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.