Culture 1 International Literature

A.  BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mourlevat, Jean-Claude. 2006. THE PULL OF THE OCEAN. Translation by Y.  Maudett. New York, NY: Delacorte Press an imprint of Random House Children’s Books. ISBN 9780385903646
B.  PLOT SUMMARY
THE PULL OF THE OCEAN takes place in modern day France. The Doutreleau family consists of a father, mother, three sets of twin boys, and the youngest brother, Yann. Yann is a two feet tall, ten year old mute, who is extraordinarily insightful and intelligent. Yann converses with individuals through facial expressions and hand gestures. The Doutreleau family are poor farmers, who appear to be uncaring, and controlling. One night, Yann awakes his brothers and warns them their parents will kill them. As a result, the Doutreleau boys journey west to the Atlantic Ocean.

C.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS) 
Loosely based on Charles Perrault’s TOM THUMB, Claude Mourlevat’s version, THE PULL OF THE OCEAN, is a blend of realistic fiction, fairy-tale, and mystery. In Mourlevat’s version, the reader is introduced to a ten year old protagonist, who is a self-imposed mute, named Yann Doutreleau. Yann is unlike his three sets of twin brothers, he is not a twin and he is an avid reader. According to Yann's mother, “Yann came last and alone. Like the period at the end of a sentence.” 

Each chapter in Mourlevat’s book is told from a sundry of twenty-one character’s, beginning with the thirty-two year old social worker in chapter one, to the sixty year old skipper, merchant marine in chapter eighteen. The character’s accounts of the Doutreleau's, provides the reader with insight and background on the members of the Doutreleau family.

Throughout Mourlevat’s book, the reader is provided with an array of recognizable cultural markers that are French. For example, the names of five of the seven Doutreleau’s boys are French: Max, Pierre, Remy, Yann, and Fabien. Further, the various characters the boys encounter through their travels have French names:  Colette, Chapuis, Michelle, Emile, and Thierry. 

An additional cultural marker is the names of the cites in France: Périgueux, Limages, Bordeaux, and Angouleme. 

 Although an exact date and time is not stated in the book, there are a number of cultural markers that suggests the story takes place in contemporary France. For instance, the mention of a CD player and wireless electric drill, all establishes the time as present day France.

Finally, the author’s translation of the French dialect portrays a French cultural marker. For example, the mom states, “We was gonna,” “Whaddya want, then?,” and the father states, ”I’ll never ask no one for nothin’ And my boys’ll never ask for nothin’ either,” suggests a proud non-standard French dialect that is authentic in terms of  language and social values . 
THE PULL OF THE OCEAN  is an engaging and well written story that invites the reader to reflect and celebrate brotherhood and solidarity.

D.  REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist Reviews

“The story is intriguing, and the relationship among the brothers is heartwarming.”

Horn Book Magazine Reviews

“This story/fable/fairy tale is a powerful portrait of poverty and sibling solidarity, at once tragic and oddly joyful.”

Kirkus Reviews

“The prose is nightmarish but occasionally lovely, and older readers will appreciate its dark magic.” “Mourlevat enchantingly blends the harshly real and the make-believe, with the latter tipping the balance as this effectively haunting, fluidly translated tale comes to a close.”

School Library Journal Reviews

“It is a memorable novel that readers will find engaging and intellectually satisfying.”

AWARDS

2007 Mildred L. Batchelder Award

2007 ALA Notable Children's Book 

Prix Sorcieres Award

E.  CONNECTIONS

Students may create a map tracking the brother’s journey through the French countryside.

Students may enjoy reading the following book by Jean-Claude Mourlevat:WINTER"S END. ISBN 9780763644505

A.  BIBLIOGRAPHY

Fox, Mem. 2009. HELLO BABY!. Ill. by Steve Jenkins. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division. ISBN 9781416985136

B.  PLOT SUMMARY

In HELLO BABY!, by Mem Fox, A small child meets an assortment of wildlife  babies that include a monkey, porcupine, eagle, gecko, owl, and crocodile. As the narrator introduces each animal baby, an account of  its appearance is related to the youngster. Towards the end of the book, the narrator asks the child, "Then who are you, baby? Wait, let me guess-Are you my treasure? The answer is . . . Yes!" 

