17th Annual Youth Poetry Competition Finalist's Anthology

17th Annual Youth Poetry Competition Finalist's Anthology. Dallas, Texas: Alphagraphics Dallas, 2013.
ISBN: none

Each year, the Dallas Public Library hosts a youth poetry competition and the winning poems are compiled into an anthology which is then published and circulated by the Dallas Public Library.  This is a unique example of poetry for kids, by kids!  The poetry contest is called "Express Yourself!" and has been going on since 1995.  The book includes a Dedication, written by Joe M. Dealey Jr., a table of contents, a Foreword, written by the Dallas Public Library director, and an About the Competition.  This final section elaborates and explains how the poems are selected and by whom.  The poems are chosen by judges based upon rhythm/structure, style/tone, originality, and spelling/diction.  The winning poems which are featured in the anthology were published exactly as they were submitted.  The Dallas Public Library does not edit or censor the students' work.  The book is broken up into grade levels (which is how the poems are also judged): 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9, and 10-12.  The poems included are in English or Spanish. 

Kiera Daniel
Peak Preparatory
5th Grade

Autism
I think of Autism as an umbrella.
Autism is the umbrella
and under it are tiny little disorders
like A.D.D. and asperger's anxiety.
I'm a little different because I have
AUTISM.

Sometimes having Austism make me feel lonely
and left out, but I know I'm
smart
and have
Bright ideas!

But sometimes PEOPLE think
I am WEIRD.
I keep reminding myself that
I'm special and neat.

If I had to learn one thing from having Autism,
it would be that I'm special,
but in a different way.
Being DIFFERENT is fine
in fact, it's great!

I would love to introduce this anthology to a class!  I'd like to let each student reflect on the poems personally and individually.  I'd collect as many of these as a I could from the libraries so that each student could have one.  I'd ask them to spend some time in class reading and reflecting. Then we'd each write a poem which I'd mercilessly encourage them to submit to the contest. :)

A Kick in the Head by Paul B. Janeczko

Janeczko, Paul B. A Kick in the Head. Cambridge, Massachussetts: Candlewick Press, 2005.

"A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms" is a collections of poem form definitions and examples.  The book includes an introduction and table of contents.  A reader could look for a type of poem that they are interested in or confused about and turn directly to the page on which the form is featured.   Each form type is described and a poem which is written in that form is featured. The accompanying illustrations are abstract and eye catching.  The topic of this book could make a boring read for young people-- the illustrations serve to make it more fun and interesting.  The poems which serve as the form example are written by authors other than Janeczko, some anonymous.  If the poem is titled, the title is listed at the bottom, next to the author's name.  This emphasizes the focus on the poems form above all else.

The beginning of eternity
The end of time and space,
The beginning of every end,
The end of every place.

Anonymous

A riddle poem indirectly
describes a person, place, thing, or idea.
The reader must try to
figure out the subject of the
riddle.  A riddle poem can be any
length and usually has a rhyme
scheme of abcd or aabb.

I think that this collection would best be used as a teaching tool.  I would not attempt to introduce this book as a whole at one time, rather, I'd focus on a couple different forms each day.  This way, the students would get to spend more time figuring out each type and absorbing the subtle differences.  In order to facilitate the learning, I'd break the students into groups and ask them to pick a poetic form of the day and write a poem in that form.  The groups would share their poems!

Cat Talk by Patricia MacLachlan

MacLachlan, Patricia. Cat Talk. New York, New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2013.
ISBN: 9780060279783

"Cat Talk" is a new poetry book, published in 2013.  The book is a collection of poems about fictional cats and their personalities.  The poem is accompanied by an artist's rendering of the featured cat.  The illustrations, by Barry Moser, are beautiful watercolors.  The book has no table of contents and jumps directly into introducing the cats.  There are 13 poems in the book and 13 different cats each with their own unique personalities.  The titles of the poems are simply the cat's names or the cat's name with some additional descriptors.  The poems read from the point of view of the cat itself.  All of the poems are of various lengths and form.

