranimal Island and the amazing array of strange, hybrid animals found there. Animals you'll meet include the Rhinocerose, Broccolion, Bananaconda, Avocadodos, and more. Here's how it begins.

The Journey

We're sailing to Scranimal Island,

It doesn't appear on most maps.

The PARROTTERS float on the tide there,

The STORMY PETRELEPHANT flaps.

We may find a rare OSTRICHEETAH,

There's never been one in a zoo.

We're sailing to Scranimal Island--

You're welcome to come along too.

And here is one of my favorite poems.

The Hippopotamushrooms

The HIPPOPOTAMUSHROOMS
Cannot wander very far.
How fortunate they're satisfied
Precisely where they are.
They feel no need to travel,
They're forever at their ease,
Relaxing on the forest floor
Beneath the shady trees.

The HIPPOPOTAMUSHROOMS

Suffer from deficient grace,

And their tubby, blobby bodies

Tend to take up too much space.

But they compensate with manners

For the things they lack in style . . . 

They are models of politeness,

And they always wear a smile.

Poems ©Jack Prelutsky. All rights reserved.

That's it for F. See you tomorrow for some E inspired poetry ponderings.

Poetry A-Z: G is for Geological

A box of rocks sits on the shelf in my office. It contains what's left of my father's rock collection. The big pieces, the polished geode and large amethyst, sit on my mantle at home. The smaller ones wait patiently for those days when I open the box to remember.

I had my own rock collection growing up. This was not your everyday "rocks from the side of the road" collection, but an honest-to-goodness collection of rocks and minerals purchased at rock shows, scavenged from the rock pile at Ward's Scientific, or presented by family and friends from faraway places. I still use these rocks in my teaching, and every so often add new ones.

Earth science has always been one of my favorite subjects to teach, but finding poetry inspired by this topic was not always easy to find.

GEOLOGICAL - of or pertaining to the scientific study of the origin, history, structure, and composition of the earth

Earthshake: Poems From the Ground Up, written by Lisa Westberg Peters and illustrated by Cathie Felstead, is a collection of twenty-two poems that introduces geologic concepts through metaphors and word play in a variety of poetic forms. The poems are accompanied by vibrant illustrations that combine brightly colored hues and collage. What I love most about the pieces in this book is the inventiveness with which sometimes difficult concepts are presented. Here are short excerpts from a few of my favorites.

Instructions for the Earth's Dishwasher
Please set the
continental plates
gently on the
continental shelves.
No jostling or scraping.

Please stack the
basin right side up.
No tilting or turning
upside-down.


Obituary for a Clam
Clam. Marine.
Age, 10 years.

Died 300 million years ago
in underwater landslide.
Native of the Tethys Sea.
Loving mother of 198 clams.


Recipe for Granite
Melt a chunk of continent.

Heat at a million degrees,
long enough for the world
to spin a trillion times,
long enough for the Milky Way
to make it partway to infinity.

Poems ©Lisa Westberg Paters. All rights reserved.

In addition to these gems you will find poems about sedimentary rock, continental drift, minerals, meteors, geysers and more. Three pages of endnotes provide additional information about the concepts in each poem. 

Volcano! Wakes Up, written by Lisa Westberg Peters and illustrated by Steve Jenkins, is a collection of poems that describe a day in the life of an imaginary Hawaiian volcano. Ferns, lava flow crickets, a small black road, and the volcano itself all speak in these poems. Here's how it opens.

Volcano

I'm the baby.

I'm much smaller than my

big sister volcanoes. I'm a little sleepy

now, but when I wake up, watch out! I throw

nasty tantrums. It always works--I get the most attention!

Here's what the ferns have to say when they realize the volcano is awake.

Ferns

Fire-maker's awake!

She's about to 

make

this caldera

a lake of fire and

lava. Ah, the

party

must be over.

Put away all the

streamers.

Say 

good-bye,

honeycreepers.

But wait . . . it's

not

hot yet. It's 

not even warm

yet. What a 

lucky

delay on this

beautiful day. Hey,

everybody, let's 

party!

Poems ©Lisa Westberg Paters. All rights reserved.

