Review: Mirror, Mirror: a book of reversible verse

Singer, M. MIRROR, MIRROR: a book of reversible verse. 2010. New York: Dutton Children's Books. ISBN 9780525479017.

Singer, M. MIRROR, MIRROR: a book of reversible verse. Ill. by Josee Masse. 2010. New York: Dutton Children's Books. ISBN 9780525479017.

Singer's delightful book of "reverso poems" is a fun book of poetry! As Singer points out in an author's note, a person can write a reverso poem about anything, but in this book the author chose to focus on fairy tales. This is a great book to incorporate with middle grade to 8th grade-age readers in the school or public library. Since the reverso poems tell two sides of the fairy tale, they are great for having readers perform! Josee Masse's beautiful artwork compliments the poems well.

Singer presents poems from different fairy tales, including: Cinderella (her double life!), Sleeping Beauty (and the wide-awake Prince), Rapunzel and her luscious locks, Little Red Riding Hood (and that big scary wolf!), the Ugly Duckling, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Jack and the Beanstalk, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Hansel and Gretel, Rumpelstiltskin, the Princess and the Frog, and Beauty and the Beast.

With such a plethora of poems to choose from it was difficult to choose one which shows Singer’s great reverso poetry style. All of Singer's poems are high quality, though they vary in length and tone, they are all interesting because of the same reverso form. One of the poems I liked best is “Rapunzel’s Locks”: 

No wonder she felt snippy.

Sweeping the floor

it took forever to manage-

all that pale, tangled, dangling hair.

Cut off,

shut up in the tower,

who was

that strange girl with the weird name?

You know,

someone said her mother was a witch.

It figures.                                                                                                                                                    
It figures.

Someone said her mother was a witch.

You know

that strange girl with the weird name,

who was

shut up in the tower,

cut off

all that pale, tangled, dangling hair?

It took forever to manage

sweeping the floor.

No wonder she felt snippy.

The illustration that accompanies this poem shows Rapunzel with half of her long, beautiful locks cut off by the evil witch and the other half still there. In the background you can see the mean witch walking off with Rapunzel's hair. A fun way to introduce this poem to middle-grade readers (about 3rd-6th grade-aged children), would be to read the poem (both 'versions') aloud once through. After that, the parent, teacher or librarian could invite readers to read the poem silently.

Then the adult could divide the readers into two groups, with one group reading one version of the poem and the other group reading the reverso poem. After the readers are comfortable reading both versions of the poem aloud in two groups, they can then meet with a partner to practice reading the poem aloud as 'two voices'. The 'two voices' method will take much practice, but as the readers practice reading the two poems at the same time, they will be able to see how the lines overlap and work together. It really is the highlight of performance, and it will be fun as readers work up to performing the poem aloud.

Mirror, mirror book cover. JPEG. Retrieved from http://www.us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780525479017,00.html?Mirror_Mirror:_A_Book_of_Reversible_Verse_Marilyn_Singer

Review: The Freedom Business

Nelson, M. THE FREEDOM BUSINESS: Including A Narrative of the Life & Adventures of Venture, a Native of Africa. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong. ISBN 9781932425574.

Nelson, M. THE FREEDOM BUSINESS: Including A Narrative of the Life & Adventures of Venture, a Native of Africa. Art By Deborah Dancy. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong. ISBN 9781932425574.

Marilyn Nelson's biographical poems on the life of slave  Venture Smith, known at birth as Broteer Furro. This wonderful book of poems features illustrations by artist Deborah Dancy. In a note featured at the back of the book, Dancy notes that she used a combination of watercolor, ink, collage and acrylic paint to create the illustrations.

This book of poems is suitable for middle school-aged to high school-aged readers. In addition to the illustrations and poems, the book also features the text of the "A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture, a Native of Africa", the biography of Venture Smith which was printed in New London, Connecticut in 1798.

Nelson's poems show a depth of beauty in relating the events of Venture's life. What is so interesting about this book is that in addition to the poems, the reader can also read the actual words of Venture Smith himself. The text of his biography is placed side-by-side the poems. The reader almost experiences a dual sense of tragedy and relief as they are able to digest both Nelson's poems which reflect Venture's life, and the events in his own words.

