What My Mother Doesn't Know

Bibliography

Sones, Sonya.  2001. What My Mother Doesn’t Know. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780689841140

Plot Summary

What My Mother Doesn’t Know is a novel that discusses a fifteen-year-old girl, Sophie, and her experience with friends, family, and the notion of love. Sophie, a popular student in her school, deals with parents who have a failing marriage as well as her mother suffering from depression. Sophie is on a quest to find the one she loves while still keeping true to her identity and looking past the stereotypes. Sophie finds herself falling in love with her first crush, Dylan, which then takes a sour turn. We see Sophie learn and develop her own character and she introduces more crushes. Will Sophie find Mr. Right? Sophie challenges her thoughts on stereotypes as she searches for the right boy.

Critical Analysis

            The free verse novel is created in short poems on each page that consist of brief words but evokes emotion as it shares Sophies’ story. The colloquial story is relatable to many middle school and young adult readers as Sophies. It makes reading poetry enjoyable while sharing the thoughts of a teenager’s life. The verse novel develops character growth as Sophie expresses her dilemma and coming to her own realization of her identity.

            The story created in first person limited-omniscient allows readers to understand the emotions and feelings of Sophie. Along with that, Sophie being interested in three different boys while not knowing her fate or their characters creates mystery and a narrative for readers. This hooks the readers into finding out what dangers she may face as well as her fate with love.

            Overall, the verse novel would be suitable for young adults and a means to introduce verse novel poetry as a narrative.

Review excerpts and awards

From Kirkus Reviews: ““Laid out in a series of mostly free-verse poems, however, the text gets at the emotional state of this girl so completely and with such intensity that a conventional narrative framework would simply dilute the effect."

From Booklist: “The poetry is never pretentious or difficult; on the contrary, the very short, sometimes rhythmic lines make each page fly.  Sophie’s voice is colloquial and intimate and the discoveries she makes are beyond formula, even while they are as sweetly romantic as popular song.  A natural for reluctant readers, this will also attract young people who love to read.”

Connections

Read the sequel What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones

Connections in the classroom

Compare/Contrast What My Mother Doesn’t Know and What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know. Share the two different perspectives: Sophies and Robin/Murphy.

Students can create their own form of journaling and practice free verse poetry while expressing and conveying their emotions.

Poems in the Attic

Bibliography

Grimes, Nikki. 2015. Poems in the Attic. III. by Elizabeth Zunon. New York: Lee & Low Books Inc. ISBN 9781620140277

Plot Summary

As a young African American girl pays a visit to her grandmothers’ house, she finds a brown box stored in the attic. The box consists of poems her mother wrote of her own life as she collected memories while travelling. The mother moved often as her father was part of the Air Force. The treasure box consisted of poems as a form of journaling her experiences and feelings throughout her childhood. The story alternates from the girl and mothers’ perspective as the young girl compares her life to that of her mothers. The young girl begins attaching memories to artifacts seen around the room. Will it inspire her to create her own box of poems?

Critical Analysis

The illustrations in the book consist of pink hues with a range of bright and colorful clothing patterns within. The illustrations connect the generations together as it depicts both the past and the present images in one spread. Zunon utilizes acrylic paint and collage to demonstrate the perspective of the little girl while using only acrylic for mother. The illustrations provide a warm and inviting atmosphere as they illustrate the different settings and perspectives.

Grimes focuses on two different elements, tanka and free verse. Grimes provides a style of poetry for each perspective that creates a relationship between the generations.  Tanka is used when the mother shares her memories. Tanka is an ancient form of Japanese poetry. The tanka verses are brief and alternate between five and seven syllables within the five lines. Tanka focuses on the mood of the story and creates a story of mothers’ life. On the contrary, Grimes focuses on free verse when little girl shares her story in a figurative manner. The girls’ perspective and the use of free verse can allow the reader to create their own rhythm. This can occur due to free verse not having any specific rules to follow.

Overall, the poems from both perspectives along with the illustrations evoke emotions and create a bind between the mother and daughter. The experiences are revealed within their verses and leave many readers feeling inspired to create their own forms of poetry.

Review Excerpts 

From  Horn Book: “Pink-toned acrylic and oil illustrations are enhanced by cut-paper and fabric collage, allowing readers to imagine seeing the aurora borealis in Alaska, go hiking in Germany, or smell the cherry blossoms in Japan. The final spread is a celebration of love and poetry as the girl is reunited with her mother. Young poets (and their parents and grandparents) will be inspired to write poems for future generations; the author’s note and notes on the poetic forms will help them get started.”

From School Library Journal: “Sweet and accessible but never simplistic, this collection captures the experience of a military childhood with graceful sophistication.”

From Booklist: “Notes encourage readers to try their hands at either poetic form, while the pictures, a combination of acrylic, oil, and collage, encourage interest in the many places described. ”

Other connections

Other books by Nikki Grimes

Bronx Masquerade

Jazmin’s Notebook

The Road to Paris

Connections in the classroom:

This story can be used to introduce a unit on culture. Students can explore and research about different countries, and cultures. Students can create artifacts from those countries, and make their very own box of artifacts.

A unit on free verse and tanka poems. Students can create their own free verse poems or tanka poems. Students can include literary elements such as metaphors and similes.

The Llama Who Had No Pajama

Bibliography

Hoberman, Mary Ann. 1998. The Llama Who Had No Pajama: 100 Favorite Poems. Ill. By Betty Fraser. San Diego, CA: Harcourt, Inc. ISBN: 0152001115

Plot Summary

            The Llama Who Had No Pajama consists of an anthology of various subjects that provide humor to children. The book consists of a variety of perspectives as well as different topics varying from animals such as whales and centipedes to the celebration of birthdays. The poems tap into different learning opportunities such as contrasts, letters, animals, and seasons.

Critical Analysis

            The collection of poems is a variation of long and short poems that provide simplistic humor to younger children. The poems range from one to two pages in length and have illustrations that support as well extend the learning of the poem. The illustrations are comical at times and assist in visualizing the poem as the reader attaches a meaning to the poem. Fraser utilizes watercolor and detail to each illustration that appeal to the eye of the readers.

            To enhance the humor of the collection of poems Hoberman, at times, also uses alliteration and onomatopoeia. For instance, the poem “Frog” consists of short syllables with alliteration that capture the attention of the readers and allow for participation in choral reading. Hoberman designed the poems for children to feel engaged and create a communal atmosphere while learning about different subjects.

            Overall, the collection of poems can capture a young audience as Hoberman engages in word play, rhythm, and rhyme.

Review Excerpts 

From the Horn Book: "This collection of some forty years of Hoberman verse is a charmer. The poems - peppy verses immediately identifiable as Hoberman's by their use of alliteration and repeated words and lines - seem to cover every subject under the sun; all are dependably child-centered."

From the Booklist: "Poems drawn from Hoberman's previous works…are packaged to delight a new generation of youngsters. Children may be reminded of A.A. Milne's poetry…but Hoberman's poetry goes deeper, offering children a new way to look at things."

Connections

Other books by Mary Ann Hoberman and Illustrator Betty Fraser

A House Is a House for Me

The Cozy Book

Connections in the classroom

This story can be used to introduce a science unit on animals and insects. The poems on frogs, ducks, centipedes, and cockroaches can be used in the science unit.

A unit on literary elements such as alliteration and onomatopoeia and using text to find poems or lines that utilize it. Students can also create their own poems using alliteration.