C.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS) 

HELLO BABY!, overflows with strong and vibrant rhymes that are enhanced by Steve Jenkins’ stunning  and captivating illustrations. Throughout the book, Fox's rhymes are infused with African cultural markers that begin with the African wildlife to the parent and child. This picture book is a celebration of the splendor and allure of the African wildlife experience and Africa's most treasured gift of all- a parents love of a child. For example, Fox's description of a "leopard dozing at dusk,” "an elephant wielding a tusk,” "a hippo with yawning jaws,” and  “an owl with a wicked wink,” are all prime examples of  the cultural markers referencing African wildlife. Steven Jenkins illustrations are a bold and exquisite representation of Fox's Africa.  Upon careful observation, the reader will be fascinated by  the minuscules insets of animals offered on each page. Moreover, the features of the hippo’s eyelashes and the gecko’s sharp claws are beautiful examples of Jenkins’ breathtaking mastery of African wildlife. 
HELLO BABY! is a well written story that highlights Mem Fox’s bond to her beloved Africa. 

D.  REVIEW EXCERPT
Booklist

"As in her best-selling title Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes (2008), a Booklist Editors’ Choice selection, Fox creates an affectionate, singsong picture book directed straight at small children. Here, her rhyming couplets take the form of queries inviting kids to compare themselves to a zoo full of animals.”

E.  CONNECTIONS
Children may create their own distinctive paper illustrations like the ones in the book.

Other books about animals for small children: 

Fearnley, Jan. JUST LIKE YOU. ISBN 9780763613228

Godwin, Laura. WHAT THE BABY HEARS. ISBN 978078680560

A. Bibliography

Croza, Laurel. 2010. I KNOW HERE. Ill. by Matt James. Berkeley, California: Publishers Group West. ISBN 9780888999239

B.  PLOT SUMMARY

The little girl in this picture book lives with her family in a trailer in northeastern Saskatchewan. Her father is building a dam and when it is completed, the family will move to Toronto, Canada. Toronto is the place on the school’s map that is marked with a big red star. The little girl is very apprehensive about moving to a strange city. She states, "Have people in Toronto seen what I've seen?" Through the art of drawing and the teacher's help, the little girl discovers a way to keep all she adores about Saskatchewan close to her heart.

C.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)

In I KNOW HERE, Laurel Croza shares the story of a third grade Canadian girl, who lives in the remote prairies of the Saskatchewan Province. She lives in a trailer with four siblings and attends school with eight other children. The little girl is the only third grader in Miss Hendrickson classroom. Her father is building a damn near their home, where seven other families occupy trailers. When the school year ends, the dam will be finished, hasting the family’s move to Toronto. While the little girl’s older brother bursts with excitement at the news of moving to Toronto, the little girl, who is not given a name in the story, is fearful of the unknown and wants to stay in her familiar northeastern Saskatchewan surroundings.

Matt James' illustrations are a compliment to Croza’s vibrant and heartwarming text. The detailed language and illustrations, provides the reader with distinctive cultural markers that are characteristics of the Saskatchewan region. For example, how the little girl describes the “tobogganing hill,” a creek that wound around the hill, "the squishy spot by the beaver dam" where her sister catches frogs, and  the dam "built right across the North Saskatchewan River" are specific environmental markers to this region of Canada. Further, cultural markers include the time and place of the story.  For example, the little girl talks of a popular 1960s through the mid-1970s Disney program that aired on Sundays.  She states, “One Sunday night, I saw The Wonderful World of Disney on a TV that the electrician set up outside his trailer.” Further, as a result of Matt James' authentic heavy brushwork, his illustrations  gives voice and appeal to the vintage television set, the characters, and other environmental features in the story that are specific to Canada. 

I KNOW HERE is a touching story that is an accurate and authentic representative of northeastern Saskatchewan.

D.  REVIEW EXCERPT

Horn Book Fanfare: Best Book of 2010

Erza Jack Keats and New York Public Library New Writer Award

Capital Choices Noteworthy Book for Children and Teens

School Library Journal

“The simple, straightforward text is spot-on in capturing the child's sensibilities and feelings. James's vibrant acrylic and India ink on panel artwork brings the girl's world to life, with its starkness, beauty, and haunting appeal. The stylized paintings at times have a surreal quality and are almost dreamlike in their composition.”

E. CONNECTIONS 

To help children ease the stress of moving to a new place, allow students to draws pictures of their home and school in their journal.