Henry

She got married
In the garden
In a long white dress
With flowers in her hair.

Cats don't get married, you know.
But I watched
Hidden
Next to a wild aster.

I don't care for weddings,
But I like her.
And I love that long white dress.
I slept on it
All night long
I slept as the white silk gathered like a cloud
Around me.

I love the girl.
I love that long white dress.

If I were to introduce this book a class, I'd read the collection in it's entirety.  Then I'd ask each student to share about their pets at home.  If a student doesn't have a pet, I'd ask them to think about the pet of a family member, neighbor, or friend.  I'd ask each student to write a poem about the pet they are thinking about.  The students would need to describe a characteristic of the pet in their poem or something the pet likes to do.  I'd ask them to imagine themselves as the pet and tell us a little story with the poem.

Poems to Learn by Heart by Caroline Kennedy

Kennedy, Caroline. Poems to Learn by Heart. New York: Disney Hyperion Books, 2013.

ISBN: 9781423108054

I was drawn to “Poems to Learn by Heart” by the title and the author.  I was not disappointed!  This collection of poetry includes a huge variety of poets and topics.  In addition, the artwork which accompanies the poems is absolutely beautiful.  Sometimes the illustrations are full page and sometimes the illustrations are small and understated.  The poems truly dictate the accompanying art and the illustrations simply enhance the beauty of the poems.  The collection has a table of contents which explain the different section’s contents.  The sections are cutely named, for example: the family section is titled “I Dreamed I Had to Pick a Mother Out and other poems about family”.  The poems are all varying lengths and styles.

Invitation to Love

Paul Laurence Dunbar

Come when the nights are bright with stars

Or come when the moon is mellow;

Come when the sun his golden bars

Drops on the hay-field yellow.

Come in the twilight soft and gray,

Come in the night or come in the day,

Come, O love, whene’er you may,

And you are welcome, welcome.

You are sweet, O Love, dear Love,

You are soft as the nesting dove.

Come to my heart and bring it to rest

As the bird flies home to its welcome nest.

Come when my heart is full of grief

Or when my heart is merry;

Come with the falling of the leaf

Or with the redd’ning cherry.

Come when the year’s first blossom blows,

Sme when the summer gleams and glows,

Come with the winter’s drifting snows,

And you are welcome, welcome.

I would absolutely share this collection with a classroom.  It is such a beautiful work; I would choose to use it for Poetry Breaks.  Each day I’d read a poem aloud and ask the students to quietly reflect upon it.  I’d encourage students to volunteer to read aloud!

Red Sings from the Treetops: a Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman

Sidman, Joyce. Red Sings from the Treetops: a Year in Colors. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.

ISBN: 9780547014944

“Red Sings from the Treetops” is a poetry book which focuses on the colors of the different seasons of the year.  Sidman cycles through the seasons: “Spring”, “Summer”, “Fall”, and “Winter”.  Each section is comprised of several poems which are brought to life with imagery.  The poems describe the different colors which each season bring.  Each poem is devoted to one color and is untitled.  The poems describe particular things without explicitly naming them.  The illustrations are fanciful, colorful, and elaborate. 

Red splashes fall trees,

Seeps into

Every vein

Of every five-fingered leaf.

Red swells

On branches bent low.

Red: crisp, juicy

Crunch!

This particular poem is about apple trees and the individual apples which weigh trees down in the Fall.  If I were to introduce this poetry book to a class, I’d do it by way of a game.  I’d print off each poem without the illustration and I’d ask volunteers to read them aloud to the class.  The class should try and guess what is the topic of the poem.  

Won Ton: a Cat Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw

Wardlaw, Lee. Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku. New York: Henry, Holt, and Company, 2011.

