Module 2- Multicultural Poetry (Yum! MmMm! Que Rico!)

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Yum! MmMm!  Que rico!

Mora, Pat, Yum MmMm! Que rico. New York: Lee and Low Books Inc., 2007.

Pictures by Rafael Lopez

Let me start with this is a great book for children! This book has haiku’s that focus on different foods like fruits, vegetables and nuts that are originate from different parts of the world. This book is a really great multicultural resource for children.

The illustrations in this book are what make it so wonderful. The haiku poetry is beautiful but I feel that without the pictures, I wouldn’t enjoy the words as much. Each page gives a little excerpt of the origin of the food. I think this offers really great teaching opportunities and ways for students and patrons to learn about different cultures. Each page has absolutely stunning illustrations. They remind me of character art.  The pictures are very large and colorful, one reason why they are great for children. They colors have a very tropical feel, very fun!

There is no rhyming though the words are very descriptive. There is lots of onomatopoeia, which supplements the ‘fun’ feel of the book. I would love to investigate the places that these foods come from. We could use a program called Pebble Go to research these foods and the places they come from. It could be fun to try some of the foods that match the poems!

Overall, I would absolutely add Yum! MmMm! Que Rico! to any collection. It reaches a wide variety of patrons and offers awesome social studies aspects as well as bright illustrations.

Papaya

Chewing your perfume,

we taste your leafy jungle.

Yum! Juicy tropics.

Module 1- Amazing Faces

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Amazing Faces

Hopkins, Lee Bennett, Amazing Faces. New York: Lee and Low Books, 2010.

Pictures by Chris Soentpiet

This book  is a versatile collection of poetry! It has poems that appeal to both adults and children. For example, there are poems based on parenting and then poems based on starting a new elementary school. I love that this book reaches so many different people!

I have had this book of poetry in my classroom for a long time, to be honest; I hadn’t cracked it open in several months. Finally, I read through it again and... wow. I forgot how smooth and captivating these poems are! The illustrations are so wonderful. They are realistic, almost like photos. Soentpiet absolutely did a fabulous job of recreating these poems through pictures. They will do a wonderful job of helping keep the reader focused and interested in the poem.  I also like that the pictures take up the majority of the page. They start on a page, cross the seam of the book and the last 1/3 of the page is white and that is where the poem is found. Technically the poems found in Amazing Faces are diverse in structure. Every poem is laid out in different form whether it be regular stanza’s or staggered words. Exposing readers to poetry that is read in different ways is a great way to teach pacing, vocabulary, and just expose them to a lot of different structures of poetry!

I could find great use from the illustration that represents each poem. Students could look at the illustration and create a poem based on the photo. This activity would go a long way in helping students draw conclusions and make inferences. I am overly satisfied with the quality of the poems Bennett used in this book. They are all wonderful and diverse. I highly recommend this book!

Amazing Face

Amazing, your face.

Amazing.

It shows there will be trails to follow,

Porches to wave from, wonder from,

Play on.

It shows you will sail ships,

Paint stars,

carve pumpkins,

hours,

years.

You will climb stalks,

greet giants,

crawl before you walk.

And you will fly

And you will fall.

And you will fly again.

Amazing, your face.

It shows you will watch from a window,

whisper to a friend,

ride a carousel,

melt candy on your tounge.

Amazing, your face.

Amazing

- Rebecca Kai Dotlich

(The illustration that reflects this poem is a Mom holding a little baby up in the air. Both the mom and the baby are extremely happy and laughing. As a momma myself, the poem and illustration make me smile!)

Module 1: I, Too, Sing America

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I, Too, Sing America: Three Centuries of African American Poetry

Catherine Clinton, I, Too, Sing America: Three Centuries of African American Poetry. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998.

Illustrator: Stephen Alcorn

ISBN: 0-395-89599-5

I, Too, Sing America is like an anthology of African American poetry and extremely rich in history. Immediately you see the acknowledgements where the author thanks the many different people who contributed to this collection. This collection of poems is definitely a great resource for a more mature reader. The text is small and the poetry is lengthy. There is also an explanation and history of the poem on the pages prefacing the poems. These also have mature vocabulary and are intended for a more mature audience.

