Thursday, April 19, 2007

Poetry Book Review #12

Janeczko, Paul B., selector. Chris Raschka, illus. 2001. A poke in the i: a collection of concrete poems. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

In the "Notes from the Editor" to A Poke in the I: a Collection of Concrete Poems, Paul Janeczko writes, "Concrete poems are different from regular poems; in fact, they're a lot more playful...." This compilation of thirty poems is exactly that. Each poem is stylized, abstract and dramatic. Clever phrasing, spelling, font and shape all make these poems more interesting. Poetry is meant to be heard, but in this case, it is also meant to be seen. The verse is already visual then paired with illustrations by Chris Raschka, the works bound off the page appealingly.

The text on every page of this collection is distinctive. Each poem features a different size, style and shape of font that reflects the theme or subject of the poem. A perfect example of this is the opening verse "A Seeing Poem" by Robert Fronman. In it he is describing how poetry often works as a "light in someone's mind." This concept is further supported by the words themselves, which are manipulated to depict a light bulb. The font begins at one size, then flips around, gets bigger and at one point becomes large and segmented. The shapes cleverly play off the meaning of the words and the imagery they present. This roundabout relationship helps make this a dynamic attractive collection.

Because this style is so "playful," the poems themselves are often quite humorous. In "Tennis Anyone" by Monica Kulling, each line is placed on opposite sides of each page, forcing the reader to bounce back and forth in order to read it. This mimics the movements of spectators at a tennis match watching the ball, "Tennis/is a/game I/could watch/for hours/but my/neck won't/let me" (31). Not only does the reader then physically see the message of the poem, but in this particular case it can also be felt quite literally by the movement itself.

In some works, the wordplay is found in the verse and the title, such as Reinhard Dohl's poem "Pattern Poem with an Elusive Intruder." This poem features the word "Apfel" repeated over and over in the shape of an apple, while tucked away on the side is the word "Wurm." The imagery represented here is instant and familiar skillfully recreated with language. Aram Saroyan manipulates spelling and letter placement creating irresistible onomatopoeia. The poem begins with the title word, "Crickets," but then is manipulated by removing a letter, then adding it back. It is a way to play with the visual and the audible senses at the same time.

The artwork in this book is vivid, bright and energetic. Raschka uses bold colors and abstract design. He combines broad strokes with patterned pieces of fabric or paper taking a multi-media approach. Nothing is muted, contrived or conventional in these pictures. Skin colors range from blue to bright yellow to deep black. Patterns dominate each page filling them with detail, yet plenty of white space is left so as not to overwhelm. This only helps add to the liveliness of the works, supporting their upbeat nature.

Overall this collection is entertaining, highly enjoyable and vibrant. Because of the sophisticated play on words and the relationship to the shape of the poems, this collection may be more appropriate for older children. Janeczko carefully selects only poems that work on various levels appealing to the visual, audible and at times physical senses. The heightened awareness of the visual lends humor to the works along with the wording of the poems themselves. Raschka's abstract artwork only adds to the collection making it all the more appealing. Because theses poems work on so many levels, it is an ideal book to read over and over again.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Poetry Break #11

Introduction: Teenagers are very familiar with issues of self-consciousness. Girls especially are prone to self-loathing and tend to be uncomfortable with their body image. Becoming a teenager also involves social pressure to fit into predefined molds that can be very limiting. Discussing these issues can be difficult. Try introducing the topic by sharing this poem.


Perfect
by Kari Myers

Supermodel
Superway
Fix the mold
Don't break away
Perfect in the magazines
Perfect in your little dreams
Careful angel
Don't fall down
Fragile doll
Who's tied and bound
Perfect when you are 17
Perfect, so it seems
Plastic smile
Glossy eyes
No emotions, nothing to hide
Perfect in this scene
Perfect as your parents' beam
Honeysuckle
Babydoll
With your picture on my wall
You are everything I hate to see
You are everything I want to be

Karen, Tom and Kiki, eds. Matt Frost, illus. 2001. Planet Kiki's angst! teen verses from the edge. New York: Workman Publishing Company, Inc.


Extension: Discuss the different ways students feel pressured to be "perfect." Turn this into an art project by asking teens to illustrate their anxiety. Use old magazines to create collages that represent the various conflicting emotions they experience. Then ask them to add on to that collage things that make them feel happy. This final step is an effort to recognize that there will always be pressure to be something else in life and what is truly important is inner peace.

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Poetry Book Review #10

Prelutsky, Jack. Peter Sis, illus. 2002. Scranimals. New York: Greenwillow Books.

Scranimals is a collection of nineteen poems by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Peter Sis that sets up a mythical place where hybrid beings: part animal, part plant, reside. Each creature has unique features that borrow from both sides of their family tree. Prelutsky's clever word play and vivid imagery are unforgettable in its inventiveness. The sheer silliness of many of the organisms makes these poems humorous and fun. Sis' artistry is detailed with subdued colors and realistic features incorporated throughout. Led by two young tour guides, this book is well organized presenting an entire universe populated with fantastical characters that is worth exploring.

What stands out immediately when first looking through this collection are the odd appellations for everything. Groups of "broccolions" hunt "antelopetunias," while "bananacondas" slink underfoot. Words like "toucanemones" and "hippopotamushrooms" are fun to sound out. Each page contains a pronunciation guide in case there is any question as to how a creature's name should be said. Prelutsky cleverly manipulates the names of existing flora and fauna, combining them in unusual ways to capture the characteristics of each imaginary animal.

Prelutsky continues to manipulate facts about each being combining them to describe the habits or actions of his subjects. A perfect of example of this lies in his description of the "Pandaffodil," "On a certain mountain meadow,/ If you're silent, if you're still,/ You may spy a single yellow, / Black, and white PANDAFFODIL./ You may even hear it yawning/ If the morning's just begun,/ Watch its petals slowly open/ To embrace the rising sun" (36). By combining two completely unrelated things, the colors of a panda and the anatomy and actions of a daffodil, Prelutsky infuses this poem with interest through wild imagination. This type of poem encourages abstract thought through concrete details.

In this particular collection, blending biology and imagination leads to delightful absurdity. It is almost like a punch line in a joke book. What do you get when you cross a radish and a shark? You get a creature whose sole thought, "Is to catch you and to bite you/ On your belly and behind" (29). What happens to an animal that is part potato and part toad when it sits by the road? "The day is hot, the ground is parched,/ And yet it sits as if it's starched" (12). Both of these verses manipulate common knowledge to make images that are ridiculous and entertaining. The rhythm and rhyme in each verse is also appealing.

Sis' artwork is detailed with soft, muted colors. Gentle pinks, blues, browns and greens dominate the pictures. Each page is filled with drawings not only of the beings themselves, but the landscapes which they inhabit. The organisms that are part bird are fanciful, yet eerie. The extremely accurate renditions of birds' heads sit awkwardly atop the rest of the body in the illustrations for "parrotters" and "cardinalbacore." However, this only invites further examination into the possibility of the bizarre. On the other hand, the "porcupineapple" and the "stormy petrelephant" are peculiarly charming. The boy and girl that serve as the tour guides for Scranimal Island are the most vibrant part of the illustrations on every page. It seems that Sis makes them most colorful in order accentuate their realness as opposed to their outrageously fictitious surroundings.

Scranimals is an incredibly appealing journey through a bizarre biological world inhabited by strange creatures. Prelutsky combines words, facts and fanciful imagery to form inspired poetry. Sis's renditions of the mythical animals perfectly support the verse. Together they create this universe that is instantly appealing and witty. Explorers of every age may enjoy this excursion.