Iguana in the Snow and Other Winter Poems

Author: Francisco X. Alarcon
Illustrator: Maya Christina Gonzalez


Comments:
Alarcon pens concise poems that directly relate to the experience of children, especially Hispanic readers. Each poem is printed in English and Spanish and uniquely incorporated into the illustrations. This allows the two languages to be compared and lends itself to choral readings. This book is set in San Fransisco and explores topics like the Delores Mission, barrios, the pier, bilingual school, Las Posadas songs, migrant life, Sequoias, and first snows.

Other bilingual titles by Alarcon include:

• Poems to Dream Together: Poemas Para Sonar Juntos
• From the Bellybutton of the Moon/Del Ombligo de la Luna : And Other Summer Poems/Y Otros Poemas de Verano
• Angels Ride Bikes/Los Angeles Andan En Bicicleta : And Other Fall Poems/Y Otros Poemas de Oto
• From the Other Side of Night/Del otro lado de la noche : New and Selected PoemsAnimal Poems of the Iguazu/Animalario del Iguazu
• Laughing Tomatoes/Jitomates Risuenos : And Other Spring Poems/Y Otros Poemas de Primavera

Copyright: Children's Book Press; Bilingual edition (March 10, 2005)
Age level: 4-8
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Poetry and Verse
Multicultural/International: Hispanic, bilingual text
Location: Peabody Library
Rating: * * *

Hoops

Author: Robert Burleigh
Illustrator: Stephen T. Johnson

Comments:
In this free verse jam about basketball, the illustrations express just as much of the action as the stanzas. The pick-up game is transformed into a body of water, a fox, a hawk, and a thicket through Burleigh's figurative language. Even middle-schoolers studying poetry would enjoy this picture book.

Copyright: Laurel Leaf, 1983
Age level: Young Adult
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Poetry and Verse
Multicultural/International: Urban, African American
Awards: An ALA Notable Children's Book, A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, A New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
Location: Peabody Library
Rating: * * *

In the Swim

Author: Douglas Florian
Illustrator: Douglas Florian


Comments:
This is one of many books the Florian has written about animals. In this book, he defines each type of fish with an illustration and a concise, often humorous poem. His collections would be valuable resources for the science classroom and references for student research.

Other books by Douglas Florian include:

• Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars : Space Poems and Paintings
• Lizards, Frogs, And Polliwogs
• Insectlopedia
• Mammalabilia
• On The Wing
• Beast Feast
• bow wow meow meow : it's rhyming cats and dogs

Copyright: Voyager Books (April 1, 2001)
Age level: 4-8
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Poetry and Verse
Multicultural/International: No
Location: Peabody Library
Rating: * * * *

The Story Goes On

Author: Aileen Fisher
Illustrator: Mique Moriuchi

Comments:
Cyclical like First the Egg, this book begins with a seed and follow the food chain until it returns to the ground where the seed once grew. This book is good for predicting and can also be incorporated into science lessons. Moriuchi's illustrations, created with paint and newpaper through collage techniques, are bright and fanciful.

Copyright: Roaring Brook Press (April 13, 2005)
Age level: 4-8
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Nonfiction, Poetry and Verse
Multicultural/International: No
Location: Peabody Library
Rating: * * * *

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village

Author: Laura Amy Schultz
Illustrator: Robert Byrd


Comments:
This book of miniature plays include 19 monologues and 2 dialogues for students to perform in a reader's theatre. The dramas are of different lengths and formats so that they can be matched to the reading ability. Schlitz wrote these plays for her students which working as a librarian. The drama is set in an English manor in the year 1255. The characters range from about 10-15 years of age and include nobility and paupers who has similar adolescent experiences but in different contexts. For example, Hugo, the Lord's nephew, must overcome his fear of his harsh uncle during a coming of age challenge. Taggot, the blacksmith's daughter, deals with body image issue and young love.