The back matter of the book describes Hawaiian volcanoes, ferns, lava flow crickets, the road and trail signs that direct visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and the best time to watch hot lava enter the ocean.

An Island Grows, written by Lola M. Schaefer and illustrated by Cathie Felstead, is book-length poem that describes how a volcanic island is formed It begins this way.

Deep, deep
beneath the sea . . .
Stone breaks.
Water quakes.
Magma glows.
Volcano blows.
Lava flows
and flows
and flows.

Poem ©Lola Schaefer. All rights reserved.

The rhyming text continues to describe how the lava builds up unit it breaks through the water's surface. Eventually seeds, plants, and animals, come to the newly formed island. Later, sailors and traders came, settlers stayed, and soon there exists a "Busy island in the sea, where only water used to be." The book concludes by coming full circle and discussing how the cycle starts from the beginning, where “Another island grows.” The last page of the book describes a bit more of the science of island formation.

While I haven't found many other poetry books that focus solely on earth science concepts, there are a few books of nature poetry that include some poems related to these topics. One of my favorites is Footprints on the Roof: Poems About the Earth, written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Meilo So. Even though some of the poems in this volume are about the natural world, the vast majority deal with things like natural disasters, volcanoes, caves, fossils and other such topics. Here is a short excerpt from the poem entitled Islands.

Dad likes to talk
about islands--
how they sink
how they rise
How some are bred
by volcanoes
and others built from coral bones

Poem ©Marilyn Singer. All rights reserved.

That's it for G. See you tomorrow for some F inspired poetry ponderings.

Poetry A-Z: H is for Heavenly

I've always been a stargazer and long enamored of the heavens. When I was growing up, the gentleman who lived across the street had a telescope that I would often gaze through. I was allowed to sit outside late into the evening (never on a school night!) and watch the skies. I still love looking up and wondering about all that's out there, much of it probably beyond our imagination. Today's books celebrate a range of things found well above us.

HEAVENLY - of the heavens or sky

A Full Moon is Rising, written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Julia Cairns, is a collection of 17 poems about the full moon. Set in different parts of the world, the poems highlight beliefs and customs related to the full moon. Here's an excerpt.

Lunar Eclipse

A Village in Mali

Bang the pot, beat the drum.

Bring back the moon!

If it does not return,

this bad moon will take the sun.

Then there will be neither one.

Strike the pan, wail a prayer.

Bring back the moon!

See it return, slice by slice.

Nice moon, nice.

We have brought back the moon!

The back matter of this book includes information about the content of the poems. Readers will learn about tides, Sukkot, the first moon landing, the moon festival, and more.

Blast Off! Poems About Space, compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins and illustrated by Melissa Sweet, is an easy to read anthology containing 20 poems by various poets, including Jane Yolen, Bobbi Katz, J. Patrick Lewis, Ashley Bryan, Lee Bennett Hopkins and others. Since this book is in an easy-reader format, the poems are accessible for young children. Here is one example.

The Moon 

by Lillian M. Fisher

The moon has no light
of its own.
It's cold and dark
and dead as stone,
But it catches light
from the burning sun
And shows itself
When each day is done.

Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars, written and illustrated by Douglas Florian, is a witty, stylish look at the solar system. With illustrations painted in gouache on brown paper bags, readers are treated to a visual feast that includes die-cut, circular peepholes that allow glimpses of heavenly bodies from adjacent pages. The poems are typical Florian, containing made up words, like super-dupiter and Jupiterrific, clever rhymes, and fanciful imagery. Here is an excerpt.

the moon

A NEW moon isn't really new,
It's merely somewhat dark to view.

A CRESCENT moon may seem to smile,
Gladly back after a while.

A HALF moon is half-dark, half light.
At sunset look due south to sight.

A FULL moon is a sight to see,
Circular in geometry.

After full, the moon will wane
Night by night, then start again.

The book ends with a galactic glossary that provides a bit of information on each body or topic covered, and also includes a selected bibliography for further reading.


These last two books are out of print, but I adore Myra Cohn Livingston and simply cannot leave these out!

Space Songs, written by Myra Cohn Livingston and illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher, contains 13 poems that not only discuss the science of the heavens, but also express their vastness and just how astonishing they are. On black pages accompanied by paintings of the poem's topic, the solar system comes to life in word and image. Here is an excerpt.

