OUT OF THE DUST by Karen Hesse

Bibliography

Hesse, Karen. 1997. Out of the Dust. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 9780590371254

Critical Analysis

Out of the Dust brings to life the story of a family suffering through the worst drought in our country’s history. Hesse uses free form poetry to tell the story of a young teenage girl going through the process of forgiving her father and herself for an accident that ended up taking her mother’s life. The poems vary in structure, some being short and straight to the point, others longer and more descriptive, both matching the mood and emotions of Billie Jo, the narrator. Hesse mixes together simple, clear language with figurative language to add to the emotional shifts in the story. Hesse uses to the variance in structure and language to help the reader connect Billie Jo as she struggles to make sense of the grief and guilt she is feeling as well as the frustration and despair all of those who live in the Oklahoma panhandle felt during the Dust Bowl.

Example

This verse novel would be an excellent way to show how hard the Dust Bowl was on families and put it in a perspective students could relate to. This would be good novel choice for middle school children who are studying American history at this time. While Hesse does explain the reasons for the Dust Bowl as her main character Billie Jo is learning about its cause, she is able to capture the emotional impact that it had on families who suffered through it. There are several poem throughout the novel that describe what it was like to have a blizzard of dust come blowing through, not only the towns, but the houses and buildings as well. Her descriptions of how the dust was everywhere, including in the food they had to eat, would help bring this era to life for students who might struggle to understand how bad it was.

Here is a portion of a poem titled “Dust Storm” (p. 143).

Brown earth rained down
from sky.
I could not catch my breath
the way the dust pressed on my chest
and wouldn’t stop.
The dirt blew down so thick
it scratched my eyes
and stung my tender skin,
it plugged my nose and filled inside my mouth.
No matter how I pressed my lips together,
the dust made muddy tracks
across my tongue.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BOOK OF ANIMAL POETRY by J. Patrick Lewis

Bibliography

Lewis, J. Patrick. 2012. National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic. ISBN 9781426310096

Critical Analysis

Lewis’ anthology is a must have for any science teacher’s collection. From a science perspective, it covers the whole range of animals and pairs incredible photographs of some animals that would most likely never be seen by many students. From a poetic standpoint, this book contains a multitude of poetic forms from simple rhymes to free verse with haiku and concrete form poems thrown in the mixture. The variety keeps the book interesting when looking at it as a whole. Animals are an enjoyable thing to study for most children and since this anthology contains such a wide variety of species, everyone can find something they enjoy.

The poems are not only well written from a poetic standpoint, but they are very informative. Some are very direct in their description, others will use figurative language such as metaphors to help the reader better understand and aspect of a certain animal. There are also a few animals that have multiple poems written about them, therefore multiple perspectives on the same topic that would lead to a great comparison.

The organization of the book is also interesting and unique. Instead of organizing it what I would think of as a more typical structure of animal type (such as mammal, fish, bird, etc…) Lewis grouped and organized the animals by more descriptive elements over scientific ones. He begins the books with poems about the beginning of animals’ lives and goes on to include animals grouped by size, loudness and strangeness, ending with poems more general in nature. I think students would have fun seeing which students he paired and discussing why he may have grouped them this way.

Example

This is a great book to use whenever animals are being talked about. It would make a great introduction to a unit about animals. It would make a great resource just to have available even when not using specific poems from it at the time. There are several poems that could also be paired with other stories or children’s books such as using the poem from this collection The City Mouse and the Garden Mouse and pairing it with a version of the story Town Mouse, Country Mouse.

I liked the poem Dressing Like a Snake by Georgia Heard. I would use this poem to introduce the concept of how different animals grow and change. Living in Texas and where snakes can be readily found, it would also be neat to bring in an actual snake skin to make a more direct connection.

Dressing Like a Snake

A snake changes its clothes
only twice a year. Beginning with its nose, peeling down to its toes: new clothes suddenly appear. Wouldn’t it be nice to dress only twice instead of each day of the year?

RUTHERFORD B. WHO WAS HE? by Marilyn Singer

Bibliography

Singer, Marilyn. 2013. Rutherford B. Who was He?: Poems about our Presidents. New York: Hyperion Books. ISBN 9781423171003

Critical Analysis

Singer’s poetic, but informational text about all forty-three presidents is a great resource for any teacher who has to teach about our government, whether they discuss one president in particular or all of them. As an look into the most important or memorable tidbits about our presidents, it is a great overview when looking at American history and the ups and downs our nation has seen, along with the leaders of the country who may or may not have had as significant an impact. Each poem is titled with the president’s name and the subtitle includes the political party under which each was elected as well as the dates of their presidency.

Singer uses creative rhymes and a similar rhythm throughout each poem which creates a cohesive feel to the book as a whole. Singer doesn’t use as much figurative language unless necessary to hold to the rhythm, but instead provides the reader with a factual and easily understood informative text. She does use language that helps the reader to easily understand the overall feeling the nation had for each president, including humor and shame when necessary.

The illustrations that John Hendrix adds to the poems help to reflect the emotions Singer was trying to convey. His illustrations also add a depth to the information being provided that helps to extend the learning one can get from each poem. 

Example

George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are the two most well remembered and discussed presidents. The poem about each of these men would provide a great introduction when this topic is being studied. For younger students, it would provide a great overview of each man’s life and accomplishments while providing a great opportunity to activate the schema of older students who have already studied these presidents but may need a refresher.

The one about Lincoln is a great overview of why we remember him, but would lead into a great discussion or research of what exactly were his “addresses of great note,” or what did he “proclaim emancipation” from. It gives just enough to get the reader to either remember the details of his presidency or to spark interest to dig even further.

