TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS: CAMPING POEMS by Kristine O'Connell George

(Source: George, Krinstine O. George. New York:Houghton Mifflin Company. http://www.kristinegeorge.com/toasting_marshmallows.html)

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY: George, Kristine O’Connell. 2001. Toasting marshmallows: camping poems. Ill. Kate Kiesler. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN: 0-618-04597-X

2. PLOT SUMMARY: Toasting marshmallows takes the reader on a journey with a young girl on a camping trip with her family. The story begins, as any camping trip would, with the set up of the tent. Throughout the story, the young girl does many things with various family members including hiking, toasting marshmallows, fishing and rowing in a lake, and walking in the forest. Some problems must be faced during the weekend such as a storm, mosquitoes and other insects, and the uncertainty of noises and events of the night. In the end she must return home. She does so with the promise to return next year and with the smell of the woods on her clothes to remind her of the wonderful time she had.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: Kristine O’Connell George tells a wonderful story through her free verse poetry. It is obvious that Ms. George was very careful with the arrangement of the lines and verses for each poem contained in this book. The words for the first poem, “Tent”, are cleverly arranged in the shape of a pyramid. The addition of the illustration of a bright orange tent on the adjacent page causes the reader to clearly understand that this pyramid of words is actually a tent, not a pyramid. This careful placement is evidenced in the reading of all of the poems. Such placement helps the reader to know when to speed up or to slow down the reading. It helps the reader to know other things also, such as when there are more than two person’s speaking, as in “Two Voices in a Tent at Night”.

This book is a marvelous blending of words and illustration. Kate Kiesler does a beautiful job of using acrylics to set the stage for each and every poem in this book. She makes Ms. George’s words come alive. For example, in “Campfire” Ms. George writes: “I lean against Mom,/ my head on her shoulder,/ Warm all over.” Ms. Kiesler provides the visuals of a young girl leaning on her mom’s shoulder and adds to the emotion of this poem by showing the girl’s little brother sitting in her dad’s lap, asleep in front of the campfire. Ms. Kiesler doesn’t miss any details. For example, in “Abandoned Cabin”, Ms. Kiesler is sure to include in her drawing the Queen Anne’s lace and the carpet of green moss referred to in the poem.

Ms. George’s word choices are appropriate for children and easily establish an image in one’s mind of the event she is describing. For example, in “Anchored” Ms. George writes: “Outside our tent I can see/ gray spiders spinning silver,/ looping silky lines/ through smoky wisps/ of campfire, . . ..” No child would need a picture to imagine such a thing. In another example, the first lines of “Two Voices in a Tent at Night” read: “Shhhhh . . ./ something is scratching/ on our tent.” These words will surely capture a child’s attention and immediately upon hearing these words will feel the nervousness of a child, in a tent at night, hearing an unknown noise. There are no rhymes in these poems, although every once in a while a rhyming verse will be found. Take for example the “Owl” wherein Ms. George writes: “I hear you, Owl./ Your one lone vowel/ . . ..” Obviously, Ms. George only rhymes in the natural course of her free verse format. It is never something that is forced into her writing.

Throughout her free verse poems, Ms. George uses alliteration and assonance, however it is all very subtle. One must look closely to find it as her words seem to be something that is unforced and without thought. For example, in “River Messages”, Ms. George is using alliteration when she uses the words scallops, scribbles, scrolls, and skips. An example of assonance is found in “Owl” with the use of the words owl, vowel, round and sound. The fact that these literary elements are so naturally woven into the poems is one of the things that make Ms. George an award winning poet.

4. BOOK REVIEW EXCERPT(S):

BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS, 54, no. 9 (May 2001) 336-37: “Though more plainspoken than lyrical, this is nonetheless an effectively atmospheric series that could serve as both camping introduction and memento." (Source: Book Review Digest Plus, WilsonWeb database, accessed via TWU Library Online)

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, 248, no. 11 (03/12/2001) 90: “. . . George’s poems shine, the images clear and startling. . . .Readers will definitely want S-mores.” (Source: Academic Search Complete, EBSCO Host database, accessed via TWU Library Online)

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, 47, no. 47 (July 2001) 93-4: “Some of Kiesler's artwork sweeps across double pages to provide a dramatic vista-a meandering hiking trail, a field of wild mustard, a star-studded night sky-while other pictures reveal small, but equally telling details.” (Source: Book Review Digest Plus database, accessed via TWU Library Online)

