Poetry

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies


by Sonya Sones

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Sones, Sonya. 2004. ONE OF THOSE HIDEOUS BOOKS WHERE THE MOTHER DIES. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 1416907882.

PLOT SUMMARY:


This poetic novel uses free verse to tell the story of Ruby, daughter of the famous actor Whip Logan and his ex-wife. While most kids would be much more interested in the famous parent, Ruby is more concerned with her mother, who recently died. The 15-year-old is now forced to move to L.A. to live with her father, who she has not seen in 13 years. This book takes the reader on a ride that many teens would love to be on, but not in the same situation as Ruby Milliken, who just misses her mother, her friends, and her home. Ruby eventually finds her way in this strange new place, but not without a few more heart-wrenching events take place in her life.



CRITICAL ANALYSIS:



She is not the classic bitter teenager, though. Ruby has deep thoughts about her mother (who she still emails though the messages keep getting sent back to her with "fatal errors"). She befriends her father's assistant, Max (who she lovingly refers to as Aunt Max given his sexual orientation). She has trouble fitting in at her new school, and she misses her best friend and boyfriend back east. Then Ruby stumbles into some even more troubling times, times filled with the death of a classmate who she has never met and the knowledge that her best friend and boyfriend share an ugly secret. Her world comes crashing down, almost literally, and she finds the father she didn't realize she had always had, along with the comfort of new friends and the prospect of a new love. It ends just the way every girl reading it will want her own life to end. The poetry in this novel is beautiful, and even heartbreaking at times. At one low point in the book, the main character describes her pain as "as if my heart's been Novocained." The reader cannot help but tear up as the word choice and even the spacing reflects pain as she tells of the moment her mother died with

"I was holding her hand


when it finally happened."





REVIEW EXCERPTS:

Arizona Young Reader's Award

Garden State Teen Book Award

Iowa Teen Award

Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award

SCASL Book Award

Volunteer State Book Award



"A winning portrayal of a teenage girl's loves and losses." - Publisher's Weekly



CONNECTIONS:

Excerpts from this book would be beneficial in teaching the trait of Sentence Fluency in students' own writing.

WHAT MY GIRLFRIEND DOESN'T KNOW by Sonya Sones

WHAT MY MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW by Sonya Sones

STOP PRETENDING- WHAT HAPPENED WHEN MY BIG SISTER WENT CRAZY by Sonya Sones

Poetry

Birmingham, 1963
by Carole Boston Weatherford

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Weatherford, Carole Boston. 2007. BIRMINGHAM, 1963. Pennsylvania: Wordsong. ISBN 9781590784402.

PLOT SUMMARY:
This historical fiction free verse tells the touching story of a fictional narrator who turns ten the day that the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama. The story is told from the narration of a young girl who turns ten on the day this tragic event takes place. The book starts off talking about the year the girl turned ten as a year of major events in the Civil Rights Movement. It then transitions into an account of how these events are seen through the eyes of an innocent young girl. After discussing the tragedy itself, a description of the aftermath is told. It paints a picture of chaos and fear in this girl's world. This was a day of devastation, and it is evident in the way this story is told.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
The word choice allows the reader to step into the shoes of this young girl and be a member of this church. One can almost hear the screams of the other parishioners as a short description of the event unfolds. The author spends quite a bit of the short book building up to the event. She describes not only the events that led to the bombing, such as water hoses and dogs being turned lose on pedestrians, but also what the narrator has for breakfast and how excited she is to be performing a solo in church that day. It really sets the tone of the unrest that had become so commonplace at this moment in history. The horrifying occurrence itself is mentioned without great detail, as if the child doesn't want to get too far into what she saw. The rest of the day is described, and there is a sadness beyond her years as she speaks not of the birthday party that she will no longer have that day, but of the four girls who will have no more birthdays and of the mayhem in the streets of her town on the heels of this tragedy. The point of view in this book makes it all the more evident how terrible this day really was, and that very young children were witnesses to the atrocities that took place on that infamous day. The book's pictures are real photos taken that day. They show families crying out in the streets and utter confusion on the faces of the residents of Birmingham that awful day, a day that will stand out in the history of that city and of our nation forever.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:

Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award

Jane Addams Children's Literature Honor

Jefferson Cup

Best Book, Librarian's Choices
"Exquisitely understated design lends visual potency to a searing poetic evocation of the Birmingham church bombing of 1963." Kirkus Reviews

CONNECTIONS:

This book would be excellent to read as an introduction to THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM, 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis. It would also be an beneficial addition to a unit on Civil Rights (maybe during Black History Month or on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day).

