Genre #3 Book Review #3 : Kristine O'Connell George - TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS: CAMPING POEMS

1. Bibliography -

George, Kristine O’Connell. 2001. TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS: CAMPING POEMS. Ill. by Kate Kiesler. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN: 0-618-04597-X

2. Plot Summary –

This is a wonderful book full of camping poems! Camping is such a wonderful adventure for a child or really for anyone of any age. This great poem book captures the fun escapade in the wilderness – from sleeping in a tent, or in a sleeping bag under the stars, to cooking over a campfire and roasting marshmallows, to the wildlife and earth’s natural beauty that surrrounds you. “Everything that happens on a camping trip can be an adventure: for example – pitching a tent, getting dressed inside your sleeping bag on a chilly morning, rowing across the lake with Mom, exploring a dark cave with Dad, discovering an abandoned cabin … meeting a moose … or simply sitting still under a tree, watching and listening”(George,K., 2001).


3. Critical Analysis –

a. Rhythm:
Kristine O’Connell George likes and “enjoys using a variety of different forms of poetry in her book –from structured to free verse” (KG, 2009). She “plays with different forms until she finds the ‘right fit’ for the poem” (KG, 2009). Depending on the subject matter in the poem, George’s arrangement of lines and verses helps the rhythm fit the words and meanings of her poems!

b. Rhyme:
Kristine O’Connell George’s poems are very easy to read, and do not feel forced in any way. Through the arrangement of the words, she can convey what she is hoping to – which is for her audience to feel as if they were actually camping themselves! She uses cinquains and haikus – just two examples of her poetry form to keep thing fresh and appealing!

c. Sound:
George is carefull when she writes her poems to make sure they sound right and convey the feelings and meaning in a simple way. She uses various forms of poetry in her book to help each one sound differently! Her poem entitled “Mosquito Song” actually sounds like a mosquito! The words resonnate like the buzz that the insect makes flying around for its next meal!

d. Language:
Kristine O’Connell George writes her poem “Sleeping Outside” in a cinquain form – for example:

Line 1: 2 syllables
Line 2: 4 syllables
Line 3: 6 syllables
Line 4: 8 syllables
Line 5: 2 syllables

“Cinquains can be a single poem of five lines or contain several stanzas. Students enjoy this form because cinquains provide a definite structure but do not lock them into rhyming. Cinquains also force a writer to be succinct: Every word counts!” (KG, 2009).

For Kristine O’Connell George’s poem “Flashlight”, not only is this poem creatively written in the beam of light, but it is written in haiku form. Kristine George herself mentioned on her website that “This is one of four haiku on the topic of flashlights in Toasting Marshmallows. When I was writing these haiku, I was surprised by how many associations and memories an ordinary flashlight evoked!” (KG, 2009).

e. Imagery:
Kristine O’Connell George’s poems create some surprising and unexpected images – one is transported back to being a child and feeling the excitement of the adventure of camping! Other images are not so surprising, as George writes some poems to actually reflect the subject matter. For example in her poem entitled “Tent” her words actually look like a tent on the page! And in the poem “Storm” the words are falling and hitting us like the rain she mentions in the poem! Her poem “Eavesdropping” is shaped like a crescent moon that is trying to listen to their conversation!

f. Emotions:
Each poem captures a different emotion! These emotions are stirred about naturally as one reads each poem. Some feelings are excitement of the camping adventure, others are timidness to being exposed to nature, and others are a sense of awe for the beauty of our planet! In her poem “Two Voices in a Tent at Night”, you can actually feel the nervous caution and excitement of the children as they try to sleep in their tent, but think they hear something outside making scratching noises.

g. Poetry Books:
“Award-winning poet Kristine O’Connell George turns a flashlight beam on the moments that make up a family camping trip and records them in humorous, evocative, vividly imagined verse redolent of the scent of pine needles and the sound of bees” (George,K., 2001).

