An Emotional Menagerie: Feelings from A to Z

Happy National Poetry Month!

I always loved calling attention to Poetry Month in both the public and school libraries because there's no much potential for sharing poems and interacting with an often-overlooked form of literature. I had fun choosing lesson plans relating to poetry for different ages, and An Emotional Menagerie: Feelings from A to Z is brimming with wonderful potential lessons.

Before sharing my lesson ideas, it's important to establish the quality of this book just as a read-aloud. Even if you don't tie lessons into it, these poems are meant to be read to a classroom of students. The book is listed as being for ages 5+, but coming from a Montessori background had me envisioning reading these poems to Early Childhood students (as young as 3).

The book has an emotion assigned to each letter of the alphabet, and each emotion is described with animal qualities. These animals are amazing choices for each emotion; even as an adult reading it on my own, I was impressed with how the animal qualities truly described each emotion. A monkey is naughty, a chameleon changing its colors is uncertain, just for a teaser.

Each poem is six stanzas long, but each emotion gets its own spread, so you can hold the book up as you're reading and the children can take in the vivid illustrations. (I love that each emotion gets its own spread because there's no reading ahead to the next emotion!)

When you use this book with younger students, you can show them the picture of the animal, have them name it, and ask students to share what they know about the animal. After reading the poem aloud, you can ask the students to share what they know about the emotion, or if they've felt it. Then you can discuss how the emotion and the animal relate to each other.

I think this book would be great to use when discussing emotions with younger children. It could also be incorporated into lesson plans if you have a letter of the week since there's an emotion for every letter of the alphabet. The book could also be used as a tie-in when you're studying animals since the emotions and animals match so well.

With older elementary students, I feel like there are several ways to approach this book. You could plan lessons and storytime based on the letter, emotion, or animal. A, for example, is Anger, with a roaring lion. You could read the A poem with Lion Lessons by Jon Agee and compare and contrast the lions. Or you could read it with My No No No Day by Rebecca Patterson and talk about anger.

You could also open the floor up for discussion about emotions before you even open the book. Go through the letters and see what emotions students can name for each letter. Once they guess the emotion that is used in the book, you can then have them brainstorm what animal they think would be associated with that emotion and why. 

I also had a creative writing club with older elementary and middle school students, and I think this book provides great jumping-off points even for that age. You could ask students to think of an emotion for a certain letter and have them write a poem about it. After reading some of the examples from this book aloud, you could ask them to think of an animal, and write a poem about emotions they associate with the animal. For an extra challenge, you could ask them to choose an emotion and write a poem using only words that express that emotion, or only words that start with the same letter as that emotion!

This book is one of those gems that not only gives you a great read-aloud for the classroom or storytime, but also is full of potential lessons for a variety of ages. It's enjoyable to read and will be even more fun to share with students to help activation their imaginations while cultivating emotional awareness.

Back to School in Verse

Last week I shared some of the back to school books I read with young students. This week, I'm going to share one book I was able to read with multiple grades.

A New School Year: Stories in Six Voices 

by Sally Derby, illustrated by Mika Song

This book of poetry features diverse children starting kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth, and fifth grades. Each student has a poem from the Night Before, In the Morning, At School, and After School. Students have different living situations, different ethnicities, and different abilities and talents. I made copies of the poems and had students in each grade read them aloud. 

For one Lower Elementary library class, I have a mix of first and second graders. After first graders read the poems, they shared words that described their night before and first day of school. Some second graders even chimed in with how they remember feeling the year before. The other Lower Elementary class has a mix of second and third grade students. It was interesting to hear their reactions to poems about students in other grades, in other schools (fictional, yes, but still relevant). It was wonderful to see how they could relate to these characters.

One Upper Elementary class has fourth and fifth graders, so we finished up the book with those poems, and then they wrote their own. For the group of 6th and 7th graders, I found an assortment of poems online. Several were about starting school and the end of summer, so we took turns reading those aloud before they wrote their own. A bonus pack of poems was about growth mindset, dreams, and pushing yourself to see what you could accomplish. These were read aloud and then also used as jumping off points for their own poems. I was so impressed at the variety of poetry style and the depth of emotion these students shared!

Writing Habits

My January writing stats - I got a sticker for every day I wrote 2 pages.

In undergrad and grad school, I studied creative writing and wrote all the time. I'd get writer's block for sure, but often it was not being able to finish a story as opposed to not being able to start anything.

