Falling Up

Title: Falling Up
Author and Illustrator: Shel Silverstein
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0060248025


Falling Up by Shel Silverstein:


I tripped on my shoelace
And I fell up ---
Up to the roof tops,
Up over the town,
Up past the tree tops, 
Up over the mountains,
Up where the colors
Blend into the sounds.
But it got me so dizzy
When I looked around,
I got sick to my stomach
And I threw down.


When we were asked to write a blog on a book of poetry that is intended for children, my mind immediately went to the corridor in P.S. 321 where I sat with my friend Elizabeth and waited for lunch.  We would sit and wait for the third graders to have our turn to go into the cafeteria.  Elizabeth had brought in books before, but nothing like Shel Silverstein's latest book of poetry, "Falling Up".  I have read "a Light in the Attic" and "Where The Sidewalk Ends" and have loved them both, but for me I can vividly remember bringing in "Falling Up", I can see the cover art when I close my eyes and though when we were assigned to write about a poetry book I couldn't remember the names of the poems, I could remember feeling happy when thinking about the book.  I think that is the most important aspect of poetry, the feeling.  The feeling that a poem can elicit with a style that is unlike a narrative and is often time much shorter than a narrative is unparalleled.


I have often times thought that I do not particularly enjoy poetry, there are times that I find it confusing or I feel as though I am taking things too literally rather than viewing things abstractly which is often something you must do when reading poetry.  However, there a few authors that I have always felt I have understood their poetry, Shel Silverstein being among the very top.  I think that the imagination in this collection is one of things that originally drew me to these poems, they are clever and powerful and can be explained in any way the reader chooses to explain them.  The poems in this collection are funny and silly and goofy and everything that childhood should encompass, they are creative and whimsical and are important in reminding children that poetry does not have to be serious.


I think one of the most profound lessons that I took away from "Falling Up" and one that I was reminded of while re-reading it for this assignment is that poetry does not have to be intimidating.  Even as an adult I hear the word "poetry" and I panic, but while looking through this book I am reminded that it is not as scary as it may seem, Shel makes it approachable.  These poems are about sneaky cousins, sharing, long scarfs and hand holding, there is no rhyme or reason behind the topics of these poems except that they were things that Shel Silverstein wanted to share with the world, which is an important message about poetry to pass along to children.


I think that this book could easily be used in the classroom, it can teach about the flexibility of poetry, that poetry is far less rigid in both content and structure than almost any other form of writing.  Some of the poems rhyme and others don't, some of them are meant to make a child laugh, some to make them think and others allow the child to see the world from a different viewpoint, to think of something they have never thought of before.  There is wisdom in the words that Shel uses in his poetry, there is meaning, but a child would never feel as though they are being forced to understand something that someone else had written, with these poems I feel as though you are free to make your own assumptions about the poems.  One way I think that this collection could be used in the classroom, would be to ask students to visualize what is being said in the poem and to ask them to draw it or explain it.  This would be especially useful if you were to do this with a poem that Shel Silverstein had drawn a picture for, this way as a class you could compare and contrast the differences and similarities between the students interpretations and Shel Silverstein's interpretation - which is a major part of understanding poetry.


An added bonus to these poems are the illustrations that Shel includes.  They are black and white and extremely simple, they seem to be drawn with just a pencil and are made to look as though a child who had just read the poem would draw what they had read. They are to the point and simple but are extremely endearing and tell so much about the poems they represent.  Not all of the poems have a specific picture but it is not necessary.


I feel as though after re-reading this collection of poetry I'm more in touch with the poetry that never made me feel dwarfed, as some poetry has during my lifetime.  The charm and wit of this collection lend greatly to it's appeal to a younger crowd, but also to those of us who could just use a little bit more laughter during the day.  It is a wonderful approach to poetry because it allows children to see all that poetry can be without it being intimidating.  I truly enjoyed reading these poems again, just as much as I did when I was in third grade in that corridor at P.S. 321, waiting for lunch with Elizabeth.

Tar Beach

Title: Tar Beach

Author/Illustrator: Faith Ringgold

Publisher: Dragonfly Books, an imprint of Random House, Inc.

ISBN: 978-0-517-58030-1

The story of Tar Beach is a very interesting fictional story about a little girl growing up in New York.  It is written from the perspective of the little girl, Cassie, who finds herself wanting to fly away and make things better for her family.  This book has many political and social undertones and it is important to talk about those issues if you are going to bring this book into the classroom.  The idea of  a"tar beach" is not something that I was familiar with but when I asked my mother about the term she was more than enthusiastic when she told me of her childhood and sitting on the roof with her family and neighbors.  It quite obviously brought great joy to her as a child and as an adult it is a fond memory, however, my mother did point out that the reason that they went to "tar beach" far more often than the actual beach is because they had very little money, getting to the beach was expensive and both of her parents worked so much that it was nearly impossible.  It is interesting how this notion of "tar beach" is expressed by both my mother and Cassie as such a pleasurable experience regardless of the fact that some people would view it as a hardship and something they only experienced because of a lack of money.

