Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: America’s Sproutings

Mora, Pat. 2007. Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: America’s Sproutings. Ill. by Rafael Lopez. New York: Lee & Low Books, Inc.  ISBN 9781584302711

(Image obtained from amazon.com)

Summary

Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: America’s Sproutings is a collection of haikus featuring fourteen different foods native to the Americas geared towards children in preschool through third grade.  Factual information regarding each food precedes the haiku on opposing pages in each two page spread.

Quality and Appeal

Haikus are an inventive way to share the different structures of poetry.  Mora jumped at this appeal in Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: America’s Sproutings  through fun, appealing, and evocative musings.  The words and illustrations stream together in a way that almost makes your mouth water while reading.  The familiarity of the food will entice and engage younger readers while the factual support will appeal to older readers. 

Beyond the basic content, multicultural connections are made through the illustrative Spanish-flair and combination of Spanish-language integration.  The literary merit, along with the cultural undertones, confirms the necessity in education integration.  Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: America’s Sproutings belongs in every elementary classroom.

This book is also published in Spanish. 

                                                 Awards, Mentions and/or Honors                       

Won American Library Association Notable Books for Children in 2008

Won Americas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature in 2008

Spotlight Poem

Pecan

We crack hard, brown shells,

family munching, story time,

crunchy taste of fall. 

Educators can utilize this poem (and any of the others found in Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: America’s Sproutings) to head a lesson on cultural differences.   Students should be invited to share a family tradition.

Books like Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: America’s Sproutings

Guacamole by Jorge Argueta

I Remember Abuelito by Janice Levy

Elympics

Kennedy, X.J. 1999. Elympics. Ill. by Graham Percy. New York: Philomel Books.  ISBN 978399232497

(Image obtained from amazon.com)

Summary

Elympics is a compilation of thirteen poems about the Olympic games aimed towards children in preschool through fifth grade.  Each poem follows a particular Olympic game which is being played by elephants.   

Quality and Appeal

The poetry contained in Elympics serves as an introduction to single-form poetry.  Kennedy balances rhyming in quatrain through the depiction of summer and winter Olympic games.  While the meter is successful in developing a reading routine, it sometimes feels forced in an effort to remain structured in the repetitive form.  The illustrations, completed in crayon and ink, extend the meaning and action of the poetry as the book progresses.  Personally, I felt that the drawings superseded the poetry in this book.  Without the illustrations, some of the poetry would feel flat and monochromatic. 

Although certainly not my favorite in the genre, Elympics is fun and thematic through the presentation of competition, sportsmanship, symbolism, and tradition which may be just enough to keep children engaged. 

Spotlight Poem

Medal Winner

O day of triumph! Here’s Trumpette

Collecting her reward,

The brightest medal athletes get,

A gold one on a cord.

Now all her cares seem far away,

Those long hard months of trying ---

Whoever through she’d see this day?

She’s on the brink of crying

With joy.  Her name will live in fame,

For elephant don’t forget.

Gold medals glitter, but a name

That lives is brighter yet.

Educators can utilize any of the poetry in Elympics to begin a lesson on the Olympics and connections to other similar national games (such as the Scottish Highland Games, Ancient Greece, and the Gladiators of Rome).  To solidify concepts learned, children can act out a particular movement and have other students describe it in written form.  This will extend the connection between descriptive words and action. 

Books like Elympics

Tacky and the Winter Games by Helen Lester

Olympig! by Victoria Jamieson

G is for Gold Medal: An Olympics Alphabet by Brad Herzog

Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings

Florian, Douglas. 2009. Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.  ISBN 9781416979784

(Image obtained from amazon.com)

Summary

Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings is a single-author anthology of 20 dinosaur-related poems aimed towards children in first through fifth grade.  Each poem showcases a different dinosaur. 

Quality and Appeal

The poetry in Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings combines historical fact, literary function and poetic device with wordplay often characteristic of other Florian poetry.  Line breaks, stresses, language, and rhyme flows from page to page with the painting and collage of dinosaurs found across each spread.  Facts such as chronological order of prehistoric eras, physical characteristics of dinosaurs, and pronunciation of all too difficult names mix in with the fun, witty, and presumptuous musings of Douglas Florian 

Despite the craftiness and relatable language which make this an enjoyable read, some of the literary devices and factoids might be lost on earlier readers.  The more receptive crowd for this book would be upper elementary children. 

                                                 Awards, Mentions and/or Honors                       

Nominated for the Great Lakes’ Great Book Award in 2010

Nominated for the Beehive Children’s Poetry Book Award in 2011

Spotlight Poem

Pterosaurs

The pterrifying pterosaurs

Flew ptours the ptime of dinosaurs.

With widespread wings and pteeth pto ptear,

They pterrorized the pteeming air.

They were not ptame.

They were ptenacious –

From the Ptriassic

Pto the Cretaceous.

Through the exhibition of a silent, proceeding letter, educators can use this poem to introduce phonetic characteristics of print in the English language, including auxiliary letters, digraphs, and dummy letters.     

Books like Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings

Dinosaur Poems by John Foster and Korky Paul

Dinosaurs Galore! by Giles Andreae

Tyrannosaurus Wrecks: A Book of Dinosaur Riddles by Noelle Sterne

Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat

Giovanni, Nikki, ed. 2008. Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat. Ill. by Kristen Balouch, et al. Naperville: Sourcebooks.  ISBN 9781402210488

(Image obtained from amazon.com)

Summary

Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat is a mixed-media compilation of 51 poems from 42 different poets or hip hop performers.  The subject matter is varying. 