Provide children with digital cameras to photograph their friends, teachers, relatives, special places, and events that they can peruse, when they miss their former home town.

Other books students may enjoy reading about moving: 

 Pérez, Amada Irma. 2002 MY DIARY FROM HERE TO THERE/MI DIARIO DE AQUI HASTA ALLA. ISBN 9780892392308

Mudy, Michaelene. 2005. SAYING GOOD-BYE, SAYING HELLO. . . : WHEN YOUR FAMILY IS MOVING. ISBN 9780870293931

Module 6

Responding to Poetry

Poetry & Fiction

Bibliographic Citation

Beaumont, Jeanne Marie & Carlson, Claudia. 2003. The Poets' Grimm: 20th Century Poems from Grimm Fairy Tales. Ashland, OR: Story Line Press. ISBN  978-1-5865-4027-2.

Stein, David Ezra. 2010. Interrupting Chicken. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 978-0-7636-4168-9

  

Critical Analysis

Jeanne Marie Beaumont and Claudia Carlson, the compilers of The Poets' Grimm: 20th Century Poems from Grimm Fairy Tales, offers the reader a collection of poems that feature the contributions of one hundred and twelve living contemporary poets. This volume is the modern-day poets' response to the fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm in the early 1800s in Germany. Jeanne Marie Beaumont and Claudia Carlson offers that the Grimm Fairy Tales "share common roots of concision and communal energy derived from an oral tradition . . . that reveal the complex relationship that exists between contemporary poets and a received body of myth or lore."

David Ezra Stein, the author and illustrator of Interrupting Chicken , provides an excellent pairing to Jeanne Marie Beaumont and Claudia Carlson's The Poets' Grimm: 20th Century Poems from Grimm Fairy Tales.  Interrupting Chicken, humorously introduces three Fairy Tales to the reader: “Hansel and Gretel,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” and “Chicken Little.”  Stein's children's book offers the reader an enjoyable and entertaining alternative to the scary, shocking, and on occasion, gruesome  Grimm Fairy Tales. 

Follow-Up Activity

For the upper grades, the students will read Grimm's Little Red Riding Hood. For kindergarten and the lower grades, the teacher will share several versions of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale with the students. Then, students will read or listen to the teacher read Stein's Interrupting Chicken.  Next, students will read or listen to Ali’s poem The Wolf’s Postscript of Little Red Riding Hood. The teacher will allow students to work in groups to act out the poem. Finally, the students will perform their version of the poem with the class.

Highlighted Poem

The Wolf's Postscript to 'Little Red Riding Hood'

By Agha Shahid Ali

First, grant me my sense of history:

I did it for posterity,

for kindergarten teachers

and a clear moral:

Little girls shouldn't wander off

in search of strange flowers,

and they mustn't speak to strangers.

And then grant me my generous sense of plot:

Couldn't I have gobbled her up

right there in the jungle?

Why did I ask her where her grandma lived?

As if I, a forest-dweller,

didn't know of the cottage

under the three oak trees

and the old woman lived there

all alone?

As if I couldn't have swallowed her years before?

And you may call me the Big Bad Wolf,

 now my only reputation.

But I was no child-molester

though you'll agree she was pretty.

And the huntsman:

Was I sleeping while he snipped

my thick black fur

and filled me with garbage and stones?

I ran with that weight and fell down,

simply so children could laugh

at the noise of the stones

cutting through my belly,

at the garbage spilling out

with a perfect sense of timing,

just when the tale

should have come to an end.

Interrupting Chicken
Little Red Riding Hood
By David Ezra Stein

"Take this basket of goodies to Grandma,"
said Little Red Riding Hood's Mother.
"But don't stray from the path. The woods are full of danger."
Red Riding Hood skipped along through the deep woods.
By and by she met a wolf who wished her
"Good morning."
She was about to answer him when-
Out jumped a little red chicken, and she said,
"Don't talk to strangers!"
So Little Red Riding Hood didn't.
THE END!
"Chicken."
"Yes, Papa?"
"You did it again. You interrupted two stories,
and you're not even sleepy!"
"I know, Papa! I'm sorry. But he was a mean old wolf."
"Yes, Now get back into bed."
Okay, Papa, Let's try one more little story, and I'll be good!"

