The Librarian's Nook

Module 3: Poetic Form Nine: A Book of Nonet Poems Ivana Marmolejo Bibliography Latham, Irene, and Amy Huntington. Nine: A Book of Nonets . Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2020.  Summary Nine: A Book of Nonet Poems is a book that is comprised of nineteen poems that are all nonet poems. I had never heard of a nonet poem and loved learning about this poetry form. A nonet is a poem made up of nine lines beginning with a single syllable in the first line, two syllables in the second line, and so on. The last line should have nine syllables. The inverse could also be applied, beginning the first line with nine syllables and the last line ending with one syllable.  The book is dedicated to nine-year-olds and ninety-nine-year-olds. Readers will also love that each of the eighteen poems is written about the number nine. For example, some poems are about a nonet, a nine-month pregnancy, the number nine, baseball, the nine-banded armadillo, and even some history about nine African Ame...

  Module 3: New Poetry Book Cast Away: Poems for Our Time Ivana Marmolejo Bibliography Nye, Naomi Shihab. Cast Away: Poems for Our Time . New York, NY: Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2020.  Summary Cast Away: Poems for Our Time is a poetry book by Naomi Shihab Nye that features eighty-four poems about trash! Yes, trash! Readers will enjoy this different perspective of trash as Nye beautifully rummages through the perceptions of our refuse.  Nye opens with an informative introduction that readers will enjoy because it provides the purpose and motivation behind the book. Beginning with her childhood and her 91-year-old mother, the reader understands why trash is such an important part of Nye’s life. She challenges readers to think about their trash, what they discard, why they scrap, whether it’s necessary, and how they can decrease their trash contributions. The theme is about trash and thinking about the people and circumstances behind the...

Module 3: Verse Novel The Poet X Ivana Marmolejo Bibliography Acevedo, Elizabeth. The Poet X: A Novel . New York, NY: HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2018. ISBN: 9780062662804. Summary The Poet X is about a fifteen-year-old girl named Xiomara who lives in Harlem with her twin brother and parents. She grew up in a Catholic home with a mother who is, in Xiomara’s opinion, unforgivably devout. The book deals with topics of religion, diversity, body image, sexuality, rebellion, crushes and love, school, identity, hurt, and forgiveness. The Poet X is beautifully written by Elizabeth Acevedo, and its readability will have readers flipping through pages effortlessly. Some poems are free verse, while others rhyme. Even a haiku poem is featured. Readers will enjoy the placement of the words in various poems that reflect how the main character is feeling. Some of the underlying themes are acceptance of self, belief in yourself, and that forgiveness can lead to healing....

Module 2: Florian Poetry Insectlopedia: Poems and Paintings Ivana Marmolejo Bibliography Florian, Douglas. Insectlopedia: Poems and Paintings . San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1998. Summary This book of poetry is comprised of twenty-one poems about various insects. Florian not only wrote the poems but also painted the illustrations. Readers will enjoy the colorful pictures that perfectly depict the bug that is featured on the corresponding page.   Analysis All age groups can enjoy this book but especially young children, and young boys, who love insects and every kind of bug they can imagine. Readers will love that shape poems are featured in this book.  Depending on the bug, some poems follow the movement of the bugs or are shaped like the structures they build. Florian did this with the poems about the army ants, the inchworm, the whirligig beetles, and the termites. Young students might enjoy using their fingers to trace the movements or structures of these poems.  Many p...

Module 2: NCTE Award Poetry A Wreath for Emmett Till Ivana Marmolejo Bibliography Nelson, Marilyn, and Philippe Lardy. A Wreath for Emmett Till . Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2005.  Summary A Wreath for Emmett Till is a book of poetry written by Marilyn Nelson, an NCTE Award recipient. The book is about the lynching of Emmett Till, the impact his death had on the author, and what it meant for others. The book is comprised of fifteen sonnets that make up a crown of sonnets. A crown of sonnets is when the last line of a poem links to the next poem by using that same line as the opening line of the following poem. Finally, the last poem is made up of all fifteen first lines of each sonnet. Readers will enjoy reading this rare style of poetry, along with the vivid pictures illustrated by Philippe Lardy.  Analysis A Wreath for Emmett Till is a painfully beautiful book of poetry about Emmett Till and the implications of his death. The book centers around topics of death, b...

Module 2: Multicultural Poetry Dizzy in Your Eyes Ivana Marmolejo Bibliography Mora, Pat. Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems about Love . New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010.  Summary Dizzy in Your Eyes is a collection of poems by Pat Mora. Mora (2010) explains her love for “the intensity of the teen years,” which prompted her to write this book of poetry. She mentioned that the book has “four movements” beginning with “love’s initial rush and confusion, to love’s challenges, heartaches, and quiet sadness; to external solace that eases the pain, necessary healing; and finally, yes, to falling in love again” (Mora 2010). The poems are written in free verse, along with more challenging poetry styles, such as sonnets, haikus, and clerihews. The book has figurative language beautifully woven into the passionate lines and stanzas of love, despair, and hope.  Readers will enjoy poems that include Spanish because they can immerse themselves in the culture while realizing that they will see...