Quality and Appeal

Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat serves as a contemporary poetry manifesto which showcases hip hop and poetry with a beat.  The content is appropriate without venturing into explicit territory which allows this book to operate in the classroom as an educational tool.  Performers such as a Queen Latifah, Mos Def, Kanye West, Common, and Sugarhill Gang can be found proceeding and following literary greats such as Maya Angelou, W.E.B. Dubois and Martin Luther King, Jr, bridging the gap between the traditional and the modern. 

An audio CD accompanies the book.  The CD boasts 25 tracks which range from author-led readings, to guest readings, on through to instrumental and musical tracks.  The audio samplings allow children to hear author interpretation and intention while understanding poetry can be boxed and presented in all different fashions.  Further, illustrations by six different individuals provide a sense of diversity amongst the text through oils, watercolor, collage, and computer engineered graphics. 

While the intended audience for Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat is children in first through third grade, some of the concepts and ideals spread amongst the page will be lost on earlier readers.  However, the poetry still manages to serve as an introduction to tone, rhythm, and symbolism. 

Spotlight Poem

The Rose That Grew From Concrete by Tupac Shakur

Did u hear about the rose that grew from a crack

in the concrete

Proving nature’s laws wrong it learned 2 walk

without having feet

Funny it seems but by keeping its dreams

it learned 2 breath fresh air

Long live the rose that grew from the concrete

when no one else even cared!

Educators can use this poem to introduce poetic devices such as personification, metaphors, and symbolism.  Students can identify each component while writing a poem about themselves which showcases an issue that they have overcome. 

Books like Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat

Poetry for Young People by Langston Hughes

Bird by Zetta Elliott

Poetry Speaks Who I Am by Elise Paschen

Stampede! Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School

Salas, Laura Purdie. 2009. Stampede! Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School. Ill. by Steven Salerno. New York: Clarion Books.  ISBN 9780618914883

(Image obtained from amazon.com)

Summary

Stampede! Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School is a single author, school-related anthology of 18 poems aimed towards children in kindergarten through third grade.  Each of the poems isolates a particular issue found within school (such as being the new student, Picture Day, recess, lunch, studying, and assignments) which brings out the animal in each student. 

Quality and Appeal

Stampede! Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School proves to be a succinct introductory anthology into the world of poetry.  The poetry found page by page combines numerous types of poetic devices including a variety of stanzas, change in meter, imagery, and symbolism.  The most prominent concept found nestled in the pages of Stampede! Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School, stands to be that of metaphor.  Each poem likens daily happenings to those similar to the animals.  For instance, the activity outside of the school grounds prior to beginning of class is likened to that of buzzing bumblebees.  The rumblings of stomachs in anticipation for lunch are likened to the roar of a bear.  Illustrations are bold and expressive.  The children found on each page begin morphing into each animal they are being allegorized to, tying the texts to the images and inserting the audience into each setting. The overall tone remains light and humorous despite shouldering concepts with serious undertones such as anxiety, bullying, self-consciousness, and academic proficiency.  

In addition to establishing the basics of poetry, the content found within this anthology is appealing to children as it speaks to the trials and tribulations that each student has been preview to at one point their lives.  Most students can relate to every poem in this book, creating a sense of unity in the classroom. 

Awards, Mentions and/or Honors

Nominated for the Minnesota Book Awards in 2010

Honor Book for Paterson Prize for Books for Young People in 2010

Spotlight Poem

Nesting

I’m one quiet fox.

My desk is my den,

with quizzes, smooth rocks, and

a note from a friend.

I tuck deep inside

the hollowed-out wood

to make me feel safe when I’m

not understood.

This poem can be shared with students as an introduction to attitudes and behaviors in the school setting.  Overall, the key element here is respecting each other.  Students will be invited to clean out their desk and select a personal belonging found in their desk to share with others in a “show and tell” setting. 

Books like Stampede! Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School

Lunch Money and Other Poems About School by Carol Diggory Shields

If You’re Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand: Poems about School by Kalli Dakos

No More Homework! No More Tests!: Kids Favorite Funny School Poems by Bruce Lansky

City I Love

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 2009. City I Love. Ill. by Marcellus Hall. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers.  ISBN 9780810983274

(Image obtained from amazon.com)

Summary

City I Love is a poetry anthology serving as a nod to city living.  A collection of 18 poems showcase urban development (sights, sounds, and happenings) both internationally and domestically. 

Quality and Appeal

The poetry in City I Love contains ample doses of symmetry, repetition, and imagery.  The poems are writing in varying styles from haiku, to expressive, towards dialogue, and through to free verse.  Details and description create an environment where children can see the sights and hear the sounds.  The text is simplistic enough to meet the needs of children in grades pre-school through fourth grade. 

While city living is not something uncharacteristic of current society, each poem contains an element of regional living.  For instance, poems depict subways, street vendors, and snowy weather.  Not every city has these things.  The exposure serves to expand the audience’s perception and knowledge.  City I Love will spark the interest and desires of the wandering hearts. 

Spotlight Poem

Sing a Song of Cities

Sing a song of cities.

If you do,

Cities will sing back

To you.

They’ll sing in subway roars and rumbles,

People-laughs, machine-loud grumbles.

Sing a son of cities.

If you do,

Cities will sing back.

Cities will sing back

To you. 

This poem will be introduced by children identifying different things that make their city unique.  Following the presentation of the poem, children will listen to mp3 sound clips of differing sounds and noises found outside the school.  They will be encouraged to write a short haiku about a sound of their choosing. 

Books like City I Love

City Kids Poems by Patricia Hubbell

Sky Scrape/City Scrape by Jane Yolen