As a caution to adults working with youth in homes, schools and libraries, some of the poems contain some graphic material. The beatings and abuse suffered by Venture and his family at the hands of their masters is painful to read. A couple of the poems also contain swear words. This biographical poetry collection will be invaluable to use in a study of the early slave trade. It could even be paired with other biographical poetry collections or historical fiction novels of the same time period.

A great poem from the collection to share with students is titled "How I came by my Name":

Four casks of rum and a bolt of calico.

(A quarter of the list price. A terrific deal, 

a steal for the ship's steward who bought a boy

onboard as two-legged cargo was being loaded 

and stowed.) Four casks of rum and a piece of cloth.

(For breath, dreams, heartbeat.) The boy who was Broteer

disappeared. A business venture took his place. 

Same face, same eyes, but inside utterly transformed,

harmed past healing by the cheapening of human life. 

Breath, dreams, pulse, traded for cloth and alcohol, 

were capital. There was profit in the pain, 

the chains. Venture. There were whole worlds to gain. 

(Nelson, 29)

This poem is a turning point in the collection of poems, but also represents the new life that Broteer, now known as Venture, will have to endure. The reality of his being bought and sold as if he had no life in him, as if he is not even human is painful for the reader. The use of italics on the words capital, profit and Venture give emphasis to the inhumane treatment of Broteer and other slaves who suffered the same fate. Though the poem mentions alcohol, this poem could be introduced using props: four casks (bottles) of soda (in place of rum of course!) and a bolt of fabric (This would represent the 'bolt of calico', referred to in the poem. This may require some research done on the part of the adult to explain to the readers what type of fabric this is.). 

These items could be set out on a table, and youth readers could be asked to think about the value of these items. After writing their thoughts down on paper, the parent, teacher or librarian could read aloud the poem. After reading the poem aloud, the adult could have the children reread the poem in pairs and discuss their thoughts on trading slaves for cheap objects. 

The freedom business book cover. JPEG. Retrieved from http://www.boydsmillspress.com/books/wordsong/freedom-business

Review: The Watch that Ends the Night: Voices from The Titanic

Wolf, Allan. 2011. THE WATCH THAT ENDS THE NIGHT: VOICES FROM THE TITANIC. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763637033.

Allan Wolf's verse novel The Watch that Ends the Night is a heart-wrenching portrayal of the experiences of lost and surviving passengers and crew of the RMS Titanic. The novel is suitable for middle to high school-aged readers; it weighs in at 430 pages of verse!

At the end of the novel is a "Notes" section, which includes the following: an author's note, a character note, a section on Morse code messages, and a section titled "RMS Titanic Miscellany". Wolf also includes a lengthy bibliography and a note to guide readers to additional resources on all things surrounding Titanic's history and tragedy.


Reading through the "Miscellany" section, one is in awe of the loss of life when it seems so many could have been saved. In all, Wolf's verse represents twenty-five voices, twenty-three of which were actual passengers and crew on the Titanic. Two of these voices are the Iceberg and the Ship Rat.

Perhaps the most intriguing verses come from the Iceberg itself. It is hauntingly beautiful because we, as readers, know the ill-fate of the Titanic. The passengers and crew come from different countries, speak differently languages, and Wolf brings each of them (victim and survivor) to vivid life through his consistent verse style. Each character has their own style, dialect and accent represented in their verse.

