LS 5663 Module 5: Performance Poetry

Joyful Noise

Fleischman, Paul. 1988. JOYFUL NOISE: POEMS FOR TWO VOICES. Ill. Eric Beddows. New York: Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-021853-3


Review:


JOYFUL NOISE is a collection of 14 poems meant to be read aloud by two people - sometimes reading simultaneously, sometimes speaking alone, and still at other times echoing each other. In an opening note, Fleischman gives readers instructions on the proper way to read his book.

The topic of Fleischman's Newbery Award-winning poems is, of all things, bugs. From the silly antics of the whirligig beetles to the poignant tale of the digger wasp lamenting the fact that she will never see her children. Using repetition, alliteration, and onomatopoeia, Fleischman created enjoyable characters for his poems. With its advanced vocabulary, JOYFUL NOISE can easily be used in higher grade levels.

Beautiful, and sometimes humorous, black and white drawings by illustrator Eric Beddows enhance each poem.



Highlighted Poem:


Water Striders


Whenever we're asked                            Whenever we're asked
if we walk upon water                             if we walk upon water
we answer                                             we answer
                                                           Of course.
To be sure.
                                                           It's quite true.


Whenever we're asked                            Whenever we're asked
if we walk on it often                              if we walk on it often
we answer                                             we answer
Quite often.
                                                           Each day.

All day through.
Should we be questioned                        Should we be questioned
on whether it's easy                              on whether it's easy
we answer                                            we answer
                                                          Quite easy.
A snap.
                                                          It's a cinch.
Should we be told                                 Should we be told
that it's surely a miracle                        that it's surely a miracle
we reply                                              we reply
Balderdash!                                 
                                                         Rubbish!
Nonsense!
Whenever we're asked                          Whenever we're asked
for instructions                                    for instructions
we always say                                     we always say
                                                         Come to the pond's edge
and do as we do.
                                                         Put down one foot
and then put down another,
                                                         resting upon the thin film
                                                         on the surface.
Believe me, there's no call
at all to be nervous
                                                        as long as you're reasonably
                                                        mindful that you - -
But by that time our student                 But by that time our student
no matter how prudent
has usually                                         has usually
                                                        don't ask me why
sunk from view.                                  sunk from view.



Possible Uses:

I love using this book, and this poem in particular, with struggling readers.

Teachers can use the poem "Water Striders" with struggling readers by having the student read the poem aloud with the teacher or another fluent reader. 

Teachers can used the advanced vocabulary to reinforce vocabulary skills.

In a writing exercise, teachers could have students write their own poem for two voices.

Genre 6: The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book

Gaiman, Neil. 2008. The Graveyard Book. Ill. by Dave McKean. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-06-053092-1

Plot Summary

While his family is being murdered by the man Jack, the fourth member of the family, a toddler, escapes from the house through the open door. The toddler makes his way outside and up the hill to the graveyard. Seeing the boy is in danger, and at the request of his now dead mother, the ghosts of the graveyard agree to take him in and protect him from those who mean him harm. Adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Owens, the boy is given the name Nobody Owens, Bod for short. Bod is given the Freedom of the Graveyard, allowing him to live in the real world and that of his ghost friends. One inhabitant of the graveyard, Silas, is neither living nor dead. As he is the only one who can leave the graveyard, Silas agrees to be Bod's guardian and protect him until Bod can protect himself.

With the help of his new parents, his guardian Silas, and the many ghostly inhabitants of the graveyard, Bod learns his ABC's, how to Fade and Dreamwalk, and the history of the world. As he grows older, he yearns to be part of the living world, but somewhere out there lurks a killer who is determined to destroy him and leaving the graveyard could mean death for Bod.

At teh age of 14, Bod befriends a living girl who leads him to discover the circumstances of his familiy's murder. Unfortunately, the girl unknowingly leads the killer straight to Bod. Now Bod must use all the knowledge he has gained in the graveyard to outwit those who wish him harm.

Critical Analysis

While certain parts of this fantasy novel might be scary for younger children, middle school children and young adults will relate to Bod’s experiences of leaving the safety of home, attending school, encountering bullies, and learning the life-lessons that all adults are not worthy of trust and at some point you have to make your own way in the world.

Gaiman relies heavily on dialogue in this book which might prove tedious for reluctant readers, though he does paint a vivid picture of the graveyard and its endearing inhabitants – who are introduced by the inscription on their headstone. Gaimen uses these multi-generational ghosts to add levity to the story. The book also features black and white drawings by illustrator Dave McKean. Gaimen uses a series of puns on the name Jack portraying the villain a bit less frightening than he should be, though it does not get in the way of the story.

The Graveyard Book, while dark with the themes of murder, ghosts, and deception also manages to be uplifting with the themes of love, friendship, family, and good triumphing over evil.

Review Excerpts

Booklist starred review: "This is an utterly captivating tale that is cleverly told through an entertaining cast of ghostly characters. Although marketed to the younger YA set, this is a rich story with broad appeal and is highly recommended for teens of all ages."

Horn Book: "Warmly rendered by the author, Bod's ghostly extended family is lovably anachronistic; their mundane, old-fashioned quirks add cheerful color to a genuinely creepy backdrop. McKean's occasional pages and spots of art enhance the otherworldly atmosphere with a flowing line, slightly skewed figures, and plenty of deep grays and blacks."

School Library Journal: "Bod's love for his graveyard family and vice versa provide the emotional center, amid suspense, spot-on humor, and delightful scene-setting."

Connections

As Gaimen states his inspiration for the story as Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, lessons could include a comparison of the two stories.

