Very short poems about different kinds of street food from around the world. The illustrations were as fun as the poems. I would have liked the back mVery short poems about different kinds of street food from around the world. The illustrations were as fun as the poems. I would have liked the back matter to be consistent when explaining foods.
Most novels in verse I tolerate the verse to get to the story. This novel in verse I enjoyed the verse! Plus, it illuminaRead for Librarian Book Group
Most novels in verse I tolerate the verse to get to the story. This novel in verse I enjoyed the verse! Plus, it illuminated a mostly forgotten integration effort. I really enjoyed the back matter and the author's note....more
The story of Joan of Arc told in different forms of verse.
I loathed all of the verse. I didn't like how it was written, IRead for Librarian Book Group
The story of Joan of Arc told in different forms of verse.
I loathed all of the verse. I didn't like how it was written, I despised the poems arranged in shapes, and I thought the guide that explained the different types of poetry within the book should have been at the beginning, not the end.
That said, it's a short book, so the torture didn't go on for an overly long period of time....more
Back in the day Richard Wright wrote a lot of haiku. Nina Curtis illustrates those haiku with repeating photos that are aRead for Librarian Book Group
Back in the day Richard Wright wrote a lot of haiku. Nina Curtis illustrates those haiku with repeating photos that are assembled into a bigger picture. All of the haikus feature photos of contemporary Black boys, which is great, as photo representations of elementary-school-aged boys tend to be lacking in picture books....more
Read for librarian book group Alexander continues making poetry cool, this time with a book set in 1988. I include this fact at the outset because I miRead for librarian book group Alexander continues making poetry cool, this time with a book set in 1988. I include this fact at the outset because I missed that point and was incredibly confused while reading.
We join Chuck Bell for a life-changing summer. His father has recently died, his mother isn't sure what to do with him and so she sends him to live with his grandparents in DC for the summer.
Aside from the confusion about the year, this was a good read....more
Read for Librarian Book Group A novel in verse that is very readable! Xiomara is doing the things that her mother wants her to, including attending conRead for Librarian Book Group A novel in verse that is very readable! Xiomara is doing the things that her mother wants her to, including attending confirmation for a religion she doesn't really believe in, and ignoring the attention her curvaceous body brings from the neighborhood boys and men. She writes poetry, but doesn't share it.
As her life grows more complicated, Xiomara's poems capture the conflict she has with her mother, her observations of her brother's problems, the interest of a classmate and other parts of her daily life....more
Read for Librarian Book Group Grimes pairs poems written by Harlem Renaissance authors with new poems written using the Golden Shovel method. In this Read for Librarian Book Group Grimes pairs poems written by Harlem Renaissance authors with new poems written using the Golden Shovel method. In this method, the author takes a line (or lines, or sometimes an entire poem) and writes a new poem using each word from that line as the end word of the line.
My brain boggled that such beautiful poetry could come from this method....more
Read for Librarian Book Group An age-appropriate exploration of that Amazon guy who has a grownup nonfiction book, a movie, and now a picture book. I Read for Librarian Book Group An age-appropriate exploration of that Amazon guy who has a grownup nonfiction book, a movie, and now a picture book. I loved the illustrations in this, and it has a very good front cover hidden under the jacket. In book group discussion, someone made an observation that it was a little "old-fashioned" a la from the explorer's point of view and not so much any insight into the Amazon Indians who were being explored....more
Read for Librarian Book Group This is the story of Edmonia Lewis, an African American and Indian American sculptor who worked in the late 19th century.Read for Librarian Book Group This is the story of Edmonia Lewis, an African American and Indian American sculptor who worked in the late 19th century. Lewis' story is told in verse and includes her time at Oberlin College, life in Boston and Italy, and her return as an exhibitor in the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia.
Much of Lewis' story has been lost to history which is why Jeannine Atkins chose to write this story in verse. As we've lost many of the stories of women, I will happily read a novel in verse. Though I do think a well-written historical fiction novel about Edmonia Lewis is just waiting to be written....more
Read for Librarian Book Group Quite good poems about the changes in the seasons, that also doesn't go for the cliche parts of the season.Read for Librarian Book Group Quite good poems about the changes in the seasons, that also doesn't go for the cliche parts of the season....more