ISBN: 9780805089950

“Won Ton: a Cat Tale Told in Haiku” is a great story about a shelter cat who finds a new home.  The book has no table of contents, however, the book is broken up into sections: “The Shelter”, “The Choosing”, “The Car Ride”, “The Naming”, “The New Place”, “The Feeding”, “The Adjustment”, “The Yard”, and “Home”.  Within each section, there are several haikus which expand upon the theme of the section and tell the story.  The book is told from the cat’s point of view.  The only acknowledged humans in the story are the young boy and his sister.

The Feeding

Sniff. Snub. What is this

Stuff? True, I liked it once. That

Was then, this is now.

Fine. If you insist.

I’ll try Just. One. Nibble. But—

I won’t enjoy it.

What do you mean “Ewww”?

How is my tuna breath worse

Than peanut butter?

Sorry about the

Squishy in your shoe. Must’ve

Been something I ate.

If I were to introduce “Won Ton” to a class, I’d first introduce the poetic form of haiku.  I’d explain that the haiku poem is comprised of 17 syllables.  The poems are typically three lines with a pattern of syllables 5-7-5.  We’d analyze the poems in “Won Ton” for this format.  The students should get into groups and pick one of the sections to write another haiku which could be added to the topic of the section.  Each group should write as many as they can; we’d share as a class.

National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry edited by J. Patrick Lewis

Lewis, Patrick J. National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry. Washington D. C.: National Geographic, 2012.

ISBN: 9781426310096

The “National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry” is, as expected, filled with breathtaking photographs.  This anthology would easily capture the attention of young readers and adults alike.  The selections are broken into sections: “the big ones, the little ones, the winged ones, the water ones, the strange ones, the noisy ones, and the quiet ones”.  These non-scientific animal classifications are a non-intimidating way to teach children about the animal kingdom.

The poems are written by a variety of authors including: Robert Frost, Jack Prelutsky, Emily Dickinson.  The forms and lengths of the poems are varying.  If this book were to be shared with the class, the variety of poems in the anthology is such that a poem could be selected to meet any classroom needs!

Moray EEL

Nighttime’s my bright time.

It’s head-out-and-bite time.

Give-shellfish-a-fright time.

Swim-quick-as-a-kite time.

Stay-out-of-my-sight time.

Or fins-up-and-fight time.

When I am the blight of the sea.

It’s switch-on-the-light time.

Height-of-my-might time.

Turn-mollusks-all-white time.

And wrap-them-up-tight time.

No-care-for-their-plight time.

Yes, nighttime’s my bright time.

Oh, nighttime’s the right time for me.

This particular poem has a distinctive rhythm and would be a fun read-aloud.  The pictures truly make this book.  An activity I’d like to do to accompany this book would also be focused on pictures.  I’d place the students into groups of three or four and head outside!  The students should find and take a picture of things that they find in nature.  After everyone has found a picture to inspire them, I’d ask the group to write a poem about the nature they encountered.  The groups would share their picture and poem with the class.

Carver by Marilyn Nelson

Nelson, Marilyn. Carver: a Life in Poems. North Carolina: Front Street, 2001.

ISBN: 9781886910539

“Carver: a Life in Poems” serves as a biography of George Washington Carver entirely in poems.  These poems were written by Marilyn Nelson and thoroughly account Carver’s childhood, professional life, and accomplishments.

The poems are written from a variety of views all about Carver.  The book explores a variety of feelings toward Carver, both positive and negative.  This allows the book to have a non-bias feel which is important in a biography.

My People

Strutting around here acting all humble,

When everybody knows

He’s the only one here

Got a master’s degree

From a white man’s college.

Everybody knows his salary

Is double ours.  He’s got two singles

In Rockefeller Hall; the rest of us

Bachelors share doubles.  The extra room

Is for his “collections.”

A pile of you-know-what,

If you ask me.

All that fake politeness, that white accent.

He thinks he’s better than us.

Wears those mismatched suits every day, too:

White men’s castoffs with the sleeves too short,

The trousers all bagged out at the knees.

His ties look like something

He made himself.

Always some old weed in his lapel,

Like he’s trying to be dapper.

