Book Links Interview with Jorge Argueta

Here's one more posting of my work for Book Links. This is my current January 2014 column, with a few extra pieces that we didn't have room for in the magazine! There may be copies of this issue available at the ALA Midwinter conference at the Booklist booth, if you'll be there. I've been a fan of Jorge Argueta's work for quite some time, so it was really fun to get to know him a bit. He shares generously here. 

TALKING WITH JORGE ARGUETA

Jorge Tetl Argueta (jorgeargueta.com) is a celebrated Salvadoran poet and writer whose bilingual children’s books capture the stories and landscape of his beloved homeland, while bridging the immigrant experience in the U.S. too. His poetry for children and adults has appeared in anthologies and textbooks. He won the America’s Book Award, among other awards, for his first collection of poems for children, A Movie in My Pillow. His body of work for children includes the bilingual picture story books Zipito, Trees are Hanging from the Sky, Xochitl and the Flowers, The Perfect Pair, Moony Luna, The Hen in the City, The Fiesta of the Tortillas, and Alfredito Flies Home, as well as additional works of poetry like Talking with Mother Earth and his series of “cooking poem” books: Bean Soup, Rice Pudding, Guacamole, and Tamalitos. He is also the Director of “Talleres de Poesia” a literary organization based in the U.S. that helped launch and organize an annual Children’s Poetry Festival in El Salvador and in San Francisco. Here he shares his thoughts about growing up in El Salvador, how his roots influence his poetry writing, and how we should “play” with poetry with children.

1. Can you describe the role poetry played in your childhood? 

Argueta: Growing up in El Salvador was a magical experience. I had the great fortune to experience life in the countryside and in the city. I grew up around my grandmother, cousins, and a large family, with whom I developed a love for mother Earth, growing, corn beans, tomatoes, and taking care of horses. My grandfather was a horseman, and he had a strong, sweet way with animals. My grandmother was an Indian healer. She had a way with words, and she spoke to the mountains, the trees, the fire, all in our native language, Nahuat. In the city, my family owned a popular little restaurant where people from all over the capital of San Salvador would eat and tell stories of the colorful towns they came from. Whenever I need to write a poem about my life experience, all I need to do is close my eyes and I find myself in those places, where memories can be bright, dark, sour, and sweet. 

2. You obviously grew up with a strong sense of place and that comes through in your work—particularly in A Movie in My Pillow. How do those roots continue to shape you as a writer? Do you feel a dual sense of place now? How does that influence your writing?

Argueta: I love El Salvador-- in my memories are the happiness of a boy and the discontent/discomfort of a young man who starts to see the injustices in an impoverished neighborhood. I saw in San Salvador (El Salvador’s capital) a place where children my age were left in complete poverty and complete anguish, an atmosphere of no hope, with prostitution, drugs, and alcohol. As a young man I knew that words could help me express what my eyes were seeing, what my heart was feeling. When I wrote A Movie In My Pillow years later I was honoring the Salvadorian children that I grew up with. I was honoring their dreams, and my dreams, the dream of a country for a better future. 

I left El Salvador many years ago and I am now a citizen of the United States. My life is in two cultures. I enjoy my life in San Francisco, but continue to love my motherland, like a child loves his mother’s hands and eyes. I believe that poetry plays an important role in a child’s life. Writing A Movie in My Pillow helped me not to forget who I am, where I lived, and what I want to share with others who’ve had the same experience. Every child in this, or any other country, should have their dreams lullabied and understood, and be given the right to education, and to be fully multilingual. 

3. Which poets, writers or artists have influenced your writing for children and how?

Argueta: I was influenced mostly by the landscape of my country, El Salvador. I was influenced by my grandmother, by my aunts, by my grandfather, and by my father. Like singing lullabies to me, he would recite poems of Pablo Neruda, Gabriela Mistral, Alfredo Espino, Claudia Laures. As I grew up, I read those poets’ works and as a young man, I imitated their way of writing. I believe that imitation is an inevitable part of the process for every writer, before going on to develop your own way of writing. I learned about similes and metaphors, descriptions of landscapes, especially in the poems of Pablo Neruda, whose work reminds me a lot of the landscapes of El Salvador. 

4. All of your poetry for children is published in bilingual editions-- Do you write your poems in Spanish first and then in English? Do you go back-and-forth in your writing? 