Copyright: Candlewick, 2008
Age level: 9-12
Format: Picture Book, Drama
Genre: Historical Fiction, Poetry and Verse, Drama
Multicultural/International: No
Awards: The Newbery Award
Location: Peabody Library
Rating: * * * *

A Caribbean Dozen: Peoms From Caribbean Poets

Author: Edited by John Agard and Grace Nichols
Illustrator: Cathie Felstead


Comments:
Thirteen Caribbean poets share their work for children in this collection which is divided into sections by author. Each section includes each author's autobiography, and a variety of folk art aptly illustrates each poem. Many poems address issues of bilingualism and biculturalism by incorporating dialogue and juxtaposing cultural experiences. Common poetic techniques include free verse, the use of refrains, brief lines, and couplets. Other topics include school, family, animals and nature.

Copyright: Walker Books Ltd, 1996
Age level: 9-12
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Poetry and Verse
Multicultural/International: American, Canadians, and Brits from the Caribbean
Location: Peabody Library
Rating: * * *

In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall

Author: Robin Miles and Charles Turner
Illustrator: Javaka Steptoe

Comments:

"When you follow in the path of your father, you learn to walk like him." - Ashanti Proverb

This collection of poems celebrates that father's role in African American families, in both work and play. Most interesting, however, is the mixed media technique which Steptoe uses to create his illustrations. Examine the images and you can find coins, barretts, apple seeds, buttons, beads, mesh, ribbons, butterfly wings, and sea shells. Steptoe calls these materials "found objects" which also include scraps of tin seiling, salvaged floor boards, and real fish. To put the image together, he uses torn paper technique, cut paper, applique, collage, and painting.

Copyright: Lee & Low Books, 2001
Age level: 4-8
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Poetry and Verse
Multicultural/International: African American
Awards: Coretta Scott King Award
Location: Peabody Library
Rating: * * *

Star Walk

Author: Seymour Simon
Illustrator: Photos from National Optical Astronomy Observatories and NASA

Comments:

In Star Walk scientific poetry from the past is brought to life with dazzling imagery made possible only by recent technology. Pieces of verse are paired with astronomy images not to explain each other, but to enrich each other. Simon suggests: "Try reading the poems slowly and looking at the acompanying photograph for a long while." Captions for photos are also included to explain the content of the picture. He hopes that this book will encourage readers to write or draw about their scientific ideas of space.

Additionally, Simon does not confine the scope of his work to canonized white, male scientists. He included the work of female scientists as well as the perspective of various Native American tribes.

Copyright: William Morrow, 1995
Age level: 10 and up
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Poetry and Verse
Multicultural/International: Native American
Location: Peabody Library
Rating: * * * *

One Leaf Rides the Wind

Author: Celeste Davidson Mannis
Illustrator: Susan Kathleen Hartung


Comments:

"The Japanese garden is a restful place removed from the cares and worries of everyday life."

This is a counting book that takes the form of haikus. A note of Japanese gardens and Haiku poetry is included at the end, and Hartung says that in English the Japanese form was not strictly followed, which seems to be the current trend in American's Haiku. Hartung also notes that Haiku should be recited in a single breath, which add to the restful vibe of the Japanese garden.

Aside from teaching counting and Haiku, the poems also include footnotes about cultural aspects such as the Shinto and Buddhist religions, shih tzu guard dogs, padoga and teahouses. The illustrations, oil paint glases on sealed paper, enhance this sense of culture. Each Haiku and accompanying illustration guides your through the garden, and the collection ends with a bird's eye view of where you have been.

Copyright: Puffin, 2005
Age level: 4-8
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Poetry and Verse (Haiku, Counting)
Multicultural/International: Japanese
Awards: IRA Children's Book Awards
Location: Peabody Library
Rating: * * * * *

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom

Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrator: Kadir Nelson


Comments:
Weatherford weaves three voices throughout Moses: the narrator, Harriet Tubman, and God. Weatherford used Harriet's own narrative to learn about the kinds of prayers that sustained her throughout her journey along the underground railroad. The change in typeface denotes these changes in voice, and the book can turn into a reader's theatre or choral reading.

Definitely worthy of the Caldecott award, Nelson's illustrations capture the darkness and anguish of the journey north. The sculpted facial expressions of Harriet Tubman speak volumes and conveys the yearning of her spirit.

