The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney

From Goodreads,

""Amira, look at me," Muma insists.
She collects both my hands in hers.
"The Janjaweed attack without warning.
If ever they come--run."

Finally, Amira is twelve. Old enough to wear a toob, old enough for new responsibilities. And maybe old enough to go to school in Nyala--Amira's one true dream.

But life in her peaceful Sudanese village is shattered when the Janjaweed arrive. The terrifying attackers ravage the town and unleash unspeakable horrors. After she loses nearly everything, Amira needs to dig deep within herself to find the strength to make the long journey--on foot--to safety at a refugee camp. Her days are tough at the camp, until the gift of a simple red pencil opens her mind--and all kinds of possibilities.

New York Times bestselling and Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Andrea Davis Pinkney's powerful verse and Coretta Scott King Award-winning artist Shane W. Evans's breathtaking illustrations combine to tell an inspiring tale of one girl's triumph against all odds."

Goodreads - The Red Pencil

The end of April is here, which means this is the last poetry review of National Poetry Month.  I love reading poetry books because they are so fun and quick to read.  There are poetry books that have a story to them and there are poetry books that are just a collection of poetry.  I had to really search to find children's poetry books with a story. 

The Red Pencil is about a young girl named Amira who is living in a Sudanese village.  Everything is perfect with her parents and sister.  She has a desire to go to school like one of her friends, but unfortunately her mother disagrees with women and girls going to school.  Life is wonderful until the enemy, the Janjaweed, attacks their village.  Soon Amira, her sister, and mother must flee to a refugee camp.  One day Amira is gifted a red pencil from a refugee worker, and her entire life changes. 

This book had a lot to be desired in my opinion.  The storyline was scattered and felt incomplete.  Poetry is a tricky thing because you have to be very precise in what you write.  You can't dilly-dally around.  I felt like Pinkney was wordy instead of getting to the point.  Some of the poems felt like the same thing over and over again.  The first two-thirds of this book were boring.  The book was split into two sections.  I felt like the first section was way too long and the second wasn't long enough.  The book is called The Red Pencil, but Amira doesn't get the pencil until almost the end of the book.  I would have loved for the book to have been extended past life in the refugee camp.  I was really hoping to find out if Amira got to go to school and what she possibly did with her life, but unfortunately we never find out. 

While the storyline of this book was lacking, the illustrations in the book made the story a little more tolerable.  The illustrations were quite simple and drawn in pencil, but they spoke more than the poems did.  The illustrations gave the book depth because I felt like I was able to visually see and understand what was happening and what Amira was feeling.  I don't think this is a book that children would enjoy, but I think the illustrations would make it slightly better.

This book was not what I was expecting and it took a long time for me to push through it.  I know that it is a historical piece, but it was very dry.  I unfortunately have to give this book 1 star.  It wasn't up my alley and I don't think that many, if any of my students would want to read this.  If you are wanting to read about the Darfur conflict then this book is for you. 

The Rose That Grew From Concrete by Tupac Shakur

From Goodreads,

"This collection of more than 100 poems that honestly and artfully confront topics ranging from poverty and motherhood to Van Gogh and Mandela is presented in Tupac Shakur's own handwriting on one side of the page, with a typed version on the opposite side."

Goodreads - The Rose That Grew From Concrete

I can't believe April is almost over which means poetry month is almost over!  It has been exciting to read poetry books.  Poetry books are always quick, but deep reads that have lots of thought and importance to them. 

This week's book is a collection of poems from the famous Tupac Shakur.  The book includes a foreword by a couple important people in Shakur's life and then a large collection of his poems.

I did not grow up in the era of Tupac, but know the name and some of his music.  I feel like he was known as a thug who had ties to gangs.  This book shows that he was so much more than his music and his reputation.  There are so many poems included in this book that show a different side of Tupac that people had never seen.  He was someone who had deep thoughts about life.  He wrote about love and heartache.  He also wrote about famous people such as Marilyn Monroe.  Tupac was more than what was presented to people.  He was a deep thinker who wanted people to join as one and there to be peace.

I didn't quite know what to expect when I started this book.  It was a quick read since it is just a collection of poems.  Some of the poems were deep and made me question and think about things in society.  I give this 3 stars.  It was good, but it just wasn't enough for me to rate it any higher.  I think fans of Tupac would enjoy seeing another side of him by reading this book. 

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

From Goodreads,

"Jacqueline Woodson, one of today's finest writers, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.

Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become."

Goodreads - Brown Girl Dreaming

Awards and Nominations:

• Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Middle Grade & Children's (2014)
• National Book Award for Young People's Literature (2014))
• Newbery Medal Nominee (2015)
• Sibert Medal Nominee (2015)
• Coretta Scott King Award for Author (2015)
• Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Nominee for Nonfiction (2015)
• Claudia Lewis Award for Older Readers (2015)
• YALSA Award Nominee for Excellence in Nonfiction (2015)

Favorite quote from Brown Girl Dreaming,

"Look with your heart and your head, he tells me

his own head bowed.