Argueta: I see, feel, hear, smell and write in Spanish, but I can also feel in both languages now. Similes and metaphors are easier for me in Spanish of course, but I do my own translations for some of my work. I want my work always to be published bilingually because I believe that children that come from El Salvador or any other place in Latin America should have access to our stories, so children here can develop love for their culture and for their language. Children shall find themselves in the books that we write, in the characters they see, in multicultural and bilingual books. 

5. Mixing food and poetry is an interesting and unique approach and you do it beautifully in your “Cooking Poem” books. Did this grow out of your memories of your family’s restaurant? Which new foods do you still hope to write about? 

Argueta: Yes, these books are inspired by my memories from the kitchen in my house. The smells, the shapes, the colors, the pots, the pans, the water, the fire. I know memories don’t really disappear. They live like flavors in our hearts and minds. When we close our eyes we can travel to those places that are filled with shapes and colors. The food of our heart and our spirits. These simple books that talk about beans, rice, avocados, and tamales are profound, deep memories of my childhood. I can hear and see my mother’s hands clapping tortillas. I can see the pots boiling with delicious onions, tomatoes, garlic, and bell peppers. I can hear familiar voices turning into a delicious pot that becomes a poem. I want to write more about these comfort foods, such as pupusas and stuffed peppers with delicious landscapes. Pupusas are like two tortillas put together with cheese, beans, and meat. I can see myself writing this book and filling up this pupusa with corn dough, then with clouds from San Francisco, clouds from Mexico, and clouds from El Salvador. My next book in this collection of cooking poems is called “Salsa: A Cooking Poem.” 

6.  In your extensive work in the schools, what do you find is the key to unlocking children’s interest in poetry?

Argueta: Playing! Children are natural poets. I come and simply am myself, without having anything to teach, sharing my love for corn, for rocks, for fire, for the moon, for my shoes. When you lose your fear of being ridiculous, that’s when you are being yourself, and you let the madness rise. The kids understand that in that man or in that woman standing in front of them. There is something that reminds them of themselves and you win their attention. Sometimes I bring corn and tell them that the corn has stories to say, and if they pay close attention the corn will tell them stories about where their grandmas and grandfathers came from, the stories of rivers and birds, of streams, and tall houses. The world of poetry is one that keeps on opening. It’s one that never ceases to change. It has many colors and many shapes. Just like the universe, endless.

7. You launched an Annual Children’s Poetry Festival in El Salvador in collaboration with other co-founders. Can you tell us a little about it and why you helped start it?

Argueta: I believe in the power of poetry, in the power of reading, in the power of story telling. In my country after many years of violence, there continues to be a need for all of these. Our children in El Salvador grow up in an atmosphere of beautiful landscapes around them. When it rains, there is a torrent of sounds, shapes, and colors. An orchestra that comes down singing from the clouds. My country is green and yellow and orange and is an amazing place where children need to have opportunities. A lot of our youngsters are in jail, in drugs, and prostitution. The power of poetry, the power of story traditions, can play an important role in the life of a child. The poetry festival—now in its fourth year-- lasts three days and children from different sectors of the country can come and enjoy poetry workshops. In San Francisco I founded another festival for children-- flor y canto, flower and song, which takes places on a yearly basis. Our hope is to reach the children in our community that need to get close to their heritage and develop a love for reading and writing. 

8. Each of your books of poetry for children has been richly illustrated. What role, if any, have you had in the art or design of your poetry books for children? 

Argueta: I have been fortunate that I’ve been able to meet the illustrators. In the case of A Movie in My Pillow, I became really close friends with Elizabeth Gomez who did amazing work. She told me that she became a Salvadoran for a few months, eating pupusas and getting to know our culture so that she could do the illustrations of the book. We had long conversations about the Salvador landscape and my family. For my newest books, my editor Patricia Aldana, decided that each book would have a different illustrator. For the past five years, I have been writing what I call cooking poems, a recipe in a poem. Each one of these has been done by a different illustrator and I am very pleased with the amazing illustrations these artists have created and I am amazed how the combination of words and illustration work together like magic. 

