Bibliography Grimes, Nikki. 2017. One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance. Ill. by Cozbi A. Cabrera, R. Gregory Christie, Pat Cummings, Jan Spivey Gilchrist, Ebony Glenn, Nikki Grimes, E. B. Lewis, Frank Morrison, Christopher Myers, Brian Pinkney, Sean Qualls, James Ransome, Javaka Steptoe, Shadra Strickland, and Elizabeth Zunon. New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781619635548 Review & Critical Analysis In her latest poetry collection One Last Word, NCTE Award Winner Nikki Grimes takes a fresh look at the poets of the Harlem Renaissance. Using the “Golden Shovel” poetry form, Grimes creates new poems out of lines, stanzas, and even entire poems from this era by notable African American poets. The poems both old and new will resonate with readers and create a thought-provoking collection full of diversity and beautiful verse. This collection is laid out in three parts. Grimes begins and ends the book with an original poem introducing the inspiration for the collection and closing it in a fulfilling manner with the narrator’s voice coming full circle. Grimes first presents a classic poem from the Harlem Renaissance by numerous notable African American poets including Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Bennett, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Jean Toomer, and more. She then takes a line, stanza, and in some cases, the whole poem, and creates an original golden shovel poem from those words. Each of these poems builds on the themes of the book and gives the reader a unique perspective on diversity, racial equality, oppression, and numerous other ideas from a more modern perspective and voice. Each poem, whether new or old, is engaging and carefully chosen or produced for its quality and appeal for the audience. Grimes does an excellent job not only organizing the collection, but also providing background and structure to the collection. There is a table of contents, and a preface, Harlem Renaissance section, and author’s note where Grimes gives detailed background information about herself, her writing, the Harlem Renaissance, and its influence on her as a writer, poet, and person. Grimes also includes an introduction to the golden shovel poetry form with examples and explanation of why she enjoys writing poetry in this challenging and artistic way. Another wonderful feature of this book is the resources included at the end. Grimes includes poet and artist biographies, acknowledgements, a detailed list of sources, and an index. All of these elements work together to provide readers with a rich background for the poems, as well as further information to explore the authors, illustrators, and themes included in the book. The rich artwork provided by artists and illustrators like Javaka Steptoe (son of John Steptoe), Christopher Myers (son of Walter Dean Myers), Cozbi A. Cabrera, and even Nikki Grimes herself, provide a rich and colorful context to each poem. These talented, modern African American artists have added a layer of depth to each poem in their creation of a work of art to accompany it. The poems included in this collection work together to create an emotional impact the reader will carry for a long time to come. Each poem is carefully selected or crafted and conveys a message of courage, strength, and hope. Even readers who are not African American will identify with these themes and feel the strength of the message behind them. Even though the poems have similar themes and ideas, they differ in their rhythm, sound, and language. Poetry lovers will find pieces that evoke stunning visuals, as well as poems that draw out deep emotions. The mix of old and new poems is engaging and is appealing to readers, especially after reading Grimes’ introduction to the golden shovel form. Overall, One Last Word is an emotional, impactful, and creative collection that is sure to resonate with readers for years to come. Grimes has set herself apart as a powerful voice in poetry, as well as an outstanding African American poet. This is a collection that should be included in collections everywhere! Spotlight Poem This poem, found on page 32, is the golden shovel form created from Georgia Douglas Johnson’s poem Calling Dreams. This poem spoke to me for many reasons including how it addresses the hard work it takes to achieve our dreams. This is a theme students can relate to as they begin to explore their calling for the future and create the pathway that will them there.
I would introduce this poem to students by reading it aloud accompanied by the original poem by Johnson. I would then ask students why they think Grimes chose the line “The right to make my dreams come true,” from Johnson’s poem. How does that line fit in with the new golden shovel poem Grimes creates from it? This could lead into a writing assignment or discussion about a time the student has worked hard to achieve a goal or dream. I would also introduce the concept of a golden shovel poem and challenge students to create their own from a poem of their choice. This will be a challenge, but also a great opportunity for learning and creativity for my students.
