The Firefly Letters

1. Bibliography

Engle, Margarita. 2010. THE FIREFLY LETTERS: A SUFFRAGETTE’S JOURNEY TO CUBA. New York: Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 0-689-30072-7

2. Summary

This story, written in poetry, is based on the diaries and letters of Fredrika Bremer, a Swedish suffragist who spent three months in Cuba in 1851. The focus is on oppressed women. The book features stories about Fredrika, Cecilia – a teenage slave who was captured in the Congo when she was eight, and Elena – a privileged girl in a slave owning family and how the characters are all connected.

3. Critical Analysis

Engle creates dramatic tension among the characters, especially in the story of Elena, who makes a surprising sacrifice. Engle's poetry intertwines three characters that help each other find hope and courage. There are many similes and metaphors for slavery and freedom in the poetry with the main metaphor being cocuyos, a bright firefly that the natives capture in bottles and weave alive into their hair. Rich descriptions of the beauty of Cuba enliven the gentle plotline, from the starlit sky and lush vegetation to the bountiful cocuyos (fireflies), whose flight and capture symbolize freedom and entrapment throughout. Engle has instilled powerful emotions into the free-verse text. The text is rife with metaphors of captivity and freedom: Cecilia’s enslavement is literal, Elena also longs to fly beyond the “ornately barred window” that defines her privileged life, and Fredrika’s relative independence was borne of great sacrifice while inspiring Cecilia and Elena to explore their own purpose.

4. Awards and Review Excerpts

- AWARDS -

Pura Belpre Award, 2011 Honor Book Author United States

- REVIEW EXCERPTS -

KIRKUS review: “The free-verse novel effectively alternates the voices of the three protagonists (with a fourth voice for Beni, Cecilia's husband) and demonstrates how each character affects the others, all learning a measure of freedom in their roaming the island, Fredrika always recording her observations in letters and diaries by the light of Cuban fireflies resting on her fingers. And like the firefly light, Engle's poetry is a gossamer thread of subtle beauty weaving together three memorable characters who together find hope and courage.”

THE BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS review: “The author has a gift for imbuing seemingly effortless text with powerful emotions; though this is briefer and less nuanced than her earlier works, it remains memorable nonetheless.”

5. Connections

This book can be used as a supplement for lessons on slavery and early feminism.

Students can make personal connections to any struggles they have had in their life and anyone who has helped overcome them.

Develop other similes and metaphors using bugs or animals to describe people, events, personalities, etc. as the fireflies did.

Mathematickles!

1. Franco, Betsy. 2003. MATHEMATICKLES!. Ill. by Steven Salerno. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books. ISBN 0-689-84357-7

2. Summary

This is a collection of poems written in the form of mathematical problems. The poems are grouped according to seasonal themes. The words are formatted into mathematical equations that will intrigue both mathematicians and literature buffs alike.

3. Critical Analysis

In this book of poetry, Franco brings together the analytical thinking of math and the creativity of poetry. Some of the poetry snippets rhyme while others are free verse; simple words come together to make vivid imagery that take the reader through the seasons. The book includes some metaphorical language that create wonderful pictures in the mind such as the line about leave sailing through puddles like ships. The inspiration for these poems is mathematical, but they don’t always follow the mathematical fundamentals they are great examples of wordplay.

Salerno’s watercolor illustrations help the reader’s travel through the seasons. The lovable girl character and friendly animals all play a part in adding to the poetic words. The lively pictures and catchy word equations are sure to interest children in trying it themselves.

4. Awards and Review Excerpts

- AWARDS -

Children’s Catalog, Nineteenth Edition, 2006 H.W. Wilson United States

- REVIEW EXCERPTS -

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE review: “This innovative volume of poetry seeks to fuse math and language in a unique and fun way. The poems are necessarily short but make the reader think of things in new and unusual ways.... thinking of it in mathematical terms twists it in such a way that it becomes interesting in a whole other way.”