9.  How would you say your poetry has evolved? What kinds of surprises have you discovered along the way?

Argueta: One of the greatest joys life has given me is writing poetry and children’s stories. On more than one occasion I have found myself walking the streets of the San Francisco Mission district and young people tell me they learned Spanish because of my books. In 2011, the District of Colombia in Washington, D.C. named a festival in my name, and my work as an honored poet was to visit schools. To my surprise children had memorized my poems and I heard them singing and reciting them. It was an amazing feeling, an amazing experience. But the satisfaction of writing poetry goes beyond my selfish feelings. I would like poetry to be accessible to every child, in this country and in any other country. Poetry is an instrument of peace, among children and adults alike. I believe that poetry should be taught in the schools as a necessary class. Every head of the government should know poetry. 

10. What else would you like to explore in creating poetry books for young people?

Argueta: I would like to write history books that talk about heroes in my country and the unknown heroes of this country too. I would like to write poems about my country’s heroes and about the characters that I see in my neighborhood in San Francisco and that I find in the places that I visit around the USA and in other countries. I believe that it is necessary to explore… poetry in ways that communicate our history and values. My ideas of poetry are to develop characters that are unknown heroes who have touched people’s lives. We have in El Salvador, for instance, hundreds of stories that go back to colonization, beyond colonization, and all the way up to modern stories. Our mythology needs to come through for our children in this and in any other country. 

Activities

A Movie in My Pillow/ Una película en mi almohada (Children’s Book Press, 2001)

Argueta’s first work of poetry for children focuses on his childhood memories of growing up in San Salvador and then as a young immigrant in San Francisco.

Talking with Mother Earth/ Hablando con Madre Tierra (Groundwood, 2006)

Argueta continues to explore his roots with a focus on his roots as a Pipil Nahua Indian, descendant of the Aztecs, 

Introduce students to the concept of “memoir” and encourage them to write or draw about their own memories of their earlier childhoods, describing their own “movies in their pillows.” They might consider these elements drawn from Argueta’s work:

• Favorite foods (e.g., Argueta mentions pupusas)
• Favorite toys (e.g., yoyos)
• Favorite pastimes (e.g., bicycle riding) 
• Best friends (e.g. old friends like Neto and new friends like Tomás)
• Favorite family times (e.g., grandma’s stories)

For another Hispanic memoir for children, look for Carmen Lomas Garza’s bilingual picture book, Family Pictures/Cuadros de Familia or In My Family/En mi familiar. Consider inviting students whose native language is not English to write about their memories in their native tongues or even in bilingual poems or prose.

Older students can research the location and history of El Salvador, the site of Argueta’s earliest upbringing (beginning with the map on the first pages of the book) and an important component in his autobiographical writing. Locate the capital, San Salvador, and if possible, the San Jacinto hill where Argueta’s early home was located. Identify the vegetation, wildlife (birds), and languages spoken there, since each of these is referenced in his poetry. Study the history of the terrible civil war that wrenched the country apart (1980-1990) and drove many citizens to flee to other countries—as Argueta did in settling in San Francisco. For a fictional account of a community living under a repressive regime that asks its children to spy on their parents, seek out Antonio Skármeta’s book, The Composition (Groundwood, 2003). 

Sopa de frijoles: Un poema para cocinar/ Bean Soup: A Cooking Poem (Groundwood, 2009)

Arroz con leche: Un poema para cocinar/ Rice Pudding: A Cooking Poem (Groundwood, 2010)

Guacamole: A Cooking Poem/ Un poema para cocinar (Groundwood, 2012)

Tamalitos: Un poema para cocinar/ A Cooking Poem (Groundwood, 2013)

For a true multi-sensory experience, try cooking any of the recipes that Argueta details in his “Cooking Poem” books: bean soup, rice pudding, guacamole, or tamales. Gather the ingredients and utensils ahead of time, read the book aloud to savor the language and imagery of the recipe, and work together to synthesize and write a list of steps needed to prepare and cook your chosen dish. Be clear about those steps that can be handled independently and those that require adult supervision. Film your process like a cooking show segment just for fun. 

Use Argueta’s lyrical model of writing “cooking poems” to guide students in writing about their own favorite foods. They can interview family members for the basic essentials and then turn each step into a page of its own with description and illustration. Encourage students to use similes and metaphors as Argueta does in each book, comparing each ingredient and step in the process to something else poetic. Share their “cooking poem” books and try cooking some of THEIR recipes together, too. Encourage students to explore foods from their families’ traditions and heritage—writing in English or another language!