Janeczko Collection

Bibliographic Citation

Janeczko, Paul B. 2002. Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets.  Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763608811.

Critical Analysis


Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets is compiled by Paul B. Janeczko. In this collection, Janeczko has comprised 132 pages of well written poems that are appropriate for children in upper elementary and middle school grades. The rhythm and rhyme in this collection is a mixture of conventional prose in the form of letters and a blend of free-style and rhyming verse. This volume provides the reader with letters from prominent a poet who offers advice and encouragement to budding young poets. In company with the letters are selections by each contributor's poems. The novice poet will gain knowledge from the experiences of established poets as they attempt to unearth their own poetic voice.

Paul B. Janeczko offers the reader a Table of Contents, which begins with the name of each notable poet, followed by their letter to the reader and their poetry selection. Janeczko’s forward provides the reader with encouraging words that offers advice on becoming an exceptional writer. Further, this collection ends with a section entitled "Notes on Contributors" which provides the reader with a black and white picture of each poet with a concise biography. Finally, a useful "index of First Lines" is also incorporated in conjunction with the "Acknowledgments.”

Follow-Up Activity

First, as an introduction to Jane Yolen’s poem, “Gingerbread Boy,” ask students to turn and talk to their partner and tell their partner what they know about gingerbread boys. Second, throughout the week, read several versions of the gingerbread boy story to the students. Third, write Jane Yolen’s poem “Gingerbread Boy” on chart paper and decorate the chart paper with five large gingerbread boy shapes.  Next, die cut five gingerbread boy shapes, number each gingerbread boy from one to five, laminate the gingerbread boys, and tape each gingerbread boy to a popcicle sticks.  Then, attach magnetic tape to the back of the gingerbread boys and place them on the whiteboard to use with the poem.  Each day the leader uses the pointer to read the poem to the class.  If he or she gets "stuck" on any of the numbers, the class will help the student back up and read the poem from the beginning until the leader is able to name the number.  This will provide the teacher an opportunity to assess the student’s ability to recognize the numbers from one to five.  The teacher will utilize the magnetic gingerbread boys on the whiteboard to have the students name numbers in random order and to put mixed up gingerbread boys in the correct number order. 

Highlighted Poem

Gingerbread Boy

By Jane Yolen

The world is one mouth.

So many teeth bite my heels

I run on my toes.

Poetry by Kids

Bibliographic Citation

Nye, Naomi Shihab. 2000.  Salting the Ocean: 100 Poems By Young Poets. Illustrated by Ashley Bryan. New York: Mifflin Greenwillow Books: An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers.  978-0-688-161934.

Critical Analysis

Naomi Shihab Nye, the compiler of this volume of poems, selected the poems from the immense stacks that she has collected from her classes over the past twenty-five years and embodies students in grades first through twelve. This is great collection of poems that offers an assortment of topics and poetic forms. Ashley Bryan’s illustrations compliment the poems in this selection. Each illustration is full-color art achieved through tempera paints. This anthology is a terrific addition when introducing poetry to children. Naomi Shihab Nye’s volume will allow the students to see the many forms of poetry that exist as well as inspire them to create a poem book of their own creation.

Follow-Up Activity

Before introducing a unit on Spring, share the poem “Mixed-Up Spring” with the students. Then, after reading the poem, allow the students to take a nature walk to observe nature’s signs of Spring. Next, students will draw and write what they hear, feel, smell, and see that will show a mixed-up Spring. Finally, students will share their observations with the class. The teacher will display the student’s creations in the classroom science center.

Highlighted Poem

Mixed-Up Spring

By Jessica Caitlin Zachary

   The stone chases golden sunlight.

I chase the stone.

Sunlight crackles

and pebbles shine.

   The trees gleam

and grass whistles.

Leaves bud

and flowers flow.

Bees burn

and metal stings

Module 5 Poetry Performance

Module 5

Poetry Performance

Performance Poetry

For Two Voices

Bibliographic Citation

Rubin, Robert Alden. 1995. Poetry Out Loud. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. ISBN 978-1565121225.

Critical Analysis

Poetry Out Loud is an enjoyable and easy to read compilation of poems edited by Robert Alden Rubin. James Earl Jones, a renowned American actor, provides the introduction for Rubin’s collection of poems. In the introduction, Jones shares with the reader how reciting poetry as a youngster, aided him with finding his own voice and conquering a speech impediment. Finally, Robert Alden Rubin offers marginal commentary which points out fundamental poetic terms and suggestions on how to recite each poem.