I really enjoy the beautiful illustrations that reflect each poem. Each illustration is represents a piece of African American history. Each illustration sits reflecting the poem. I really like this- it gives the reader a way to visualize the poem, especially for those students who cannot understand all the text. I rarely find poetry with such serious content that has illustrations. I love it! Throughout these poems, I found rhyming, onomatopoeia, and a rich vocabulary. All of these characteristics help make this book a great learning tool.

Though this is intended for an older audience, I could really do some great things with this book for my younger students. I would love to find a poem in this collection that is appropriate for my younger students. I would show my students the illustration that matches the poem. Students will discuss what they think the picture represents. Then I will read them a stanza or two from the poem and they can discuss whether or not the illustration and their predictions actually represented the poem well. I think African-American history is a wonderfully rich topic and that I, Too, Sing America is an amazing and poetic way of reflecting on the past.

An poem from the anthology I, Too, Sing America:

We Wear the Mask

We wear the mask that grins and lies,

It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,--

This debt we pay to human guile;

With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,

And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be overwise,

In counting all our tears and sighs?

Nay, let the only see us while

            We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries

To thee tortured souls arise.

We sing, but oh the clay is vile

Beneath our feet, and long the mile;

But let the world dream otherwise,

            We wear the mask!

(The illustration for this poem is on the opposite page. It is an African American, middle-aged woman with brown eyes. She is looking straight forward, holding two masks; one mask is frowning, the other is smiling.) 

Module 1- Messing Around on the Monkey Bars

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Messing Around on the Monkey Bars and Other School Poems for two Voices

Betsy Franco, Messing Around on the Monkey Bats and Other School Poems for Two Voices. Massachusetts: Candlewick Express, 2009.

Illustrator: Jessie Hartland

ISBN: 978-0-7636-3174-1

Betsy Fracno has put together a very relatable book of poetry based on the ends and outs of life at an elementary school. For example, a reader can find poems about getting in line, bikes on the bike rack, and homework loss. Not only is this interesting to students but, this book of poetry is intended for two voices. Each poem has a part for each student (pairs). There is a lot of rhyming in each poem which is great for younger students. This book of poetry also in arranged well. The text and pictures are very organized and easy to follow. The majority of the poems has a significant amount of space between each line and is not just stationary to one page. The poems begin on one page and continue to a second.  I feel that this is important for younger children!

If you were passing this book on the shelf, you would be drawn to it immediately. Its cover is line green with realistic illustrations scattered throughout. The best characteristic of this book is that it has extremely relatable content for school children. Personally, my students love to read silly poetry so its even more perfect that they can easy understand the basis- school. I also think that this book offers great opportunity for students to make text to self-relationships. These types of relations to the text are extremely important in helping students make inferences about the story.

I Can’t Wait

Today’s the day.

I can’t wait.

At recess time,

I won’t be late.

I’ll meet you by

the mulberry tree.

And then you’ll make the trade with me.

I’ll trade my little green Iguana…

For my little sister Donna!

 I think this poem is a great example of how students can relate to the text. Everyone knows what it feels like to have an annoying brother or sister! I would absolutely introduce this poem using that text to self- relation. After getting the students interested, we would read through the poem together. Once they’ve read the poem, I would have students discuss in groups of three or four what they think the authors purpose for writing this poem was and how they relate to the poem. Hopefully at this point, students would share their experiences. 

Genre 6- When You Reach Me

Steed, Rebecca. When You Reach Me. New York: Random House, 2009.

ISBN: 978-0-385-73742-5

Review
Miranda, a young teenager finds new friends when she didn’t expect to while also trying to nurse old friendships. Miranda’s mother is a paralegal who is infatuated with the t.v. show pyramid and hopes to compete so that the family can have money. When You Reach Me is a story about growing into being a teenager and the excitement and confusion that is associated with it.

Critical Analysis Miranda is one of the most relatable characters I’ve read in a long time. The subject matter of When You Reach Me hits so close to home for students coming into their teenage years with subjects like boys, finding friends, working with family, and sometimes losing friends. Reading this book teaches the reader that how you treat people and your actions, whether large or small, can affect people easily which is a big lesson for young people to learn. Overall, Steed gives young readers an almost perfect example of life as a young adult in the late 70’s. Understanding this book is a very ‘relatable’ read as well as has a touch of a sci-fi tone to it, I would definitely add this to my library as a teacher. Though it is geared more towards older students- middle school, I think this could be a great read for students as young as third grade.

Reviews School Library Journal- The stores and even the streets–in Miranda's neighborhood act as physical entities and impact the plot in tangible ways. This unusual, thought-provoking mystery will appeal to several types of readers.