Note: This article was also reprinted in the September issue of Booklist's QUICK TIPS and appears here. 

Copyright Sylvia Vardell 2014. All rights reserved. 

The Poetry of Carmen T. Bernier-Grand

As you know, I write a regular poetry column for ALA's Book Links magazine and I like to highlight it here, too. (Double duty and good promo for Book Links-- which I love! It's such a practitioner-friendly publication.) Well, somehow I forgot to feature my interview with poet and author Carmen T. Bernier Grand last Fall. So let me rectify that now and share a few nuggets. 

Carmen T. Bernier-Grand has written picture books, novels, nonfiction, and poetry, scooping up three Pura Belpre honor recognitions and several other awards along the way. Her work explores the people and stories of her native Puerto Rico as well as presenting the lives of other Latino and Latina artists, dancers, and political figures. She provides a strong sense of time and place woven throughout her works. Here, we focus particularly on her biographies-in-verse which reviewers have described as “powerful,” “lyrical,” and “inspiring.” In addition, this format blending poetry, history, and biography provides excellent study texts for applying Common Core standards and skills, particularly in bridging language arts, reading, and social studies. Indeed, her books are often included on the list of “Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies” as relevant resources across the curriculum. Her book, César: ¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We can!, appeared on the 2005 NCSS Notables list, Frida: ¡Viva la vida! Long Live Life! was included on the 2008 NCSS Notables list, and Sonia Sotomayor: Supreme Court Justice was featured on the 2011 NCSS Notables list. Her focus on the people and places of her own culture make her a model author for theme study in the social studies. Here she provides some background information on her life, her views, and her writing process.

SV: Did you grow up with a strong sense of place? How did your roots shape your desire to become a writer?

CTBG: Salty breeze, yucca, moriviví weed closing its leaves when I touched them, reinita birds nesting in our Christmas tree, coquí tree-frogs singing me to sleep at night. The five senses composed millions of songs in me in Puerto Rico. The roots of their rhythms shaped me.

SV: Was poetry an important part of your childhood? When did you first discover a love for the genre?

CTBG: “Margarita está linda la mar. . .”  I can still hear my mother reciting Rubén Darío’s poems and my aunt singing, “Muñequita linda de cabellos de oro. . .” At five I pretended to be Margarita listening to my mother; I was the beautiful, little girl with golden hair in the song my aunt sang. 

SV: You’ve written several different kinds of books for young readers including fiction and nonfiction, so how did you first gravitate to the biography-in-verse form?

CTBG: My first biography in verse came from above. I felt as if Cesar Chavez was dictating it to me in that format.

SV: Do you approach writing poetry differently from your writing of fiction and nonfiction? What are the similarities or differences? 

CTBG: In poetry I think in short, lyrical vignettes. Although I like to write lyrically in any genre, in fiction and nonfiction I expand and explain. 

SV: What do you think biographical poetry might offer that a nonfiction prose biography might not? 

CTBG: It’s a limited form, but I see the illustrated biographies I write as introductions to the people I am presenting—appetizers for the very hungry.

Carmen was also kind enough
 to provide a new poem for readers too. 

SV: What kind of research goes into writing your poem biographies?

CTBG: I completely immerse myself in the culture. I eat its food, listen to its music, go to plays, watch movies, read literature of the times and, of course, research from home. The latter includes getting in touch with people who know the person I am writing about.

I write the first draft by hand (maybe because I didn't grow up with computers). Then I type the draft and revise it a million times. In the meantime, I am getting to know where the holes are. With those holes, I travel. And miracles happen! I got to meet Cuban ballerina Alicia Alonso, Diego Rivera's daughter, Guadalupe, and Pablo Picasso's grandson, Bernard Ruiz Picasso.

SV: Which people in history would you still like to explore in your poetry for young people?

CTBG: Gabriela Mistral, Pablo Casals, Rubén Darío. 

SV: Why are you so interested in art and artists in your poetry writing, in particular? 