BECOMING BILLIE HOLIDAY by Carole Boston Weatherford

MOSES by Carole Boston Weatherford

I, MATTHEW HENSON by Carole Boston Weatherford

Traditional Literature

Sky Dogs
by Jane Yolen

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Yolen, Jane. 1990. SKY DOGS. Ill. by Barry Moser. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. ISBN 0-15-275480-6.

PLOT SUMMARY
This story takes the reader back in time, via the memory of a Native American elder, to a time when horses were first introduced to his tribe. He was a motherless Piegan boy who was as astounded as everyone else when three Kutani people and three horses ride up to his village. This was the first time his people had seen horses, and they named them "sky dogs". The boy timidly was the first to approach one of the horses and touch it. The father of the boy married the Kutani woman, who taught the boy all about horses. He comes to be called He-who-loves-horses and earned a place in the council of warriors.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In this adaptation of several Native American legends, Jane Yolen captures the voice of the Native American people. This book is difficult to read aloud without using a Native American accent, which tells you how strongly the characters come through. The word choice is truly beautiful, and the story is one that warms the heart. At the same time, a feeling of sorror is almost overwhelming as the reader contemplates how much this man has seen in his life. He went from a time of his people respecting the land, through learning how to ride like the wind, then to a point where he no longer rides and the land now belongs to the white man. The pictures are all set in browns, oranges, and tans, which makes the reader feel the heat of a peaceful sunset and possibly a warm fire glowing nearby, where all of the elders are sitting and telling legends much like the story itself.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
ALA Notable Book, 1990
Walden Books Best Children's Book of the Year Honor, 1990
Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List, 1990
Young Hoosier Picture Book Award nominee, 1990
"Writer and artist together have produced a fine evocation of a place and a people." - Patricia Dooley, University of Washington, Seattle

CONNECTIONS
This book is an excellent to read during a unit on legends and folk tales. Though this is an adaptation, its voice and word choice really convey the importance of respect for land and nature and the life of our Native American predecesors.
"Night Tree" by Eve Bunting
"The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush" by Tomie DePaola

Traditional Literature

Rapunzel
by Paul O. Zelinsky

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Zelinsky, Paul O. 1997. RAPUNZEL. Ill. by Paul O. Zelinsky. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-525-45607-4.

PLOT SUMMARY
This classic tale begins with a married couple deeply in love that had finally conceived after many years of trying. The wife had cravings for the rapunzel that grew in a sorceress' garden. This sorceress found the husband stealing the herb, and insisted that he give her the infant when she was born. The sorceress took the baby, named Rapunzel, to live with her and put her in a tower in her teen years. The only entrance into the tower was gained by Rapunzel letting down her hair and allowing someone to climb up the hair into the tower. A prince wandering by learned of this secret entrance one day, and he and Rapunzel secretly married. Soon she became pregnant. When the sorceress found out, she chopped off her hair and cast the pregnant Rapunzel into the wilderness. The prince was pushed out of the tower window by the evil sorceress and became blind. He wandered into the wilderness where he found Rapunzel, whose tears healed his blindness, and his twin children. The family made its way back to the prince's kingdom and lived happily ever after.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
I will admit that I do not remember much about the Rapunzel tale I was told as a child, but this tale surprised me in many ways. It does not seem appropriate for elementary-aged children, though it was found in my school library. Pregnancy was introduced in the book by the women's clothes growing tighter. Rapunzel's parents did not seem very upset about giving up their only child, and they were not mentioned again. The prince was pushed out of the window of the tall tower, but was not killed. In true fairy tale fashion, his blindness was cured by the tears of his true love. The ending was also a fairy tale ending, complete with the marriage to royalty and a perfect family. Zelinsky chose elements from Grimm's version as well as older version of the tale in order to compose this adaptation. The pictures in the book are beautiful paintings with vivid color and exceptional detail. The characters' clothing alone captures the detail of billowing robes and silks. It is truly beautiful to look at.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus Reviews: "Grandly evocative, composed and executed with superb technical and emotional command."
Horn Book: "Simply put, this is a gorgeous book; it demonstrates respect for the traditions of painting and the fairy tale while at the same time adhering to a singular, wholly original, artistic vision."
Winner - Caldecott Medal, 1998

