March 5, 2012The Firefly Letters By: Margarita Engle
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Engle, Margarita. 2010. THE FIREFLY LETTERS: A SUFFRAGETTE'S JOURNEY TO CUBA. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 9780805090826
2.SUMMARY OF PLOT: Fredrika, a young writer from Sweden, travels to Cuba and stays with Elena's wealthy family. Cecilia, their young pregnant slave, accompanies Fredrika in all of their outings and to translate the local Spanish language into English. Each of these ladies grow as they learn how different their cultures are from one another and break traditional social norms along the way.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: The rhythm fits the lines, written in free verse, as well as the meaning of the poem. The use of rhyme is not used, but seems appropriate to this story as each line flows without feeling like anything was forced. As this book is read out loud, the reader can feel how each word is chosen to complement the harmony of sounds the poems make. There are some surprising choices in language with culturally specific terms used at random times throughout the book such as cocuyos, which means fireflies. Although this book contains no illustrations, the language helped me create the imagery of the poem. As each new chapter started I learned more about Fredrika, Cecilia, and Elena creating a mental picture of their characters. The author makes an emotional impact on others by allowing us to feel what these ladies were trying to accomplish as they realize the social norms and limitations they're trying to break free from. THE FIREFLY LETTERS is based off topics that would be more appropriate for older readers. The author was able to create an appropriate balance of poems so a complete story can be told. There are also historical notes and an author's note concluding the book about the real-life Fredrika Bremer who was Sweden's first woman novelist. By including the historical information, others are able to connect to this real-life character and attach meaning to the poetry they just read.
4. AWARDS WON: 2011Pura Belpre Honor Book
2011 Bank Street- Best Children's Book of the Year
Jane Addams Award Finalist
California Book Award Finalist
International Reading Association Notable Book for a Global Society
Americas Award Honor
NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Book
Amelia Bloomer Book
TAYSHAS Choice
Junior Library Guild Selection
ALSC 2011 Notable Children's Book
Review Excerpt(s): "This slim, elegant volume opens the door to discussions of slavery, women's rights, and the economic disparity between rich and poor."--- Publishers Weekly
5. CONNECTIONS: With older students you can have them focus on the role of women in regards to cultural expectations and limitations. Students can also do an author study on other poets from the Carribbean. They can also do a research project to learn more about the slave trade that occurred between the Carribean and Africa during the 1800s.
Related Books:
BORROWED NAMES: POEMS ABOUT LAURA INGALLS WILDER, MADAM C. J. WALKER, MARIE CURIE, AND THEIR DAUGHTERS By: Jeannine Atkins
HURRICANE DANCERS: THE FIRST CARIBBEAN PIRATE SHIPWRECK By: Margarita Engle
FIESTA BABIES By: Carmen Tafolla
March 4, 2012A Dime a Dozen By: Nikki Grimes Illustrated by: Angelo
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Grimes, Nikki. 1998. A DIME A DOZEN. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0803722273
2. SUMMARY OF PLOT: This is an interesting story of a young teenage girl and the poetry she writes as she goes through different trials in her life. The poems and illustrations describes her family, especially her loving parents, who have habits and say quirky phrases that she could live without. She also explains how others told her should couldn't be a writer, but proves them wrong with this inspirational book of poetry.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: The rhythm of A DIME A DOZEN flows well in this collection of short poems which are written in a free verse style. For example, the first poem "The Dream" is composed of two sentences arranged into four lines allowing the words to flow as the reader reads them out loud. Very little rhyme is used with these poems, but that is okay because if a lot of words were rhyming it would seem forced. Grimes is able to create rhythm and some rhyme throughout her poems with the lines she has arranged on paper. Although there is not one specific sound or a sequence of letters repeated several times, the words come together to create a harmony of sounds. There are some surprising choices in language with vivid and meaningful phrases that describe the author's relationship with her family members. She uses the metaphor "writers are a dime a dozen" in her concluding poem to explain how her mother didn't believe in her dream of becoming a writer. Sensory words also create the imagery of the poems with a mental picture of the times she shared with her mother, father, and sister. Such as the poem "Hopscotch" where she describes her father's big feet and how much fun she had with him because he didn't care how bad he was at hopscotch. Grimes was able to naturally capture her emotions in her poetry allowing the reader to understand what she was going through as a teenager. I was able to feel happy and even sympathetic when her words depicted moments of pride, love, mistrust, and frustration. Overall, the organization and design of the book is simple and appealing to young readers with short poems and black and white illustrations. Although there are only a handful of illustrations, they depict moments she had with her family members which help the reader see their facial expressions and emotional reactions with Grimes. Other adolescents can relate to this theme pretty well as they grow up trying to figure out their own hopes and run into hardships along the way.