I wrote a lot the years I freelanced and traveled; I kept detailed journals but was also inspired to write fiction. Once I settled down, I woke up early every morning to walk three miles and then come home to write three pages before work.

All of that changed when I had a baby. I still wrote, but it was sporadic. Of course it didn't make things easier that I started my Masters of Library Science a week before my son was born! Most of my writing was book reviews and research papers - still enjoyable, but not too creative and not on a routine, like I used to have.

Even as my son grew older and more independent, I still struggled to write. I struggled to find the time and the energy. The silence the let my own thoughts have a voice. Not that I had any ideas to explore. My brain seemed incapable of doing anything more than writing To Do lists and budgeting money. Great qualities when you're head of the household, but not much fun, creatively.

I tried so hard to find the right creative outlet, because I was sure there were still stories inside me, somewhere. I turned back to photography, which I've always loved and has always inspired me. I tried making miniatures out of clay. I tried to launch podcasts with different formats, none of which felt right. I tried to lessen the creative pressure on myself by coloring in coloring books. Nothing helped the stories come back to me.

Last spring I pushed myself to write a poem a day. It didn't last too long, because I started with haikus just to "get it over with", and then didn't hold myself to the routine. But it still sparked something inside me. When I was making New Years Resolutions for 2019, I knew writing had to take priority. I set the goal of completing one writing prompt a week, then started mining my brain for words, phrases, concepts, ANYTHING that could be used as a writing prompt.

I have a list of prompts in a notebook. I completed one, the first week of the new year. I started another the second week, but haven't yet finished it. It turned out to be more of a novella than a short story, so I wanted to dedicate time to it. What I found, though, was that the routine benefits me more than the goal of writing some-finished-thing.

My resolution has since informally morphed to "write two pages a day". I would still like to finish a handful of short stories this year, but I'm currently more focused on establishing the routine than creating something quality every week.

In January, I wrote 28 days out of 31. I've noticed that waking up earlier helps with my creativity (I woke up early every day I wrote my first short story of 2019) and doesn't give me a chance to put off writing for the day. My goal for February is to wake up early every weekday and write, so I can't use the "I'm tired" excuse when I get home from work.

February Favorites

I read eighteen books this month - how did I find the time? I was so busy with schoolwork, my student association duties, and writing STEM programs for a rural library (more about that later). I'm only highlighting six of them, but you can find all my reviews on Goodreads. I'm thinking of doing an annual "Duds" post of books I read and then hated myself for reading, or books I started and couldn't finish. But let's not think about that type of book - let's focus on the great ones!


Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. I’m not a big poetry fan, but I LOVE verse novels. Woodson’s story of her childhood is so beautiful, with exquisite imagery and emotion. I think this is the first book I’ve ever read by her, but now I’m eager to read more. I highly recommend this book.

George by Alex Gino. This book tackles an interesting, contemporary issue, and it does so in a way that pretty much every age level can understand, which I really appreciate. As someone who was born female and identifies as female, I wish there were prequels and sequels to this book, because I am very curious to know how and when George realized she was a girl, not a boy, and I really want to see how things progress in her life. I think this is a great subject for younger books to be written about, and look forward to more in general, and from this particular author.

Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova. Middle grade graphic novel about a girl who is nervous about attending a new school, and fails to follow the rules she made for herself to fit in. Peppi joins the art club but can’t bring herself to speak up and share her ideas, and can’t bring herself to apologize to the boy she hurt on the first day. I love middle grade fiction, and when it's also in graphic novel form, it's so fun to read! You really get sucked into the story with the illustrations.

The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson. Joshilyn Jackson is one of my favorite authors, and her books keep getting better and better. Paula is a divorce lawyer who has had countless identities in the past, thanks to her mom, who lived wherever she could find a boyfriend. Paula has been sending her mother money every month to “make good” on something that happened in the past - and that’s been all the contact she’s had with her mother. When she finally gets something from her mother, it’s not what she expected, and she has to deal with her past catching up to her rich (literally) present.

The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier. Robert Cormier was writing dark YA fiction before it was mainstream, and his last book doesn’t disappoint. Jason is twelve years old when he’s questioned in the murder of his seven-year-old friend. Most of the story is in the suspense between the interrogator and Jason, but the ending has an excellent twist, then another twist, then a knife to the gut. Amazing!