It makes you want to laugh.

Talking all those big words,

Quoting poems at you

In that womanish voice.

So high and mighty,

He must think he’s white.

Wandering around through the fields

Like a fool, holding classes in the dump.

Always on his high horse, as if his

Wasn’t the blackest face on the faculty,

As I he wasn’t a nigger.

This is a tough poem to digest, the negativity is strong.  However, it’s important to understand that people who are regarded as pioneers and ground breakers weren’t always regarded as such in their time or by their peers.  Telling Carver’s story through poems is an effective way to illustrate the harsh truths of the time and explore negative feelings in a non-threatening way.

As a response to the poem biography I’d ask the students to get into pairs.  I’d have them talk to each other, find out what each likes to do for fun, excels at in school or sports, etc.  After a little “get to know you session” I’d ask each student to write a short poem about their partner that might appear in a biography about them!

Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill

Hemphill, Stephanie. Wicked Girls: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials. New York: Balzer & Bray, 2010.

ISBN: 9780061853289

“Wicked Girls” by Stephanie Hemphill is a verse novel which fictionally accounts the Salem Witch Trials from the point of view of the girls who were “afflicted”.  Poems are told by three narrators: Mercy Lewis, Ann Putnam Jr., and Margaret Walcott.  The novel is intended for a teen audience and aims to give insight into the minds and motives of the girls who were accusing neighbors and strangers of being witches.  Hemphill carefully crafts the poems to demonstrate the group dynamics of the girls.  She incorporates typical teen emotions and experiences of jealousy, young love, and familial fondness.  Hemphill expertly writes the characters of the girls to retain a sense of humanity when it’d be easy to demonize these young women who were ultimately responsible for the deaths of dozens of innocent people. 

            The poems which comprise the novel are of varying length and free form.  The story is told in a linear format.  Rather than being broken up by chapters, the novel is broken up by a date and a narrator-less poem which seems to set the stage for the following set of poems. 

With Temperature

Margaret Walcott, 17

‘Tis late in the night

I wake in waters like a child.

Ann snores breezy

While I change my blankets.

In the morn I lie

Still in my bedclothes.

“I cannot go to meeting today,”

I say.

Aunt Ann touches my forehead.

“You feel not hot,” she says.

“I did vomit ‘pon myself

While I slept.”

Aunt backs away from the bed.

“Well, then you best remain here.”

“Ann.” I grab my cousin’s arm

After her mother leaves.

“Do tell Isaac to come and visit me.”

Ann nods and eyes me oddly.

“Do this.” My voice be stern.

She shakes loose of my grip. “Fine.”

I wait all afternoon pacing

The floor, peering out the window.

I listen for the pat of his boots,

But Isaac comes not.

I nearly scream at her,

“Did ye forget to tell Isaac

I was not well?”

Ann snipes back, “Aye, I told him.”

“And what did he say? Tell me all.”

I soften my sound and pat the bed.

I plead with Ann to sit down.

Ann crosses her arms,

But she lights on the edge of my bed.

“Isaac did nod and then talked to Mercy.”

First I got no voice to talk,

Then it comes out yelling at Ann,

“About what!?”

“I know not.”  Ann stands and nearly

Takes leave of the room.

I fall to my knees “Please, I am sorry.

Tell me what they did say?” I bite my lip.

“They spoke of riding and what a fine day

It be. I but stood there. It be rather dull.”

The tears river down my neck.

Ann says, “Margaret, you be flushed.

Shall I call mother?”

“No,” I say. I turn my head away.

“Leave me. Just leave me be alone.”

This poem exemplifies the emotions felt by the characters through the novel.  The girls felt things intensely which attempts to explain the unexplainable.  If I were to introduce “Wicked Girls” to a group, the group would need a solid historical understanding of the Salem Witch Trials.  The novel would serve as a way for the students to connect with the history on a deeper level.  Since the novel is chronological, we’d read sections as we study and take an opportunity to humanize historical figures.