4. AWARDS WON: A Junior Library Guild Selection
Bank Street College Children's Book of the Year
Review Excerpt(s): "Written in the first-person voice... these 28 poems celebrate family, culture, writing, and the spirit of a creative, introspective child. They should be read in the order in which they are arranged to appreciate the power and overall loose plot... A quietly profound, heartfelt work."--- School Library Journal
5. CONNECTIONS: Pre-reading and comprehension questions can be given to check for students understanding of this text. Before reading the book, begin a discussion on dreams and ambition. Prompt students with questions about what their ambitions are and the characteristics a person should have in order to pursue their dreams. To check for understanding, have students recall main events and describe the main character's relationship with her mom, dad, and sister. This is important for students to grasp because the main character's personality is slowly molded by the events in her life and the relationship with her family members. You can check out Nikki Grimes website for a full comprehension guide at http://www.nikkigrimes.com/teacher/dimecg1.html.
Related Books: THE BROOKLYN NINE: A NOVEL IN NINE INNINGS By: Alan Gratz
DAVE THE POTTER: ARTIST, POET, SLAVE By: Laban Carrick Hill
MY PEOPLE By: Langston Hughes
March 3, 2012 Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night By: Joyce Sidman Illustrated by: Rick Allen
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Sidman, Joyce. 2010. DARK EMPEROR & OTHER POEMS OF THE NIGHT. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. ISBN 9780547152288
2. SUMMARY OF PLOT: Creatures of the forest come out at night in search of food, a new home, or even to spin a web. This book begins with a raccoon roaming through the dark, eventually leads to other animals such as a spider weaving its web, and ends with the moon waning on the sunset. DARK EMPEROR successfully intertwines science concepts with poetry in a beautiful manner. With each poem there is an informational paragraph of the featured creature or plant on the opposite page.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: DARK EMPEROR has rich illustrations and text which matches the rhythm of the words and the meaning of each poem. Short lines are used to create a staccato rhythm and creativity is used with the placement of each sentence. The poet arranges her sentences to create the creature she is describing, such as the poem about the owl on page 12 which takes the shape of a mouse's head. Matching sounds are also used at the ends of the lines of each poem making them very appealing to young readers. While reading this book out loud, you'll notice there is a mixture of alliteration and assonance used with different poems making a collective effect. The very first poem gives you a glimpse of the meaningful language used throughout the book as the poet ends each sentence with a rhyming word and closes with the line "Welcome to the night!". Sensory words are used in almost every poem, which gives the reader a surprising and unexpected mental image that is unique and grows from the poem's language. The creators of DARK EMPEROR give the reader an understanding into the unknown of these nocturnal creatures through a poetic and informational point of view. The poet and illustrator also appropriately organized and designed the book so children could easily find a specific poem by including a table of contents and glossary of science terms.
4. AWARDS WON: Newbery Honor Book
Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book
Boston Globe/Horn Book Award Honor Book
Cybils Poetry Award Finalist
NCTE Notable Children's Book in Language Arts
Horn Book Fanfare
Bulletin Blue Ribbon
Booklist Editor's Choice
CBC Bank Street Best Book of the Year (starred)
Chicago Public Library Best book of the year
NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book
Eureka! Nonfiction Children's Book Award
Review Excerpt(s): "This picture book combines lyrical poetry and compelling art with science concepts." --- Booklist
5. CONNECTIONS: The author's website offers many activities for DARK EMPEROR which include students making predictions before doing a read aloud, suggestions for a read aloud, and a writing activity where they create an "advice poem." You can also do a couple of hands-on science activities that will fit into a unit either on forest animals or the five senses. "Raccoon Hands" is an activity where students explore their sense of touch by using their hands to identify objects they feel in a bucket. These suggestions are for second through fifth grade.
Related Books: UBIQUITOUS By: Joyce Sidman
MIRROR MIRROR By: Marilyn Singer
R IS FOR RHYME By: Judy Young
THIS IS JUST TO SAY: POEMS OF APOLOGY AND FORGIVENESS
By: Joyce Sidman
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