5. CONNECTIONS IN A SCHOOL LIBRARY SETTING:
* This would be a good book to read to elementary students as they are returning from summer vacation. After reading the book, the teacher could move into a poetry lesson and have the children write poetry about their summer vacations.
* Students could do a social studies lesson about camping sites such as Yellowstone and Yosemite. They could locate the parks on maps, they could calculate the distance from their school to these places, and they could look up the weather at these parks.
* Students could problem solve about things that they might take on a camping trip.
* The teacher could set up a tent in the classroom and read other camping related books.

Other Related Items:

• Hafner, Marylin. 2000. Molly and Emmett's camping adventure. Ohio: Cricket/McGraw-Hill Books.
• McCully, Emily Arnold. 2000. Monk camps out. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books
• Warren, Cathy. 1983. The ten-alarm camp-out. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books
• Bauer, Marion Dane. 1993. Yellowstone. Ill. John Wallace. Minnesota: Voyager Press.

WHAT MY GIRLFRIEND DOESN'T KNOW by Sonya Sones

(Book Cover: Sones, Sonya. 2007. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Photo Source: http://www.sonyasones.com, accessed October 6, 2008.)

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Sones, Sonya. 2007. What my girlfriend doesn’t know. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-0-689-87602-8

2. PLOT SUMMARY: This is the story of two teenagers, Sophie Stein, popular girl, and Robin Murphy, school outcast. These two began a relationship in Sones’ first verse novel, What my mother doesn’t know (Sones, 2001), which is told from Sophie’s point of view. This story is a continuation, told from Robin’s perspective. It chronicles the events that unfold as they publicly display their relationship at school. Sophie is shunned by her popular friends because she has the school outcast as a boyfriend. Sophie gets a taste of what it is like not to have friends; something that Robin has lived with all his life. In the meantime, Robin is auditing an art class at Harvard where he finds students who are willing to accept him as he is. One of the girls from Harvard is attracted to him and through a twist of fate, Sophie sees Robin kiss this girl. Robin, however, only has feelings for Sophie and through a lot of effort is able to win her back on Valentine’s Day. In the end, Sophie’s true friends come back to her, the couple reunites and Robin gets revenge on those who have tormented him.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: This is the type of book that can help young adults discover the wonder and beauty of poetry. The book is filled with emotions that are well known and understood by teenagers. A boy reading these poems can feel the pain Robin feels from being teased; the excitement he feels at having a girlfriend who is one of the popular girls at school; the lust and confusion he feels over the models he sees naked in a college art class. Poetry like this, that discusses such issues from a teenage boy’s perspective and with such candor, is few and far between. It is regrettable that the jacket art is not different. The cover focuses on a picture of a girl kissing a boy; however, the boy’s face is almost cut off from the book. One could easily believe this is just another young romance story written from girls’ perspective. Most teenage boys are not going to want to be seen reading a book with such a cover.

The poetry making up this verse novel flows like a meandering stream, casually without urgent destination. Ms. Sones brilliantly intertwines the titles of each poem into the story. One can read this novel without ever realizing he or she is reading poetry. The flowing nature of the poetry directs the reader seamlessly through the book with what the reader perceives to be little effort. Ms. Sones’ careful use of the “s” sound throughout her poems helps develop this desired effect. This easy to read style may be of benefit for reluctant poetry readers or struggling readers who have trouble reading other types of novels.

Although it is true that a reader could get lost in this book and not realize it is poetry, the fact that it is poetry should not be overlooked. The poetry should be examined and appreciated. Each poem, standing alone, involves feelings and emotions that are universal. The imagery brought forth by these poems is vivid and can be related to our own personal experiences while growing up. Take for example the poem “Here’s what I’d like to know” where Ms. Sones writes the following: “How come whenever/ I’m watching TV with Sophie,/ and my parents/ happen to walk into the room,/ that’s always the exact moment/ when a commercial for Viagra comes on,/ and some real deep-voiced announcer/ says something like:/ ‘And remember/ contact your doctor/ if your erection lasts longer/ than four hours’?” (Sones 2007, 101). We have all been there in moments like this and the image is easily retrieved.