Tropical Secrets by Margarita Engle

Engle, Margartita. Tropical Secrets. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2009.

ISBN: 9780805089363

“Tropical Secrets” by Margarita Engle is a verse novel that covers historically accurate information through fictional characters.  The novel follows Daniel, a Jewish refugee, and Paloma, a Cuban native, through the events of the Holocaust and its aftermath.  The novel is a series of poems, each titled by the narrator’s name.  The table of contents contains 4 dates: June 1939, July 1939, December 1941, and April 1942.  The book spans these 3 years.  The poems do not have any specific format and are all varying lengths.  Each serves to give a personal account of the historical events and an understanding of the tension between different cultures and religions.

Daniel

When I realize that Summer Carnival

Is a religious festival,

I almost change my mind

About dancing.

My parents would not approve

Of celebrating a Catholic saint’s birthday.

But David explains that Carnival

Also marks the end of a year’s

Long, exhausting sugar harvest,

And seasons, he assures me,

Are a miracle even city people

Can understand

All over the world.

I think this novel would be a great read aloud to a class over a period of time.  I wouldn't spend as much time focusing on the style or the format of the poems.  I’d explain the purpose of the verse novel.  The poems are the vehicle for telling an entire story.  I’d have each student read a poem aloud a day until we completed the novel.

Follow Follow by Marilyn Singer

Singer, Marilyn. Illustrated by Josee Masse. Follow Follow. New York: Penguin, 2013.

ISBN: 9780803737693

“Follow Follow” is a collection of poems which are written as pairs based on classic folktales including: Aladdin, The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Golden Goose, The Tortoise and the Hair, and more.  The poetry form is called reverso and is created by Marilyn Singer.  Singer explains that the reverso is “made up of two poems”.  When you “read the first down it says one thing…read it back up with changes only in punctuation and capitalization and it means something completely different.”  Sometimes the second poem has an implied different narrator, which also affects the meaning.

The Little Mermaid’s Choice

For love,

Give up your voice.

Don’t

Think twice.

On the shore,

Be his shadow.

Don’t

Keep your home

In the unruly sea.

Be docile.

You can’t

Catch him

Playing

“You’ll never catch me!”

You’ll never catch me

Playing

“Catch him.”

You can’t

Be docile

In the unruly sea.

Keep your home.

Don’t be his shadow

On the shore.

Think twice!

Don’t

Give up your voice

For love.

The two poems are identical in words.  The differences between the two poems are the phrasing and the punctuation.  However, the same words manage to convey a completely different meaning.

If I were to introduce this collection to a class, I would explain the concept of the reverso form first.  Singer combines the new poetic form with well-known folktales which helps the reader to more easily embrace the new style.  Before introducing “The Little Mermaid’s Choice” I’d make sure that the class was all familiar with the fairy tale.  Next, I’d ask the students to explain the two different viewpoints expressed in the poems for comprehension purposes.  Next I’d ask the students to think about a folktale not mentioned in the book.  After selecting a folktale, I’d ask the class to come up with two possible viewpoints within the story.  Finally, we’d take a stab at writing a reverso of our own as a class!  It’s not the perfect product that matters, it’s the effort!

Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys by Bob Raczka

Raczka, Bob. Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds. Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing, 2010.

ISBN: 9780547240039

“Guyku: a Year of Haikus for Boys” is a collection of haikus written by Bob Raczka.  The book is broken up into 4 sections: spring, summer, fall, and winter.  The poems have various topics including bugs, fishing, icicle sword fighting, and school.  In the author’s note, Raczka contends that haiku is a “wonderful form of poetry for guys” because they are short, have a predictable format, and are written in present tense.  “Guyku” serves to create an interest for young boys in a notably unpopular form of poetry.  Poetry is typically deemed to be feminine and sometimes difficult to peddle to boys.  Although I believe that many of the poems in this book are applicable to all young kids, not just boys, I respect the aim of the book.