The illustrations for TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS, “executed in acrylic paint” are a wonderful accompaniment to the poems themselves. “Kate Kiesler’s vibrant paintings add visual magic to the collaboration, which will leave you with lively memories of a camping trip – even if you’ve never been on one” (George, K., 2001).

h. Awards & Recognitions:
The book TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS: CAMPING POEMS received the following awards and recognitions:

• NCTE Notable Children's Book in Language Arts
• Book Links: A Lasting Connections
• School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
• Myra Cohn Livingston Poetry Award CLCSC
• Starred reviews: Booklist, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal
• Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children
• Children’s Literature Choice 2002
• Nominated for the Texas Bluebonnet Master List, the Kentucky Blue Grass Award and Indiana's Young Hoosier's award.
• Los Angeles 100 Best Books: A balanced library acquisition program


4. Review Excerpt(s) –

Below are some of the review excerpts for Kristine O’Connell George’s book, TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS: CAMPING POEMS:

** “A young girl savors the sights, sounds, and smells of a family outing. Whether playful or profound, the exquisitely crafted poems reverberate with eloquent yet effortless language, while the radiant acrylic artwork hints at the awe-inspiring mysteries of nature."-- School Library Journal Best Books 2001


** "...a child-focused sense of wonder...the poems are varied and inventive, replete with marvelous images and universal truths...A terrific idyll for summertime sharing, even for confirmed couch potatoes.” -- Luann Toth School Library Journal

** ”Infused with the wonder and thrill of living outdoors, these are direct, satisfying poems that will engage kids at school, across the curriculum, or at home." -- Booklist

** "...This volume by George and Kiesler is as delicious as a roasted marshmallow treat. George's poems shine, the images clear and startling. A "panther cloud crosses the sky"; after a storm, a "confetti of birds"...dance another rain shower." A concrete poem in the shape of a waning moon is exquisite: "Tipping/ a slender/ silver ear,/ Moon tries/ to pretend/ she isn't listening/ to our/ secrets." Readers will definitely want S-mores." -- Publisher's Weekly

** "One can almost see the starlit night, taste the marshmallows, and hear the buzzing insects as words and illustrations combine in this unique collaboration." -- Christopher Moning, Children's Literature

** "Poems convey a wonderful sense of place as a family enjoys the vastness and immediacy of nature while camping." -- Stephanie Loer, Boston Globe

** "Altogether, an engaging trip." -- Kirkus


5. Connections –

Teachers can introduce the poems of Kristine O’Connell George and use them in collaboration with other themes in their classroom. Also the poem book, FOLD ME A POEM has also been translated into Korean, which can springboard learning to multicultural diversity and world geography, culture and events!

** Other books by Kristine O’Connell George are:

• FOLD ME A POEM

• UP!

• ONE MITTEN

• HUMMINGBIRD NEST: A Journal of Poems

• SWIMMING UPSTREAM: Middle School Poems

• LITTLE DOG AND DUNCAN

• LITTLE DOG POEMS

• BOOK!

• OLD ELM SPEAKS: Tree Poems

• THE GREAT FROG RACE



References

George, Kristine O’Connell. 2001. TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS: CAMPING POEMS. Ill. by Kate Kiesler. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN: 0-618-04597-X

KG- Kristine O’Connell George, (2009). Toasting marshmallows: Camping poems, retrieved on October 13, 2009, from
http://www.kristinegeorge.com/index.html

Genre #3 Book Review #2 : Nikki Grimes - HOPSCOTCH LOVE: A FAMILY TREASURY OF LOVE POEMS

1. Bibliography -

Grimes, Nikki. 1999. HOPSCOTCH LOVE: A FAMILY TREASURY OF LOVE POEMS. Ill. by Melodye Benson Rosales. New York, NY: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books. ISBN: 0-688-15667-3

2. Plot Summary –

It is a collection of 22 different kinds of poems - all speaking about all different kinds of love; motherly love, brotherly love, friendly love, sweetheart love, and love for any age! The back cover jacket of the book mentions that “Twenty-two poems celebrate the different faces of love within the African-American community. This valentine delight from award-winning author Nikki Grimes and inspired painter Melodye Benson Rosales has something for every taste, from sweet to sassy to sentimental. Jump in and feel the love!”