When I shared this book with a group of seventh graders, they were particularly enthralled with the voice of the Iceberg. Since the readers know the historical events that occurred, it is almost eerie to read the Iceberg's thoughts. A great verse example is toward the end of the book, after the collision with Titanic has already occurred:

The knew. They knew what damage ice can do.
And yet they kept advancing, all the same.
Titanic's wound proved mortal. Now she's gone.
But metal, coal, and engines weren't my aim.
My prize was left there floating on the sea.
The humans left alive upon their boats;
some selfishly looked only to themselves.
But mostly they assisted those in need.
Surprisingly few were fueled by greed.
Surprisingly most were fueled by hope,
a hopefulness that, even through despair,
illuminates the dark and morbid night.
An officer sends up his final flare.
The rescue ship comes steaming into sight.
Then sunlight reinstates some normalcy.
Each little boat approaches with what's left.
A bosun's chair lifts females to the deck.
The infants ride in canvas postal sacks.
The baker makes his way up on his own.
His feet in pain from frostbite's knife-sharp sting,
he climbs a Jacob's ladder on his knees.
The wireless man is forced to do the same.
The lookout, immigrant, and tailor's sons,
the gambler, refugee, and socialite,
the boy who hunts for dragons: all ascend.
Ascend to end the watch that ends the night.
And as they do, the ice leaves with the tide,
a dozen souls all clinging to my side.

(Wolf, 403)

The Iceberg's voice is so vividly captured in long verse such as the one above. There are no line or stanza breaks in the Iceberg's voice, which could represent the path the iceberg has taken over thousands of years, finally meeting its match in lady Titanic. One way to introduce this verse novel to middle or high-school aged readers could be to show actual photographs of the Titanic and the Icebergs which were in the Atlantic. Also helpful to provide before reading the above poem, would be to read other entries featuring the Iceberg which occur in earlier chapters of the novel.

The parent, teacher or librarian sharing this verse could also share the "Titanic vs. the Iceberg" information contained in the "RMS Titanic Miscellany" section on pages 453-454 of the book. After sharing the specifics of the weight, speed and age of the ship and the Iceberg, then the above verse could be read. It would also be important to share background information on the RMS Carpathia, the "rescue ship comes steaming into sight" (403). The parent, teacher or librarian sharing this poem with young readers could then lead a discussion on what readers would do if they were aboard the Titanic. Would they think only of themselves or would they "assist those in need"?

The watch that ends the night book cover. JPEG. Retrieved from http://www.candlewick.com/cat.asp?browse=Title&mode=book&isbn=0763637033&pix=n

Review: Outside Your Window: A First Book of Nature

Davies, N. 2012. OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW: A FIRST BOOK OF NATURE. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763655495.

Davies, N. 2012. OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW: A FIRST BOOK OF NATURE. Ill. by Mark Hearld.  Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763655495.

This beautiful poetry book is ideal for incorporating into the natural science curriculum with readers who are Kindergarten-3rd grade age. The poems and illustrations in the book cycle through the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. The large-format of this book makes the beautiful illustrations inviting; it measures at 10 1/ 4 x 11 5/16 inches. The illustrations are made from mixed media and really help the poems come alive!

Since the poems span the four seasons, they vary in mood and tone. The illustrations complement the text of the poems. In addition to the poems, there is also a couple recipes for readers to try. One is a yummy berry crumble, and the other features instructions on creating "Bird Cakes" or a mixture of bird seed to feed birds in one's yard or outdoor living space. There is also a section on how to save seeds and make compost! The recipes and information found in this poetry book could be used for a food science cooking project or study of birds.

Since the poems are all written by Davies, the poems' level of quality is consistent throughout the book. There seems to be a heavy hand on Spring poems. A poem which could be used in science instruction to simplify the explanation of the life cycle of a butterfly is "Caterpillars, Butterflies":

       What's eating the leaves,
        making them like lace and rags?

        Caterpillars!

        Caterpillars!

       It's all they do,

eat leaves and grow and grow....

And when they've finished growing,

they make a bag

that's called a chrysalis

and go to sleep inside it.

         Inside,

the caterpillar

changes to a butterfly.

If you don't believe it, look!

A chrysalis

is splitting open....

You can watch

the wings unfolding in the sunshine.

A butterfly.