For example:

Winter must be here.

Every time I open my

Mouth, a cloud comes out.

This haiku is selected from the winter section of the book.  The poem describes how you can see your warm breath on a cold day.  All kids (and even adults) are amused to see their puffs of breath on a bitterly cold day.

The beauty of this book is that it demonstrates that haiku can be for everyone but packages it for a largely underserved population.

I most likely would not introduce this book to a full mixed gender classroom because I don’t want to undermine the premise of the book.  I also don’t want to plant an idea in the girl’s minds that haiku is a strictly male form of poetry.  However, if I had to introduce this book to a class; I would first accentuate the fact that all types of poetry are for everyone!  I’d focus on the format of the book and the breakdown of the year by seasons.  I’d split the class into 4 groups: spring, summer, fall, and winter.  Each group would represent a season, within the group they’d brainstorm things they like about the season.  Together, I’d ask the groups to pick a topic and write as many haikus as they can within the time allotment.  Each group would share their poems.

Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: Americas' Sproutings by Pat Mora

Mora, Pat. Illustrated by Rafael Lopez. Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: America’s Sproutings. New York: Lee & Low Books Inc., 2007.

ISBN: 9781584302711

“Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!: Americas' Sproutings” is a fun and colorful collection of haikus about various fruits, vegetables, and beans.  The chosen foods are popular American staples that have originated from Mexico and South America.  Mora expertly weaves in Spanish words and heritage into the fact blocks which accompany each haiku.  These fact blocks are a paragraph of information about the respective fruit, vegetable, or bean.  The information includes various facts such as where the food is mostly grown, where it comes from, what it looks like, what it’s used for, and how it’s typically eaten.

Fact Block:

Papayas also known as tree melons, are believed to have originates in southern Mexico and Central America.  Now they are grown throughout the tropical and subtropical areas of the world.  Papayas are hollow, with small, wrinkled black seeds in the center.  Papain, found in the milky fluid of unripe papayas, is used in several products, including meat tenderizers and some medicines.  When ripe, the fruit is juicy and sweet.  Shaped somewhat like a pear, a papaya can weigh as much as twenty pounds.

Poem:

Papaya

Chewing your perfume,

We taste your leafy jungle.

Yum! Juicy tropics.

Before introducing this book to a class or group I would make sure that there is an understanding of the haiku form of poetry.  The group would need to already have a firm understanding of syllables in place.  Haikus are 17 syllable poems.  They are short and don’t generally rhyme.  As an activity, I’d break the class into small groups of 3 or 4 students.  As a class we would pick a natural food which is not already covered in the book.  I’d ask each group to think of a couple facts about the food the class has picked.  As a class, we would composite together the small group facts to create our own fact block about the chosen food.  Next, each small group would set out to write their own haiku about the food.  Each group should share their poem!

Bing Bang Boing by Douglas Florian

Florian, Douglas. Bing Bang Boing. San Diego, California: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1994.

ISBN: 9780152337704

“Bing Bang Boing” is a collection of poems written and illustrated by Douglas Florian.  The poems are of varying length, topic, and style.  Many of the poems are short and most of them are comical and lighthearted.  Each poem is simple and would be easily understood by the child reader.  Most of the poems are accompanied by simple illustrations which help the reader to understand and envision the poem.

The drawings and the poems work together to make poetry more accessible to young readers.  The illustrations are simple and unpolished.  A child may look at the drawings and think to himself “I could do that.”  This is exactly what we want as educators!

Students should understand from reading poems in this collection that the topic of poetry does not have to be elaborate or grandiose.  Sometimes poetry is just fun!  Sometimes poems are just silly!  “Bing Bang Boing” is an excellent introduction to teach children this truth.

Pencilly

The pencil is a splendid thing

For which there’s no replacer.

But better than the pencil is

The little pink eraser.

Hailstones

Hailstones big as marbles,

Hailstones two feet wide.

Hailstones big as boulders—

Better stay inside.

