Poetry Review # 9: Poetic Form

A Poke In The I: A Collection of Concrete Poems

Janeczko, Paul B. A Poke In The I: A Collection of Concrete Poems. Cambridge: Candlewick Press, 2001.

Critical Analysis:

This unique collection of concrete poems compiled by Paul Janeczko is indeed an intriguing sight.  As if mystified by the shapes and verse within the book, readers are able to experience how clever and captivating a concrete poem can actually be.  The entire book, including the title page and table of contents are written in concrete shape form, immediately setting the tone for the reader of all the surprises that lie on the pages ahead.  Whether it be the changes in font and text size, the position of the text on the page, or the specific pattern or shape the text is presented in, everything about the poems in this collection is concrete.  The theme of the collection is diverse with poems about animals, people, and places; and it is evident that each poem has been carefully chosen to fit into this tightly interwoven collection.  The artistic illustrations of Chris Raschka have been carefully created to serve as a companion to each poem they serve.  The colorful and realistic use of collage makes the images seem to jump off the page at times.  In the poem Skipping Rope Spell by John Agard, readers can feel the spin and twist of the jump rope as they read the alliteration filled verse, “Turn rope turn, Don’t trip my feet, Turn rope turn, For my skipping feet.”  The images that have been created in the form of collages seem to be jumping along the page, making this poem very concrete and relatable to children as well.  Children and adults of all ages will enjoy looking at the poems over and over again and experiencing how real life activities and things can come to life in just a few words.

POEM SPOTLIGHT

Popsicle

Popsicle

Popsicle

tickle

tongue fun

licksickle

sticksicle

please

don’t run

dripsicle

slipsicle

melt, melt

tricky

stopsicle

plosicle

hands all

sticky

Joan Bransfield Graham

Analysis:

Without even reading a word readers become captivated by the thought a juicy, delicious popsicle by just looking at this poem!  In the shape of an actual popsicle, right down to the stick, this poem explores the feelings that eating a popsicle can bring about.  The unique design and careful phrasing of no more than two words per line is captivating, while the reader experiences what it is like to eat a popsicle form top to bottom.  In the beginning Bransfield describes the popsicle as “tickle tongue fun”, the best part is the taste of course.  But as the popsicle remains unfrozen it is an inevitable fact that it will melt causing, “hands all sticky.”  The rhyming within this poem works great with the pacing of the words in each line, and readers can in a sense feel the popsicle on their tongue and beginning to run.  It is evident why Janeczko chose this poem for his collection, what better subject matter for a poem than a POPSICLE!

Classroom Connections:

Who doesn’t like to eat popsicles?  What a fun way to share this poem with students, eating a popsicle together on a sunny day!  Kids will be mystified by all of the poems in this book, but the poem Popsicle will be a great poem to discuss and use to learn more about the elements of a concrete poem because it is so relatable.  To begin, share the poem and popsicles with the students.  After the popsicles are all gone discuss the text of the poem, the shape of the poem, and how the two work together.  It might be even helpful to share the companion poem, Eskimo Pie by John Hollander found on the opposite page as another example.  Have students pick a favorite food and write their own concrete poem about it.  Remind them to consider elements such as color, taste, texture, and shape when writing their poem.  A concrete poem should be realistic enough, that it seems like you can reach out and touch it.  Share poems with the class and discuss positive things that each poem included.

Poetry Review # 8: New Poetry Book

Every Thing On It

Silverstein, Shel. Every Thing On It. New York: Harper Collins, 2011.

Critical Analysis

As if we have not been lucky enough to share and experience some of the most wonderful and enriching poetry in Shel Silverstein’s previous works, a new inspiring collection appears out of no where.  Every Thing On It reminds readers of all ages why we all admire the man who created such witty and comical verse and drawings that make us laugh over and over again. This collection, although very diverse in theme and concept, includes poems that are short and to the point, and others that are lengthy and have more detail.  No matter what, Silverstein’s drawings compliment each poem successfully, and make the words seem even more funny than what they already are.  One example of this, that kids will truly appreciate, is the poem, The Frog.  “And here’s a bashful frog, Hiding ‘hind a log, In a muddy bog, In a very heavy fog.”  As readers read they look for a frog sitting behind a log, but instead all they see is a page full of black pencil dots, the fog.  Silverstein truly possessed a gift in his ability to rhyme, and make any concept seem funny, while taking the most outlandish subject matter and applying clever use of language he makes it hilarious.  In the poem Mustache Mo, readers see an image of Mo the train engineer, aboard the B& O engine.  Silverstein never ceases to surprise readers just as he does in this poem, “His mustache grows ten feet or so.  It got caught in the wheels below.  Now there’s no mustache An no mo’ Mo.  This brand new collection of new and never read Silverstein Surprises is sure to amaze you as you experience the  rhythm and cadence along side poems that just about anyone can relate to!

POEM SPOTLIGHT

How Hungry is Polly

“I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,”

Said Polly in the park

Ol’ Dobbin, grazin’ nearby,

Overheard her rude remark.

He shook his mane and pawed the ground,

He raised his noble head,

He snorted and looked down at her,

And this is what he said:

 “I’ve been ridden, I’ve been driven,

I’ve been raced around a track,

I’ve been photographed with little

Whiny kiddies on my back.

I’ve pulled wagons through the winter,

I’ve pulled sleighs and I’ve pulled sleds,

I’ve pulled plows in sticky summers

With flies buzzin’ round my head.

I’ve been whipped and I’ve been beaten,

I’ve been called a such-and-such—

But to think of being eaten,

Well, that really is too much!

And when I get insulted,

My appetite runs wild,

And now I feel so hungry,

I could eat a child.”

