Lindsey's Library » childrens books

Becoming Billie Holiday

lindsey — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:16:22 +0000

Overall Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars

Becoming Billie Holiday
Carole Weatherford
Wordsong, 2008
Poetry
ISBN: 159078507X
117 pages

Synopsis

A series of fictionalized poems, chronicling the life of Billie Holiday from birth until 25, this text provides an interesting insight into the life and rhythm of one of the greatest jazz performers throughout history. The poems themselves are more like stories broken into poetic line than writing that follow the typical constraints of poetry. Each of the poems is titled after one of Holiday’s songs, bringing a depth into the story of the song, possibly where it came from. Also, the text is, in places, accompanied by beautiful artwork that enhances the experience.

Critique

I feel like “experience” is a truly fitting adjective for this text. I would actually recommend it to children and adults alike, not only because of the richness in historical value, but also because the stories of Holiday’s life that are told through this medium create a rich experience for all readers.

I believe, however, that Weatherford’s most phenomenal accomplishment with the text is that it communicates the story in a very similar way to the songs and jazz style of Billie Holiday—her signature style of singing just behind the beat, improvising in subtle but profound ways. All of that, although not represented in the same way, is brought to life throughout the text. I recommend this to all readers.

Rating Rubric

Enjoyable Read: 5 out of 5 stars
Poetic Originality: 4 out of 5 stars
Thought-Provoking: 5 out of 5 stars
Language: 4 out of 5 stars
Asthetics: 5 out of 5 stars
Depth In Narrative: 5 out of 5 stars
Poetic Voice: 5 out of 5 stars
Social Commentary: 5 out of 5 stars
Layers/Complexity: 5 out of 5 stars
Classroom Text: 5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars

For the Classroom

This text is a gem for the classroom, not only because of its historical relevance, but because of its poetic style. This is the perfect example of modern poetry that doesn’t have the typical constraints. It would be good for children to grow up believing that poetry doesn’t have to rhyme or have meter in order to be considered poetry. It should be expression, flushed out through whichever medium or style fits the content the best.

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The Surrender Tree

lindsey — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:16:21 +0000

Overall Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars

The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle For Freedom
Margarita Engle
Henry Holt and Co, 2008
Poetry
ISBN: 0805086749
176 pages
Newbery Honor Book

Synopsis

Taking place over the several wars that Cuba had with Spain in order to gain independence, the story centers on Rosa, a young slave girl who is eventually freed by her master when he revolts against Spain and becomes the most renowned healer throughout Cuba. Through beautiful poetic language, the book chronicles her life and work as a natural medicinal doctor healing the wounds and sicknesses of soldiers, as well as the lives her husband Jose, a refugee child named Silvia who escapes from a Spanish prison camp, and Lieutenant Death, the son of Rosa’s former owner and a slave hunter who is bent on capturing and killing Rosa. Each of the four main characters tells the story of Cuba’s fight for freedom from their perspective in a first person narrative.

Critique

It’s not surprising that the Surrender Tree won so many awards, including a Newbery Honor. The language is beautiful, and the story itself is one that is not often told. Especially for an American audience, this text reveals a new type of Cuba that predates the Communist revolution that sparked an arms race during the Kennedy presidency. This is a Cuba much like the early America or Jamaica—a country of people who want to have their own independence, who want to live freely as one people, no slavery, all equals.

It’s interesting to see the story from so many perspectives, and I think that Engle adroitly switches through the first person narratives with ease. Often writers will struggle to create variance in the voices and speech patterns of their characters, but each of the four sounds different from each other, not only in style and rhythm, but also in their character—hopes, dreams, loves, actions, driving forces. I read it twice, and I would recommend it to all readers.

Rating Rubric

Enjoyable Read: 5 out of 5 stars
Poetic Originality: 4 out of 5 stars
Thought-Provoking: 5 out of 5 stars
Language: 4 out of 5 stars
Asthetics: 5 out of 5 stars
Depth In Narrative: 5 out of 5 stars
Poetic Voice: 4 out of 5 stars
Social Commentary: 5 out of 5 stars
Layers/Complexity: 5 out of 5 stars
Classroom Text: 5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars

For the Classroom

This is a great text as a classroom companion since it has a rich historical context and broadens the perspective about the outside world for the readers. Through the lens of literary criticism, it addresses many of the bigger issues that often come up in literature, like gender roles, post-colonial issues, racial tensions, socialist uprisings, etc.

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Once Upon a Time in the North

lindsey — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:51:23 +0000

Overall Rating: 3.3 out of 5 stars

Once Upon a Time in the North (His Dark Materials, companion novel)
Philip Pullman
Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2008
Fantasy Fiction
ISBN: 0375845100
112 pages

Synopsis

In his younger years that we’ve seen him previously in the His Dark Materials trilogy, aeronaut Lee Scoresby is a young adventurer ready to take on the world. He’s just won his balloon in a card match, and he takes it wherever the wind blows. These particular winds land him in the Arctic, on a secluded island known as Novy Odense. Soon, he discovers that there’s an internal political battle going on that he’s quickly swept into. Tensions are high, and a confrontation mounts between the sides, forcing Lee to choose. It during these scuffles that he meets and befriends Iorek Byrnison, then a young polar bear who’s fighting with the political side that favors the bears.

Critique

Much like Lyra’s Oxford, this is a book that is wonderful as a companion novel, but wouldn’t stand well on its own. It is a fun, quick read with some action and drama peppered throughout, but mostly it’s a ‘guilty pleasure’ of sorts for fans of the His Dark Materials trilogy to get more about the world and the characters that Pullman so deftly created. Also, one of the best aspects to this book is the binding and that it comes with a cool little card game that Pullman invented. It’s truly more of a collector’s item that just a book, which makes it cool to own.

The other books in this series are The Golden Compass (book 1), The Subtle Knife (book 2), The Amber Spyglass (book 3), and Lyra’s Oxford as a companion novel.

Rating Rubric

Enjoyable Read: 5 out of 5 stars
Original Fantasy: 5 out of 5 stars
Original Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Language: 3 out of 5 stars
Asthetics: 3 out of 5 stars
Depth In Characters: 3 out of 5 stars
Depth In Story: 3 out of 5 stars
Social Commentary: 3 out of 5 stars
Layers/Complexity: 3 out of 5 stars
Classroom Text: 1 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 3.3 out of 5 stars

For the Classroom

Since this book takes place in an entirely different world, there’s not much that can be used for the classroom.