BOOKLIST review: “Ultimately, they will appeal most to lovers of wordplay. Using this colorful book as a springboard, language arts teachers can challenge their students to write their own mathematickles.”

5. Connections

Have students write their own mathematickels or other fun formats of poetry.

Read other poetry that is written in a different format such as upside down words or in the shape of animals.

Read other poems that travel through the seasons and compare the imagery and adjectives used.

Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors

1. Bibliography

Sidman, Joyce. 2009. RED SINGS FROM TREETOPS: A YEAR IN COLORS. Ill. by Pamela Zagarenski. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-547-01494-4

2. Summary

This book of poetry travels through the seasons, describing them using colors along with descriptive words. The changing weather and seasonal activities are depicted throughout the poetry. The season of spring begins the book with the color red singing in the tree tops in the form of birds saying “cheer-cheer-cheer”. The final poetry about winter also with the color red in the form of birds singing “cheer-cheer-cheer”.

3. Critical Analysis

Sidman uses colors to take the reader through the seasons. The color red is the only color seen throughout all four seasons and it is followed by repetition of sounds such as “cheep-cheep-cheep” and “crunch”. The sounds give life to the poems and allow for expression when being read orally. The descriptive words used for each season allows the reader (or listener) to feel as if they are actually in that season. All of the senses are utilized through vivid imagery as Sidman describes the different seasons: touch in spring with “mossy-soft at my feet”; in summer with “smells like butter, tastes like salt”; in fall with sight “orange flickers, all smoke and candles”; and in winter with sound “white whispers, floats”. The poems have a definite rhythm that flows well when read aloud.

Zagarenski uses colorful illustrations in mixed-media that flow well. The colors are blended, composed of bits of newspaper print in places, and created on wood and through computer generation. The book has a light and European folksy feel in that the people and some animals in the book are adorned with crowns. Wheels are another frequent feature in the main character of the illustrations balancing on top. The most prominent feature is the frequent use of text in the illustrations. The illustrations are clearly the illustrator’s interpretation of the poem. For example, the poem reads, “Red darts, jags, hovers; a blur of wings, a sequined throat.” And the picture includes humming birds.

4. Awards and Review Excerpts

- AWARDS -

Claudia Lewis Award, 2010 Winner United States
Cybil Award, 2009 Winner Poetry United States
Minnesota Book Awards, 2010 Winner Children’s Literature United States
Randolph Caldecott Medal, 2010 Honor Book United States

- REVIEW EXCERPTS -

BOOKLIST review: “All of these evocative images are matched in the imaginative illustrations.” “And as the title implies, the colors that surprise on every page do sing.”

KIRKUS review: “The seasons flow into each other, bringing readers full circle. Fresh descriptions and inventive artistry are a charming inspiration to notice colors and correlate emotions.”

5. Connections

Choose (or have the students choose) a poems and illustrate it in an individual manner based on what you imagine when you hear it.

Write your own poem about a season.

Read other poems about seasons and compare them.

Look at the illustrations and find letters or words within the print that is used to compose the pictures.

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

1. Bibliography

Taback, Simms. 1999. JOSEPH HAD A LITTLE OVERCOAT. New York: Viking. ISBN 0-670-87855-3

2. Summary
   

Based on a Yiddish folksong, Joseph has an overcoat that becomes worn. As it wears out, it is transformed into smaller and smaller articles of clothing until all that is left is a single button. When Joseph loses the button, he makes a book about the life of the overcoat, ending with the moral – “You can always make something out of nothing.”

3. Critical Analysis

Taback uses simple sentences to take readers through the life of Joseph’s overcoat. Parts of the text are repetitive, but not in a way that would cause boredom or loss of interest in the book. The main repetition is in the line, “It got old and worn.” I find that this line, along with the way the story is written could be easily said as a poem or song. The story follows the Yiddish folksong “I Had a Little Overcoat”, which is included at the end of the book. Joseph’s overcoat continues to grow smaller and smaller until he ends up losing the last piece. Just when all seems lost, Joseph decides to write a story about it, teaching the moral that you can always make something out of nothing.