(Davies, 40-41)

One way to introduce this poem would be to have children create a small, three-dimensional caterpillar and butterfly as a craft. Then the parent, teacher or librarian sharing the poem could use two puppets to read the poem- a caterpillar and a butterfly puppet. After the adult reads the poem aloud with the children, the children can use their caterpillars and butterflies to mimic the action of the insects as the whole group reads the poem aloud in unison. If the readers are young (Pre-Kindergarten through 2nd grade age), the adult could also write the poem on a large piece of butcher block paper and point to the words as he/she reads the poem aloud. It would also be helpful to give some background information on the caterpillars and butterflies prior to sharing this poem.

Outside your window book cover. JPEG. Retrieved from http://www.candlewick.com/cat.asp?browse=Title&mode=book&isbn=076365549X&pix=y

Review: Blue Lipstick: concrete poems

Grandits, J. 2007. BLUE LIPSTICK: CONCRETE POEMS. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 9780618568604. 

This funky book of concrete poems is an excellent example of the types of poetry available for young readers. Grandits not only wrote the poems in Blue Lipstick, but he also illustrated the book. In a note from the author at the back of the book, Grandits explains that he used QuarkXPress Software to create the illustrations.

Most of the poems in this collection seem to be written from the point of view teenagers, so this book will certainly appeal to young teenagers. There are over thirty concrete poems in this collection. The poems seem to be in no particular order, and this somewhat disarray may be frustrating for some readers (as it was for me). In a book with poems of this format, a table of contents or a list of the poems would have been helpful. There is a short note from the author entitled “Pocket Poem” at the end of the book.

Probably one of the most fun poems is the one titled “Poems Inspired by the Free Perfume Samples at Carson’s”. It features six different haikus written for the “Totally Lame English Assignment #19”.

Here is the haiku “Attar de Girls’ Bathroom during a dance”:

            Breath mints. Bubble gum.

Jealousy, lies, and gossip.

Ninth-grade witches’ brew.

And “Essence of Lunchroom”:

            Mysterious meats.

           Questionable vegetables.

        Mix, bake, burn, and serve.

            (Grandits, 2007)

These hilarious haiku poems are just one example of the variety of concrete poems in this collection. Grandits uses the concrete poem form to show through design and words, the gamut of thoughts, feelings and emotions teenagers experience due to budding hormones. A fun activity to do with teenagers, based on the haikus above, would be for them to come up with a “Totally lame English Assignment” and then switch with a peer and write out a poem based on the satirical “assignment”.

This is a light-hearted look at poetry, and really a fun way to get the kids excited about poetry, which may be viewed with trepidation. After writing their poem assignments, the kids could take turns sharing their poem with a partner, and then vote on whose assignment was the most lame. All in good fun of course! 

Blue lipstick cover photo. JPEG. Retrieved from http://www.hmhco.com/shop/books/Blue-Lipstick/9780618851324#

Review: Pug and Other Animal Poems

Worth, V. 2013. PUG AND OTHER ANIMAL POEMS. New York: Margaret Ferguson Books. ISBN 9780374350246. 

Pug and other animal poems, a topical collection of poems written by late author Valerie Worth (1933-1995), was published in 2013. The book features beautiful cut-out collage pictures by Steve Jenkins. The book's eighteen poems each focus on a different animal.Worth’s animal poems feature many different poetic elements throughout book. Since the poems are all about animals, the most obvious element is that of personification. Young readers will be captivated by how Worth describes the various animals and insects. The rhythm of the poems vary. 

Almost all of the poems are succinct, and in only a few lines, give the reader a glimpse of the mouse, rabbits, the wood thrush, the cat, the fox, toads, fireflies, along with other animals and insects. The beautiful illustrations complement the poems well. 

What is so great about Worth’s poetry style is that her concise, seemingly simple poems will appeal to young children who are being introduced to poetry. Who doesn't love poems about animals? Worth weaves intricate details of some of the most mundane insects, like the cicada, for instance. Readers may be surprised that their perceptions of certain animals and insects may change after reading Worth's poems. Here is the poem "Cicada":

            A fairy

            Tale come

            True: the

           

Humped brown

            Gnome split

            Up the back,

            The silver-

            Caped prince

            Set free.