Shel Silverstein

Analysis:

Silverstein has taken the age old hyperbolic phrase, “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse” and once again created a poem that readers will get a kick out of!  In this poem readers see a little girl and horse with big teeth, dripping with saliva.  As they read, it is evident in Silverstein’s language that the horse is sick and tired of being used.  The experiences the horse comes to speak of are down right normal in the life of any horse, but the thought of being eaten, is more than he can take.  Silverstein makes readers see the perspective of the horse as he over and over again uses the word I’ve in the rhyming lines of this poem.  Readers are in for a surprise when the horse changes things all around and announces, “And now I feel so hungry, I could eat a child.”  This poem possesses so many poetic elements from alliteration, rhyme, hyperbole, tone and mood.  But most importantly, readers will take from this poem something personal that explores a phrase we can all relate to.

Classroom Connections:

In the poem How Hungry Is Polly, Silverstein has creatively introduced readers to the meaning that exists behind a well known hyperbolic phrase making this poem one that would be great to share when teaching hyperbole to older elementary age students.  Students are introduced to hyperbole at a young age, but Silverstein has created an entire poem which revolves around hyperbole, and makes readers laugh while doing it.  After students have read the poem and identified the hyperbole, have them brainstorm other forms of hyperbole such as: you snore louder than a freight train, I nearly died laughing, He sleeps like a log, I tried a thousand times, I nearly died trying.  Discuss the exaggeration found within each phrase and the fact that hyperboles are very common in our everyday language.  Have students choose a hyperbolic phrase to write about and illustrate similar to that of the example created by Silverstein.

Poetry Review # 7 Verse Novel

Where I Live

Spinelli, Eileen. Where I Live. New York: Penguin Group, 2007.

Critical Analysis:

The ordinary life of an ordinary girl, Diana, is brought to life in the various poems of this verse novel by Eileen Spinelli.  Readers become involved in the happenings of this family, especially those of Diana, the main character, and her daily interactions with her family, her best friend Rose, and her Grandpa Joe who lives six hours away.  Spinelli has created a lasting and memorable book of verse with concrete meaning that tells a story that any child in elementary school can relate to.  Her clever use of simple language and childlike meaning make this verse novel easy to read, but hard to put down!  One of my favorite elements was how the titles seemed to fit each poem so well, but even more so, helped the novel to flow freely.  Diana has the best life ever in her yellow house where she lives, a great dad who loves to tell jokes, a mother who makes the best brownies, a sister whom she claims she named, and a best friend with whom she shares everything, even her diary.  Life couldn’t be any better, she has won a poetry contest with her poem about the Sun, has been asked to attend a Poetry Workshop with a real poet during the summer and…..then the unthinkable happens.  The good is suddenly turned to bad in the poem The Bad News, when dad announces he has lost his job, and the bad becomes even worse in More Bad News, when mom announces Grandpa Joe fell and broke his arm and she has to go and stay with him for a few weeks.  As if it couldn’t get any worse, the poem titled The Worst News of All informs readers in only five words, “We are going to move”.  Spinelli has captured the true essence of what childhood is all about, the friendships and experiences that make it so wonderful, and the turmoils that can turn it all upside down, in the snap of a finger.  This verse novel is creative in so many ways, from the captivating pencil sketches of Matt Phelan, to the organization of each poem in its own special way.  Spinelli has included a diverse collection of poems including short thoughts, longer poems with more feeling, numbered lists which really help the reader feel what Diana is feeling herself, and postcards and notes.  Although there is very little rhyme, the stanzas and poems in this collection build upon one another and fit together like a puzzle as they embrace triumphs and tragedies.  No matter what, Spinelli has created a meaningful masterpiece that youngsters will read over and over again.

POEM SPOTLIGHT

Blue

When Rose and I

take a break

from painting,

Twink

Sneaks into

my room.

Slappity-Slappity

paint on the wall.

Slappity-Slippity

paint on the floor.

Slappity-Sloppity

paint on the Twink.

“Oh no!”  I shriek

when I see her.

Rose giggles.

“It’s a walking

talking

blueberry!”

“Water-based paint,

I hope,” says Dad.

Mom marches Twink

down the hall.

“Into the bathtub,

young lady.”

Twink’s tub water

turns blue….

dark…

dreamy…

like a lake

after midnight.

Twink is always

making stuff like this

happen.

Accidentally.

Eileen Spinelli

Analysis:

This poem from the verse novel, Where I Live by Eileen Spinelli is a great example of the childlike theme and meaning of the entire collection.  Spinelli takes readers on a journey of an an everyday event, painting a room, and how quickly something so simple and ordinary can become…A MESS!  Her clever use of onomatopoeia in the sound of the paint splattering on the wall and floor and Twink, is appealing to young readers, and makes the event seem realistic.  You cannot help but laugh and think of Twink, the “walking, talking blueberry.”  Spinelli’s use of figurative language in the form of a metaphor creates a vivid image in the mind of readers, “”Twinks tub water turns blue…dark…dreamy…like a lake after midnight.”  Young readers can relate to the last stanza, because siblings are always getting in their way and bothering their stuff.  Twink is just like one of those younger siblings, and “Accidentally” is how it always happens.  Phelan’s sketch of Twink in the tub and Diana sitting beside her drawing her fingers through the blue water serves as a great companion to this already heartwarming poem.  There is nothing better than being a sister!

Classroom Connections:

This poem would be a great example for teaching students about onomatopoeia.  The teacher could read the poem aloud to students and see if they can figure out just by listening what sound the words, slappity, slippity, and sloppity are describing.  Give students a paint brush to squish on the desk and discuss other words that might be used as onomatopoeia  Students could brainstorm other sounds that different objects make by exploring objects in a prop box such as a bell, a hair brush, and a hammer.  As a culminating activity students could look at the metaphor describing the blue water and mix different shades of blue to paint a canvas of how the water looked.