Copyright: Hyperion Book, 2006
Age level: 4-8
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Poetry and Verse, Historical Fiction, Biography
Multicultural/International: African American
Awards: Caldecott Honor & 2007 Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration; A New York Times Bestseller; NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Children
Location: Peabody Library
Rating: * * * * *

Remember the Bridge: Poems of a People

Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrator: Carole Boston Weatherford

Comments:
What began a Weatherford's graduate photo essay has now become a poetic textbook in African American history for children. The more Weatherford researched and discovered photographs and artwork, the more inspired she was to commit that history into poems. The sense of history and culture to be gleans from this collection is so rich! Weatherford's message for her young readers is "Remember!"

"The bridge is men and women,
famous and unknown,
leaving paths of memories,
timeless stephhing stones."

Copyright: Philomel, 2002
Age level: 9-12
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Poetry and Verse, Historical
Multicultural/International: African American
Awards: North Carolina Juvenile Literature Award; Teachers' Choices, International Reading Association; Notable Book, National Council for the Social Studies; Notable Book of the English Language Arts; Bank Street College Best Children's Books of 2003
Location: Personal Collection
Rating: * * * * *

Dear Mr. Rosenwald

Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie


Comments:
Weatherford learned about Rosenwald schools from her parents who experienced them first hand. Julius Rosenwald, second-generation American and president of Sears, donated millions so African American communities could build their own schools. In a series of poems, from the perspective of the student Ovella, Weatherford shows how the project of building these schools strengthened the community and gave generations young and old a hope for a better tomorrow. Historically, Weatherford communicates well the African American experience during the Reconstruction era after the Civil War and Emancipation. R. Gregory Christie's folk art emphasizes the sense of culture that the poems seek to instill.

Copyright: Scholastic, 2006
Age level: 7-10
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Historical Fiction, Poetry and Verse
Multicultural/International: African American
Awards: SCBWI Golden Kite Honor for Picture Book Text, NAACP Image Award Finalist, IRA Notable Books for a Global Society, Notable Book: National Council for the Social Studies
Location: Personal Collection
Rating: * * * *

Before John Was a Jazz Giant

Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrator: Sean Qualls
Comments:
Great for developing readers, this book looks at the musical influences of John Coltrane's childhood. Not only are the colorful illustrations engaging, but the verse can also be acted out or read aloud together. Weatherford's Author's Note gives a more detailed biography of John Coltrane and a list of recordings for selected listening and books for further reading.

Readers can discuss their own talents and how they developed with the option of preparing their own talent biography. By using the biographical information in the Author's Notes, readers can also create a timeline of Coltrane's life events.

Copyright: Henry Holt, 2007
Age level: 4-8
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Biography, Poetry and Verse
Multicultural/International: African American
Location: Peabody Library
Rating: * * *

Sidewalk Chalk Poems of the City

Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrator: Dimitrea Tokunbo



Comments:
Carole Boston Weatherford captures the essence of growing up in the city through her 20 short, haiku-like poems. Quintessential city references include double dutch, shoeshine men, corner bebop groups, boomboxes, basketball courts, marts, laundromats, and barbershops.

Tukunbo's illustrations are done in pencil and water color and have an embossed look in which the children look somewhat blurred from far away but greatly detailed in close-up shots. Just as the illustrations feature a variety of children and families in the city, so does the book's theme relate to readers from any city. Certain elements like farmer's markets, church, and strays also overlap with the rural experience.

Copyright: Wordsong, 2001
Age level: 9-12
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Poetry and Verse
Multicultural/International: African American, urban
Location: Peabody Library
Rating: * * * *

Casey at Bat

Author: Ernest L. Thayer
Illustrator: Joe Morse
Comments:
The classic poem "Casey at Bat" is recast by contemporary artists in an urban setting. The illustrations take a graphic novel form and the text is encapsulated within speech bubbles. This formatting make the content appealing to older readers.

Copyright: Kids Can Press Ltd., 2006
Age level: 10 and up
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Poetry
Multicultural/International: African-American, urban
Awards: 2008 International Reading Association Young Adult Choices, winner; 2007 New York Public Library’s Books for the Teen Age List, winner; 2007 YALSA American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults, shortlist; 2007 Texas Lone Star Reading List, shortlist; 2007 NCTE Notable Children’s Books in Language Arts, winner; 2006 Society of Illustrators Original Art Competition; 2006 Governor General’s Award, shortlist, Children’s Literature - Illustration; 2006 Quill and Quire’s Books of the Year, selected
Location: Lookybook
Rating: * * * *

The Sounds That Jazz Makes

Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrator: EricVelasquez


Comments:

"Jazz is a downbeat born in our nation,
chords of struggle and jubilation,
bursting forth from hearts set free
in notes that echo history."