Taback’s illustrations are formed from water color, Gouache, pencil, ink, and collage. This gives the artwork a very unique feel. The page cut-outs bring a fun aspect to the story and add to the storyline as the overcoat’s original fabric becomes smaller and smaller.

4. Awards and Review Excerpts

- AWARDS -

-National Jewish Book Awards, 1999 Winner Illustrated Children’s Book United States

-Randolph Caldecott Medal, 2000 Winner United States
Sydney Taylor Book Awards, 1999 Honor Book Younger Reader United States

- REVIEW EXCERPTS -

BOOKLIST review: “Taback's mixed-media and collage illustrations are alive with warmth, humor, and humanity. Their colors are festive yet controlled, and they are filled with homey clutter, interesting characters, and a million details to bring children back again and again.”

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE review: “Each page is enriched with details appreciated more by adults than children--for example, a newspaper headline reads "Fiddler On Roof Falls Off Roof" or "Chelm Rabbi Knows Why the Ocean is Salty" (It's due to the herring)! Family pictures adorn the walls and peer out of apartment windows, Yiddish newspapers lying on the floor, books with authors such as Sholom Aleichem and I.L. Peretz all vie for attention and inspire adults to share this book with their children and grandchildren.”

5. Connections

-Students can write their own story that involves either making something out of nothing or re-writing Joseph’s story using different events.

-Read other books that have missing pieces in the pages such as The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

-Connect to science by talking about how Joseph “re-used” his overcoat; discuss other items that could be re-used.

Beautiful Blackbird

1. Bibliography

Bryan, Ashley. 2003. BEAUTIFUL BLACKBIRD. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-689-84731-9

2. Summary

Once upon a time in Africa, the blackbird was the only bird who wasn’t brightly colored. All of the other birds though blackbird was the most beautiful. After one bird gets some black added to his feathers, all of the other birds want to have some black as well. This book is adapted from an African tale of the Ila people with the messages of “Black is beautiful.” and “Color on the outside is not what’s on the inside.”

3. Critical Analysis

Bryan tells a story that is ready-made for participation on behalf of the audience. The words, “Black is beautiful, uh-huh” are repeated frequently throughout the book. The rhythmic prose Bryan uses will appeal to children of all ages. The text could be interpreted in two different ways – one that implies a racial metaphor or one that is focused on changing the view of the color black in art from dull and scary to bright and joyful. The text also brings up “color on the outside is not what’s on the inside” which can be interpreted as accepting racial differences.

Bryan uses overlapping collage images to fill the pages with colorful pictures. These cut-paper collages are simple, yet bold and add to the charisma of the story. When the single color birds are accented in black, the pictures become more vibrant. The construction paper-esque feel is sure to inspire young artists and open their minds to a new medium.

4. Awards and Review Excerpts

-AWARDS -

Coretta Scott King Award, 2004 Winner Illustrator United States

- REVIEW EXCERPTS -

KIRKUS review: “This telling, by the master storyteller, just aches to be read aloud; the lively rhythms keep the simple folktale rollicking along.”

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE review: “Because of its uncomplicated presentation, this book would be useful in making an African folk tale accessible to a very young audience, and the colorful illustrations and cheerful theme would please most young children.”

5. Connections

- Read and compare other African folktales, tales by Ashley Bryan, or por quoi tales.

- Discuss the scissors at the end of the book and how Bryan included a memorable piece of his mother. Encourage the students to include memorable pieces in their own writing.

- Read other books about sharing and individuality such as Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. Have students write their own book about sharing and individuality.

Yo, Hungry Wolf! A Nursery Rap

1. Bibliography

Vozar, David. 1993. YO, HUNGRY WOLF! A NURSERY RAP. Ill. by Betsy Lewin. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-440-40953-5

2. Summary

This is a re-telling of “The Three Little Pigs”, “Little Red Riding Hood”, and “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” in a rap verse style. In all three tales, the storyline is pretty traditional, with the exception of the rhyming and some of the grammar.

