Fire-Breathing Poetry

“I love playing with words. That’s why I write poems. I also love to see how other people play with words. That’s why I read poems.”

- from Bob Raczka, author of Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word illustrated by Nancy Doniger)

“Once upon a happenstance
I met a knight in armor.
I fixed my flame upon his lance –
It was a four-alarmer!”

- from the poem “Dragonbrag” from The Dragons are Singing Tonight written by Jack Prelutsky and illustrated by Peter Sis

I have always been a lover of poetry. As a singer, I hear poetry as spoken music. The lilts, rhymes, alliterations, and musicality of poems lend themselves kindly to dreamer’s ears. And surely, I have always been a dreamer. In the book I am currently reading, Princess Academy The Forgotten Sisters by Newbury Honor Winner Shannon Hale, the main character Miri describes poetry as "human imagination, seeking to express what is, even while dreaming of what might be" (Hale, 2015).

Recently, I discovered that poetry can be so much more than I once believed it to be. In college I wrote many anagram poems in which the alternating lines would have the same exact letters as the preceding lines. Little did I know that this form of letter-playing poetry was a true style! Because of my love for anagramming, I thoroughly enjoyed the simple genius of author Bob Raczka and illustrator Nancy Doniger in Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word which consists of brief poems written in the letters of a single word. For example:

Creative
i
crave
art

Simple but genius. The same letters from the word “creative” are used to make up the three words of the poem that truly describes the essence of being “creative”. Look at the picture and see how the poet designed the poems so that the letters fall under their original place in the title word. Because of this, reading the longer poems can be a tricky business. On the back side of the page, the poem is written in normal form. Another of my favorites is “Constellation”. See if you can read it from the picture without me telling you the words.

Did you get it?

Constellation
a
silent
lion
tells
an
ancient
tale

The poem reminds me of Aslan and Narnia. Great skies of stars that speak stories. You see? I begin speaking more poetically even as I talk about poetry. I cannot help it.

The illustrations by Nancy Doniger are equally as simple and genius as the writing. Minimalistic black, grey, and red watercolors blend to depict humble yet intriguing images that thoroughly capture the meanings of the poems.

I believe I am so inspired that I must venture one of my own on the spot in this post. Let’s see:

quotes
         s
       e
      t
    o
  u  t
      t
    o
qu   es
      t

quotes
set
out
to
quest

My poem picture book is a beautifully illustrated set of poems about dragons. Given my preoccupation with all things fantasy, this combination of rhyme and fantastical beast was a winner for me. I could read these all by myself and chuckle to no end. As you can see in my opening example “Dragonbrag”, many of the poems are quite humorous. Some of the funny and witty ones take a turn at the last line to make the joke evident. Even so, there are a few poems that were more thought-provoking and encouraging of childlike imagination such as the secret dragon in the bath tub, the dragon in a child’s computer, the nasty half-inch dragon, and “If you don’t believe in dragons”.

The illustrations by Peter Sis draw the reader into an unforeseen world. Each poem specifically matched with masterful drawings to create the mood, atmosphere, and point of view set by the poem. I highly recommend both books of poetry and writing your own poetry! I also recommend trying to put them to music as I plan to do with this book of dragon poems in my elementary music class. Read this last poem "I am Boom!" and imagine marching and singing with a group of young, active students.

Revolution and Immigration

“It was dim and gloomy down below. Peggy couldn’t believe that this dreadful place was where she would spend the next five to six weeks. She could see so much in the faces of fellow passengers – excitement, hope, fear, and, in a few, utter misery. They all were aware of the noise of water slapping against the wood of the ship’s frame. Suddenly it seemed louder and stronger, and they realized that the ship was casting off and leaving the quayside…At once there was a mad rush up on deck. They formed a human chain all round the ship. No words were spoken as they feasted their eyes on a last look at Ireland…the journey had begun.
It was dusk when they filed down below. Everyone was aware that there was no going back.”
- from Wildflower Girl by Marita Conlon-McKenna

I have always been an avid reader of historical fiction since my days of literary adventure with the American Girls. I fled from slavery with Addy, I embraced Nordic traditions with Kirsten, I helped impoverished girls with Samantha, I became a penny pincher with Kit, and I rode horses through revolution with Felicity. Every one of these adventures instilled the culture and trials of various historical periods in my long-term memory because they were through shared experiences of story. Because of Felicity and my brief years living in Virginia, my propensity has been towards the colonial era in my historical fiction reading, and to this day I love tales of that time. I used to wear my very own colonial dresses (sewn by my skilled, kind mother) through the streets of colonial Williamsburg and pretend that I worked there like every other costumed passerby. No doubt I will always adore that era of history.

