MLIS 5603 Literature for Children and Young Adults
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lewis, J. Patrick. 2016. Face Bug. Photography by Frederic B. Siskind and Ill. by Kelly Murphy, Honesdale, PA: WordSong, 2016. ISBN 1590789253
POEM CRITICAL ANALYSIS
A topical poem book, Face Bug is a book of 14 different poems that describe bugs. Each poem uses end rhyme in varying rhyme schemes. The end rhyme is different for each poem, but it is present in every poem. A few concrete poems are included in the book using end rhyme, as well, but not in stanza format. With the exception of these concrete poems, nearly all of the poems are written in stanzas which follow a rhythm pattern of similar meter; each meter varies by poem. For example, "Hickory Horned Devil" is nearly an exact 7 syllable per line poem while "Nursery Web Spider" is exactly 8 syllables per line. These patterns lead to a wonderful fluency when reading them out loud.
As the sounds of each poem unfolds, alliteration emerges as reoccurring but not overdone element. In brief phrases, Lewis includes moments of alliteration such as "stopping, starting rapid fire" and "feed his face." There are also some places of assonance presented. Places such as, "Yes, You're the clever creature" include both alliteration and assonance, adding a musical quality to each poem. The language and wording Lewis uses in his poetry include much personification. Each bug is given human qualities. The Pearl Crescent Butterfly, "sips" her flower. The Nursery Web Spider gives his mate a "gift," and the Green Darner Dragonfly becomes the "emperor" of the pond. This personification helps the reader visualize, understand, and feel what the bugs' lives are like. In using personification, Lewis also incorporates metaphor into the poetry, making the bugs things like torpedoes and emperors.
Vivid visual imagery is one of the most important elements in book, not only to the poems themselves, but by an actual photograph included of every bug. Black and white cartoon frames are also included of bugs doing "human" things like dancing or running control panels. Both illustrations help young readers experience a bug's world in a new sense contributing to the overall understanding of each bug in general. The readers/viewers are able to experience these bugs in a non-frightening setting that a child might not have been exposed to previously. Many young children are afraid of bugs, and this book helps alleviate the need for face-to-face exposure until emotionally ready to view them. The child is able to see, feel, and "understand" why each bug does what it does, and a "human" connection is created through use of personification. The balance of all three elements (poem, cartoon, and photography) create a perfect blending of nonfiction and imagination to hold the attention of even those who are unable to read yet.
AWARDS
· Bluebonnet Award Nominee for 2014· California Reading Association’s Eureka! Nonfiction Children’s Book Awards - 2013
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
· Horn Book Magazine, "Each double-page spread "exhibit" in The Face Bug Museum consists of a poem, a cartoonish but detailed line drawing, and an extreme close-up photo of the subject. Varied forms keep the poems about insects' and other creepy-crawlies' adaptations surprising. A 'word from our bugs' expounding further on each species concludes this visually compelling interdisciplinary field guide to tiny creatures." © 2013.· School Library Journal, “Visitors to this book get close-up, photographic views of 15 amazing creatures, including the Hickory Horned Devil and the Nursery Web Spider, whose eyes are impossible to avoid counting. "Eight black eyes in a whiskery face,/Eight round eyes in a dark crawl space/That never bother blinking back/Could give a kid a heart attack!" The endnotes, "written" in first person by the various bugs, describe "Where I Live," "How I Grow," "What I Eat," and "What Eats Me" with scientific accuracy and humor. Budding bug fans will love this title. The poems are funny and based on actual bug behavior and attributes, the photographic portraits of the faces and eyes are marvelous, and the ink and graphite drawings guide readers through the museum collection." © 2013
· Publisher’s Weekly, "...Siskind's extraordinary photographs display every bristle, dew drop, and antenna. After appreciating these intimate portraits, readers will think twice before swatting a fly© Jan. 27, 2013.
· Booklist, "...The 14 featured bugs display their special characteristics and behaviors in excellent large (and greatly enlarged) color mug-shot photos and in larger black-and-white pictures that also show the visitors enjoying the interactive exhibits. The rhyming poems, which are varied in form and tinged with humor, often incorporate information about the bugs. Written by the current U.S. Children's Poet Laureate, the verse is uneven, though it is often clever..." © 2010.
CONNECTIONS
Use as an introduction to a bugs, photography, end rhyme, museums, friendship.
Gather other poetry insect books to read such as:
· Fleischman, Paul. Joyful noise: poems for two voices. ISBN 0064460932· Florian, Douglas. Insectlopedia: poems and paintings. ISBN 043904667X
· Hewitt, Sally. Bugs pop-up: creepy crawlers face to face. ISBN 0810950324
· Yolen, Jane. Bug off!: creepy, crawly poems. ISBN 1590788621
Gather more J. Patrick Lewis titles to read such as:
Link to author J. Patrick Lewis’ website which lists other books he has written: http://www.jpatricklewis.com/books.shtml
· The Good Ship Crocodile. ISBN 1568462387· When Thunder Comes: Poems for Civil Rights Leaders. ISBN 1452101191
· Edgar Allan Poe's Pie, And Other Math Puzzlers in Classic Poems. ISBN 0544456122
· The National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry. ISBN 1426310099
Gather other Bluebonnet Award titles to read such as:
· Robertson, Robbie. Hiawatha and the Peacemaker. ISBN 1419712209
· Rockliff, Mara. Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France. ISBN 0763663514
· Grimes, Nikki. Poems in the Attic. ISBN 1620140276
· Jones, Kelly. Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer. ISBN 0385755554
No comments:
Post a Comment