Follow-Up Activity

In this activity, children will work in groups to brainstorm a list of words that rhyme with sniffle. These rhyming words may include nonsense words. Next, students will divide and cut their papers with their list of rhyming words about sniffles and then try and put them all together to create their own poem entitled The Sniffle. Allow each group an opportunity to recite their version of the poem. Finally, display each group’s poem on the wall for all students to read.

Highlighted Poem

The Sniffle
By Ogden Nash.
In spite of her sniffle,
Isabel’s chiffle.
Some girls with a sniffle
Would be weepy and tiffle;
They would look awful,
Like a rained-on waffle,
But Isabel’s chiffle
In spite of her sniffle.
Her nose is more red
With a cold in her head,
But then, to be sure,
Her eyes are bluer.
Some girls with a snuffle,
Their tempers are uffle,
But when Isabel’s snivelly,
She’s snivelly civilly,
And when she is snuffly
She’s perfectly luffly.

Hopkins Award Poetry

Bibliographic Citation

Myers, Walter Dean. 2006. Jazz.  Illustrated by Christopher Myers. New York: Holiday House Book. ISBN 978-0-8234-1545.

Critical Analysis

Walter Dean Myers’ collection of eighteen poems celebrates the rich heritage of jazz music and offers the reader a valuable resource for the study of jazz. Myers introduces his assortment of poems with a thorough account of what jazz is and how it has developed over the years. Each poem in Myers book is on a two page spread, with the exception of “Three Voices.”  This is a triplet of poems with the individual poems entitled, “Bass,” “Piano,” and “Horn.” In each of these three poems, Myers creates a rhythm that matches the instrument. The end of Myers book includes a glossary, jazz terminology and a timeline of jazz music. Walter Dean Myers creates rhythmic poems that reverberates the sounds of jazz.

Christopher Myers, the son of Walter Dean Myers, illustrations are in black ink on acetate and placing it over acrylic produces culturally realistic drawings that compliments his father’s wonderful poems. Each of Christopher Myers pictures is daring, vivid and inviting to the reader. The poems and illustrations flawlessly work together to generate the mood of jazz in print.

Follow-Up Activity

On the computer, access the Jazz Kid website.  Navigate to the Now and Then section. Allow students to read the biography of Louis Armstrong, and listen to any samples of compositions by him available on the website. Explain to the students that you will be reading listening and reading poems in the book Jazz. Read aloud the poem Horn and tell the students that this poem is about jazz great Louis Armstrong. Lead a discussion about the poem and what they learned about jazz.

Read more on TeacherVision:http://www.teachervision.fen.com/music-styles/lesson-plan/4743.html#ixzz1IWSZURaZ

Highlighted Poem

Horn

By Walter Dean Myers

What can I add with my horn?

Is it a new sound born because we are

Together?

Or is it just a melody that’s leading me

To where I want to be and loosed from

My tether?

And is it really not surprising that our

Spirits are all rising and drawing us

Even higher

Three souls on fire

Um-hmmm

Sidman Poetry

Bibliographic Citation

Sidman, Joyce. 2009. Red Sings from treetops: A Year in Colors.  Illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. New YorK: Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. 978-0-547-01494-4.

Critical Analysis

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors is a superb book of poetic prose written by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. This book of poetry is bursting with beautiful imagery and rhythmic language.  The illustrations are colorful, eye-catching Caldecott Honor award winning works of art. The illustrations are on wood blocks that are painted and collaged to create a breathtaking story in verse about the four seasons. The colorful visions of the seasons are easy to discern from the various photos.

Follow-Up Activity

Read aloud the poem Spring to the children. Tell the students that they will draw pictures of their favorite season from the book and write a sentence about it or work with a partner and create their own poem about their favorite season and illustrate their work. Children may base their drawings on the illustrations by Pamela Zagarenski or use their imagination to create their own creation.

Highlighted Poem

Spring

By Joyce Sidman

In SPRING,

Red sings

from treetops:

cheer-cheer-cheer,

each note dropping

like a cherry

into my ear.

Red turns

the maples feathery,

sprouts in rhubarb spears;

Red squirms on the road after rain.