CTBG: Here I have to give credit to Former Governor of Puerto Rico, Luis A. Ferré. When I was growing up, he opened the Ponce Museum of Art. I spent hours looking at art from all over the world, but also by Puerto Ricans such as José Campeche and Francisco Oller, among many on my list to write about.  How old was I? Much much shorter than I am now.  

SV: What is it that draws you to write about artists (such as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso), in particular?

CTBG: I wanted to write about a woman, and chose Frida Kahlo for her painful, but colorful life. Since I had done the Mexico City research for Frida, Diego came next. Diego and Picasso were friends and their treatment of women was similar. So, why not Picasso? 

SV: So, now I'm curious... to whom is Picasso leading you next? 

CTBG: Picasso leads to Dalí...

Common Core Connections—

Here are suggestions for implementing the Common Core State Standards with biographies by Bernier-Grand. You can find more information about the standards at http://www.corestandards.org

What Would You Do?

Biographies are books that try "to breathe life and meaning into people and events," according to children’s literature expert Charlotte Huck, but often we have to provide a "hook" or motivation to interest children in reading biographies of people in the past. We can capitalize on their innate curiosity about people using books like Bernier-Grand’s that use verse to paint a portrait in a few, deft strokes. 

One approach considers how historical figures from the past might view today’s current events or issues. In “What Would Cleopatra Do? Applying the Wisdom of the Past to Today’s World,” Myra Zarnowski (2007) proposes that “reading and thinking about how people thought and acted in the past provides material for thinking about the present” and she suggests building “historical literacy” through helping children make connections to today by interpreting events in both historical and contemporary contexts. She reminds us that “the relevance of their ideas in today’s world is one reason their lives continue to be significant and worth knowing about today” and proposes the following four steps.

1. Raise a current question (for someone from the past)
2. Read historical literature about the person (what were their views on the issues of their times?)
3. Research and discuss the current question (using nonfiction, Internet sources, etc.)
4. Answer the current question from the point of view of the historical person 

For example:

1. What would (person from the past) think about (current event or person from the present such as gun control, immigration, terrorism, women in the workforce?

What would Frida Kahlo think about Lady Gaga (based on Frida: ¡Viva la vida! Long Live Life!)?

What would Pablo Picasso think about graphic novels? (read Picasso: I the King, Yo el rey)

What would Cesar Chavez think about global warming and climate change (share César; ¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We can!)

Read the selected book by Bernier-Grand and talk about the views and attitudes held by the book’s subject. How did she/he feel about her/his work, parents, families, role in society, and so on. Then guide the students in discussing and/or researching the contemporary topic at hand (Lady Gaga, graphic novels, climate change). Finally, speculate on the point of view that the book’s character (Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso, Cesar Chavez) might have regarding each modern issue. Making these connections between the people of the past and events of the present can help children see the relevance of reading about history, as well as the timelessness of attributes such as dedication, integrity, and resourcefulness. And crossing genres from poetry to nonfiction and back again challenges students to employ multiple resources and think more critically.

Research

Bernier-Grand uses free verse to convey the life stories of her subjects, but these same individuals have also been the focus of many works of nonfiction for young readers. Pair and compare the poetic and the expository approach using some of the following examples.

DIEGO RIVERA (Diego: Bigger Than Life)

• Diego by Jonah Winter and Jeanette Winter
• My Papa Diego and Me/Mi papa Diego y yo: Memories of My Father and His Art/Recuerdos de mi padre y su arte by Guadalupe Rivera Marin 
• Diego Rivera: His World and Ours by Duncan Tonatiuh
• Diego Rivera: An Artist for the People by Susan Goldman Rubin 

FRIDA KAHLO (Frida: ¡Viva la vida! Long Live Life!)

• Frida Kahlo: The Artist who Painted Herself by Margaret Frith and Tomie de Paola
• Frida by Jonah Winter and Ana Juan (Scholastic, 2002)
• Me, Frida by Amy Novesky and David Diaz

PABLO PICASSO (Picasso: I the King, Yo el rey)

• Just Behave, Pablo Picasso! by Jonah Winter and Kevin Hawkes
• Picasso and Minou by P. I. Maltbie

CESAR CHAVEZ (César: ¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We can!)

