Monday, April 29, 2013

Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (poems)

by Linda Sue Park
pictures by Istvan Banyai

Cover by Barnes & Noble


Park, Linda Sue. Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (poems). Ill. Istvan Banyai. New York: Clarion Books 2007. ISBN: 978-0-618-23483-7.


Poetic Elements
This collection of 27 Sijo poems by Linda Sue Parks is unique, comical, and entertaining! As Parks explains in the foreword, Sijo is a traditional Korean form of poetry similar to Japanese haiku. It is not necessary for Sijo to rhyme, such as in “Pockets,” the featured spotlight poem below. Some of it uses end rhyme schemes such as “Art Class”: (Keesha says my fish doesn’t look like anything she’s ever seen./ “Flowered fins? Plaid scales? And the tail—tie-dyed weirdo green?”). In “October,” Parks personifies the wind using both, internal and end rhymes: (The wind rearranges the leaves, as if to say, “Much better there,”/ and coaxes others off their trees:/ “It’s lots more fun in the air.”/Then it plays tag with a plastic bag,/ and with one gust uncombs my hair!).

Appeal
In Sijo’s most common form it contains three lines, each with fourteen to sixteen syllables. The first line introduces the topic and the second line further develops it. The third line includes a surprise or humorous twist. In the alternate form, Sijo is divided into six shorter lines. This collection includes both the three-line and six-line formats of Sijo poetry. These poems spark the reader’s imagination and tap into familiar childhood experiences with titles such as “Long Division”, “School Lunch”, and “Art Class.” The humorous turn of events on the last line of Sijo poetry will be a treat for all readers.

Overall Quality
Tap Dancing on the Roof contains all formats of Sijo poetry and everything one needs to know in order to try their hand at writing it.  It’s quality is confirmed by the starred reviews handed out by Booklist, Horn Book, School Library Journal, and Kirckus, along with being named an ALA Notable Children’s Book for 2008.

The Poet
Linda Sue Park, the daughter of Korean immigrants, grew up in Chicago, Illinois. She published her first poem at the age of nine and had several more poems published during elementary and high school. She graduated from Stanford University and has published many books for young people, including A Single Shard, which was awarded the 2002 Newbery Medal. She currently resides in New York with her husband and wants to be an elephant scientist when she grows up!

The illustrator of this book, Istvan Banyai, was born in Hungary and is well known for his editorial illustrations for The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and many other publications. He is the creator of the award-winning wordless picture book Zoom, as well as Re-Zoom and The Other Side. He now resides in the woods of Connecticut.

Layout
An “About Sijo” page in the front of the book describes what Sijo is, and it’s structure in both, three-line and six-line formats. Banyai’s comical illustrations complement each poem and command the reader’s attention as much as Park’s humorous language. In “Shower,” a bubble forms the letter “o” in the word terrycloth. In “School Lunch” the square mouth has been molded by the “square pizza here, square brownie there;/ milk carton cube, and rectangle tray.” The author’s note in the back includes a historical background section on the history of Sijo poems, further reading suggestions, and tips for writing your own Sijo poety. Parks concludes the book with one last delightful poem accompanied by Banyai’s whimsical illustrations:
              WISH

For someone to read a poem
again, and again, and then,

having lifted it from page
to brain—the easy part—

cradle it on the longer trek
from brain all the way to heart.

Spotlight Poem
Pockets
by Linda Sue Parks

What’s in your pockets right now? I hope they’re not empty:
Empty pockets, unread books, lunches left on the bus—all a waste.
In mine: One horse chestnut. One gum wrapper. One dime. One hamster.

Poetry Break
Introduction: Introduce this poem by emptying out a pocket full of likely as well as unlikely contents.

Extension Activity: To extend this activity, put student poets in pairs and let them attempt Sijo poetry paying special attention to the following tips by Linda Sue Parks:

1.     Start with a single image or idea. Try to make the first line a complete unit of thought. This is easiest to do by writing it as one sentence.

2.     In the second line, develop the image further by adding details, description, or examples. Again, think of this line as a single unit or sentence.

3.     Most poets regard the last line—the “twist”—as the hardest part of writing sijo. I try to think of where the poem would go logically if I continued to develop the idea of the first two lines. Once I’ve figured that out, I write something that goes in the opposite direction—or at least “turns a corner.” For example, in “Breakfast,” the logical extension would be another line about eating. Instead, the poem ends with an image of sleeping.

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