Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford and R. Gregory Christie (illustrator)

Bibliography

Weatherford, Carole Boston, and R. Gregory Christie. Freedom in Congo Square. New York, NY: Little Bee Books, 2016. ISBN 1499801033

Summary

In New Orleans, slaves work from sunup to sun down six days a week. On Sundays, they are “half free” and me in Congo Square. This lively, non fiction poetry picture book pulls readers into the history of Congo Square. It shows a people group who found community and joy despite the brutal conditions in which they lived. 

Analysis

Freedom in Congo Square appears in large, colorful, textured letters against a black background which makes the title of this illustrated poem pop. Also on the cover is an illustration of a man barefoot, dancing. It’s no surprise that this book, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, received a Caldecott honor award. The beautiful color illustrations show the daily lives of slaves, like that of the back breaking work in the field slaves had to do with the master overlooking them with a lash on one of its pages. These illustrations bring Carole Boston Weatherford’s words to life on the page. In a foreword by historian Freddi Williams Evans, readers can learn the facts behind the poem. The poem itself serves as a learning piece as it describes the life and work of the slaves. Words and phrases like “despair”, “trees to prune”, “ardent prayer”, “commune”, and “percale”, appear in the poems and many of those words are defined for readers in a glossary at the end of the book. Weatherford’s words, a poem which describes the life of slaves in New Orleans as they count down to their time in Congo Square, are melodic. The poem has a rhythm created largely by the consistent rhyme throughout that readers and listeners will enjoy. This book inspires with a message of hope and resilience in all circumstances. Young readers will learn and love this poetry picture book. 

Sample Poem

Slaves had off one afternoon,

When the law allowed them to commune.

They flocked to New Orleans’ Congo Square.

Sundays, slaves and free met there. 

Read the book and show the pictures to students. This book discusses a place with cultural and historical significance. Have students research places in their community (town, state, etc.) that have historical and cultural significance. Have them share what they learned with their classmates. 

National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry edited by J. Patrick Lewis

Bibliography

Lewis, J. Patrick. National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry: More than 200 Poems with Photographs That Float, Zoom, and Bloom! New York, NY: Scholastic Inc., 2016. ISBN 9781426320941

Summary

Form Children’s Poet Laureate, J. Patrick Lewis, celebrates our world and all it’s beauty in over 200 poems from old and new poets. Readers will love the always lyrical and sometimes silly look at our world. 

Analysis

This anthology compiled by former Children’s Poet Laureate, J. Patrick Lewis, is a pleasure from cover to cover. Because of the title’s big letters, readers can easily identify that this book is full of Nature Poetry. The poems inside are from poets, new and old, that many will be familiar with such as Janet S. Wong, Naomi Shihab Nye, J. Patrick Lewis, E. E. Cummings, Nikki Grimes, Langston Hughes, Marilyn Singer, and Emily Dickinson. Since the back of the book includes indexes by title, subject, first line, and poet, readers can easily find poems by any of those specifics. Each poem is unique in style, but not in quality; they are all wonderful poems. Some poems are lyrical and reflective. Others are more humorous like Rhea by Douglas Florian, Gym on a Rock by Sonya Sones, and WHALE by Mary Ann Hoberman. There are haikus like Four Haiku by Matsuo Basho translated by Robert Hass. Poems like The Delight Song of Tsoai-talee by N. Scott Momaday which read, “I am a feather on the bright sky/ I am the blue horse that runs in the plain/ I am the fish that rolls, shining, in the water/ I am the shadow that follows a child” use repetition to capture readers. One to two page spreads often have a theme like the poems Take Bus 9 to the Red Sea Beach by John Barr and The Red Crabs of Christmas Island by B.J. Lee which are both about red things. Poems are accompanied by awe inspiring color photographs of nature such as the incredible photography of the salt crystals in the Dead Sea accompanying the poem Dead Sea by Rebecca Kai Dotlich or the photograph on the cover of the Northern Lights. While poems are all about nature, as seen when reader’s flip to the glossary, they cover a myriad of areas like the sea, the sky, the seasons, natural disasters, and more. This book is a great resource and read for any age. 

