and Deborah Wooten
Portraits by Marc Nadel
 |
| cover by Barnes & Noble |
Poetic
Elements
In the
introduction to this book of poetry, the editors explain how a national field
test showed that students prefer poetry that makes them laugh, that has rhyme
and rhythm, and that connects with their lives. Plenty of humor, along with rhyme
and rhythm can be found in this book of poetry such as Ciardi’s “Mummy Slept Late and
Daddy Fixed Breakfast”:
Daddy fixed the
breakfast.
He made us each
a waffle.
It looked like
gravel pudding.
It tasted
something awful.
Appeal
This book
obviously appeals to young people as the poems included in Another Jar of Tiny Stars were actually chosen by over four
thousand students across the United States. After listening to and reading over
samplings from each author, poems receiving the most votes were included in
this book. Familiar childhood experiences such as those portrayed in “Every
Time I Climb a Tree”, “Recess”, “Eat It—It’s Good for You!” and “Pick up Your
Room” are just a sampling of the poems included that stimulate the emotions and
imaginations of children.
Overall
Quality
The quality of
poetry included is indicated by the sub-title of the book: Poems by More NCTE Award-Winning Poets. The poetry included
expresses the various moods children experience and stimulate a variety of
thoughts and emotions such as Myra Cohn Livingston’s “Arthur Thinks on
Kennedy”:
When Kennedy
Come to our town
He come with
dreams
Got shot right
down.
When Kennedy
Come to our town
Some low-down
white folks
Shot him down.
The
Poets
This new and
expanded edition also includes the work of the latest five winners of the
National Council of Teachers of English Award for Poetry for Children. The
poets new to this collection are Eloise Greenfield, Nikki Grimes, Mary Ann
Hoberman, Lee Bennett Hopkins, and X. J. Kennedy. They now join the ranks of Arnold
Adoff, John Ciardi, Barbara Esbensen, Aileen Fisher, Karla Kuskin, Myra Cohn
Livingston, David McCord, Eve Merriam, Lilian Moore, and Valerie Worth.
Layout
A table of
contents listing each poet and the page number of their individual poems, along
with a dedication page explaining the NCTE award and how it originated
complement the layout of the book. Each
award-winning poet’s section is preceded by a double page layout including a
black and white portrait by Marc Nadel and a personal quote from the poet. An
“About the Poets” biographical section is included at the end along with notes,
a bibliography, permissions, and an index page. Although the portraits of poem
authors are nice, the lack of colorful, engaging illustrations in this
anthology may keep it from being enjoyed by it’s intended audience of young
readers on their own. For this reason, I see it being more of a resource for
teachers.
Spotlight
Poem
The Unicorn I Tried to Paint
by X.J. Kennedy
The unicorn I
tried to Paint
Has ended up a
cow.
My teacher
looked and said, “How quaint.”
There’s trouble
on her brow—
My cow’s, I
mean. She looks as though
Her horn had
slightly slipped.
She has worse
problems down below.
My paintbrush
must have dripped.
Was such a
creature ever born?
I’ll keep her
anyhow.
She’s realer
than a unicorn,
My cockeyed
unicow.
Activity:
I chose this
poem because every child can relate to it.
This would be a
perfect read aloud poem to assure students of any age that no matter what they
are attempting to do, perfection is not likely… nor is it likely expected. So
many students hesitate to attempt writing, drawing, painting, singing, playing
an instrument, etc. due to the fact they think their attempt will be unworthy.
To me, this poem celebrates individuality, acceptance, and imperfection. It
further demonstrates that change, revision, and transition are inevitable in
many facets of our lives.
Another Jar of
Tiny Stars is the perfect anthology to introduce a poetry unit to students in
the fourth through sixth grades. The poems are already proven to be kid
friendly and the natural rhythmic language and rhyme make great poems for
choral reading and poetry breaks.
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