POETRY TAG TIME by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong

Bibliography

Vardell, Sylvia and Janet Wong. 2011. Peotry Tag Time. Princeton: Poetry Tag Time.

Critical Analysis

I really enjoyed how this collection of poems felt like a conversation. As a reader, I felt invited into an informal gathering of friends who just enjoyed sharing whatever came to mind as their neighbor spoke. The full circle that the poems create also give a satisfying feeling of completeness when finishing the collection.

This collection of poems includes a wide variety of poetic styles from concrete poems to acrostics and cinquains. This collection was obviously created for young readers and listeners in mind, but is something that every reader can enjoy. The size of the collection makes it perfect for sharing one poem a day for a whole month. 

Example

Since we are currently working on different poetry formats in my classroom, I decided to highlight the acrostic poem in this collection. This would be a great example of the fun you can have with acrostic poetry and how it doesn't have to just be one word on each line. I'm hoping to use this poem with my students to help open the door of possibilities for what an acrostic poem can look like.

After the Storm by Laura Purdie Salas

Ribbons of color
Arch
In a
Neverending
Backbend
Over the
World

FALLING HARD: 100 LOVE POEMS BY TEENAGERS by Betsy Franco

Bibliography

Franco, Betsy. 2008. Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers. Cambridge: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763634377

Critical Analysis

The poetry in this collection covers a wide spectrum of styles and rhythms. Some poems are just a few lines, some cover a few pages. Most are free verse. There are a few poems that rhyme or have a noticeable pattern and structure. Being a collection of poetry written by teenagers, it is easy to tell the difference in maturity and life experience from poem to poem, but that in no way takes away from the level of poetry contained in the collection. Each author has a clear voice and different interpretation of what falling in love is like.

I will say that some of the poems in this collection were very surprising. This is definitely a collection for older children. 

Example

While the poem is short, it is rich with imagery and emotion. The author does a great job of capturing the differing emotions love can bring out in just a few well chosen words. What I enjoyed about the collection as a whole is how different poems will resonate with different readers depending on where they are personally and what speaks to me may even be different from reading to reading.

Love is Like

the sweetness of honey
falling from a bee hive.

You have to be careful
not to get stung.

~Hector Jasso

FIREFLY JULY by Paul Janeczko

Bibliography

Janeczko, Paul B. 2014. Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems. Ill. by Melissa Sweet. Somerville: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763648428

Critical Analysis

The first think that struck me about this book was the organization. The table of contents clearly separates the poems by the seasons of the year, beginning with spring. However, once you delve into the book, the poems just fade into each other and the separation of seasons is not quite so apparent. The first time I read through the book, I missed the names of the seasons because they were such a part of the illustrations that they did not stand out. They create a subtle shift just as each season quietly fades into the next.

The poems is this book come from a variety of authors, therefore the style of each is different. The commonality among them all is that, as the subtitle foretells, each poem is very short. Some poems use rhyme while others are set apart by the way the words are placed on the page. I noticed the use of the cinquain format in several of the poems. The illustrations area a great compliment to the poems. They reflect the meaning and emotion of each poem without closing the door on the imagination and further exploration of the poetry. Each poem helps to bring the seasons to life.

Example

This would be a collection to use at a variety of levels. I think it could be taught and enjoyed in a kindergarten classroom as easily as in a high school class. The language is clear enough for a young child to understand and explore, but the deeper messages and imagery could be fun to study for older students. This would be a great book to use in a science classroom to illustrate the changing of the seasons, moon phases and a variety of other concepts about the natural world.
Emily Dickinson's poem The Moon was but a Chin of Gold would be great to study the moon and its phases. It could also lead into a great lesson about what the moon looks like in its different phases.

The Moon was but a Chin of Gold
A Night or two ago -
And now she turns Her perfect Face
Upon the World below -