WATER SINGS BLUE by Kate Coombs

Bibliography

Coombs, Kate. 2012. Water Sings Blue. Ill. Meilo So. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.

Critical Analysis

Coombs uses a variety of poetic forms in her poems about the ocean. While all of them have some kind of rhyming pattern to them, they each have their own rhythm. She even includes a haiku. While I wouldn't consider any of the poems to be a concrete poem, Coombs definitely uses the layout of her poetry to help convey the message of the poem. The poem "What the Waves Say" uses punctuation and line breaks to create a rhythm that mimics the pulsating nature of waves that help the reader to not only see the waves being described, but to feel them.

So's illustrations add an almost ethereal quality to the poems that help add to the poetry without overtaking the poems. The use of pen, ink and watercolors reflect the watery setting of this book.

Example

This book is full of poems that are fun to read. I would use this in my classroom when we are studying about different habitats to showcase ocean life and the way even the non-living objects in the ocean seem to come to life because of the movement of the water. These poems would also be great to use to show the variety of life found in the ocean. The poem "Tide Pool Shopping" is a great example of how many different forms of life can be found under water.

Tide Pool Shopping

I'm going shopping at the tide pool.
They carry everything there -
mussels by the bushel
and three kinds of barnacle,
starfish and gobies to spare.

My mama gave me a shopping list.
I know I can find what she likes -
blennies for pennies,
beadlet anemones,
and urchins with lavender spikes.

I'll bring it all home in a basket.
Then mama can fix us a feast -
prawns by the dozens
and octopus cousins,
plus some kind of lobstery beast.

Today I'm shopping at the tide pool.
Maybe I'll see you there, too,
with your kittiwake pals
and the oystercatcher gals -
I'll save some limpets for you!

DARK EMPEROR & OTHER POEMS OF THE NIGHT by Joyce Sidman

Bibliography

Sidman, Joyce. 2010. Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night. Ill. Rick Allen. New York: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

Critical Analysis

Sidman uses a variety of forms, rhythms, and rhyming patterns for each poem in this book. Some have a very strict rhythm and rhyme to them, while others encapsulate the true meaning of what free verse it. Each combination of form, rhythm, and rhyme reflects the subject matter and the mood that is being created within that poem. Some poems are organized into couplets or quatrains. The title poem is a form poem that takes the shape of the "Dark Emperor" and his prey.

While this book of poems would be perfect to use with just the poems, Sidman also includes a non-fiction element that would be great to integrate into a science lesson about nocturnal animals.

Allen's illustrations are detailed in a way that clearly shows what these creatures and their surroundings look like, but also includes a bit of whimsy and fantasy that leaves some room for the reader's own knowledge and imagination.

Example

The book would integrate well into any science classroom that discusses animal characteristics and relationships, but could stand up as a poetry book in any language arts class as well. I love the introduction poem because it invites the reader to prepare all of her senses before diving into the rest of the book. The language used is powerful and makes the subject matter come to life right before the reader.

Welcome to the Night

To all of you who crawl and creep,
who buzz and chirp and hoot and peep,
who wake at dusk and throw off sleep:
Welcome to the night.

To you who make the forest sing,
who dip and dodge on silent wing,
who flutter, hover, clasp, and cling:
Welcome to the night!

Come feel the cool and shadowed breeze,
come smell your way among the trees,
come touch rough bark and leathered leaves:
Welcome to the night.

The night's a sea of dappled dark,
the night's a feast of sound and spark,
the night's a wild, enchanted park.
Welcome to the night!

YOU READ TO ME, I'LL READ TO YOU: VERY SHORT STORIES TO READ TOGETHER by Mary Ann Hoberman

Bibliography

Hoberman, Mary Ann. 2001. You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Stories to Read Together. Ill. Michael Emberley. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Critical Analysis

Hoberman's poems in this collection are a great way to have fun with poetry. The poems are silly and playful. They have a simple rhythm that is easy to keep going. This is especially important when two readers are working together to make a piece sound cohesive. Because these poems were written to be ready by two people, they have a conversational feel. This makes the poems feel very relaxed and easy to understand. They subject matter ranges from animals to friends to talking on the phone - ordinary subject matters that children can relate to.

The illustrations are well done and keep with the playful mood set by the tone of the poems. They tend to highlight some of the more far-fetched ideas in the poems.

Example

This book of poems is perfect for early readers, but could be used with any age depending on the purpose. With older students, it would make a great example for a different type of poetry that they could then work on to create their own. For the younger readers, I think this is a great way to incorporate buddy reading in the classroom. Pairing students with one being a stronger reader and the other who struggles gives a simple and effective way to have the stronger reader help and guide the straggler.

The poem that I picked to share would be a great way to partner up students to read and share their poem, but then add their own section by talking about what they like that is different and finding something they have in common. It would be a great activity to use at the beginning of the year.

I Like

I like soda.

                I like milk.

I like satin.

                I like silk.

I like puppies.

                I like kittens.

I like gloves.

                And I like mittens.

I like apples.

                I like pears.

I like tigers.

                I like bears.

I like to slide.

                I like to swing.

        We don't agree

        On anything!

I like butter.

                I like jam.

I like turkey.

                I like ham.

I like rivers.

                I like lakes.

I like cookies.

                And I like cakes.

I like yellow.

                I like blue.

I like pizza.

                I like stew.

I like summer.

                I like spring.

        We don't agree

        On anything!

There's something else

I like a lot.

But if I like it,

You will not.

                There's something else

                That I like, too.

                But you won't like it

                If I do.

Tell me yours

And I'll tell mine.

                I like reading.

                Reading's fine!

You like reading?

                Yes, I do.

Why, reading was

What I picked, too!

        Well, then, at last

        We both agree!

        I'll read to you!

        You'll read to me!