3. Critical Analysis –

a. Rhythm:
Nikki Grimes uses all different rhythms in her collection of poems. Some do rhyme, others are written like a verse novel set of poems, and yet others seem to flow like a song. Depending on the kind of love they convey – the rhythm fits the words and meaning of the poems.

b. Rhyme:
The use of matching sounds appears in the poems entitled “Marcus Toussaint”, “Sister Love”, “The Gift”, and the “Sweethearts Dance”. They are all poems in four lines per stanza rhyming fashion.

c. Sound:
Some of Nikki Grimes’ poems almost seem to sing to us! The words she chooses helps add to the drama or music of the poem like in the poem entitled “Hopscotch Love”.

d. Language:
Her choice of words for each poem is a fresh choice and really reflects the mood she is trying to capture. Whether it is love for a boy, a family member, or a life-long lover, her choice of words helps convey the feelings and emotions for that kind of LOVE.

e. Imagery:
In the poem entitled “Words”, Nikki Grimes uses one word sentences to relay her message of sweet love. She creates a visually vivid mental picture with her unique sense of language. Each word brings such an image to mind! Then she surprises us at the end after growing on each previous word that this love may lead to cavities! Brilliant!

f. Emotions:
The illustrations by Melodye Benson Rosales are a wonderful addition to this book! They help convey the emotions of the love that Nikki Grimes is emulating! Whether it is the love of the two old timers dancing on the dance floor or the young girl hopscotching her way through her love poem – toghter they capture the essence of the forever love and the excitement of the young playful love! “Pineapple Surprise” is a favorite for remembering and stirring up emotions for one’s elder – such as a grandmother!

g. Poetry Books:
This book, HOPSCOTCH LOVE, is a great example of a balance of poems! The theme is definitely LOVE and the topics covered are all very varied! Basically, there is a poem for everyone in this book – one that would appeal to any age, gender or circumstance! It is a wonderful treasury of LOVE!

h. Awards & Recognitions:
Hopscotch Love is an ALA Notable and Coretta Scott King honor book.


4. Review Excerpt(s) –

** “Twenty-two poems celebrate the different faces of love within the African-American community. There's something here for every age and every taste, from sweet to sassy to sentimental. A perfect gift of love for anyone, anytime, on any occasion”. -- Amazon

** “This small treasury will lift readers' spirits and touch their hearts”. -- School Library Journal

** “The lines are short; the words are very simple. The red cover and creamy pages fit with the valentine cuddly style”. -- Booklist


5. Connections –

Other poetry books by Nikki Grimes include:

** Grimes, Nikki. (1998). A DIME A DOZEN. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN-10: 0-8037-2227-3 / ISBN-13: 978-08037-2227-9

** Grimes, Nikki. (2001). A POCKETFUL OF POEMS. Ill. by Javaka Steptoe. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN-10: 0-3959-3868-6 / ISBN-13: 978-0395-93868-3

A list of Nikki Grimes’ books includes:

• Bronx Masquerade
• The Road to Paris
• Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope
• Talkin' About Bessie
• Oh, Bother! Someone's Fighting
• Meet Danitra Brown
• Dark Sons
• My Man Blue
• Thanks a Million: Poems
• Jazmin's Notebook
• Oh, Bother! Someone's Baby-Sitting s
• Wild, Wild Hair
• A Pocketful of Poems
• When Daddy Prays
• Welcome, Precious
• Come Sunday
• What is Goodbye?
• Oh, Brother!
• When Gorilla Goes Walking
• Danitra Brown Leaves Town
• Walt Disney's Cinderella
• Is It Far to Zanzibar?: Poems About Tanzania
• Danitra Brown, Class Clown
• Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel
• It's Raining Laughter: Poems
• A Dime a Dozen
• From a Child's Heart
• Shoe Magic
• At Jerusalem's Gate
• At Break of Day