The story follows Cassie through the night sky as she acquires building and bridges and landmarks around the city simply by flying over them.  Cassie believes that her possession of these places makes her feel rich, like she owns the entire world, she also believes that by flying she is free, free to be what she wants and free to go where ever she pleases for the rest of her life.  Cassie also explains that her father is a builder who helped build the George Washington Bridge and other buildings where he walks like a cat on the scaffolding but that he cannot become a member of the Union because of his skin color.  Cassie talks about the fact that her mother won't be sad waiting for her father and that she'll be able to sleep late and laugh, which I see as a very thoughtful little girl and a sad perspective on her mother who doesn't laugh often, she is obviously concerned with her mother and wants her mother to be able to have it all.  However, the book then takes a turn and is much less serious and we are reminded that Cassie is a child and that owning an ice cream factory is also of utmost importance.  This last destination is very much a unifier, I feel as though all children can relate to the idea that if they could own a building by flying over it, one of the most sought after locations would be the ice cream factory!

When speaking about Cassie's father not being able to join the Union the text says that once Cassie owns the Union building by flying over it "it won't matter that he's not in their old union, or whether he's colored or a half-breed Indian, like they say."  This line of the story is extremely descriptive, you can hear the anger and resentment in Ringgold's voice even though the story is told from Cassie's, an 8 year old, perspective.   The terms "colored" and "half-breed Indian" are obviously offensive and meant to cause discussion among adults who read this story, however, I am unsure as to how to handle this vocabulary with children.  I truly believe that it depends on the age of the children and their maturity, it can be explained to older children that these are words that are now seen as derogatory and hurtful but at the time they were used, regardless of how hurtful they were.

This book is extremely thought provoking, even from the perspective of the adult reading it.  I feel as though there are so many underlying messages throughout the text, particularly about race and injustice, the book reveals many serious social issues from the perspective of a child, which is not only interesting but extremely important because it is not done very often.  "Tar Beach" won a Coretta Scott King Award, which is awarded annually to African-American authors and illustrators who create exceptional books for children.  I am in complete agreement that this deserved this honor along with the Caldecott Honor that it received, it is an outstanding representation of what a children's book can be.  Political issues are not dumbed down for the children that the book is intended for, rather they are viewed through the eyes of a child.  By using this technique it is impossible to justify any of the racial stereotyping, segregation or any of the other injustices that plague or society.

The illustrations in this book are outstanding.  Ringgold originally created a quilt with a simple picture of "Tar Beach" the idea from this story came from the original picture on the quilt.  The squares of fabric are represented as the boarder to each page, and the illustrations are extremely simple, child-like even.  They are brightly colored and will absolutely hold the attention of children but the words are also written in such a way that children not only understand them but as though they are taken directly from a child's train of thought, they are simple sentences, a little scattered and ones that could easily run through the mind of the average eight year old.

This book taught me the lesson that regardless of who the book is intended for, a book can teach anyone about the world, even a picture book.  I think that the messages of this book are about freedom, independence, acceptance and tolerance -- all things that even adults can be reminded of.  I think it is an excellent representation of melding the fictional world of Cassie, with real world experiences of Faith Ringgold and bigger picture social issues.  The book allows adults to address real world problems with children in a relatable and accessible way.  I feel as though this is an excellent resource as an introduction to a social studies lesson about either the civil war, civil rights or social injustices in general.  One activity that could be used in a classroom is to have the children create a paper "quilt" about the important places that they have in their lives to their family or culture and then write about where they would fly to if they needed to get somewhere.  As the book says "I have told him it's very easy, anyone can fly.  All you need is somewhere to go that you can't get to any other way.  The next thing you know, you're flying among the stars."  I find this to be the most powerful line of the story, it is about so much more than a child's imagination, it is about flying away from injustice and inequality, it is a very powerful line.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

Title: The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!

Author: Jon Scieszka

Illustrator: Lane Smith

Publisher: Puffin

ISBN: 0140544518

When we began talking about fairy tales and folk tales I was excited because I know that there are so many different versions of pretty much every story.  I enjoy seeing the different ways that people interpret the same story, or the different viewpoints that people use to make the same old story seem new again.  The viewpoint is what changes in this interpretation of The Three Little Pigs.  The story is written from the perspective of the wolf. Alexander T. Wolf to be exact, but you can call him Al.  The story is quite hysterical and not only written for children but for the adults who are reading it.  There is a lot of sarcasm and it may be a little dark for younger children, but I think grade school children would find it very funny and a fresh take on a familiar tale.

