Final Reflection

I can truly say that I am a little sad that this course is coming to an end. (OK, I'm not terribly sad to be done with this blog, but...) I hope that as I move forward in my education and my career as a teacher, I will be able to take the time to pause, read, and think about children's literature like I have been able to do in this class. This class has reminded me the importance of thinking about all the messages- subtle and not so subtle- that we send to students in our classroom. Although I have thought a great deal about how our actions and words can have enormous effects upon students, it was this class that reminded me that the books that we choose and the ways we interact with literature can also have similar effects.

This class has encouraged me to explore literature that I might not have explored on my own. Our class discussions were meaningful and enlightening, and will contribute a great deal to the type of teacher I will become.

Thanks to all my classmates, and especially Jen, for contributing to this positive experience!

Harlem

Harlem
by, Walter Dean Myers
pictures by,Christopher Myers

In the Caldecott Honor book, Walter Dean Myers uses poetic verse to describe the community and culture of Harlem. While Myers' words truly portray the images of an earlier era in Harlem, my favorite part of this book is the collage images by Christopher Myers. His images express both the pain and suffering of African Americans during a difficult time in American history as well as the pride and joy of a strong and creative culture. I enjoyed this poem book, and would recommend including it in a classroom library.

A Child's Calendar

A Child's Calendar
Poems by John Updike
Illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman

This collection of poems includes one poem for each month of the year. The poems describe the sights, sounds, smells and activities that many children experience at that time of year. In January, "the sky is low. The wind is gray. The radiator purrs all day." For me, these poems evoke images of "simpler times" in my mind. Children fishing, playing hopscotch, etc.

Hyman's illustrations complement the text. Each illustration includes great detail that will spark conversations with young readers. I enjoyed these poems, and can imagine using them on the first of the month in an elementary classroom.

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Where the Sidewalk Ends
by Shel Silverstein

Well, I simply had to blog about this poetry book from my youth. I absolutely LOVED this book when I was a kid, and I still have my original copy- inscribed "Merry Christmas Suellen 1981 Love Aunt Candy and Uncle Paul"

This collection of poems and drawings contains a fun mix of silly and serious. Mostly silly, I think this book attracts children to poetry, and makes them laugh. As I re-read this book as an adult, I find myself drawn to some of the poems that I really don't remember from my childhood. My favorite as an adult is "Listen to the Mustn'ts":

Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child,
Listen to the DON'TS
Listen to the SHOULDN'TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me-
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.

As a kid, I loved "Sick" and "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out." I remember memorizing "Sick" in 5th grade and performing it for my class.

The illustrations in this book are simple, yet add meaning to many of Silverstein's poems. This is a classic, must have book for the classroom!

As a side note, I was reading the acknowledgments in the back of the book, and noticed that several of the poems are actually taken from previously published words in slightly different versions. Many of them were originally written by William Cole. I certainly always assumed these were original poems by Shel Silverstein. I just thought that was interesting.

Mysterious Thelonious

Mysterious Thelonious
by Chris Raschka

Inspired by the pianist and composer Thelonious Monk, this book mixes beautiful illustrations and text to create a portrait of Monk's music. The text in this book is written in large cursive writing, with words broken apart, and artistically displayed throughout the page. The non-traditional format made the poem somewhat difficult for me to read at first. I struggled to clearly grasp the order of the words, or even which syllables belonged with which words. However, as I slowly decoded the text, I realized that the poem tells the story of Thelonious Monk and his piano that played "no wrong notes." The format of the book perfectly matches the message of the text. As a musician, Thelonious experimented and improvised, not restricting himself to the notes on a page. He played the music of jazz, and as this poem articulates, "the music of freedom." As I read this poem and thought about ways to use this in the classroom, I thought about the idea that sometimes we restrict children's writing and creativity by focusing to much upon the "rules" of language. This poem, written non conventionally, discussing music that was non-conventional and creative, may open up windows for student's to explore with their own writing in new and unique ways.

Jazz

Jazz
by Walter Dean Myers
illustrated by Christopher Myers

I found this illustrated poetry book when I was looking for materials to develop a music unit about jazz. These poems pay tribute to jazz musicians and lyrically describe different characteristics and moods of jazz. There are poems dedicated to particular musicians as well as particular instruments.

I love the illustrations in this book. Christopher Myers created these illustrations by painting black ink on acetate and placing it over acrylic. Using this method, he beautifully depicts images of African American individuals who have contributed tot he history of jazz.

The introduction of this book includes a thorough description of the jazz music, including both characteristics of the music itself, as well as historical information about the development of jazz. At the end of the book, the author includes a glossary of jazz terms. Included in this glossary are words such as: be-bop, blow, chops, fusion, boogie, etc. He also includes a jazz time line, with significant events in jazz's history highlighted.

There is also a CD available with the poems narrated and sung to accompanying music. I've always thought that poetry and music are intimately related, and this book is a fun way to blend the two.

Love That Dog

Love That Dog
by Sharon Creech

As I started reading this novel, I initially felt a little bit like Jack, the narrator of this story. I'm typically not a lover of poetry, and I often don't "get it." However, after a few pages, I fell in love with Jack and his teacher, and the poetry of this novel.

As a future teacher, I particularly related to a teacher, working with a reluctant student, trying to encourage his poetic writing. I imagine as teachers, we will all run into a boy like Jack who thinks, "I don't want to because boys don't write poetry." But Jack's teacher's patience and kindness provided Jack with space to gradually realize he was an author of poetry. I loved the the author included the poetry mentioned throughout the novel. I think this would be a great book to use with young writers. This book will encourage students not only to explore with writing poetry, but also to widen their reading repertoire to include poetry as well.

The back of the book also included an excerpt from Sharon Creech's new novel "Hate That Cat." This looks like it would be equally enjoyable.