Poetry: Winter Bees

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sidman, Joyce 2014. WINTER BEES & OTHER POEMS OF THE COLD New York: HMH Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0547906501

PLOT SUMMARY

In Joyce Sidman’s book of poetry about animals during the winter we are provided a hauntingly beautiful narrative on survival. Each poem contained in this collection offers the reader a glimpse into the adaptations and preparations different types of animals make for the long winter months. Joyce provides not only a well-crafted poem for each animal but she also provides actual facts and information about the animals and their activities during the winter months. From the first poem, Dreams of a Tundra Swan, to the last, Triolet for Skunk Cabbage, the reader is taken on a journey from the first glimpse of winter to the first sign of spring.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

WINTER BEES is a collection of poems that will entice poetry lovers and scientists alike. Joyce Sidman takes basic scientific facts and turns them into beautiful, well written poems about survival in the winter. Each animal, bird, bee, etc., highlighted for their adaptations to the cold, is given a poem that draws readers in with the detailed and image-filled diction. Sidman does a beautiful job of taking science and turning it into beauty. 

Accompanying each poem is a short paragraph highlighting the science behind each animal’s adaptation to the cold. The paragraph gives facts, locations, and actual scientific names to some of the actions taking place on the page. This extra information provided not only enhances the reader’s experience but will also encourage readers to engage with the actual science of the actions taking place. 

Rick Allen, the illustrator, provides the reader with images that tell the full story of the poem and scientific information provided. The double-page spreads of images are very well-done and provide the reader with the right amount of detail to enhance the reading experience. The illustrations truly draw the reader into each story and allows them to stay entranced with each animal’s story of survival.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Winter Bees distinguishes itself with a focus on the science of animal survival, coupled with superlative illustrations. Readers young and old will enjoy this winter journey and marvel at the wonders of nature."

BOOKLIST: "Concluded with a glossary of big but fascinating words, this is equally suited to curricular units and cozy reads in front of a fire."

KIRKUS REVIEWS: "A work to be savored by young artists and scientists."

CONNECTIONS

* Junior Library Guild Selection Winner

* This collection of poetry could also be used in conjunction with science units about animal’s adaptations to winter. Students could research their own animal and how they survive the winter.

* Invite students to create their own poems about nature and animals throughout any season.

* Other collections of poetry by Joyce Sidman:

Sidman, Joyce. DARK EMPEROR AND OTHER POEMS OF THE NIGHT ISBN 0547152280

Sidman, Joyce. BUTTERFLY EYES AND OTHER SECRETS OF THE MEADOW. ISBN 061856313X

Poetry: Hidden

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Frost, Helen 2015. HIDDEN New York: Square Fish. ISBN 1250056845

PLOT SUMMARY

HIDDEN is the story of two teenage girls and the secrets they try to keep. Wren Abbott and Darra Monson are two girls that come from vastly backgrounds. Wren is the daughter of the school superintendent and Darra’s father is abusive and unemployed. The story begins as Wren is waiting in the car for her mother to make a purchase at a convenience store. A robbery takes place and the thief uses Wren’s van as the getaway car. The thief just happens to be Darra’s father who drives Wren unknowingly back to his garage. After Darra’s father ends up in jail, the two girls end up at the same summer camps years later. Darra and Wren slowly come to terms with their shocking and violent past and begin to heal together. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Helen Frost has created a story that many middle aged students will love to investigate. Many of the themes such as loss and friendship will be easily relatable to the middle school student.

HIDDEN is written in free verse, allowing the structure of the poems to become part of the story. The structure is written without compliance with traditional style. Younger readers may have to adapt their reading style to match the style used in this book. The dual perspective is used to tell the two main character’s different points of view. 

Hidden tells its story in about 150 pages making it a quick read but one that is full of emotion. As you read, the quickness almost plays into a sense of urgency as you wait to find out how the girl’s story ends. Helen Frost does not spend much of the writing on extra, or fluffy pieces of information. It feels like she understands that the reader will be desperate to see the conclusion. 