Moon              Moon remembers.

            Marooned in shadowed night,

          while powder plastered
        on her pockmarked face,
      scarred with craters,
    filled with waterless seas,

  she thinks back
to the Eagle,
  to the flight
    of men from Earth,
      of rocks sent back in space,
        and one
          faint
            footprint
              in the Sea of Tranquility.

Sky Songs, written by Myra Cohn Livingston and illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher, contains 14 poems about a range of objects in the sky, including smog, snow, rain, clouds, shooting stars, and more. Since I've been sharing moon poems, I'm going to continue with that theme.

Moon

Why is
the moon always
changing? Sometimes a man
stares down through a window made of
white clouds.

Sometimes
a pale lady,
the dark earth's night mother,
a lace veil over her eyes, smiles
sadly.

How do
they turn themselves
sideways to watch the stars?
What is it that they see when they look
away?


That's it for H. See you tomorrow with some G inspired poetry ponderings.

Poetry A-Z: I is for Impish

Today I'm feeling a little bit naughty, so that leaves me with a very good word to guide my poetry selections.

IMPISH - inclined to do slightly naughty things for fun; mischievous

Books about naughty children are so much fun! As a child I loved Pippi Longstocking and all the slightly mischievous children in Roald Dahl's books. Today, naughty children can even be found in poetry books!

M Is for Mischief: An A to Z of Naughty Children, written by Linda Ashman and illustrated by Nancy Carpenter, is an alphabetic compendium of terribly behaved children. In fact, the blurb on the cover reads, "WARNING: This book contains obnoxious children. Read at your own risk." Here's an example of the type of child you will meet in this book.

Catastrophic Coco

Coco came to camp:
Cracked a compass, smacked a lamp.
Clogged a drain, cut a tarp.
Clobbered Curtis with a carp.

Crumbled cookies, crushed a cake.
Crashed a kayak in the lake.
Called the counselor a cow.
Coco's cab is coming now.

Some of the bad habits/behaviors exhibited by children in the book include doodling, eavesdropping, nagging, picky, quarrelsome, rude, untidy, and more. Kids will absolutely love reading about these bad, bad children. Here's one of my favorites. (Kudos to Ashman for handling Q and X so deftly!)

Q - Quarrelsome Quincy

It's quirky how Quincy is so quick to fight.
He quarrels with all, convinced he is right.
He quibbles with teachers, then quacks, "How absurd!"
He quizzes his classmates, then mocks every word.

When warned of the quicksand, he questions the scout.
He might quarrel less . . . if he's ever pulled out.

Poems ©Linda Ashman. All rights reserved.

Spinster Goose: Twisted Rhymes for Naughty Children, written by Lisa Wheeler and illustrated by Sophie Blackall, is a collection of poems describing some very disobedient children. In the first poem, Mother Goose explains that children too difficult too handle are sent to her sisters, Spinster Goose, for straightening out. The second poem in the book describes Spinster Goose's school and the ways in which naughty children are dealt with. Here's how it begins.

An Introduction from Mother Goose

There are many naughty children

far beyond my expertise.

I tried my best to help them

but the problems would not cease.

So . . . 

I sent them to my sister.

Her school is well designed 

to deal with uncouth urchins

who have manners unrefined.

Take a tour and please be sure

to follow every rule.

Remember . . . disobedience

will land you in her school.

The remaining poems are all about the incorrigible children that are sent there. Readers will meet the gum chewer, thief, swearer, chalk-eater, bully, thumb-sucker, hair-twirler, and many other ill mannered kids. Here's one about a cheater.

The Cheater

Peter, Peter was a cheater.
Stolen grades
could not be sweeter.

Made good marks for weeks and weeks--
forging essays,
sneaking peeks.

Peter laughed through many days--
stealing quizzes,
making As.

Spinster caught him in the act.
In Crooked Row
poor Peter cracked.

Peter is no longer merry.
He takes tests
in solitary.

Poems ©Lisa Wheeler. All rights reserved.

Visit Lisa Wheeler's web site to download the Spinster Goose Activity Guide.

That's it for I. See you tomorrow with some H inspired poetry ponderings.