Violent Ends by Shaun David Hutchinson. A collection of short stories about a school shooting, told in 17 different points of view by 17 different YA authors. A few of the stories fell flat, but most were amazing and interesting and emotional. Makes me want to re-read Columbine by Dave Cullen. This book has been popping in to my mind randomly since I read it, so I think that makes it a powerful read. I could see myself re-reading this one in a year or two.

World Rat Day

Plot Summary
Maybe you knew there was a World Turtle Day, or even a Bulldogs Are Beautiful Day. But there is no way you knew about Yell “Fudge!” at the Cobras in North America Day! Thank goodness J. Patrick Lewis wrote poems about all the strangest, silliest holidays you’ve never heard of, and compiled them in World Ray Day.

Critical Analysis
Arranged in chronological order, World Rat Day goes through the calendar year of odd holidays. Twenty-six humorous poems about the silliest of subjects - it’s got to be good! The poems range from four lines to having multiple stanzas. The date and holiday name is included with each poem, though the poems also have their own titles.
     The illustrations perfectly match the poems - not just as illustrations go nicely with a story, but the drawing style itself. Anna Raff uses watercolors and line drawings to bring Lewis’s poems to life. In most cases, the illustrations add another layer of story to the written poem. This makes the book excellent not only to read aloud, but also to take time inspecting the pages.

     Rhythm.
The rhythms vary throughout this collection, but each poem has a distinct one. Many are extremely choppy, such as “A Flamingo” (23), which is a single sentence, and “The Rat Is” (10), which is two short metaphors. Both of these poems are very funny, so they seem to be short in order to simply deliver the joke. “A Thousand Baby Star” (12) and “Bats” (13), on the other hand, have longer lines and longer stanzas that give the poems a leisurely flow.

     Rhyme.
Lewis uses a variety of rhyme schemes, including couplets, ABCB, ABB, and more. Some poems, such as “Eight Table Manners For Dragons” (2) are free verse; the jokes are puns within the lines themselves.

     Sound.
These poems are funny, so the reader can do a lot with his or her voice while reading aloud to ensure children are captivated. Lewis uses a lot of alliteration, consonance, assonance, and onomatopoeia to give his poems personality.

     Language.
The language in this collection has clearly been carefully chosen to be approachable for children to read on their own, but also to sound interesting when read aloud. Words like “boomerang” and “airmailed” aren’t found much in children’s books, but they can be read easily, without a child stumbling over the word, and add a great sound to the lines they’re in.

     Imagery.
When a poet uses the phrase “electrified confetti” to describe fireworks (12), you know he’s got some great imagery in the rest of his poems! Even if the illustrations in this book were not spot-on, Lewis would help the reader imagine the subjects of every poem. Who else would describe a bulldog as “The sumo of canines / The semi of runts” (14)?

     Emotions.
The poems in this book aren’t especially emotional, as Lewis seems to focus more on humor. There are some unexpectedly beautiful lines, though, such as “murmurs to moonbeams / And whispers on wings” (13).

Personal Response
This book was really fun to read - both because of the humorous poetry, and the off-the-wall holidays! It’s also a great book if you just want to look at pictures! Stories can be told from the illustrations alone.

Reviews & Awards
Booklist reviewed the book, saying “Highly amusing anthropomorphized creatures rendered in ink lines and washes celebrate on white single- or double-page spreads.” Publishers Weekly calls it a “gleefully silly crowd-pleaser.” J. Patrick Lewis was the U.S Children’s Poet Laureate from 2011 to 2013, and has won the Excellence in Children’s Poetry Award.

Connections & Activities
The possibilities are endless with this collection!
- Have children pick their favorite illustration and really look at it. Have them tell or write a story about what’s happening in the picture that isn’t told in the poem.
- Have children pick their favorite holiday from the book and write a poem as if they were celebrating.
- Have children make up their own strange holiday and write a poem about it.
- Since this collection is so humorous and random, invite the children to read other approachable poetry collections.