• Harvesting Hope by Kathleen Krull 
• A Picture Book of Cesar Chavez by David A. Adler

Students can work in teams to present their findings in a bulleted list form gleaned from the book of their choice. Then guide them in making a Venn diagram of facts from each source highlighting information found in multiple sources in the center of the diagram. Discuss those points that are different in each book too and why that author might have chosen to include those particular details. In addition, the Biography television channel (http://www.biographychannel.com) and the History television channel (http://www.historychannel.com) both offer a wealth of information and visuals to supplement historical study that children may find surprising.

Performance

Challenge the boys and girls in your class to take on the persona of Diego Rivera or Frida Kahlo in oral readings. Use both Frida: ¡Viva la vida! Long Live Life! and Diego: Bigger Than Life to examine how artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera are presented through the poems in each book. Invite girls to select and perform their favorite examples of poems about Rivera filtered through Frida’s point of view in Frida: ¡Viva la vida! Long Live Life!. These might include “Diego,” “You Have Talent,” “¡Extra!,” “My Diego My Child,” “Second Marriage,” and “What Do I Live For.” Next, ask boys to do the same with poems about Frida in Diego: Bigger Than Life such as “Wings of a Blackbird,” “Devil Frida,” “An Orchid for Frida,” “Anguish and Triumph,” “Diego’s Words,” and “Death Dance.” Students can work in pairs or small groups to prepare their readings, then invite them to perform their poems (with simple props like paint brushes or costumes like an artist’s smock or flowered headdress, if desired) in a point/counterpoint fashion, with girls and boys taking turns, as follows: 

Girls: “Diego;”         Boys: “Wings of a Blackbird”

Girls: “You Have Talent;” Boys: “Devil Frida”

Girls: “¡Extra!;”         Boys: “An Orchid for Frida”

Girls: “My Diego My Child;” Boys: “Anguish and Triumph”

Girls: “Second Marriage;” Boys: “Diego’s Words,”

Girls: “What Do I Live For;” Boys: “Death Dance.”

Lead students in discussing how each artist talks about the other—about their first meeting, about their art, and about their lives together. How do their feelings change toward each other and how is that expressed? Guide students in discussing the details that converge about each figure and how the poet portrays the emotions of each person.

National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies: 

Poetry and the 10 Themes of Social Studies 

The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) in cooperation with the Children’s Book Council (CBC) has an annual book review committee that selects books for children in grades K-12 and produces an annotated list of “Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People.” They look for books that “emphasize human relations, represent a diversity of groups and are sensitive to a broad range of cultural experiences, present an original theme or a fresh slant on a traditional topic, are easily readable and of high literary quality, have a pleasing format, and, where appropriate, include illustrations that enrich the text.” The most recent list of Notable Books for the Social Studies (for 2012) included these five books of poetry:

Engle, Margarita. 2011. Hurricane Dancers; The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck. New York: Henry Holt. 

Durango, Julia. 2011. Under the Mambo Moon. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge. 

Lai, Thanhha. 2011. Inside Out and Back Again. New York: HarperCollins.

McKissack, Patricia. 2011. Never Forgotten. New York: Schwartz & Wade.

Wolf, Allan. 2011. The Watch That Ends the Night. Somerville, MA: Candlewick. 

Interestingly enough, the “Notable Social Studies” lists from the last decade included a total of 55 works of poetry on the combined lists, with an average of five poetry titles per year—and this year’s list continues that trend of including five poetry books relevant for social studies instruction. (Complete annotated bibliographies are available on the NCSS and CBC web sites.)

In addition, annotations for each book also indicate the thematic strand most appropriate to each title drawn from Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. Here are the thematic strands for the social studies curriculum along with recommendations of recent poetry books that can serve as exemplary mentor texts in each area.

Thematic Strands of the NCSS Curriculum Standards for Social Studies: Poetry Mentor Texts

1. Culture: Flood, Nancy Bo. 2013. Cowboy Up! Ride the Navajo Rodeo. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press.

2. Time, Continuity, and Change: Corcoran, Jill. Ed. 2012. Dare to Dream… Change the World. San Diego, CA: Kane Miller.

3. People, Places, and Environments: Harrison, David. 2012. Cowboys. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press.

4. Individual Development and Identity: Cheng, Andrea. 2013. Etched in Clay: The Life of Dave, Enslaved Potter and Poet. New York: Lee & Low.