Sample Poem

Everything Old Becomes New

Everything old becomes new before it dies.

Chrysalis, a moment before the butterflies

stretch those limp and limpid wings,

makes a sound, almost sings,

exchanges breath with its quaking new life.

Egg about to crack before the break’s sure knife

remembers warmth inside the hen.

Mountain crumbles into its own ravine. 

And you walking the Devon hills

remark the old year, watching the spills

of winter sun blaze the ancient landscape there

before the turning of the fading year.

Everything old, dear friends, anew.

Even me, even you.

                - Jane Yolen

During the unit when students are watching butterflies develop, read this poem. Have students consider what other animals and insects they know of that transform or go through changes. Reread the poem and have students join in for the last two lines. Have students consider how they too go through changes like the butterfly and the other insects and animals they shared. Let students write responses in poetry or prose. 

Your Own Sylvia: A verse portrait of Sylvia Plath

 

Bibliography

Hemphill, Stephanie. Your Own, Sylvia: a Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. ISBN 0440239680

Summary

The biographical verse novel Your Own, Slyvia written by Stephanie Hemphill takes readers on a journey of the life of Slyvia Plath, poet and Pulitzer Prize winning author, through the eyes of those around her. 

Analysis

A small photo of a portion of Slyvia Plath, a fuzzy picture of a white picket fence, and script writing of the title, Your Own, Slyvia appear on the front of the dust jacket. Even readers who are less familiar with the life and writing of Slyvia Plath will find this to be an extraordinary introduction into the world of Plath. The collection of poems by poet Stephanie Hemphill describes the author’s life from birth, childhood, young adulthood up until her tragic end. Each poem, from the perspective of different people in Plath’s life, is rich in language and emotion. Many poems are free verse and highlight aspects of Slyvia Plath’s life and work. Some, like the poem Why She Writes, are in written in the style of Plath’s own poems. Poems employ the use of metaphor like in Owning Sylvia Plath where Hemphill writes “Who are you, Sylvia Plath?/ A cold comet locked in place by gravity?/ A glint in the cracked ceiling above my bed?” One poem Abecedarian is just that, an abecedarian poem that follows alphabetical order at the start of each of the first 26 lines of the poem. Other poems use consistent rhymes like in Money Well Spent “What pleasure to know/ that my scholarship goes/ to such a talented delight--/ Sylvia Plath. I write and invite”. Topics in this book include mental illness, gender roles, and art. There is particular attention paid to Slyvia Plath’s mental illness as it is what ultimately led to her death by suicide. Not only are there poems in this novel, but most poems include a prose description at the bottom of the events and people that were addressed in the poem. Hemphill has included at the back of the book her source notes, so readers can be assured that the information is factual and well researched. This book is a beautiful introduction and reflection on the life of Sylvia Plath that young adult and adult readers alike can enjoy. 

Sample Poem

Shock Treatment

Aurelia Plath

July 29th, 1953

I hold my baby in my arms,

her legs scarred by razor

just to test if she had the nerve

to drag the blade across her skin.

She begs me to die with her.

I scheduled Slyvia an appointment

with a psychiatrist. He suggests

we shock her out of depression.

Metal probes attach

to her forehead. She is rigid,

alone in that room, prostrate

on the table, but we follow

the doctor’s orders. I will not

be foolish with Sylvia as I was

with Otto. We will seek out

and listen to medical professionals 

before it is too late.

Slyvia doesn’t sleep. A return

to infancy, she cries and wakes

in the night. I locker her sleeping pills

away, distribute them judiciously,

as prescribed, even though Sylvia

begs for more. Sylvia’s electrified--

pills or no pills, she struggles to shut her eyes.

This poem, and the book in general, would be an interesting addition to a high school psychology class's study of psychology, psychiatry, and medical treatments. Teachers could choose to read the whole book while discussing depression and the history of medical treatment, or this individual poem. Consider pairing the poem with this video on modern use of electroconvulsive therapy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcmarVpo2xE.