CONNECTIONS
This book can be read along with other versions of "Rapunzel" and used as a tool for comparing/ contrasting characters and events throughout the variants of the tales.
"Rapunzel" Grimm's Fairy Tales
Disney's Tangled (Book and movie)
"Rapunzel and Other Maiden in the Tower Tales from Around the World (SurLaLune Fairy Tale Series)" by Heidi Anne Heiner

Traditional Literature

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs
By Al. Wolf
As told by John Scieszka


Scieszka, John. 1991. THE TRUE STORY OF THE 3 LITTLE PIGS! BY A. WOLF. Ill. by Lane Smith. New York: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-590-44357-7.

PLOT SUMMARY
This entertaining version of "The Three Little Pigs" is told from an unlikely perspective - the wolf's! Alexander T. Wolf, or A. Wolf, beings this book with a short introduction that lets the reader in on the purpose of the book, which is to tell his side of the story. He begins by claiming that he merely wanted a cup of sugar to bake a birthday cake for his granny. It was an unfortunate coincidence that he also had a terrible cold at the time. He insists that the pigs were rude and refused to share sugar with him, and that mere sneezes caused the first 2 houses to fall down. The first two pigs were "dead as door nails" when he found them in the rubble. Not being wasteful, he ate them. He was arrested throwing a fit at the third pig's house because the pig had insulted his granny.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This book is always a hit with grade school students. The wolf's antics make them laugh while showing that, like all tales (whether from a book or the playground), there are always two sides to every story. Of course, the wolf is not fooling anyone with this humorous take on the classic tale. The colors of the illustrations are indicative of the wolf's dark side, and even his voice in the book gives hints that he may not be a trustworthy source. The end of the story leaves a great opening for many writing assignments. It simply shows the wolf leaning out of his jail cell with a cup in his hand, after stating he was framed, with the words, "But maybe you could loan me a cup of sugar."

REVIEW EXCERPTS
The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas
The Three Little Pigs by James Marshall
Winner - Maryland Black-eyed Susan Book Award for Picture Books, 1991

CONNECTIONS
This book is a wonderful resource for teaching the writing trait of VOICE. It also can be very handy in teaching character traits and analyzing characters.
A comparison of other versions of Three Little Pigs can also be made with this book. This can be done through discussion, Venn Diagrams, or any other age-appropriate form of analysis.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Bibliography:
Potter, Beatrix. 1902. THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT. Ill. by Beatrix Potter. London, England: Frederick Warne & Co. ISBN 0-916410-24-2.

Plot Summary:
In this classic tale, Beatrix Potter uses a family of rabbits to illustrate the perils of young children not listening to the warnings of parents. The mischievous Peter is warned (along with his 3 sisters) not to go into Mr. McGregor's garden, where his father met an untimely fate. Peter, being quite the daredevil, decides to make his way into the garden and feast on some of Mr. McGregor's vegetables. He gets caught and spends most of the book trying to avoid the fate of the farmer's rake. In the process, a valuable lesson is learned.

Critical Analysis:
Beatrix Potter lived and wrote in an age of simplicity, yet she had the gift to take that simplicity and turn it into stories with invaluable morals and the ability to hold the interest of many reading levels. The fact that Peter's father's fate did not play a role in his decisions was a display of the childlike innocence of the character. We find at the end of the story that Peter's clothing (which were left in the garden) was the second set of clothing that had been lost by the little rabbit within a two-week time period. This leads the reader to believe that, though he was very scared and almost had his short life ended in the course of his adventures that day, these were not the first dangerous adventures that had taken place in the furry creatures life. This leads the adult reader to wonder if Peter will ever truly learn his lesson.
The illustrations in this book were also done by Beatrix Potter. The drawing accompany her classic word choice and writing style very well. At first glance, the illustrations seem to reflect the simplicity of the era. However, upon further examination one can see that these drawings were not quick or simple to complete. On the first few pages, upon which the rabbit family is introduced, no one color stands out any more prominently than the others. Peter's blue clothing matches his mother's. As the story is being told, both through words and pictures, Peter's clothing is the only place in which the color blue is seen. This leaves the reader with a clue that the clothing will play a role (though small) in the story. The use of the same color palate on each page can be deceivingly unassuming, but the placement of the colors seem to aid in the telling of this story.
Children of all ages can relate to this story, as can adults. Through the eyes of an adult, one wonders what would even tempt this rabbit to sneak into a garden in which he may be killed as his father was. When seen through the eyes of a child, it is evident that the temptation of delicious snacks (vegetables to rabbits, candy to kids) are worth whatever trouble may lie ahead. Children do not see themselves as mortal, and this story is a great example of that well-known fact.