Falling Up by Shel Silverstein. ISBN 9780060248024
If You’re Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand by Kalli Dakos, illustrated by G. Brian
     Karas. ISBN 9780689801167
It’s Raining Pigs & Noodles by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by James Stevenson.
     ISBN 9780060763909

Read it for yourself!
Lewis, J. Patrick. 2013. World Rat Day. Ill. by Anna Raff. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick
     Press. ISBN 9780763654023

The Llama Who Had No Pajama

Plot Summary
This is a collection of 100 favorite poems by Mary Ann Hoberman. There is no specific subject - some poems make you laugh, some poems make you think, some poems let you experience things you might not otherwise be able to. This is a great collection to introduce children to poetry, because many poems are about childhood experiences that will be relatable and inviting for children.

Critical Analysis
This is first and foremost a poetry collection, but the illustrations are a major part of the book. They add a lot to each poem. For example, the page spread featuring a poem called “Mouse” is accompanied by a drawing of a playful mouse chasing its tail around the poem, covering both pages (20-21). Some pages have an illustration as a background: “How Far,” “Growing,” and “A Year Later” are printed on the backdrop of a watercolor sunset over a lake (41). When multiple poems are featured on a page, Betty Fraser draws smaller illustrations for each poem. This layout makes the book much more interesting to children, and invites them to read the poem by showing them what it’s about before they even get to the words. For children who can’t yet read on their own, they can look at the pictures while the poem is read to them, and be more involved with the ideas than just listening alone.

     Rhythm.
The cadence of these poems is perfect for children because it has a natural up and down flow, encouraging the reader to raise and lower their tone throughout each line. There are a variety of poems - some long, some short, some with long lines, some with choppier lines. This assortment is a great way to keep children interested because no two poems are alike.

     Rhyme.
The poems in this collection rhyme, which is ideal for children. The rhymes create a natural rhythm, which makes reading poetry more fun. Rhymes also help grab their interest, and may even help in memorizing poetry, or just help them feel included by being able to chime in with the rhyming words! Many different rhyme schemes are employed throughout the book. Hoberman primarily writes in couplets and simple 4-line rhymes, but also plays with assonance, consonance, and alliteration in the lines.

     Sound.
Hoberman employs great use of sound throughout this collection. For example, in the poem “Worm:”

“Squiggly
Wiggly
Wriggly
Jiggly
Higgly
Piggly
Worm” (15).

The words are playful and encourage the reader to squirm along, becoming more and more antsy with each additional adverb. Many of Hoberman’s animals poems are written this way, helping the reader picture how the animal looks, feels, and sounds.

     Language.
Not many metaphors and similes are used throughout the poems because the writing is very straight-forward and realistic. Hoberman chooses vivid words to accurately portray the experiences written about, such as birthdays, vacations, weather, and family relationships. The words are nicely chosen because they are not juvenile, even though the poems are aimed at children. The words are not over their heads, but they encourage the children to use context clues to derive meanings.

     Imagery.
Even if this collection was not illustrated, Hoberman’s language alone would bring the poems to life. Her word choice, when describing anything from a birthday bus to a termite, makes the reader not only visually imagine the subject, but also approach it with the other senses by conveying the scent, sound, and touch of objects written about.

     Emotions.
Since the collection is intended for children, Hoberman keeps the mood light. The poems don’t delve into deep emotions, but they are not all overly perky. They have a upbeat tone, but the happiness of the poems does not undercut the quality of the writing by making it seem too silly or lighthearted.

Personal Response
This collection is fun to read aloud because the poems have great rhythm and rhyme. I loved some poems more than others, but with any collection there is some hit and miss involved. I agree with the assessment that this is a great introduction to poetry for children.

Reviews & Awards
From School Library Journal: “Hoberman's rhythms are lively and agile, and her imagination and sense of humor are still in tune with young readers. Fraser's simple but detailed gouache and watercolor illustrations exhibit the same qualities. The layout is masterfully varied and never overwhelms the poems.” Mary Ann Hoberman’s work has previously won the American Book Award. In 2003, she received the Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, and received the Children’s Poet Laureate award in 2008.

Connections & Activities
Ask children which poem was their favorite, then have them write a poem of their own in similar style. If they’re having trouble, suggest they work backwards! First, think of rhyming words and jot them down. Then they can make sentences with the rhyming words at the end, and put them in poem format to tell a story or describe something!

Read it for yourself!
Hoberman, Mary Ann. 1998. The Llama Who Had No Pajama. Ill. by Betty Fraser. San Diego:
     Browndeer Press. ISBN 9780152001117

Hideous Love

Not only is my son a little too young for this book, but I read it too quickly to share with him!
Plot Summary
Mary is an educated girl living in a time when women are typically just wives and mothers. Her intellect captures the attention of her father’s friend, poet Percy Shelley, and they run away together. Unfortunately, Shelley is still married to another. This begins a lifetime of drama and turmoil for Mary, who loves Shelley unconditionally and lives for him, learning, and writing.