The language in this book is straightforward, everyday language, making this book attractive for older readers who may struggle with more complicated vocabulary. Readers with limited vocabulary may think they can never write poetry because they can’t come up with complex words or words that rhyme. This book is a good example of how poetry can be interesting and well written without always having to rhyme words. In fact, there is not much rhyming within the poems at all. The first rhyme appears well into the story, around page sixty. This uncomplicated vocabulary and lack of rhyming may be another factor in student’s surprise that they are actually reading and enjoying poetry.

This book captures the reader’s attention. It is a wonderful tool for teaching young adults an appreciation for poetry without it being boring or hard work. It most likely will cause the reader to be interested in poetry when, perhaps, they had never been interested in poetry before. The continuing saga of Robin and Sophie will likely entice readers to read more poetry by Ms. Sones.

4. BOOK REVIEW EXCERPT(S):

PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY, 254, no. 25, (June 18, 2007): 55-56: “Concrete poems and comics punctuate the text, adding interest to the form.” (Source: Academic Search Complete, EBSCO Host database, accessed via TWU Library Online)

KIRKUS REVIEWS, 75, no. 10 (May 15, 2007) 509: “Robin [a boy] emerges as an appealingly flawed character whose desires--for love, for acceptance, for sex--will be instantly recognized by readers.” (Source: Academic Search Complete, EBSCO Host database, accessed via TWU Library Online)

BOOKLIST, 103, no. 15 (04/01/2007) 49: “Many teens will see themselves, and they’ll cheer when Sophie and Robin thwart the bullies and reclaim their social standing. Like Sones’ other titles, this is a great choice for reluctant and avid readers alike.” (Source: Academic Search Complete, EBSCO Host database, accessed via TWU Library Online)

5. CONNECTIONS IN A SCHOOL LIBRARY SETTING:

• Have a verse novel book club that meets before school, during lunch or after school. To truly appreciate these poems, have students or teachers read them aloud. Some of them are somewhat sexually explicit and might be uncomfortable read aloud. Those poems should be read by an adult, not a student.
• Do a Sonya Sones display in the library and create a “girl section” and a “boy section” to somehow separate the book What my mother doesn’t know from What my girlfriend doesn’t know to entice boys to read What my girlfriend doesn’t know despite its cover art. Librarian could also provide some sort of book cover as well so that boys would be more willing to check out the book.
• Counselors could use this book in discussions with student groups about issues relating to bullying, popularity, friendship and feelings toward opposite sex.

Other Related Items:
• McCafferty, Megan, ed. 2004. Sixteen: stories about that sweet and bitter birthday. New York: Three Rivers Press. (Recommended by Sonya Sones for children at least 16 years of age. http://www.sonyasones.com/sixteen.htm, accessed October 13, 2008.)
• Sones, Sonya. 2001. What my mother doesn’t know. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Poems by Jack Prelutsky

(Book Cover: Prelutsky, Jack. 1994. New York: Greenwillow Books. Ill. James Stevenson. Photo Source: Barnes and Noble Online Catalog. http://books.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=pizza+size+sun, accessed October 6, 2008.)


1. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Prelutsky, Jack. 1996. A pizza the size of the sun. Ill. James Stevenson. New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN: 0-688-13236-7.

2. ABOUT THIS BOOK: A pizza the size of the sun is a compilation of 105 poems by renowned poet, Jack Prelutsky.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS: This collection is simply set forth in a one hundred fifty-nine page book filled with silly, fun and sometimes unusually formatted poetry, well illustrated with line drawings. Poetry collections are often browsed and to support this browsing, an "Index to Titles" is found at the end of the book. An additional, and interesting, feature is an "Index to First Lines". These elements make this book very user friendly.

Mr. Prelutsky uses a variety of styles in this book of poems. Many of the poems use rhyming words. Sometimes these words are at the end of every line as is found in “The Manatee” and other times it is every other line that rhymes, as in “I Sailed on Half a Ship”. While some authors might find rhyming to be a challenge, Mr. Prelutsky seems to use it with ease. His rhyming never seems forced or contrived. The rhythm of the book is fairly steady throughout with the use of short lines that have a four-four time (to use a music term) about them. This rhythm is carried throughout the book and can be applied to practically every poem.

