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.