Weatherford traces the linage of jazz from the African kalimba to spirituals, gospel, bebop, and rap while at the same time highlighting the significant historic events that shaped its sound. Eric Valesquez's vivid illustrations capture the deep emotion of the scenes and song.

Some discussion questiosn could include: How do the instruments of jazz change through time? How do the historic events highlighted in the book shape the music produced? In what ways are the forms of "jazz" similar and different?

Copyright: Walter Books, 2001
Age level: 4-8
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Poetry and Verse
Multicultural/International: African American
Awards: Carter G. Woodson Book Award (Elementary Level)
Location: Peabody Library
Rating: * * * * *

The House That Crack Built

Author: Clark Taylor
Illustrator: Jan Thompson Dicks

Comments:
In the form of The House that Jack Built, Taylor explores the consequences of drug trade. The story begins with a drug dealer's mansion and then transports us to the coca fields, the streets, and the homes ruined by drug use. For some readers, the content may seem mature and shocking, but for many children, this fictional work may be all too real. In reading groups, students can discuss the cause-effect structure of the text.

Copyright: Chronicle Books
Age level: All
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction, Poetry and Verse
Multicultural/International: Urban, International
Awards: ALA, "Best Books for Reluctant Readers";ALA, "Best Books for Young Adults"; American Bookseller, "Pick of the Lists"; Bookbuilders West Award; Publishers Weekly, "Best Books of 1992"; Publishers Weekly, starred review
Location: Lookybook
Rating: * * * *

Birmingham, 1963

Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrator: Carole Boston Weatherford


Comments:
Carole Boston Weatherford dedicates this book to "all who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom." Again, she adopts a child perspective to the events of the civil rights era, especially by focusing on the year the main character turns 10 years old and the attack that occurs on her birthday.

Weatherford not only research the church bombing, but she also located photographs from the time that give readers a realistic glimpse into the past. And main poem in the book is followed by four poems, elegies for the four girls who died in the attack. All this helps make the civil rights movement personal to young readers.

Copyright: Wordsong, 2007
Age level: 9-12
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Poetry and Verse, Historical Fiction
Multicultural/International: African American
Awards: Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, Jane Addams Children's Literature Honor, Jefferson Cup
Location: Peabody Library
Rating: * * * *

A Child's Calendar: Poems by John Updike

Author: John Updike
Illustrator: Trina Schart Hyman (bibliography)


Comments:

John Updike uses significant details, onomatopoeia, metaphor, and more to capture the essence of each month. However, the months of the year are defined solely through American culture. While these poems can be used to introduce ELL students to American culture and customs, The Children's Calendar can spark discussion about cultural differences in any classroom.

Updikes poems can also be used in comparison to Japanese haiku. Both emphasize seasonal settings and express their unique scenes with only a handful of words. Updike utilizes a consistent structure of 4 syllables per line and 4 lines per stanza. Lower and upper elementary students can write their own haikus or stanzas on a certain aspect characteristic of a month or season.

Copyright: 2002
Age/grade level: Ages 6-10
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Poetry and Verse
Multicultural/International: Each month is defined by the culture, pastimes, and holidays of the United States, but it features a racial range of American families.
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book. John Updike is also a Pulitzer Prize winning writer.
Location: Lookybook
Rating: * * *

Person John Updike

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Black Cat

Author: Christopher Myers
Illustrator: Christopher Myers

Comments:

Black Cat is a book that city kids can relate to, but it also paints a vivid picture of city life for students living in rural areas. For both kinds of classes, students could re-write the story so the cat is wandering around their own neighborhoods.

Participle phrases play a large part in the verses of Black Cat. This book could be used at an upper elementary or middle school level as an engaging example.

View a Reading Rockets video interview with Christopher Myers. He shares his purpose and inspiration for writing.

Copyright: 1999
Age/grade level: Ages 4-8
Format: Picture Book
Genre: Poetry and Verse
Multicultural/International: African-American Author/Illustrator, Urban Setting
Awards: Coretta Scott King Honor Book, ALA Notable Children's Book
Location: Personal Library
Rating: * * * *