by Hope Anita Smith
illustrated by E.B. Lewis
image by Barnes & Noble
Smith, Hope Anita. Keeping the Night Watch. Ill. E.B. Lewis. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 2008.
ISBN: 978-0-8050-7202-0.
Poetic Elements
This novel in verse contains 35 poems depicting the
struggles of a thirteen year old boy trying to understand why his father walked
out on his family and if he’ll stay once he returns. Through reference, Smith
relates C.J.’s hesitance to forgive his father as quickly as the other members
of the family. He has assumed the man of the house position and must endure a
lot of soul searching to come to terms with his new place in the family.
Appeal
I think the narrative poems will hold young people’s
interest as they are familiar with that form of text. I got caught up in the
story rather quickly once I read the first few poems. Hope keeps you guessing
as to whether C.J. will ever let go of his anger and forgive his father.
Overall Quality/Poet
Hope Anita Smith wanted this story to have a different
ending, “an ending that proves wrongs can be righted and it’s never too late to
say ‘Im sorry.” Keeping the Night Watch
is a companion novel to The Way a Door
Closes and earned the Coretta Scott King Honor award in 2009. E.B. Lewis’
watercolor illustrations are simple, yet effective in complementing the story.
He has illustrated more than thirty-five books, including Coming on Home Soon, for which he received a Caldecott honor. He
teaches illustration at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
Layout
Keeping the Night
Watch has a table of contents divided into “Fall” and “Spring” with Spring
being a time C.J. experiences a lot of changes including puberty and eventual
forgiveness. Each poem’s title is in a color matching the poem’s illustration.
Spotlight Poem
The Jeweler
I
can not
understand
how this black gem
who is my father
could just stop shining.
I am the family jeweler.
I can give
him value,
praise and appraise
him,
but not just yet.
He must wait
for me
now.
I chose this shape poem as the spotlight poem because it’s just
so raw and true. C.J. and C.J. alone decides whether or not his dad can come back
into his heart and when. If he chooses to hold onto his anger and resentment,
there is nothing his dad can do but be patient. It’s all about C.J. feeling as
if he is in control.
Activity: I think I would use Keeping the Night Watch for a writing activity and have students
recall a time when they were extremely angry and unforgiving. They can discuss
and write about the ways that holding onto that anger affected their
relationships with their friends and family.