Poetry Book Review: A poetry collection compiled by Paul Janeczko

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Janeczko, Paul B. THAT SWEET DIAMOND: BASEBALL POEMS. Ill. by Carole Katchen. 1998. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

You can almost hear the crack of the bat and smell the peanuts and hot dogs when you taste the nineteen baseball poems. Janeczko makes full use of imagery and onomonopeia in many of his poems including:

BEFORE THE GAME

Pennants wave
on the souvenir stand

Sausages snap,
sizzle with onions on the grill

Girls with mitts
practice catches to be made

Scorecard
Ohhh-ficial scorecard


Boys, wearing caps of faraway teams,
laugh, shove

Peanut shells crunch
underfoot

Cheese oozes
over nachos

Joy
thick as the perfume
of popcorn and
boiled hot dogs
fills the air

as
ticket takers call,

This way
This way to the game


Each double spread contains the poem on one side and the illustration on the other side. The poems are about all of the sights and sounds experienced in baseball including the pitcher spitting, and the vendors hawking their peanuts and iiiiiice cream. The poems vary in length from ones that take up the entire page, to a four line poem about a pitcher:

A Curse upon the Pitcher

Peanut shells, pigeon feather,
Dance a jig in stormy weather.
Ice cream stick, bubble gum,
Hurler, may you lose your hum.

Carole Katchen's illustrations complement the poems perfectly. The illustrator's use of pastels show the feelings and emotions experienced in America's pastime. The paintings use of definition is minimal; the spectators and players blend into the background. The colors used are bright and realistic, varying with the subject of each poem.

This anthology of baseball poems is an excellent choice for all baseball lovers or anyone who has ever experienced the sights and sounds of a baseball game.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Dakos, Kalli.1993. DON'T READ THIS BOOK, WHATEVER YOU DO!: MORE POEMS ABOUT SCHOOL, Aladdin.

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 1990. GOOD BOOKS, GOOD TIMES! Illustrated by Harvey Stevenson. New York: Harperchildrens.

Adoff, Arnold. 2000. TOUCH THE POEM. Blue Sky Press.

Grimes, Nikki. 2004. WHAT IS GOODBYE? Illustrated by Raul Colon. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

Lewis, J. Patrick. 2002. DOODLE DANDIES: POEMS THAT TAKE SHAPE. Aladdin.

Alarcon, Francisco X. 1997. LAUGHING TOMATOES AND OTHER SPRING POEMS, Children's Book Press.

Peters, Lisa Westberg. 2003. EARTHSHAKE: POEMS FROM THE GROUND UP. Ill. by Cathie Felstead. Greenwillow Books: New York.

Unobagha, Uzo. 2000. OFF TO THE SWEET SHORES OF AFRICA AND OTHER TALKING DRUM RHYMES, Chronicle Books.

MacLachlan, Patricia and Emily MacLachlan Charest. 2006. ONCE I ATE A PIE. Ill. by Katy Schneider. New York: Joana Cotler Books.

Frost, Helen. SPINNING THROUGH THE UNIVERSE: A NOVEL IN POEMS FROM ROOM 214. 2004. Frances Foster Books.

Janeczko, Paul B. THAT SWEET DIAMOND: BASEBALL POEMS. Ill. by Carole Katchen. 1998. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Kearney, Meg. 2005. THE SECRET OF ME. Persea Books: New York.

Poetry Break: A serious poem about a difficult or sensitive subject in children's or teens' lives

(I apologize for this poetry break being early-- we will be on a family cruise in Mexico next week with no internet usage)

Introduction:
Talk to your students about children and monetary difficulties. Explain that you don't always know who has money or who doesn't just by looking at someone.



Late Again
SAM

We got evicted yesterday. I came home and all my
stuff was in a box outside the door.
Me, my mom, my sister, and her baby, Ty,
had to sleep in my mom's brother's car.
I'm late again. I hope nobody asks me why.

It's hard to sleep with so much traffic going by.
There's no alarm clock in my uncle's car.
My clothes are dirty. I couldn't comb my hair. I
know the kids are thinking, You're
late again. At least nobody's asking why.

Should I make up a story? They'll guess it's a lie,
and anything I'd say, they've heard before.
It's hard to get my work done, but I'll try.
Sometimes Mrs. Williams lets me sleep. So far
she hasn't said, You're late again. Why?

by Helen Frost

[From: SPINNING THROUGH THE UNIVERSE: A NOVEL IN POEMS FROM ROOM 214, Frances Foster Books, 2004]


Extension:
*Have students think about and discuss why the teacher isn't asking why Sam is late. *Consider organizing a food drive, book drive, or coat drive for less fortunate families in your area.
*With older students, show children a budget and let them see how much money it takes to survive.
*Talk about the different things that can happen to cause those with a home to suddenly become homeless. Discuss whether or not there are things you can do to prevent falling into major financial problems.

Poetry Review #5:A new, favorite book of poetry for children or teens published since 2000

BIBLIOGRAPHY

MacLachlan, Patricia and Emily MacLachlan Charest, 2006. ONCE I ATE A PIE. Ill. by Katy Schneider. New York: Joana Cotler Books.

This collection of fourteen poems highlighting man's best friend, will be endeared by all dog lovers. Each poem is titled with the dog's name, and each breed's characteristics and idiosyncrasies are lovingly portrayed by the poem. Though the poems themselves are fairly short, the amazingly lifelike paintings by Katy Schneider cover each two page spread. Those familiar with dog breeds will recognize each breed's qualities, such as the Chihuahua "Pocket".

Pocket

They say I am tiny.

I used to sleep in a coat pocket.

I have a tiny collar and a tiny coat for when it rains.

I have a tiny dish to eat my food, and a tiny water bowl.

I don't know why my things are so tiny

I am HUGE.

Tiny Pocket's personality emerges through the words of the poem and the illustration showing a little bit of a dog in a hooded yellow raincoat.

The authors make use of the page to use line spacing and white space to further show each canine's personality. Mr. Beefy is a very obese Pug with a guilty look on his face and purple pie filling on his toes. The words of this poem change with the poem, such as the word, thin, by using a "thin" font.

Mr. Beefy

I am not thin, but I am beautiful.


When

no

one
is

looking, I steal tubs of butter off the table.

I take them to the basement to eat in private.

ONCE I ATE A PIE.


Along with Mr. Beefy's guilt riddled face and slumped over position, we also see an overturned and empty pie tin!

These poems lend themselves to being read aloud. Children are bound to recognize their favorite pooches and their quirks. The illustrations are almost lifesize, and certainly lifelike, such as the puppy's sodden footprints covering the pages of "Puppy". This title is sure to be treasured and read repeatedly.