Bibliographic Data: Cullinan, Bernice E., Deborah Wooten, and Marc Nadel. Another Jar of Tiny Stars: Poems by More NCTE Award-winning Poets : Children Select Their Favorite Poems. Ill. Nadel, Marc. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong, 2009. Print. ISBN: 978-1-59078-726-7.
Plot Summary / Poetry Theme:
A Jar of Tiny Stars is an anthology of poems edited by Bernice E. Cullian. Children chose their top five favorite poems from NCTE award winning poets, and those poems were selected for use in this anthology.
Critical Analysis:
This book is all around enjoyable. There are beautiful pen-and-ink drawings by Andi MacLeod adorning every few pages, and they read very Ernest H. Shepard (Illustrator of Winnie the Pooh) or Beatrix Potter. My two favorite illustrations by MacLeod are for Barbara Espensen’s “Bat” and “Elephant”, depicted above. The illustration for “Elephant” is two large elephant legs, giving the feeling that the animal is too large to fit/be contained by this book, and that is exactly what the poem says as well (* poem below). At the beginning of every poet’s section there is a beautiful watercolor portrait by Marc Nadel. Following that there is a short quote, or saying by the poet. This is wonderful because before the reader even is introduced to the poem(s), they are able to associate a name, face, and personality/voice to the poet. The different poets play with syntax, spacing, kerning and tracking when needed in the individual poems (see: Barbara Espensen’s “ My Cat”), and this also adds an interesting visual element to the words themselves.
Rhyme and repetition were the two poetic elements most utilized, and this is no surprise, as children tend to enjoy them most. There is wonderful imagery, as is seen in Aileen Fisher’s poem, “Cricket Jackets”, in which she teaches of cricket’s exoskeletons being shed/molted at the end of summer to make room for the new “cricket jacket” growing beneath. This helps not only extend the reader’s knowledge of crickets, but also does so in a manner that can be easily understood by readers of any age. Poems like “Giraffe” and “Safety Pin” by Valerie Worth combine hyperbole, personification, and similes to create short but insightful poems that read as beautifully in one’s mind as they do aloud (Breathing/At Heaven’s/ Level/ Looking/Sun/In the eye;). Some of the poems are rather moody, talking about how everything goes wrong, and others hopeful. None of them speak down to children or come across didactic. They are fun. They are accessible. They are appealing. This is a great anthology, and I have never appreciated as large an array of poems and illustrations for children like this since Silverstein.
Spotlight Poem:
E L E P H A N T - Barbara Espensen
Plot Summary / Poetry Theme:
A Jar of Tiny Stars is an anthology of poems edited by Bernice E. Cullian. Children chose their top five favorite poems from NCTE award winning poets, and those poems were selected for use in this anthology.
Critical Analysis:
This book is all around enjoyable. There are beautiful pen-and-ink drawings by Andi MacLeod adorning every few pages, and they read very Ernest H. Shepard (Illustrator of Winnie the Pooh) or Beatrix Potter. My two favorite illustrations by MacLeod are for Barbara Espensen’s “Bat” and “Elephant”, depicted above. The illustration for “Elephant” is two large elephant legs, giving the feeling that the animal is too large to fit/be contained by this book, and that is exactly what the poem says as well (* poem below). At the beginning of every poet’s section there is a beautiful watercolor portrait by Marc Nadel. Following that there is a short quote, or saying by the poet. This is wonderful because before the reader even is introduced to the poem(s), they are able to associate a name, face, and personality/voice to the poet. The different poets play with syntax, spacing, kerning and tracking when needed in the individual poems (see: Barbara Espensen’s “ My Cat”), and this also adds an interesting visual element to the words themselves.
Rhyme and repetition were the two poetic elements most utilized, and this is no surprise, as children tend to enjoy them most. There is wonderful imagery, as is seen in Aileen Fisher’s poem, “Cricket Jackets”, in which she teaches of cricket’s exoskeletons being shed/molted at the end of summer to make room for the new “cricket jacket” growing beneath. This helps not only extend the reader’s knowledge of crickets, but also does so in a manner that can be easily understood by readers of any age. Poems like “Giraffe” and “Safety Pin” by Valerie Worth combine hyperbole, personification, and similes to create short but insightful poems that read as beautifully in one’s mind as they do aloud (Breathing/At Heaven’s/ Level/ Looking/Sun/In the eye;). Some of the poems are rather moody, talking about how everything goes wrong, and others hopeful. None of them speak down to children or come across didactic. They are fun. They are accessible. They are appealing. This is a great anthology, and I have never appreciated as large an array of poems and illustrations for children like this since Silverstein.
Spotlight Poem:
E L E P H A N T - Barbara Espensen
The imagination found in this poem is amazing. It is a great example of how a word can mean and feel and be different things to different people. I like that there is nearly a pause that has the reader truly think about the vastness, or elephantlike quality of the word elephant! Having children share other words that give these feelings/visuals would be an excellent way to show how one simple word can conjure an entire scene!
Review:
School Library Journal- What's good and what's popular come together in this attractive anthology. More than 3,500 students were asked to rank the poems they liked best by each of the 10 winners of the National Council of Teachers of English Award for Poetry for Children. The favorites are collected here, five or six poems each by David McCord, Aileen Fisher, Karla Kuskin, Myra Cohn Livingston, Eve Merriam, John Ciardi, Lilian Moore, Arnold Adoff, Valerie Worth, and Barbara Esbensen. For each poet there's also a watercolor wash portrait, a personal quote about writing poetry, a brief biography, and a selected bibliography. The design is accessible, with large, clear type, lots of white space, and an occasional pen-and-ink drawing. Of course, the kids' choices don't always represent the best of these poets, and some of the best and the most popular poets aren't here at all (no Kennedy or Prelutsky, for example), but one anthology can't do it all. As editor Cullinan says in her introduction, these choices show that children like poems they can understand, "ones that make them laugh and ones that tell a story." Hazel Rochman
Review:
School Library Journal- What's good and what's popular come together in this attractive anthology. More than 3,500 students were asked to rank the poems they liked best by each of the 10 winners of the National Council of Teachers of English Award for Poetry for Children. The favorites are collected here, five or six poems each by David McCord, Aileen Fisher, Karla Kuskin, Myra Cohn Livingston, Eve Merriam, John Ciardi, Lilian Moore, Arnold Adoff, Valerie Worth, and Barbara Esbensen. For each poet there's also a watercolor wash portrait, a personal quote about writing poetry, a brief biography, and a selected bibliography. The design is accessible, with large, clear type, lots of white space, and an occasional pen-and-ink drawing. Of course, the kids' choices don't always represent the best of these poets, and some of the best and the most popular poets aren't here at all (no Kennedy or Prelutsky, for example), but one anthology can't do it all. As editor Cullinan says in her introduction, these choices show that children like poems they can understand, "ones that make them laugh and ones that tell a story." Hazel Rochman