It's out there in front of you.

You'll know when you get there."

Brown Girl Dreaming is the story of Jacqueline Woodson's childhood.  The book is sectioned off into "chapters" and inside each is a series of poems that tell the story about different parts of Woodson's life.  The book starts when Jacqueline is born and follows all the way into what seems to be her teen years.

I wasn't really sure what I was expecting when I started this book.  I honestly thought this was a work of fiction and was definitely surprised when I realized this was an autobiography.  This book had some really good inspirational moments, and one of my favorites was tied to the quote above.  Jacqueline's Uncle Robert said, "'Look with your heart and your head,' he tells me his own head bowed.  'It's out there in front of you.  You'll know when you get there.'"  I absolutely loved this quote because it hit me on a personal level.  Sometimes I feel so lost in life and ask myself if I'm on the right path and doing the right thing.  I need to follow what I love, but also be smart about my decisions.  And if you do just that you will find exactly what you are looking for...happiness.

I felt like this book lacked a solid storyline.  I felt like we just kind of skimmed through various aspects of Jacqueline's life and we never got a good story with lots of details.  I think a lot of this can be attributed to the fact that the book is written in poetry.  Poetry is great if strong vocabulary and details are included.  However, I felt like Woodson didn't want to include lots of details and decided to write in poetry instead of writing a regular novel.  This book really needed more details and I was extremely disappointed in the fact that there weren't more details about her life.  I wish this had been written as a full fledged story instead of short glimpses.

It was really difficult for me to get into this book in the  beginning.  I felt like it was slow and wasn't really progressing.  Which it turns out that a third of the way through the book, that it really wasn't progressing.  I finally sat down and powered through the book so that I could finally be finished with it.  I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.  I recommend this to anyone looking for a well awarded book or anyone who is a fan of poetry.  

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

From Goodreads,

"Jack hates poetry. Only girls write it and every time he tries to, his brain feels empty. But his teacher, Ms. Stretchberry, won't stop giving her class poetry assignments -- and Jack can't avoid them. But then something amazing happens. The more he writes, the more he learns he does have something to say."

Goodreads - Love That Dog

Awards:

• Claudia Lewis Award (2002)
• Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (2003)
• New Mexico Land of Enchantment Award for Young Adult (2004)
• Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award Nominee (2004)
• Zilveren Griffel (2007)

It's finally National Poetry Month again!  That means that all month I will be reviewing books that are filled with poetry and prose.  I received this book in a Scholastic book order and figured it would be a quick and easy read to kick off National Poetry Month.  

This book is written in poetry by the main character Jack.  At the very beginning he doesn't like poetry, but he does his class assignments as he is supposed to.  He starts by writing poems about a blue car and about the dog he used to have.  Over the course of this short book we learn why the blue car and his dog are so important and why Jack continues to write poetry about them. 

Favorite poem from Love That Dog, 

"Tiger! Tiger! burning bright

 In the forest of the night,

What immortal hand or eye

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?" 

When I first started this book I didn't think I was really going to enjoy it.  It was choppy, as some poetry books seem, and it wasn't going into a lot of depth.  But as the book went on we learned about Jack and the dog he used to have.  The title of the book is actual a play on the title of the poem "Love That Boy" by Walter Dean Myers.  This poem, along with other popular poems are included in this book.  I love the incorporation of popular and famous poetry in this book.  I would definitely use this book in a classroom while teaching a poetry unit.  There are just so many references to other poems, plus there is the whole story of Jack thinking that poetry is for girls and that he isn't good at it.  The book really breaks some stereotypes and helps students understand that poetry isn't that difficult.  I would break this book up into sections with a class and we would read a section a day and we would discuss the different styles of poems and we would definitely do a lot of poetry writing.

One thing I didn't like about this book is that the only people we really got to know in this book was Jack, his dog, the teacher, and Walter Dean Meyers.  Jack didn't talk about friends or about family in detail.  I somewhat felt like this book is being written in a journal or composition notebook that has to stay at school.  It seems as if Jack is writing to his teacher in response to a poem that was read to the class.  I would have enjoyed getting to know his friends or his family a little better.  And if I'm being completely honest I would have enjoyed getting to know Jack a little more in this book.  I just felt so disconnected from the characters.

Overall I give this book 3 stars.  I would recommend it to teachers to use in the classroom.  I don't think a child would just willingly go pick up and read this book.  There's a lot of potential for discussions in this book and I think it would be best suited for a teacher to lead students with this book.