If I were to introduce these poems to a class, I’d first point out that each is only 4 lines long.  I’d ask the students to address any other similarities.  My hope, of course, would be that the students would notice and address the rhyming of lines 2 and 4.  In order to put poetry in the hands of my students, I’d ask them each to find an item in the room and write a short 4 line poem about the object.  I’d ask each student to do their best to add in a rhyme on line 2 and 4.

Meow Ruff: A Story in Concrete Poetry by Joyce Sidman

Sidman, Joyce. Illustrated by Michelle Berg. Meow Ruff: A Story in Concrete Poetry. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006.

ISBN: 9780618448944

“Meow Ruff: a Story in Concrete Poetry” is a poetry book unlike any that I’ve ever seen.  Concrete poetry is a poetic form in which the words of the poem are positioned into shapes which are used to convey the meaning of the poem itself.  Throughout the pages of “Meow Ruff” the trees, grass, and clouds are all formed by words.  All of the animals in the book are solid illustrations which interact with the concrete poetry setting.  This book is carefully produced for young children.  A child who could not read the print on the pages would still be able to comprehend what is happening in the story.  A dog gets loose from a house and someone has abandoned a cat.  The story follows the common belief that cats and dogs are enemies.  Upon meeting, the cat and dog appear to dislike one another but eventually are brought together by the rain.  The cat and dog escape the rain together under a table and fall asleep.  After the rain stops, the pair seems to realize that they could be friends!

The words on the pages blend seamlessly into the illustrations.  Each cloud has an individual size, shape, and poem; this is an illustration that each cloud shown is different.  Sidman has managed to create motion on the pages of her book this way.  The tree in the poem has the same poem until it begins to rain.  As the rain falls from the cloud onto the tree, the words of the poem illustrate the wind changes that a storm would naturally bring.

Before the rain, the tree poem reads:

E  a  c  h

L    e    a    f

A    m  a  p    o  f

B    r    a    n    c    h    e    s

E   a   c   h             t   w   i   g

A            b     r     a     n     c     h

O       f           l      e       a       v       e       s

E     a     c     h          b     r     a     n     c     h

A      t    r    e    e      o    f      t    w    i    g    s

E    a    c    h        t    r    e    e

A       g    r    e    e    n

H   a   i   r   e   d

S   l  i   m

C h e s t e d

G  r  e  a  t

                            H e a r t e d  g n a r l-a r m e d

S  t  r  o  n  g

L e g g e d

Deep-rooted

O   n   e

Once the clouds begin to rain, the poem reads:

E  a  c  h

l    e    a    f

D i p p i n g   and   d a n c i n g

E   a   c   h      t   w   i   g

T     h     r     a     s     h     i     n     g

A    n    d           p    l    u    n    g    i    n    g

E    a    c    h         b    r    a    n    c    h

B   e   n   d   i   n   g      t   o      s   h   o   w

S    i    l    v    e    r    y

U    n    d    e    r    s    i    d    e

A   n   d

T   h   e

S   l   i   m

C h e s t e d

G  r  e  a  t

H e a r t e d 

                              S  t  r  o  n  g   g n a r l-a r m e d

L  e  g  g  e  d

Deep-rooted

O     n      e

S  w  a  y  s

S l i g h t l y

I’ve attempted to recreate the concrete shape of a tree here, however, Sidman’s version is much more effective in the pages of “Meow Ruff.”  If I were to introduce this book to the class; I would first introduce the form of concrete poetry.  After reading/looking through the book, I’d ask the students how the concrete poetry added to understanding the story.  As an activity, I’d have each student think of a simple object.  If the students have trouble thinking of objects, I’d ask them to think about the objects in the story (a table, a cloud, a tree, etc.).  Once the students choose the object, I’d ask them to write it at the top of the page.  Next, I’d ask them to begin describing the object in various ways: what the object looks like, what purpose the object serves, what the object does, how the object is used, etc.  Once the activity is complete the students will have written their very own concrete poem!