Related Books

Other books by Neil Gaiman:

Coraline

Interworld

M is for Magic

Book cover from www.librarything.com

Genre 5: Number The Stars

Number The Stars

Lowry, Lois. 1989. Number The Stars [Kindle version]. Retrieved from Amazon.com. ISBN 0-395-51060-0.

Plot Summary

This is a story of the rescue of Danish Jews during the 1943 Nazi occupation of Denmark. This historically accurate, fictional account is told from the perspective of Mr. and Mrs. Johansen and their daughter, Annemarie. German soldiers fill every street corner in Copenhagen. Though unaware of the true danger, ten years old Annemarie and her friend, Ellen, know to be afraid of the soldiers, the helmets, the shiny boots, and cold, accusing eyes. It is an especially dangerous time for Ellen and her family as the Rosen's are Jewish.

Readers learn that during the occupation, the King of Denmark continues to ride his horse through town every day. A soldier asks a boy “who is that man who rides past here every morning on his horse?” The boy replies that it is the King of Denmark. The soldier asks, “Where is his bodyguard?” The boy replies, “All of Denmark is his bodyguard.” Later, our heroine, Annemarie, is speaking with her father who relates the story of the boys conversation with the guard. Annemarie states, “Well, now I think that all of Denmark must be bodyguard for the Jews, as well.” Her papa replies, “So we shall be.”

As "bodyguard for the Jews", the Johansen's and others in the Resistance, smuggle the Jews out of Denmark and over the sea to nearby Sweden. Annemarie must learn courage and fortitude beyond her years to protect those she loves.

Critical Analysis

In Number the Stars Lois Lowry uses small details to illuminate larger events. A scene as mundane as Mrs. Johansen and Mrs. Rosen sitting and drinking coffee together is transformed when the reader discovers that they are actually drinking hot water flavored with herbs. There is no coffee, tea, or sugar in wartime Copenhagen. Mr. Rosen corrects school papers at night by candlelight, because there is no electricity; Annemarie's little sister, Kirsti, gets new shoes, but they are ugly ones, made out of fish skin rather than leather.

The story is told from Annemarie's point of view, but it is not told in the first person. The story is told through a third-person narrative, and readers learn what Annemarie learns as she learns it. This style of writing creates a suspenseful and moving fictional story that is founded on historical facts of the Holocaust.

In the Afterword, Lowry explains "where fact ends and fiction begins", allowing readers to see the authenticity of this Newbery winner. In the weeks following the Jewish New Year in 1943, thanks to the courage and compassion of the citizens of Denmark and Sweden, "almost the entire Jewish population of Denmark - nearly seven thousand people - was smuggled across the sea to Sweden.

Review Excerpts

School Library Journal: "Readers are taken to the very heart of Annemarie's experience, and, through her eyes, come to understand the true meaning of bravery."

Publisher's Weekly: "Set in Nazi-occupied Denmark in 1943, this 1990 Newbery winner tells of a 10-year-old girl who undertakes a dangerous mission to save her best friend."

Connections

This would be a great book to use in a study of the Holocaust with grades 4 - 6 as it does not go into the gory details of many Holocaust books.

It could also be used in a unit on the true meaning of bravery.

Related Books

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Night by Elie Wiesel

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Book cover from www.librarything.com

Genre 5: Historical Fiction

The Midwife's Apprentice

Cushman, Karen. 1995. The Midwife's Apprentice. New York: Clarion. ISBN 978-0-395-69229-5.

Plot Summary

A homeless girl known only as Brat lived in a dung heap when she was discovered by "an important looking woman"(p. 3). The woman, a midwife, known as Jane Sharp, took Brat in and renamed her Beetle. Beetle lived with the midwife, working for scraps of food and a bit of floor on which she could sleep. As cheap labor and without the confidence to rise above the level of apprentice, Beetle was the perfect helper for Jane Sharp. Eventually, Beetle attends a Fair where she is mistaken for a girl named Alyce. Thinking this would be the perfect name for her, she renamed herself Alyce. Alyce had worked as an apprentice for several months when she was unexpectantly called upon to act as midwife herself. She failed at the job and, instead of learning from her mistakes, she ran away. Working in an Inn, Alyce learns to face her fears and returns to the midwife.

Critical Analysis

The Midwife's Apprentice is a short, fast-paced, Newbery award winning historical novel set in medieval England. The book describes the sounds and smells of the time in an effective manner. Descriptions of the cottage, its daily care, and Jane's belongings help readers to visualize the setting.

From the beginning, readers understand her intelligence, determination, and cunning. We see her great sense of survival as she lives in the warmth of a dung heap during the winter. Her intelligence is displayed when she cleverly tricks the villagers into believing there is a devil among them. She makes it appear to all that the devil is visiting certain individuals in the village. The villagers believe that since the devil is visiting these individuals there must be a need for them to be punished. In this way Alyce gets revenge from all who have mistreated her. Teens will identify with the hardships Alyce faces. She is teased by boys, she is ostracized because she is different, and she has trouble finding her place in the world.

Unfortunately, Cushman failed to fully illustrate Alyce's epiphanies at the end of the book. The story has a sudden ending that seems rushed and a bit contrived as compared with the rest of the book.

The book ends with an author's note. This section gives factual information on the history of midwifery. This section gives the reader background information on where the occupation began and how it is still practiced today.

Review Excerpts

School Library Journal: "Earthy humor, the foibles of humans both high and low, and a fascinating mix of superstition and genuinely helpful herbal remedies attached to childbirth make this a truly delightful introduction to a world seldom seen in children's literature."

Booklist: "Kids will like this short, fast-paced narrative about a hero who discovers that she's not ugly or stupid or alone."

Connections

This book can be used in a history class to illustrate life for women in medieval times.

This novel can be used to study character development.

Related Books

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Any of the Crispin books by Avi

Book cover from www.librarything.com