Poetry (Week 3)

 Bravo! - Margarita Engle

Engle, Margarita. Bravo! Poems About Amazing Hispanics. Illustrated by Rafael Lopez, 

Henry Holt and Company, 2017.

This is a book that has poems about historically important Hispanic artists, botanists, librarians, and more! Each page has the name and years the person was alive, a poem that presents a short biography of each person, and an illustrated portrait of the subject. Each subject is organized by birth year, with earlier years appearing first. Engle wrote a letter at the beginning for the reader to understand that while these figures aren't the most famous, they are still worth being celebrated. The book is geared more towards Hispanic children but this book can still be read and enjoyed by any who reads it. The poems are free-verse and do not have a noticeable rhyme or meter. 

Out of Wonder - Kwame Alexander, Chris Colderly, Marjory Wentworth

Alexander, Kwame, et al. Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets. Illustrated by Ekua Holmes, Candlewick Press, 2021.

This is a collection of 20 poems inspired by famous poets such as Maya Angelou, Emily Dickinson, and Robert Frost. Each poem was written by Kwame Alexander, Chris Colderly, and Marjory Wentworth. The illustrations by Ekua Holmes accompany each poem by illustrating its main theme. The poems are written in various styles due to being inspired by other famous poets; for example "In Every Season" by Marjory Wentworth is written in the style of Robert Frost, and "Contemporary Haiku" by Chris Colderly is written in haiku similar to how Basho would write. Kwame Alexander writes a preface at the beginning telling his history of reading, his love of poetry, and poetry's power. He explains that the title of the book comes from a quote from Lucille Clifton that says "Poems come out of wonder, not out of knowing."

Mirror Mirror - Marilyn Singer

Singer, Marilyn. Mirror Mirror. Illustrated by Josee Masse, Dutton Children’s Books, 2010.

This is a collection of reverso poems about fairy tales. These poems can be read line-by-line one way and then backward so the meanings change. A few fairy tales included are Cinderella, Snow White, and  Jack in the Beanstalk. These poems are free verse but that allows the author the freedom to have them be in reverso style. The illustrations by Josee Masse also show the mirroring effect of the poems. In the poem "Cinderella's Double Life" the first half of the poem is about Cinderella alone while her sisters go to the ball and the second half is about her dancing with the prince while her step sisters watch on. The illustrations show this effect by having one half of the image show Cinderella alone and the other showing Cinderella dancing with her sisters looking on jealously.