References

Grimes, Nikki. 1999. HOPSCOTCH LOVE: A FAMILY TREASURY OF LOVE POEMS. Ill. by Melodye Benson Rosales. New York, NY: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books. ISBN: 0-688-15667-3

LibraryThing. (2009). Nikki Grimes. Retrieved October 10, 2009, from http://www.librarything.com/http://www.librarything.com/author/grimesnikki&norefer=1

Genre #3 - Book Review #1: Sonya Sones - WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW

1. Bibliography -

Sones, Sonya. 2001. WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN’T KNOW. Ill. by Sonya Sones. New York, NY: Simon Pulse pbk. ISBN-10: 0-689-85553-2 / ISBN-13: 978-0-689-85553-5


2. Plot Summary –

Sophie, a teenage girl uses many poems to describe her life – her relationships with her family, her best friends and with a few boys, as well as the trials and tribulations of her home and school life; while she searches for her true love - her Mr. Right.


3. Critical Analysis –

a. Rhythm:
Sonja Sones arranges her poems in many different ways – her lines and verses flow to a great beat depending on the subject and story that they are explaining to the reader at that moment. They are easy to read, and brilliant!

b. Rhyme:
One or two of her poems do actually rhyme, and use matching sounds, but not many. When she does use rhyme it is not forced and flows magically and easily. She can convey so much meaning in such a few amount of words!

c. Sound:
This book is full of drama! Teen-age hormonal girl drama! Sonya Sones captures this effect with carefully chosen words and letters for its individual and collective effect. It does not feel over-done; on the contrary – it is very satisfying!

d. Language:
Sonja Sones is an amazing author! She uses words and phrases, arranged in such meaningful ways that the reader is actually transported into that age and time in their lives! Some of her poems are fresh and surprising and even though we can relate to the character, we may never have thought of actually talking about the circumstances of that age and time to anyone before. Basically, Sonya Sones puts into words things that many of us would have liked to have said or done but never did when we were teenagers! Of course, this makes it an automatic hit with children of this age group!

e. Imagery:
Sonja Sones creates wonderful imagery with the words that she chooses in this book! Two examples are the poems entitled “deleted” or “cyber soul mate” – just reflecting on those words creates great mental pictures and visual images. Through her creative and unique use of language – once you have started reading her poems - you cannot put the book down until you have reached the end!

f. Emotions:
The emotions in this book were written in such a great natural way – they never seemed forced or fake; and they actually made one feel like they were a teenager again! The emotional impact in this book is great for teens (and older) and really captures the essence of that difficult confusing hormonal time in everyone’s life!

g. Poetry Books:
There was a great balance of poems – some rhymed, others were only a few lines; but they all carried on the same theme of teenage dilemmas and love.

h. Awards & Recognitions:

• Winner of the Iowa Teen Book Award (2005 -2006)

• named by the American Library Association as one of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2004 and of 2005

• Michigan Thumbs Up Award Honor Book (2002)

• unanimously chosen an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults (2002)

• unanimously chosen an American Library Association Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2002)

• named an International Reading Association Young Adults' Choice (2003)

• named a Booklist Editor's Choice (2001)

• voted a VOYA Top Shelf for Middle School Readers (2003)

• Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award: YA Recommended Title (2003 -2004)

• named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age (2002, 2003, and 2004)

• named a Texas Lone Star State Reading List Choice (2003 – 2004)

• named a Top Ten Editor's Choice by Teenreads.com (2001)

• named a Bookreporter.com Best of 2001 for Teens

• chosen a Junior Library Guild selection

• chosen a Scholastic Teen Age Book Club selection

• chosen a Scholastic Trumpet Book Club selection

• chosen a Scholastic Book Fair selection

• nominated for the following state awards:

• Volunteer State Book Award (TN) (2004 – 2005)

• Utah Children's Choice Beehive Award (2003 – 2004)

• Garden State Teen Book Award (NJ) (2003 - 2004)

• Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (2004)