(Worth, 2013)

This poem's three stanzas depict Worth's clear style: the imagery is clear, the lowly cicada becomes an exalted prince! One way to introduce this book to young children would be to print out copies of footprints for each of the animals mentioned in the poems, and have the children match up the footprints to a photograph of the animal.

After the children have worked together to match the footprints to their correct animal owners, the teacher or librarian could lead a short discussion on how/why the children chose the footprints for their respective owners. Afterwards, each child could choose an animal and the group can read the poem that corresponds with that particular animal. 

Review: May B.: a novel in verse

Rose, C.S. 2012. MAY B. : A NOVEL. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. ISBN 9781582463933 (hardcover).

Rose’s novel in verse is a beautiful book set in the rural prairies of 19th-century Kansas. It is an interesting novel in that the book features only one point of view, that of twelve-year-old Mavis Elizabeth Betterly, otherwise known as May B. She is sent by her parents to help out a newly married couple who live fifteen miles from May's family. 

From the beginning of the novel we see May's strong determination- she is insistent on not going to live with strangers, but the choice is ultimately made by her father, who promises the separation will be only till Christmas. May soon finds herself alone in the newlyweds' soddy, the new bride having run away and the groom set out to find her. 

Rose’s verse style features a variety of poetic elements. Some great examples of this include beautiful sensory imagery which makes the reader feel as if they are on the Kansas prairie with May B. In a beautiful stanza describing the area near their home, May says:

            

            I play a game inside my head,

            counting plum trees that dot a creek bed,

            rabbits that scatter at the sound of wagon

               wheels,

            clouds that skirt the sky.

            For hours, that is all,

            and grass,

            always grass,

            in different shade sand textures like the braids in a rag rug.

(Rose, 18)

Throughout the novel, the grass, the hills, the river, the woods and the sky are presented realistically through Rose’s verse that the reader is captivated by the wide, open space of the Kansas prairie. Through sharing May's struggle with reading (she most likely has dyslexia), Rose's verses have great emotional impact as the reader begins to understand May’s doubts about her ability to read aloud. She longs to overcome her struggle with reading to become a school teacher. May's determination to become a fluent reader will inspire any young readers struggling with dyslexia. 

Rose’s verse style will be appealing to both young and adult readers alike. She intricately weaves sensory details of the Kansas landscape with the thoughts and feelings May experiences throughout her time living alone, separated from her family. May’s quite sense of humor and sarcasm about Mrs. Oblinger and some of her schoolmates keeps the mood of the verse throughout the novel light when it otherwise would have been disparaging. The verse is full of seemingly everyday details which show the immensity of physical work it took just to survive on the prairie.

The layout of this verse novel is set in two parts. What may be slightly confusing to some readers is the numbering of pages or entries. It appears that the numbering at the top of each page is for each entry, sort of like a chapter number, but it also may be that this numbering represents the amount of days which transpire, since May lives alone for several months. The numbers at the bottom of the page are the traditional page numbers.

Some of my favorite verses come from the time when May finds herself alone at the Oblingers’ soddy, with no idea of what the future holds.

            I push open the door

            and run,

            and run,

            and run,

            and run,

            until the soddy’s a tiny speck.

            And around me,

            the grass reaches in every direction.

            There is nothing here to mark my place,

            nothing to show me where I am.

            No trees.

            No stones.

            No wagon ruts this way.

            Just emptiness.

            This isn’t home,

            where I know the land.

           

(Rose, 73)

This beautiful verse embodies the hopelessness threatening to engulf May. As she has never lived away from her family before, she is completely unsure of where she is, and has no idea how to return to her parents’ home. A great activity to introduce this novel to middle-grade readers (most likely 4th-6th graders) would be to present some historical photographs of rural 19th-century Kansas as it is depicted in the novel. Personally, I did not know exactly what a ‘soddy’ was before reading the novel. If young readers are able to view photographs of Kansas from the time period that the novel is set in, they will be able to create more accurate mental images of what Rose describes with such beautiful detail. 

May B. book cover. JPEG. Retrieved from http://www.randomhouse.com/book/208455/may-b-by-caroline-rose