When you reach the end of HIDDEN and think the story has been told, the author throws in a “hidden” gem. She explains her interest in finding the hidden things in life and send the reader on a quest back through the story to find something that is hidden in plain sight. I think this is a great way to keep the reader interested in the story after they are finished. 

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

VOYA: “Many teen readers will identify with Wren and Darra and how events that happened to us when we were younger help shape the person we become.”

BOOKLIST: “Like Frost's Printz Honor Book, Keesha's House, this novel in verse stands out through its deliberate use of form to illuminate emotions and cleverly hide secrets in the text.”

KIDS INK: “Beginning with a horrific story of an accidental kidnapping, this poetic novel is impossible to put down. . . . A masterpiece!”

CONNECTIONS

* 2012 ALA Notable Book

* 2012 Bank Street Best Children’s Books, Starred

* 2012 Lee Bennett Hopkins Children’s Poetry Award Honor Book*

* This would be a great story to teach students that there are two sides to every story. Have students write their own story or collection of poetry from difference perspectives.

* Other books by Helen Frost:

Frost, Helen. KEESHA’S HOUSE ISBN 0312641273

Frost, Helen. DIAMOND WILLOW ISBN 0312603835

Poetry: BookSpeak!

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Salas, Laura Purdie & Bissaillon, Josee. 2011. BOOKSPEAK!: POEMS ABOUT BOOKS. NewYork: Clarion. ISBN 9780547223001

PLOT SUMMARY

In Bookspeak!: Poems About Books, Laura Purdie Salas provides the reader with a collections of poems about books. Not just books though, but parts of books, characters and types of books. This unique and quirky collection of poems reminds readers young and old why we are bewitched by books. Calling All Readers, requests that readers put down the controller, turn the TV off and hang out with him, which is exactly what you want to do as soon as your start reading this collection. Another poem in the collection, Skywriting, claims that the black words against the white page is like singing a story against a white sky. The End reminds readers that the end of a book is not really the end: “I am not so much
‘The End’ as I am an invitation back to the beginning.”

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Laura Purdie Salas gives books a unique and quirky voice in BOOKSPEAK. The collection begins by calling all readers to drop everything they are doing and have an adventure with a book. This is exactly what you want to do as you wind your way through the poems written in the book’s own voice. Many of the poems take on different styles and voices to match the theme of the poem. Skywriting, which is about the actual words on pages is written in various forms of fonts, styles and detail. Ink smudges and paper lines add to the experience of the poem. 

Characters also get a voice in the poem titled: A Character Pleads for His Life. The character pleads with you to open the cover of the book and let him tell you his story, “open the cover and liberate me.” He promises to help you become someone you have never been before which is what many readers want as they read a book. We also hear from the oft forgotten index. “Forget the pretty pages on the cover”, ignites his sharp and angry voice. A diary is another voice that is heard, “all thinkers need pages where dreams can take flight”.  Each part of the story telling experience is given a voice in this collection.

The collage-like illustrations almost fold back on the page as you dissect each poem’s specific story. The illustrations add dimensions to the words almost telling you their own story. Illustrations are bright and bold in some cases and dull and dreary in others further enhancing the tone and diction used. 

Booklovers of all ages will be particularly thrilled to speed through the pages of this wonderfully written collection of poems about books.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Well-crafted and clever, covering a variety of aspects of books and reading...An appealing offering that will be especially popular with librarians."

BULLETIN: "There's definite read aloud and performance potential here."

BOOKLIST: “With its mix of poetic forms and wry twists on language-arts terms, this is a natural choice for sharing in classrooms and young writers’ workshops.”

CONNECTIONS

 *Awards for BOOKSPEAK!: POEMS ABOUT BOOKS

Minnesota Book Award

NCTE Notable

Bank Street Best Books

Librarians' Choice

Honor Book - Gelett Burgess Center for Creative Expression

White Ravens book

Nerdy Book Award

* This book would be perfect for a librarian, teacher or student to practice their storytelling ability.

* Other books by Laura Purdie Salas:

Salas, Laura Purdie. A ROCK CAN BE. ISBN 1467721107

Salas, Laura Purdie. IF YOU WERE THE MOON. ISBN 146778009X