Critical Analysis
Written as a verse novel, Hideous Love is a powerful story about the life of Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, told from her point of view. The poetic style comes across as genuine and works because Shelley is a writer herself, and an intelligent woman with strong emotions.

     Rhythm.
The book is broken up into poems, each titled as a chapter would be in a traditional novel. This division provides a natural break for the reader, as most poems encompass a major event or emotion, then move smoothly to the next experience. The flow of each poem individually is affected by the line breaks, which are well-placed to make the reader pause and think about certain words and ideas. For example:

“I busy myself
to think of a story,
but sadly the muse does not
arrive. I want to speak
to the mysterious fears
of our nature and to awaken
thrilling horror.
Nothing comes to me” (126).

The short lines inspire the reader to ruminate on what is being said, instead of rushing on to the next line. “I busy myself” and “I want to speak” stand out as the actions, implying that Mary is trying hard to come up with a story but can’t, though she wants to get the words out. “Mysterious fears,” “awaken,” and “thrilling horror” stand out in the next two lines, adding urgency and emotion to the stanza. The last line is a let down, deflating after the build-up immediately before.

     Rhyme.
There is no rhyme scheme in the poems of this book; it is written in free verse.

     Sound.
The individual poems have no particular sound as far as alliteration, consonance, repeated words, and so on. However, there is the tone (maybe just in my imagination) of a somewhat quiet yet educated voice reading these poems in a level voice.

     Language.
The language in this book is perfectly chosen. Each word sounds like one Mary Shelley herself would pick for her writing, so it really helps the reader become immersed in her life story. Most ideas, emotions, and experiences are explained in straight-forward terms without simile or metaphor, but that does not diminish the quality of the story at all. In fact, I think it helps to make the book seem like it is actually from the 1800s.

     Imagery.
Sensory words are used to establish the environment of Mary’s childhood home and her overbearing stepmother. It effectively conveys the destitute journeys Mary and Shelley took in the early years of their relationship. And it vividly draws the reader in to Mary’s grief… but I’m getting ahead of myself.

     Emotions.
The emotion in this book is my favorite aspect. Mary is so sure of herself as a young teenager, and then falls so helplessly in love, and all of that is shared with the reader. The rocky start to her relationship and all the heartache that comes later is felt in the words of the poems. Though the book is so emotional, it is not heavy-handed, not forcing the reader to shed tears due to sentimentality. Instead, the language stays matter-of-fact and true to Shelley’s style. For example:

“I see my future
now not as something
intangible like a dream,
but like a boat
meeting land
after time spent at sea,
a destination I will reach” (38).

Simple language and a simple idea, but beautifully expressed to sweep the reader away with the words.

Personal Response
I had previously only read one verse novel, years ago, and was not a fan. I’m so glad I read Hideous Love, because I’m now inspired to read more verse novels! It was very well done, and incredibly interesting. I found myself researching Mary Shelley as soon as I finished the last page. I had never known much about her, never even read Frankenstein, but this book was so engrossing that I immediately checked out her most famous novel and am eager to read more - not only by Mary Shelley, but also by Stephanie Hemphill!

Reviews & Awards
From The Horn Book: “In first-person, present-tense verse, author Stephanie Hemphill creates an informative, impressionistic introduction to Mary Shelley’s life.” Booklist says “This is, as intended, an ideal companion piece for teens studying the original classic,” and I have to agree. Hemphill’s previous work has won a Printz Honor and the Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Excellence in Poetry.

Connections & Activities
Instead of having students write traditional reports on notable figures, let them be inspired by Hideous Love. After researching their intended subject, have them write their report in verses, as if from the person’s point of view. This will make them think differently about the assignment - instead of simply regurgitating and repeating important facts, they’ll put themselves in someone else’s shoes, try to see the world through their eyes, and give them a more interesting approach to learning about history. They might even be inspired to go above and beyond the required research to find out as much as they can about their subject’s time, in order to better write from that point of view.

Read it for yourself!
Hemphill, Stephanie. 2013. Hideous Love. New York: Balzer + Bray. ISBN 9780061853319