Ge nre Three

1.
Bibliography:
Sidman, Joycee. 2003. THE WORLD ACCORDING TO DOG: POEMS AND TEEN VOICES. Photographer: Doug Mindell. New York, New York. Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN:0618174974

Plot Summary: A collection of poems about dogs and the impressions they make on our lives. There are poems by Sidman intertwined with the poems of teen writers. The poem This is a Secret is a poem about the teen's day at school and the one thing that she looks forward to is "bury myself in the deep armchair of your smell." This is the one thing that can comfort her. A poem about "Bandy" the dog that offered comfort to a girl that had a terrible day at school and who doesn't truly fit in. and on her way home finds a free puppy in a box. This puppy offers her a new outlook on life. The poem is told from the daughter's point of view. She thanks the person who left Bandy because not only did her mother rescue the dog but the dog also rescued the mother.

The black and white photos rather in focus or blurred fit s with the poems they are paired with. The photos allow the readers to put a dog with each poem.

Critical Analysis:
A collection for dog lovers everywhere. Even if you are not a huge dog fan one can appreciate Sidman's humor, wit and sincerity that comes through in the poems.
This collection of poetry takes on the form of Haiku, Free verse and a conversation poem. The book includes poems written by teens as well as Sidman. The poems are told from different point of views to include a poem that is a conversation between a squirrel and a dog. They are simple easy to read poems that touch on all emotions. There are poems that will make one laugh, smile, and even feel sad. The book offers poems that anyone can relate to; calling your dog away from something for ten minutes knowing he is not going to come until you go out and pick him up. To the dogs habit of circling a couple of times before it gets comfortable. The photos are of different breeds even mutts so that each person can see their own dog in some way. A lovely collection about the life lessons and life love we can find in our furry friend.
Review Excerpts:

"Sidman's poetic observations of beloved pets interspersed with short essays by teens are sure to engage dog fanciers. The poems, mostly blank verse with a scattering of haiku, are rueful, contemplative, and sensory as they comment on canine behavior indoors and out and on interaction with humans, other dogs, and the natural world."-School Library Journal

"Interspersed with Sidman's original poems are short essays from teens--personal, heartfelt prose about intense bonds with dogs that will resonate with other teen dog lovers. But it's the poetry and the evocative images that are the collection's real attractions."-Booklist

"Dog lovers will likely lap it up eagerly, budding writers will snuffle it with interest, and teens who combine the two tendencies might even roll ecstatically." Kirkus Reviews


Connections:
Have students bring in a picture of their own pets, discuss what is going on in the picture or even what emotion the picture evokes. Once the student has a grasp of the picture have them create a poem to go along the picture.




2.
Bibliography:
Lewis, Patrick J. 1998. DOODLE AND DANDIES. Illustrator: Lisa Desimini. New York , NY. Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing Division. ISBN: 068981075

Plot Summary:

Doodle and Dandies is a fun, energetic collection of shape poetry in its finest form. Easily read for grade schoolers. There are poems in the shape of a giraffe to that of a skyscraper which allows you to watch "hundreds of ants scurrying like people on the sidewalks below and the yellow bugs racing recklessly along the city streets and ride the elevator all the way down in 37 seconds" The poem appeals to all the exciting things one can experience besides just looking at a tall building. There is even a poem in the shape of a Wee widow weeping under a willow tree!

The vibrant pictures and colors used to for the poems make them pop out at the reader. There are poems that are placed in the surrounding you would find it in, the butterfly against the bright colored sky, the synchronized swimmers upside down in the swimming pool. Other poems are placed on objects in which the poem is about like the strikeout poem the verses are on baseballs rather than in the shape of baseballs.


Critical Analysis:

Doodle and Dandies is a collection of poems that is brilliantly put together. The subject of the poem is in boldface, and the lines of the poem take on the shape of the subject. Then combined with the mixed media work of Desimimi. Some of the poems are printed on the object in which the poem is about. Others used bright, bold, deep colors. This book calls for readers to be active in reading through it, some will have to turn it around, upside down, etc... to read the poems. A book of poems that should definitely be read aloud. The book does have a few poems that take a little more thought to figure out how to read the poem.

Review Excerpts:

"The interplay between words and pictures effectively conjures images from seasons, to sports, to the jungle. From endpaper to doodled endpaper, this mix of clever language and visual delights makes a dandy treat for all ages." Publishers Weekly

"From the lavender endpapers that feature a mix of childlike drawings and letters in different typefaces, and the magic-marker doodles surrounding the various shapes on the CIP page, to the final page, each spread is fresh and inviting. Doodle Dandies captures the joy that wordplay can bring. It deserves a place on every library shelf." -School Library Journal

"A dandy way indeed to begin a journey to poetry"-Booklist

Connections:

Have students create their own shape poems.


3.
Bibliography:
Frost, Helen. 2003. KEESHA'S HOUSE.New York, NY. Frances Foster Books Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN: 0374340641

Plot Summary:
A book about seven teens and the troubles they are having. Stefie, pregnant, trying decide what to do with the baby. She hasn't told her parents and the guy who got her pregnant wants her to terminate the baby because he has a promising college basketball career. Jason, Stefie's boyfriend is troubled by the decision to support Stefie if she has the baby or to go play basketball in college. Dontay, both parents are in prison and he is in foster care. He does not fit in with his foster family. Harris, who is gay and dead to his father lives in his car.Carmen, abandoned by her mother, she lives with her grandmother. She is arrested for a DUI when trying to help a friend out. Katie, lives with her mother and abusive stepfather. He is also molesting Katie. She tells her other to chose between her or the stepfather and the mother chooses the man. She is also trying to stay in school
Then there is Keisha, her mother passed away, she leaves home after a terrible fight with her dad, she misses him and her brother, although she does see her brother from time to time. She too wants to finish school.Her brother ends up dying. Joe he is the one who offers the house as a refuge for the teens because he once needed a place to go. He showed up at the house that once belonged to his grandmother. She allowed him to stay there because he was abused and then willed it to him when she died. The house becomes known as Keesha's because she offers it as a place to stay for Stefie, Dontay, Harris and Katie. All of the characters end up at Keesha's either as a resident or visitor.
Each of their stories are told in a poetic format

Critical Analysis:

Keesha's House tells the story of the troubled teens that leave home to try to find a home. Some find it at Keesha's while others will find it back at the home they left. At first reading the poems read so smoothly and quickly it is like reading short excerpts of a short story. It is through the combination of Sestina, and sonnets that Frost tells a gripping story of these teens and their struggle to survive, fit in and succeed.

Review Excerpts:

"The idea is promising, but the book's ambitious structure--the subjects tell their stories in alternating and not especially lyrical sestinas and sonnets--results in thin characterizations and too-similar voices."-The Horn Book

"Interwoven with the angry, desperate teen voices are those of the adults in their lives: caring, helpless, abusive, indifferent. In a long note, Frost talks about the poetic forms she has used, the sestina and the sonnet. But most readers will be less interested in that framework than in the characters, drawn with aching realism, who speak poetry in ordinary words and make connections."- Booklist

"In her first YA novel, Frost profiles seven teens in trauma, artfully revealed through sestinas and sonnets. With pregnant Stephie's opening lines, she conveys a bittersweet contrast typical of the collection"-Publishers Weekly


Connections:

Read book aloud, have students create a poem for what happened next.

Have students create a poem from the fathers, since they are not heard from in the book.