3. Critical Analysis

Vozar uses fun rhymes and catchy grammar to transform 3 traditional tales into a modern rap. The rap prose is catchy and would be a fun read-aloud. The text would also make a fun reader’s theater due to the style and the way it is broken into 4 line stanzas. When writing “The Three Little Pigs” section, Vozar uses the basic traditional tale with little variation. The most obvious variation is the use of a house of hay instead of a house of wood for the second pig. Some of the vocabulary in the story has been reworded; words such as “reinspired” and “beratin’” add to the story.

Betsy Lewin’s illustrations are done in watercolor and bold outlining. The cartoon style illustrations add to the characterizations and humor of the tales. The seemingly free draw pictures express the characters through the droop of the wolf’s whiskers and worry in the pigs’ eyes.

4. Awards and Review Excerpts

- AWARDS -

Children’s Choices Book, 1994 International Reading Association United States

- REVIEW EXCERPTS -

KIRKUS review: “Three well-known tales featuring the big bad wolf, retold in witty, rhythmic rap and cleverly linked.”

BOOKLIST review: “It's all good, nonviolent fun, much abetted by Lewin's marvelous cartoon-style illustrations.”

5. Connections

- Author study on David Vozar where students can compare and contrast other traditional tale raps such as MC Turtle and The Hip Hop Hare: A Nursery Rap and RAPunzel: A Happenin’ Rap.

- Read other books about The Three Little Pigs. Compare and contrast the storylines using a double bubble map.

- Have the students write an alternative ending to the Three Little Pigs.

- Have students create a dictionary of words they do not know in the rap. Have them create definitions based on text inferences, then look up the actual definition and compare the two.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

1. Bibliography

Viorst, Judith. 1972. ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY. Ill. by Ray Cruz. New York: Antheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0-689-30072-7

2. Summary

Poor Alexander has a day in which everything goes wrong. He wakes up with gum in his hair; his two older brothers find neat toys in their breakfast cereal, but not him; he doesn't get a window seat in the carpool; things just continue to get worse. Alexander decides that the only solution would be to move to Australia. After many more things go wrong through out the day, Alexander heads for bed. He tells his mom it has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. His mom tells him that some days are like that--even in Australia.

3. Critical Analysis

Voirst uses descriptive scenes to describe the kind of day Alexander is having – a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. It’s so bad, Alexander keeps using the line, “I think I’ll move to Australia.”, which students will love to join in on while reading aloud. As Alexander’s day just keeps getting worse students will be able to relate to Alexander’s woes. This is the perfect book to relay the message to children that everyone has bad days and we just have to make the best of them.

Ray Cruz’s illustrations are bold and expressive. Cruz uses black and white illustrations featuring a creative use of patterns and crosshatching. This captures Alexander’s mood throughout the story perfectly.

4. Awards and Review Excerpts

- AWARDS -

* SMART Book Award, 2005 Nominee United States

- REVIEW EXCERPTS -

BOOKHIVE review: “A humorous and thoughtful book with realistic line drawings.”

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE review: “Cruz captures the mood of the story in his black and white illustrations, which feature creative use of patterns and crosshatching to compensate for the lack of color.”

MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW review: “Judith Viorst's 30-year-old black-ink-only classic has a better-than-average chance of withstanding the ravages of time, despite its lack of color and dated images (old '70s VW bugs, Mary Tyler Moore-era clothing).”

5. Connections

*Author study on Judith Viorst where students can compare and contrast other “Alexander” books by Viorst such Alexander, Who’s Not (Do you hear me? I mean it!) Going to Move, Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, and Absolutely Positively Alexander: The Complete Story.

*Share one of your personal bad days with the students, then have the students write about one of their bad days and how it turned out.

*Share other books about bad days such as When Sophie Gets Angry – Really, Really Angry... By Molly Bang or Mean Soup By Betsy Everitt.

*Have the students create a brochure of a place they would like to visit when they are having a bad day. Include in the brochure activities that could be done at that place to make you feel better.