Mr. Prelutsky also makes great use of sound in this book. A wonderful example of assonance is found in “I Made Something Strange with My Chemistry Set” wherein Mr. Prelutsky uses the words gluey, blue, stew, move, oozed, room, soon, too, undo, and route to create a wonderful tale of what happens when things go wrong with a chemistry experiment. An example of consonance can be found in “The Improbable Emporium” in lines such as the following: “there’s a saddle for your sea horse/ in an aqueous display,/ sets of sandals styled to suit your centipede.” “The Improbable Emporium” is also a perfect example of the way in which Mr. Prelutsky pays close attention to the choice of words in his poems. His words are chosen for the images they bring to the reader. For example, in “The Improbable Emporium” it is written: “There are ottomans for otters/ special piccolos for pigs,/ tubes of oil to stop the loudest mouse’s squeak,/ . . .” These bring about vivid images to the reader. Mr. Prelutsky’s word choices could also help develop vocabulary in younger children.

The reader is assisted in developing the images from these poems by the simple line drawings of the illustrator, James Stevenson. Throughout the book and for each poem, Mr. Stevenson draws doodle-like drawings that are excellent interpretations of the words of Mr. Prelutsky.

Mr. Prelutsky writes simply so that his readers will find laughter and joy through his poems. Consider the laughter that would come from children listening to a teacher read “I Often Repeat Repeat Myself” wherein Mr. Prelutsky writes: “I often repeat repeat myself,/ I often repeat repeat./ It gets me in a jam a jam,/ but that’s the way I am I am,/ . . .. Other funny poems include those that are written backward, as if needing to hold the words up to a mirror to read, and one in which that the words meander all over the page.

Overall, this is a good book of poetry to be read a little at a time to elementary age children. It could be used in the course of transitions during the school day or as a starter to each day at the end of the morning announcements. As with most compilations of poetry, it is not a book to be read from cover to cover in one sitting; but instead, should be savored over a long period of time.

4. BOOK REVIEW EXCERPT(S):

THE HORN BOOK, 72 (Sept./Oct. 1996): 605: “Poems in varied typeface and placement in an open format combine with the economical line of well-placed sketches to create a fast-paced and accessible collection that's loads of fun." (Source: Book Review Digest Plus, WilsonWeb database, accessed via TWU Library Online)

BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS, 50 (Sept. 1996) 25: "Stevenson's line-and-wash illustrations are breezily slapdash but expressive. . . . He's particularly inventive at illustrating creatures that never were." (Source: Book Review Digest Plus, WilsonWeb database, accessed via TWU Library Online)

BOOKLIST, 93, (Sept. 15, 1996) 241: Prelutsky is up to his old tricks, using verbal sleight of hand to create another magical {collection} of light verse. " (Source: Book Review Digest Plus database, accessed via TWU Library Online)

5. CONNECTIONS IN A SCHOOL LIBRARY SETTING:
• Write the first lines of the poems from this book (remember, “Index to first lines” is in back of book) on colored paper and hang them from ceiling or place them on a bulletin board in the library or classroom. Each day, a student can choose a first line from the ceiling or bulletin board and the librarian or teacher can read the corresponding poem. (Kristen George’ website, http://www.kirstinegeorge.com/celebrate_poetry.html, accessed October 13, 2008).
• Turn the poems into songs and have a class sing-a-long.
• The poem “A Dizzy Little Duzzle” is written in a curvy, meandering way on page 137 of this book. Type the poem, in normal format, on a separate sheet of paper for each student. Using any method available, place the words of the poem in its original curvy, meandering format on the floor of the library or classroom. Give each student a copy of the poem. Lead the students on a poem “walk” by having the students read the poem out loud as they walk along the words of the poem as they would walk a labyrinth.

Other Related Items:

• Jack Prelutsky’s website. A terrific source of fun for elementary age children. A terrific source of activities and information from teachers. http://www.jackprelutsky.com/, accessed October 13, 2008.
• Prelutsky, Jack. 1986. The new kid on the block. Performed by Jack Prelutsky (audiocassette). Connecticut: Listening Library.
• Prelutsky, Jack. 1984. The new kid on the block. Ill. James Stevenson. New York: Greenwillow Books.
• Prelutsky, Jack. 2008. My dog may be a genius. Ill. James Stevenson. New York: Greenwillow Books.