"The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs" recounts in Alexander T. Wolf's own words from "The Pig Pen", his version of the events that have become such a famous story.  He begins by informing us that he was simply trying to bake a cake for his dear old Granny when he realized he needed some sugar.  He went to his neighbor, who's house was made of straw, to ask for some sugar and due to his cold he "sneezed a great sneeze" and blew the house down, could we really blame him for poor construction? He was practically forced to eat the pig, who had died in the wreck, since it would such a waste of a ham dinner, and Alexander T. Wolf is not wasteful.  The story continues following the original outline to some degree, he blows down the house of sticks, again due to his sneeze, he feels obligated to eat the pig because he does not waste food.  When he finally arrived at the only soundly constructed home, the one made of brick, the police and the reporters caught up to him and framed him for a crime he didn't really commit.

Lane Smith gives us such vivid and informative watercolors in this book that it would be so much less interesting without them.  The colors are all a little bit muted but that allows the reader to focus on all of the detail work throughout the book that makes it so intriguing.  The wolf is shown as so much more civil and sophisticated than the pigs, he has clothes on and seems almost scholarly.  The pigs on the other hand almost seem evil, without any real explanation other than the fact that the story is from the wolf's perspective.  The pigs have no clothes on which makes them even more menacing when compared to the respectable wolf.  There are also clues in the illustrations that allow an advanced reader to question the world such as the fact that all of the police officers and reporters are shown as pigs, and the fact that the newspaper that slapped A. Wolf with the labels "big and bad" was "The Daily Pig." On the cover the newspaper that is shown is "Daily Wolf" which is very telling because this is "his side of the story".  Depending on the grade that one was using this book for it could absolutely lead to a discussion of corruption, the judicial system, the idea of jail in general and as an even further extension the question as to whether or not Alexander is being persecuted for simply being a wolf in a pig's world.

As far as using "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" in the classroom, one idea would be to draw a venn diagram and list the similarities and differences between the original story and this reinterpretation.  The story follows the same outline as the original in that the wolf goes from house to house and blows each down and proceeds to eat the pig inside, this has not changed, however, the perspective has changed and it's interesting to look at the extent to which this viewpoint shift effects the story.  The cover art gives us a clue as to the way in which the story will be told, it is meant to resemble the cover of "Daily Wolf".  The name of the newspaper is a clue to children before they even open the book as to what they can expect inside.  It is also a good lesson on what a newspaper is, who decides what gets written and from what perspective, and whether or not everything in a newspaper is true.  It leads us to the idea that every story has more than one perspective and that it is important to consider these sides to the story before rushing to judgement.  I think it is an interesting way to look at familiar children's stories because most children have never even considered the story from the viewpoint of the villain.  It could actually be an interesting follow up project or homework assignment to ask children to take other familiar stories and rewrite them from the villain's perspective.

I have always loved the story of the Three Little Pigs.  As a child I constantly rented Faerie Tale Theatre's version of The Three Little Pigs with Billy Crystal and Jeff Goldblum as the wolf.  Even that version of the story was a deviation from the original but it was much more in sync than the version that Jon Scieszka offers.  I believe that part of my emotional tie to this particular re-telling is that Jon is actually my neighbor.  I remember growing up playing with his children on the block and having him listen to what we were talking about.  His other books are direct reflections of what was important to his children and the children that they played with, one of which happened to be me.  The Math Curse is a story about how difficult math can be and was published because Jon was constantly around the kids in the neighborhood and recognized what a stress math is for so many kids.  The Stinky Cheeseman is a reinterpretation of The Gingerbread Man and is not only funny but is again a fresh take on a tired tale.  When I thought about blogging about a fairy tale, I imagined writing about original Hans Christian Andersen versions of The Little Mermaid or Snow White but decided against it because I haven't read any in their entirety and I am so in love with the softened Disney versions I thought it may be a bit traumatic to read their tough and not-so-happy-ending counterparts.  Because of my connection to Jon as not only an author, but a frequent guest at my parents house for parties, I felt as though I knew his stories and could adequately review them.  Jon is truly an author for children, he thinks like a child, he has a limitless imagination, he makes himself available to read to my brother's class at least once a year so that he can bring reading into the lives of children and I think all of those qualities come across loud and clear in his imaginative books.  I think his interpretation of The Three Little Pigs is truly remarkable, it is funny, adults and children alike enjoy it and it makes you think; all qualities successful children's books must have.