5. Individuals, Groups, and Institutions: Applegate, Katherine. 2012. The One and Only Ivan. New York: Harper.

6. Power, Authority, and Governance: Lewis, J. Patrick. 2013. When Thunder Comes: Poems for Civil Rights Leaders. San Francisco: Chronicle.

7. Production, Distribution, and Consumption: Hughes, Langston. 2012. I, Too, Am America. Ill. by Bryan Collier. New York: Simon & Schuster.

8. Science, Technology, and Society: Smith, Charles R., Jr. 2013. Brick by Brick. New York: Amistad/ HarperCollins.

9. Global Connections: Engle, Margarita. 2013. The Lightning Dreamer. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

10. Civic Ideals and Practices: Singer, Marilyn. 2013. Rutherford B., Who Was He?: Poems About Our Presidents. New York: Disney-Hyperion.

For more information: http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands

Happy Poetry Friday, everyone. See you over at Mainely Write!

Cybils 2013 Poetry Finalists

First, I'm so sorry to be so absent at the end of the year. First I got busy with conferences and the end of the semester, then I just needed a break. I seem to be intimidated by my own blog-- thinking I can't post unless it's a lengthy, polished post-- which seems silly when I write it out loud. It's just a BLOG, for Pete's sake. So, I am resolving to post more (again) in 2014, even if it's brief and sloppy! :-)

Meanwhile, I was fortunate to serve as a judge for Round I of the Cybils (Children's and Young Adult Bloggers) Awards. We can announce our choices today officially! Seven finalists were selected after much deliberation. Drum roll...

Cybils Poetry Finalists 2013

1. Poems to Learn by Heart edited by Caroline Kennedy
2. Pug: And Other Animal Poems by Valerie Worth
3. Forest Has a Song: Poems by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
4. Follow, Follow by Marilyn Singer
5. What the Heart Knows: Chants, Charms, and Blessings by Joyce Sidman
6. Pet Project by Lisa Wheeler
7. When Thunder Comes by J. Patrick Lewis

Poems to Learn by Heart edited by Caroline Kennedy, paintings by Jon J. Muth, Disney Hyperion, Nominated by: bevpdx. Review by April Halprin Wayland, Teaching Authors
http://teachingauthors.com
 
The ambition of this beautiful collection of more than 100 poems is truly to encourage students to learn poems by heart. Editor Kennedy's preface includes practical tips on memorization, ending with, "I hope that…once they learn them by heart, they won't even need this book."  Classic, contemporary, nonsense poems and poems which challenge readers to think, are organized organically within each of ten sections (including sections about self, family, school, sports and war…and an extra credit section for those who want to memorize even longer poems).  Every section begins with an engaging one-page introduction, often disclosing Kennedy's personal connection with the poems that follow.  Its premise, poetic choices and the editor's enthusiasm throughout as well as the exquisite watercolor paintings by Jon J. Muth which, as Kennedy writes, "add meaning, depth and freshness to the poems" combine to make this an award-winning book.

Pug: And Other Animal Poems (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) by Valerie Worth, illustrations by Steve Jenkins. Nominated by The Cath in the Hat. Review by Ed deCaria, Think, Kid, Think! http://www.thinkkidthink.com  


In this follow-up to 2007's Animal Poems (itself a Cybils finalist that year), Worth again brings her seemingly-simple subjects to life in a sophisticated yet accessible way. Readers will meet her "plug-ugly" pug, the bull who "would not melt", a mouse "left as a gift on the step", and sparrows and pigeons who "seem at home where there appears to be no home", plus fourteen other inviting, inspiring, or sometimes intimidating creatures. Jenkins adds color and texture to each poem, from the silver sparkle of a wood thrush's eye to the distressed look on a too-long dachshund's face, making each two-page spread pop. Pug is a masterful book of free-verse poems and illustrations that will challenge readers to view animals from an entirely new perspective, and to admire the subtle behaviors, attitudes, and characteristics that make each one unique.