Excerpt Review:
School Library Journal - #29 on Top 100 Picture Books Poll
- #2 Best-selling Book of All Time
Book List - "A timeless book. Your child will be fretful of poor Peter as he struggles to get away from Mr. McGregor and might even learn a lesson about listening to grown-ups."

Connections:
Every adult can remember a time when he/ she felt immortal, like Peter seems to feel in this story. This is a classic tale with a timeless moral for children - do what your parents tell you to or suffer the consequences. Thankfully for Peter, his consequence was merely missing a supper of delicious blackberries. This can be related to almost any situation in which a child may find himself. Other books written by Beatrix Potter include THE TALE OF SQUIRREL NUTKIN, THE TALE OF LITTLE PIG ROBINSON, and THE TALE OF BENJAMIN BUNNY, in which Peter Rabbit returns to Mr. McGregor's garden.

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

Bibliography:
Gerstein, Mordecai. 2003. The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. Ill. by Mordecai Gerstein. Brookfield, CT: Roaring Book Press. ISBN 0761317910.

Plot Summary:
In this non-fiction picture book, Mordecai Gerstein describes how a French acrobat made his way across a wire between the Twin Towers in 1974 New York City. Philippe Petit knew that, in order to accomplish this feat, it would have to be in the process of erecting the two skyscrapers. The reader is taken on Petit's journey as he accomplishes this task, then is arrested and taken into a New York court of law to await the consequences. The last two pages give a very emotional yet simple tribute to the World Trade Center of the past and explain how the Twin Towers are imprinted on the future.

Critical Analysis:
The story is elegantly-written, using child-centered language and concepts in order to pull in the reader. It begins with the concoction of the idea - an idea that many may consider as one of a lunatic. Philippe Petit wants to walk a wire between the World Trade Centers as they are being constructed in New York City in 1974. The reader is taken through Petit's thought processes as he determines how to get around the laws (which would obviously not deem this trick appropriate). It describes the scheme, in which others are involved, and the trials and eventual success of this attempt. It doesn't end with the completion of the goal, though. The consequences following the action are described, but not in a moralistic manner. The story wraps up with a touching, undetailed account of the buildings' fate. This ending will give goosebumps.
New York City circa 1974 looks much like the New York of today to the uneducated eye, though some of the clothing illustrations give away the time warp that is so evident in some forms of media. The pictures demonstrate Petit's view of the entire ordeal, with a few of them giving insight as to what the audience was seeing as the show was taking place. The lights of the city shine more apparently than the light of the stars on the night illustrations, which keeps the story centered around the city itself. The waking of the city is shown, though not through the actions of its inhabitants. It is shown through the eyes of the man who was walking through the air a quarter of a mile above the ground. The pages showing the act from the viewers' perspectives fold out, which helps the reader to feel as if he or she is actually standing below the performance. It really gives the impression of seeing something so tiny, so impossible, that a double-take is necessity. The birds look down upon Petit as the illustrations show their view as well. Next the reader is taken back down to Earth, where he or she is looking up at the judge's desk with Petit, wondering what fate awaits him. The last two pictures reveal two New York skylines: one as it stands today, tower-less, and the other bearing the faint images of what used to be such a recognizable landmark in the Big Apple.
This book takes the tragic events of a day that is now ingrained in our nation's history and transforms come of the characters into an uplifting and meaningful story appropriate for all ages.

Awards:
Caldecott Medal Winner, 2004

Connections:
This book is appropriate for all age levels. It would make a great read-aloud for elementary-age students on the anniversary of September 11 as it does not focus on the tragic deaths of that day, but instead tells the story of the birth of two buildings and the accomplishment of a dream. This is one story centering around the Twin Towers that the youth of America will view as uplifting and inspiring, as opposed to most other information relating to the World Trade Center. It can also serve as a motivational story for children and adults alike as it focuses on the dedication of one man and the completion of his vision. This book was written in memoriam of September 11, but the tragedy is not named specifically. Instead, the last pages of the book refer to the event with the simple words, "Now the towers are gone. But in memory, as if imprinted on the sky, the towers are still there."