Abraham Lincoln

(Whig, Republican, 1861-1865)

By stovepipe hat, beard, large size,
          he’s the one we recognize,

By addresses of great note,
          he’s the one we often quote.

By leading through war – wrenching, bloody -
          he’s the one we always study.

By exercising his high station
          to proclaim emancipation,
then meeting such a tragic fate,
          he’s the one we rank as great.

RHYME SCHEMER by K.A. Holt

Bibliography

Holt, K. A. 2014. Rhyme Schemer. Sand Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 9781452127002

Critical Analysis

This is an incredibly powerful book. This verse novel touches on many subjects that every pre-teen can relate to - feeling out of place and lost in a crowd, bullying (both being the bully and the target), family dynamics. I think this book would best fit into a middle school classroom, but I could also see it being used in upper elementary. Since the main character is a boy, I think that it will really connect with other boys who may be a little wary of tackling poetry. However, I think girls would also enjoy the story.

The book is written in free verse, using the freedom of the structure to highlight certain words without being constrained by a form. The imagery used throughout the book, especially that of the stone and how that stone changes throughout the story, is a great way to show how easily metaphors can be used without having to rip apart the whole book and shred the story line by line to analyze it. It is also written like a journal, with each poem written for a different day throughout Kevin's seventh grade year. The personal level, the insight into a youth's mind makes this a very powerful story.

Example

I could see this book being used in a classroom, but I could also see it being used by a counselor for a small group of students. I truly believe that all students can relate to this novel in some way, but there are certain poems that could be pulled and stand alone that speak to different situations and the emotions involved. The poem I chose to highlight here could be used with an individual student who is having problems at home, or with a whole class and lead into a journal response about how the students can relate to Kevin at this moment.

Weekend (p. 16)

When I'm old
enough
I'll leave
this place.

Will Mom cry?
Will Dad miss me?

I can see them now
laughing together
about one less mouth to feed.

Will they worry?
Will they care?

Mom can use my room
for email and bookshelves.
She will like that.

ONE LEAF RIDES THE WIND by Celeste Davidson Mannis

Bibliography

Mannis, Celeste Davidson. 2002. One Leaf Rides the Wind. Ill. Susan Kathleen Hartung. New York: Viking. ISBN 9780142401958

Critical Analysis

In One Leaf Rides the Wind, Mannis uses haiku to describe a Japanese garden in the form of a counting book. While written so that even the youngest who are just learning their numbers can understand the book on one level, older readers can appreciate the beauty of the poetry itself. Each poem strictly adheres to the 5-7-5 rule of traditional haiku, as well as the description of nature that traditional Japanese haiku would be written about. This makes is a wonderful book to look at for studying the more traditional aspects since this form of poetry has transformed over the years as it is used in different languages.

While haiku has been known to be one of the least favorite types of poetry, this book is a simple and elegant introduction to such a structured form. Each poem adheres to the structure, but flows easily and creates a vivid mental picture of each item being described. Hartung's illustrations enhance the beauty of each poem, bringing a traditional Japanese garden to life.

The book contains eleven poems about the numbers 1-10 with the first poem repeating at the end to bring the whole book together.

Example

I could using this book for a multitude of reasons. For the youngest, it is a beautiful counting book with clear illustrations to match the numbers. For older readers, it could be used to study the form of haiku itself. I would also use this book when studying Japanese culture, specifically that of a Japanese garden. Along with each poem on a page, there is a small description that goes into more detail about the specific aspect of a traditional Japanese garden being described in the poem. Between the poem, description and illustrations, this book could make for a wonderful cultural study. The following poem describes the art of Bonsai:

3

Suddenly I'm tall!

A miniature forest -

three pots on a wall.

ODE TO A COMMODE by Brian P. Cleary

Bibliography

Cleary, Brian P. 2015. Ode to a Commode: Concrete Poems. Ill. Andy Rowland. Minneapolis: Millbrook Press. ISBN 9781467744546

Critical Analysis

Cleary writes about simple everyday objects and activities, but breathes new life into them through the use of concrete poetry. While concrete poems are more about the structure and physical appearance of the poem, Cleary also writes in a way that the poems could be understood and appreciated even if the form could not be seen. Each poem brings to light unique and sometimes surprising elements about mundane subjects. Who knew a fork could provide such inspiration for a poem.
The silly, yet complex nature of these poems make them enjoyable for people of all ages. Younger readers will enjoy the sillier aspect while older elementary readers could really dive into the descriptive aspect.
Cleary maintains his poetic style, using rhythm and rhyme to drive each poem forward, while Rowland shapes the poems through the use of color and form in his understated illustrations where the poem is clearly the centerpiece of each page.

Example

I would introduce this book to kids simply for the hilarity of the poems at first. While I enjoyed reading the poems in this book all the way through, I think that reading just one poem at a time and giving time to digest the form and content would lend itself better for use on a level beyond enjoyment. I think using this book to introduce the concept of concrete poetry would be perfect, because Cleary describes concrete poetry and almost issues a challenge to the reader to write his or her own poem in the introduction. Along with the form, I would highlight the descriptive nature of each poem and teach that as well.

*Because the illustration and physical layout of the poem is so important, it will be difficult to recreate that here with the use of simple text. I will increase spacing between some words in my attempt to create the shape.

What About Me?

Fans

will  clap

for  kickers  as

I'm sailing through

the  post.  And  when

I'm    caught,    receivers

get to be the ones who boast.

And     when     I'm    carried

past   the   goal,   just   look

around and see - the cheers

are   for   the   running

back,   but   why

aren't   they

for me?