Forest Has a Song: Poems by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, illustrations by Robbin Gourley and published by Clarion. Review by Sylvia Vardell http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com 

This is a beautifully designed poetry picture book in which the gentle watercolor paintings (by Robbin Gourley), the layout of poem and painting on each page, and even the spidery font of the text work together to create a poetry collection that is both inviting and comforting. The natural world has long been the topic of poetry for young people-- and for good reason-- and VanDerwater taps into the child's connection with the simplest details-- pinecones and sticks, footprints and flying birds, with poetry that offers many tactile details that invite children to touch, smell, and see the world outside their iPads in tangible ways. She also offers a variety of poetic forms so children (and teachers) can see how poets use the words and space on the page. Her use of rhyme is particularly noteworthy-- making it look so natural-- as if we all spoke in lyrical language when captured by the beauty of the forest.

Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems by Marilyn Singer, illustrations by Josee Masse, companion to Mirror Mirror, Nominated by Perogyo; Review by Bridget Wilson, What is Bridget Reading? http://whatisbridgetreading.blogspot.com 


Marilyn Singer returns to the reverso, a poetic form she created, in Follow Follow. The reverso is quite clever. First you read the poem from top to bottom. Then you flip it and read it from the bottom up. The reverso proves the old adage " there are two sides to every story." Singer describes the collection best: "Imagine / fairy tales / upended." And now reversed: Upended / fairy tales? / Imagine!" In Follow Follow, Singer takes twelve tales and breathes new life into them. Too often people perceive fairy tales as unchanging. This couldn't be further from the truth. In this collection readers will hear from Thumbelina and the mole, the tortoise and the hare, the twelve princesses and the soldier. At the end of the book Singer offers more information about the tales and the reverso form. Josee Masse's beautifully bright illustrations offer readers a visual of both sides of each tale.

What the Heart Knows: Chants, Charms & Blessings by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski; Review by Kelly Ramsdell Fineman http://kellyrfineman.livejournal.com/

Truly a miraculous little book. Hard to categorize in some ways, but it has four sections: 1. chants & charms - to bolster courage and guard against evil; 2. spells & invocations - to cause something to happen; 3. laments & remembrances - to remember, regret, or grieve; and 4. praise songs & blessings - to celebrate, thank, or express love. I love the idea of giving children both poems and permission to express and validate their emotional experiences.

The Pet Project: Cute and Cuddly Vicsious Verses by Lisa Wheeler, Illustrated by Zachariah OHora, Atheneum, Nominated by Bridget Wilson. Review by Jone MacCulloch, Check It Out http://maclibrary.wordpress.com

Any young reader longing for a pet will want to read this riotously funny research romp by a bespeckled young girl on a quest to find the perfect pet.  Readers are forewarned that "Animals aren't' always charming." Notebook in hand to track observations, she visits a farm, zoo, and the woods as well as performing a "home study."  What she concludes from her research may surprise readers. Wheeler's tongue in cheek verses will provide laughs for all while introducing readers to a variety of pet possibilities.  Combined with OHara's use of strong lines yet whimsical acrylic illustrations this book will be read and reread. What stood out in THE PET PROJECT was the author's ability to weave words, poems, and a little bit of science into a fabulous collection.

When Thunder Comes: Poems for Civil Rights Leaders by J. Patrick Lewis, Chronicle Books, Nominated by: Becky L. Review by Anastasia Suen, Poet!Poet! http://asuen.com/poetry

Written by 2011-2013 Children’s Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis, this valuable book of poetry profiles seventeen civil rights leaders, the famous and the not-so-famous. Each poem has a two-page spread with gorgeous artwork by five different artists. The title of the poem explains the person’s role. Mitsuye Endo is THE CAPTIVE. “I was a typist, nothing more. / I loved my life, I hated war.” A short biography in the back of the book explains how she fought for her civil rights after being held in a World War II Japanese internment camp. When Thunder Comes: Poems for Civil Rights Leaders can be used year round to celebrate the heroes of civil rights. For children and teens who want to change the way things are, this smart and intriguing look at key civil rights figures can guide the way.

Our Panel:

Ed DeCaria, Think, Kid, Think!
Kelly Fineman, Writing and Ruminating 
Jone MacCulloch (Chair), Check It Out
Anastasia Suen, Poet! Poet!
Sylvia Vardell, Poetry for Children
April Halprin Wayland, Teaching Authors
Bridget Wilson, What is Bridget Reading?

Round 2 Judges will select ONE of these for the Cybils award which will be announced on Feb. 14. FYI.

I'm wishing everyone a happy, healthy new year with plenty of poetry in 2014!