In coordination with my colonial fascination, I read a humorous account of our American forefathers entitled John, Paul, George, and Ben written and illustrated by Lane Smith. This witty narrative tells a short tale about each forefather when they were just a boy: John Hancock, Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington. Each tale highlights a predominant trait in the boy that ends up being useful as they become part of the American Revolution.

John loves to sign his name as largely as possible on everything, and so, when it came time to sign the Declaration of Independence, John made his historically famous signature. Paul is depicted as a boy who cannot control his speaking volume, and so, when the British finally arrived, Paul was there to loudly proclaim the warning. Ben had many clever sayings that helped form the American government. George chops the cherry tree and cannot tell a lie, and so, he becomes the trusted first president. Even so, the funny final page of the story shows that they keep George away from trees.

The ending pages of the book give a truthful account of each man’s history to compare with the humorous tales in the story. The pen and ink illustrations bring life to the story and include speech bubble details that make the book incredibly interesting and entertaining. Children can enjoy relating to our American forefathers in the approachable context of childhood follies that we all share.

Beyond my appreciation for colonial fictions, I also have a fondness for historically accurate tales of fictional characters overcoming hardship through persecution, immigration, or evasion. I was fortunate enough to spend my honeymoon last month in Northern Ireland, and I encountered this trilogy of books by Irish author Marita Conlon-McKenna. She writes the tale of Peggy O’Driscoll through her survival of the Great Famine, her immigration to America, and her expansion to the west. Wildflower Girl is the second book in the series, and takes Peggy through her decision to immigrate, her horrid experience on the ship to America, and trying to find her place and employment in the busy city of Boston.

Seeing the cities, villages, and fields of Irish country firsthand, I could understand what Peggy was giving up by gambling a better life and employment in America. I can easily imagine her shock and horror at the devastating conditions of life on the ship. Immigration tales are numerous, but I had not read one of Irish immigration, and I knew the fare would be cheap and difficult, but the wretched affair was worse that I had imagined. I would regale you with the sorrows, but I rather you read them for yourself. Finally, Peggy does arrive in Boston, and after various failed attempts at proper employment, she finds a place in a fine house as a scullery maid. I look forward to continuing her tale when I read the next book, Fields of Home.

God, Bras, and Shoes

“My parents don’t know I actually talk to God. I mean, if I told them they’d think I was some kind of religious fanatic or something. So I keep it very private. I can talk to him without moving my lips if I have to. My mother says God is a nice idea. He belongs to everybody.”

-         - from Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret by Judy Blume

“Brandon T. comes to school in those shoes. He says he’s the fastest runner now, not me. I was always the fastest before those shoes came along.”

-        -  from Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts, illustrated by Noah Z. Jones

Coming of age is a trying time for adolescents of any age, race, or religion. For Margaret and Jeremy, I read the evidence with recollection of similar struggles in my youth. Although I too struggled to fit in and avoid being the target of mockery, I certainly followed my own path that prevented me from experiencing the same pressures as Margaret and Jeremy.

Let’s take Jeremy’s example in Those Shoes. Jeremy craves the black high tops with white stripes that all the other boys in his class gradually get and show off in the halls. Jeremy and his grandmother search the stores and thrift shops until they find a reasonably priced pair. Even though the shoes are too small for Jeremy, he buys them anyways. In the end, Jeremy ends up anonymously giving the shoes to a boy in his class who wears shoes that are taped together and in bad condition.

I can relate to Jeremy’s desire to fit in and ride the surf of status quo within his classroom hierarchy. However, I learned at an early age that this was not an easy feat for the weird, nerdy girl that I was. My father used to refer to me as “unique”, and I proudly wore the moniker as one who rows upstream with glee. Despite my seemingly content manner of oddities and idiosyncrasies, I still longed somewhat to be a part of the groups in school that did follow the fads. I never wore ripped jeans or got chunky highlights in my hair or wore the grown-up underwear ahead of my time, but inside I still felt the pressure to conform.

Similarly, Margaret felt much pressure to conform and be “normal”. In her group of girls this meant wearing bras too soon, wishing for their periods, liking the same boys, and increasing their bust. In these areas, I was all too happy to wait. I never had much inclination for growing up early or even on time. I preferred more of a Peter Pan mindset when it came to my adolescence. Margaret had a lot on her plate with moving to a new neighborhood in New Jersey, grandparents vying for her to follow two different religions, and girl friends who insisted on normalcy and maturing. Throughout all this, Margaret confidentially confides in God through brief prayers that always begin with “are you there God? It’s me, Margaret”. 

I can see how the book gained a saucy reputation among parents and educators. The content of the story involves parts of growing up that guardians of preteens would rather not face. However, I believe it is vital that adolescents, preteens, and teens see themselves in the literature they are presented to read. The beliefs and hopes of Margaret are not different from most preteen girls, but they are skewed in their focus. We must allow preteens to explore such literature as long as we also take care to discuss the issues and themes openly with them.