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Bibliography Florian, Douglas. 2009. Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings. Ill. by Douglas Florian. New York: Antheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781416979784 Review & Critical Analysis Douglas Florian’s Dinothesaurus is a funny and factual collection of poetry about a subject near and dear to the hearts of children (and adults) everywhere; dinosaurs! Through these twenty poems, Florian brings different dinosaurs to life, highlighting their unique qualities and characteristics in humorous and engaging ways. The twenty poems included in this collection are silly and entertaining, yet also contain enough factual information to be educational in quality. All of the poems are short and rhyme, which is perfect for the attention span of young children. Each poem highlights a different dinosaur and contains elements of fact and elements of fun. Some poems are downright silly to read out loud, but nonetheless contain interesting information about the dinosaur. The illustrations add to this feeling. Florian uses mixed media to create the dinosaur and adds whimsical details including silly hats, jewelry, construction machines (to demonstrate size), and even people into the scenes. The natural rhythm of each poem is appealing to young readers, as is the short format and expression included in many poems. Florian does a wonderful job of using punctuation and bold words to help the reader emphasize certain phrases and create feeling in each poem. He also uses advanced vocabulary, like stupendous, tremendous, colossal, titanic, etc., which builds vocabulary and helps stimulate the imagination of the reader. The topic of dinosaurs is, of course, appealing, and the use of illustrations, rhythm, silliness, etc. enriches the reader’s experience. The overall quality of the poems is consistent and creates a wonderful collection readers are sure to love. The poems are arranged one per each two-page spread, and each poem includes a guide on how to pronounce the dinosaur’s name and the name’s origin. The collection begins with an introductory poem, The Age of Dinosaurs, and ends with a poem titled The End of Dinosaurs. These two bookend poems are the logical beginning and end with a mixture of poems relating to specific dinosaurs sandwiched in between. Florian includes a table of contents, as well as a “glossarysaurus,” which includes a brief summary about each poem/dinosaur. He also includes a guide to dinosaur museums and fossil sites and a selected bibliography for further reading. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this title aloud with my young children. They repeatedly asked me to go back and read specific poems again and again. This is a great title to introduce young children to engaging, interesting poems on a specific topic. This is a title I will continue to return to and share with my students in the future. Spotlight Poem Barosaurus BAR-oh-SAW-rus (heavy lizard) I’m higher than five elephants. I’m longer than most whales. My giant neck is balanced by My forty-three-foot tail. A tail that is my weapon. It swings from side to side. From nose to tail I’m ninety-feet-- Hey kid, ya wanna ride? This poem, found on pages 22 and 23, is accompanied by an amazing mixed media representation of a barosaurus with a child riding on its tail. Florian even included a ladder to the dinosaur’s back in the illustration! This poem was one that my children especially loved due to its ability to convey the characteristics of the barosaurus clearly in a very visual way. The quantifiable dimensions are ones that even young children can envision, creating a realistic picture of a barosaurus for the reader. I would introduce this poem to students by reading it aloud and having them visualize the barosaurus in their minds. After reading, I would ask them to recall some of the words that helped create that image. This book would be a great resource to use as an introduction to a science unit on dinosaurs. Students could research a dinosaur, use mixed media art supplies to create an image of the dinosaur, and then write an original poem about it. These poems could be used as a way to share the students’ learning on a variety of dinosaurs with the school community. Bibliography Mora, Pat. 2010. Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems About Love. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 9780375843754 Review & Critical Analysis Dizzy in Your Eyes is a collection of fifty poems written by Pat Mora. Each poem is written from the point of view of a unique narrator. The narrators are both boys and girls, each experiencing different moments centered around love. Mora includes many different types of poetry and defines many of the different types to help the reader better understand the poetic forms. This is a very interesting, teen-centered collection of poems about an emotion that takes on many shapes; love. Each poem is unique and tells a “love” story from a different narrator’s perspective. From the boy who leaves flowers on the windshield of the girl he likes, to the poem “Old Love” which reflects on the heartbreak of watching a grandparent lose their life-long love, these poems run the gamut of “love” emotions. There is hope, joy, anger, and heartbreak. There are even poems that reflect on the love of family and friends. Some of the poems have rhythm and rhyme, while others use detailed imagery to create an emotional impact. The mixture of styles and emotions from multiple perspectives is interesting and engaging for the reader. Mora does a tremendous job mixing different styles and forms of poetry to create an incredibly diverse and unique collection of poems. Even though all the poems center around love, the different forms keep the reader on his/her toes. Each time Mora introduces a new or unique poetic form, like an ode or anaphora, she defines it so that the reader has a better understanding of the origin and form of the poem. Mora even includes a few poems in English and Spanish! This information extends the reader’s understanding and helps him/her connect with this new poetic idea. Overall the quality of the poems is consistent and, even with various forms and emotions, they are able to stay on topic. Maintaining the theme of love could present a challenge to many poets, but Mora does a tremendous job of producing high-quality poetry reflecting the many aspects of love. In her note to the reader at the beginning of the book, Mora explains the meaning behind the book and poems, as well as her use of multiple forms of poetry. She also discusses that she wrote these poems for choral reading, duets, and to be used with music. Another interesting anecdote is that she views the book as a “cycle of love.” From first love, to heartbreak, to finding love again, this book has every love emotion imaginable! Dizzy in Your Eyes is a work of poetry that will take you back to the way you felt the first time you fell in love. These poems, written specifically for teens, are engaging, interesting, and relatable for readers of all ages. This title is a great addition to a high school or young adult poetry collection. Spotlight Poem Mundo de agua Sliding into blue pool swirl of my other world, recurring rhythm: breath, stroke, kick, wet home Stretching into my breath I reach beyond myself, earth-sounds muffled, water and I alone Racing, I gasp, we gasp, then cheer our team on, hoarse from the hunger, all our practice, we’re one. This poem, found on page 109, is a cinquain. A cinquain is a five-line stanza or poem, often written in five unrhymed lines of 2-4-6-8-2 syllables. This poem immediately caught my attention with its vivid imagery. In just a few short syllables and lines, Mora is able to translate the feeling of swimming in a race. The words are used to create a definite feeling that draws you in and builds into the climax of the race. I would introduce this poem to students by reading it aloud, having them visualize the poem and its incredible imagery. After reading, I would have the students reflect on how the poem made them feel and what they visualized by sketching a picture. I would then ask the students to discuss the words that stood out and created that feeling. After our discussion, I would give the students a copy of the poem. I would tell them about this poetic form and the rules for it. If time allowed, I would give the students an opportunity to experiment with writing a cinquain of their own. |
AuthoRMy name is Mrs. Scott and I'm a secondary Media Resource Specialist (librarian) in Texas. This blog was created as part of my graduate coursework at Texas Woman's University. All reviews and opinions are my own. Archives
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