• Rhode Island Teen Book Award (2004)

• South Carolina Young Adult Book Award (2003 – 2004)

• Missouri Gateway Reader's Choice Award for Teens (2003 – 2004)

• Wyoming Library Association Soaring Eagle Book Award (2003 -2004)


4. Review Excerpt(s) –

** “Fast, funny, touching. ...hilarious and irreverent in the style of Naylor's Alice books. The poetry is never pretentious or difficult; on the contrary, the very short, sometimes rhythmic lines make each page fly. Sophie's voice is colloquial and intimate, and the discoveries she makes are beyond formula, even while they are as sweetly romantic as popular song. A natural for reluctant readers, this will also attract young people who love to read." -- Booklist

** "...romantic and sexy, with a happy ending that leaves Sophie together with Mr. Right, Sones ( Stop Pretending: What Happened when My Big Sister Went Crazy, 1999 ) has crafted a verse experience that will leave teenage readers sighing with recognition and satisfaction." -– Kirkus Reviews

** "...Sones is a bright, perceptive writer who digs deeply into her protagonist's soul... Sones's poems are glimpses through a peephole many teens may be peering through for the first time, unaware that others are seeing virtually the same new, scary, unfamiliar things... Sones's book makes these often-difficult years a little more livable by making them real, normal, and OK." -- School Library Journal

** “Winning. What makes this young adult novel so winning is that Sophie's story is told entirely in freewheeling verse -- a 14-year-old's discomfort with her ''fifty-foot'' self set to the tender rhythms of a teenage poet." -- Entertainment Weekly

** “Brilliant.” -- KLIATT

** "...From the opening poem "Nicknames," to the closing "I Slink Into the Cafeteria," What my Mother Doesn't Know captures the sweet confusion of being a teen girl in love for the first time. And the second. And the third." -- Pages Magazine

** "...The poems are snappy, and each one strikes a chord that fluidly moves the reader on to the next episode. Whether she is socking a boy who molests her on the street, purchasing a half dozen sperm-shaped-print panties off the discount rack, or watching her parents finally split apart, Sophie is a strong, likeable, and memorable character." -- Starred Review in VOYA

** “Honest…destined to captivate. – ...Sones (Stop Pretending) poignantly captures the tingle and heartache of being young and boy-crazy...With its separate free verse poems woven into a fluid and coherent narrative with a satisfying ending, Sophie's honest and earthy story feels destined to captivate a young female audience, avid and reluctant readers alike." -- Publisher’s Weekly


5. Connections –

Other books by Sonya Sones would include:

** WHAT MY GIRLFRIEND DOESN’T KNOW
** ONE OF THOSE HIDEOUS BOOKS WHERE THE MOTHER DIES
** STOP PRETENDING: WHAT HAPPENED WHEN MY BIG SISTER WENT CRAZY
** SIXTEEN: STORIES ABOUT THAT SWEET AND BITTER BIRTHDAY
** NECESSARY NOISE
** LOVE & SEX: TEN STORIES OF TRUTH
** VIOLET AND WINSTON

Other Connections:

** Sonya Sones used to be an animator – the teacher can point out the fun fact that the author puts a little flip book in her book at the end and can have students make their own flip books. See the following information that Sonya Sones provides:

“By the way, if you look in the lower right hand corner of page 231 you will see a line drawing of a couple dancing. I drew this picture based on the painting called "Le Bal a Bougival" by Jean Renoir, the one I mentioned in my book.
Very few of my readers seem to have noticed this, but if you look at that same spot on the rest of the pages of the book, and run them quickly past your fingers, you can see the couple kiss. It's a little tiny flip book, inspired by the years I spent as an animator. Check it out!” (Sonya Sones, 2009).


Also teachers can extend this activity by looking up the famous painting and artist - “Le Bal a Bougival” by Jean Renoir that Sonya Sones mentions in the book.







References
Sonya Sones. 2009. What my mother doesn’t know. Retrieved October 7, 2009, from http://www.sonyasones.com/index.htm