Booklist- "The mental gymnastics required of readers are invigorating; and the characters, children, and adults are honest bits of humanity no matter in what place or time their souls rest."

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Connections Journal Entry- Students could write about a time they’ve had a major change in their life or even lost or gained a friend. The teacher could respond to student’s entries if they feel comfortable enough to share.

Compare/Contrast- Miranda has an obsession with ‘A Wrinkle in Time’. If students are old enough, a comparison could be done between When You Reach Me and A Wrinkle in Time. How are the stories similar? Do any of the characters resemble each other? If you could have adding more similarities to When You Reach Me, what would they have been?

Genre 6- American Born Chinese

Yang, Gene Luch. American Born Chinese. New York: First Second, 2006.

ISBN 13:978-159643-152-2

Story Plot
American Born Chinese is a story based on three smaller stories. One story is about a Monkey King and his want to be ‘all powerful’. The second story is about a Chinese boy, Jin Wang, who moves to a new school and tries to fit in by changing who he is. The third story is about a young man and his Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee and their attempts to get along at school. The three stories eventually meet and the reader discovers some very interesting twists!

Critical Analysis
American Born Chinese is a graphic novel which takes a while to get used to reading because each box has a picture and dialog. The illustrations in this novel are very exact and clear. I could easily follow the ‘flow’ of the pictures. My students love graphic novels and their ‘comic book’ feel. American Born Chinese would be a big hit with students. I love the meaning behind this novel- that just because you don’t look or act like everyone else, you still fit in. Differences can and should be embraced and this story is a good example of that. This novel is definitely intended for an older reader with a few inappropriate jokes throughout. Overall, Yang created a novel that reflects of situations that students find themselves in everyday. It is a creative novel that has a really great message about topics that are intense and hard to cover.

Reviews
School Library Journal- Their stories converge into a satisfying coming-of-age novel that aptly blends traditional Chinese fables and legends with bathroom humor, action figures, and playground politics.

Booklist- The stories have a simple, engaging sweep to them, but their weighty subjects--shame, racism, and friendship--receive thoughtful, powerful examination

Connections
Community Circle- Students could have a group discussion on whether or not they’ve ever felt different from their peers. Also, the group could discuss and create idea’s about to better accept friends who are different. In my experience, teaching students how to accept differences is a very valuable lesson!!

Genre 6- Speak

Anders, Laurie Halse. Speak. New York: Penguin Group: 1999.

ISBN: 0-14-131088-X

Plot Summary
Anders tells us a story of a young girl who has been traumatized. Speak begins by describing a timid girl who has one ‘friend’ and barely speaks to anyone. As the story continues, we learn that Melinda’s parents argue frequently and that Melinda once had friends but lost them after ‘ratting’ everyone at a party. Towards the end of the story the reader learns that Melinda’s silence is because she was so stressed from being raped by another boy in school, Andy. After finding refuge with her art teacher, friend Heather, and standing up to Andy, Melinda finds strength enough to learn to ‘speak’ and get past her experiences.

Critical Analysis
First and foremost, Speak is intended for an older audience. I would recommend this book to a counselor or older high school students. Laurie Anderson tells a story about a young girl who is being socially outcast for a really horrible situation. The story is written in stanzas or short paragraphs. These short paragraphs take a few pages to get used to but fit Melinda’s personality. She is interesting and to the point. I loved the meaning behind this story! Yes, a young girl is raped and that is a horrible situation but the story is more about how a girl finds sanctuary with her friends and her art class/teacher and finds her voice again. This story really highlights that teachers or any person involved in a student’s life should be mindful that even though we may not realize it, students find help with just being around us. Melinda was able to work past her experience by working with her art teacher Mr. Freeman. Overall this was an extremely well written story that I would highly recommend to older students.

Reviews
The Horn Book- “An uncannily funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, Speak will hold readers from first word to last.”
Publishers Weekly- “A stunning first novel… Anderson infuses the narrative with a wit that sustains the heroine through her pain and holds readers’ empathy…”

Connections
Although this book is highly recommended, I would not use it in my lesson plans. I would however use this story to help students recover from personal situations. Allowing students to read this book privately could help them feel less alone. Also, much like Mr. Freeman, I feel like being a teacher and doing my job well will give students another outlet and maybe allow them to express themselves without being forced to.