In November: What Do You Do with a Book Like This?

In November
Written by Cynthia Rylant
Illustrated by Jill Kastner
Voyager/Harcourt, 2000

In November has a spare, lyrical text. It is not a storybook. It’s like a book-length prose poem that speaks to the essence of a month when the colorful beauty and fruitful bounty of the fall season is in the past. In the book, Rylant talks about snow blanketing the ground, trees that have lost their leaves, birds moving away for winter, animals sleeping more, food having an “orange smell” and tasting better, and people coming together to share a special holiday with each other. Rylant repeats the phrase “In November” several times in her text. This use of repetition throughout the book is one of the author’s writing techniques—along with the rhythm and flow of her evocative language—that helps her text read like poetry.

Here are some excerpts from the book to give you the “autumnal” flavor of In November:

In November, the trees are standing all sticks and bones. Without their leaves, how lovely they are, spreading their arms like dancers. They know it is time to be still.

In November, animals sleep more. The air is chilly and they shiver.
Cats pile up in the corners of barns.
Mice pile up under logs. Bees pile up in deep, earthy holes.
And dogs lie before the fire.

The book closes with my favorite passage:
In November, at winter’s gate, the stars are brittle. The sun is a sometime friend. And the world has tucked her children in, with a kiss on their heads, till spring.

Kastern’s full-color illustrations done in oil paints are as evocative of the month as are Rylant’s words. The uncluttered illustrations with changing perspectives and close-ups of leaves and birds and other animals draw a reader into the quiet text…into a “chilling” time of year when people and many animals draw into closer confines to keep themselves warm and to shelter themselves from the cold and long hours of darkness.

What Do You Do with a Book Like This?

Write a Collaborative Class Prose Poem

In November would be a great book to read aloud in the early elementary grades at this time of year—a book that could serve as a springboard for a creative writing exercise. So often children are asked to write about the signs of fall…but usually during an earlier part of the season when pumpkins and apples are growing plump and round in garden patches and orchards and trees are wearing leafy crowns of bright autumnal colors—or, in November, they’re asked to write about all the things they are thankful for as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches.

Why not lead students in writing a collaborative “In November” prose poem modeled after Rylant’s book? I would even suggest taking kids for a walk outside, on a hike in the woods, or on a field trip to an orchard or farm after the first reading of the book. Taking children outdoors to get in touch with the sights, sounds, and smells of November will help to get them revved up for writing.

I would read In November aloud a second time and then discuss with students the things that came to Rylant’s mind when she wrote about November. Next, I’d read the book aloud a third time slowly from beginning to end and ask children to listen carefully to the detailed/poetic language and figures of speech Rylant used in her text. Following that, the teacher could point out passages or a phrase or two from the book herself as examples.

For example:

Trees “spreading their arms like dancers”

About birds: “The air is full of good-byes and well-wishes.”

About the smell and taste of food in November: “It is an orange smell. A squash and pumpkin smell. It tastes like cinnamon and can fill up a morning, can pull everyone from bed in a fog.”

At Thanksgiving, people “talk by crackling woodstoves, sipping mellow cider.”

At this point in the process, the teacher and her students should be ready to start work on the first draft of their collaborative class prose poem. An easel, a pad of large chart paper, and a marker are all the supplies a teacher will need.

Writing the Class Poem: Ask children to think about the sights, sounds, and smells that come to mind when they think of the month of November. As children share, write down their responses on the chart paper—leaving large spaces between the responses. When the class has finished its rough draft, leave it up for a day or two to give children time to reread it, to suggest additions to the poem, and to think of more specific/detailed language and figures of speech that could be used when revising the class poem. The teacher can write down the children’s suggestions and ideas on another sheet of chart paper.

When the class is ready to write the second draft of their prose poem, the teacher can cut the different lines of the first draft into strips. This will make it easier for students to organize their poem. It will also make it easier for them to insert the words “In November” in several places in the text of their poem. Once the teacher and students have read through their prose poem together and determined that is ready for its final draft, the teacher should rewrite it on a new sheet of chart paper.

Suggestion for making illustrated In November Books: The teacher could type the entire prose poem on the computer—putting just one or two sentences on each page. The teacher could run off a copy of the poem for each student to illustrate. Students could design their own book covers. Finally, each student’s book could be stapled or bound together. Their In November books would be wonderful gifts for them to take home and to share with their families at Thanksgiving time.

A PERFECT PAIR: Lissy's Friends & Fold Me a Poem

In Welcome to Wild Rose Reader, my inaugural post, I set down my high hopes for this blog. One of the things I want to write about are books that make a perfect pair—or two books with a common storyline or theme. I decided to wait until LISSY’S FRIENDS, Grace Lin’s new book, was published before I wrote my first perfect pair post. That’s because I think Grace’s picture book and Kristine O’Connell’s George’s poetry book FOLD ME A POEM would be great to use together in a classroom mini-unit.

LISSY'S FRIENDS

Written & illustrated by Grace Lin

Viking, 2007

LISSY”S FRIENDS is a story about a young child who is the “new girl at school.” Lissy feels like an outsider. She has no friends. She spends her recess time alone on the playground. She eats lunch by herself. One day during lunch, Lissy takes the school menu and folds it into a paper crane, which she appropriately names Menu. Before Lissy knows it…Menu comes to life and flutters its paper wings. None of the other children are aware of this. Now Lissy has a happy little secret…and a new friend! The next day, Lissy crafts more friends for herself from colorful, patterned origami paper. Her new friends go everywhere with her—even to school. Lissy doesn’t feel lonely any longer.

One day Lissy takes her paper animals to the playground. They all crowd onto the merry-go-round. Lissy runs fast and pushes the merry-go-round so hard that SWOOSH! her friends fly off and are carried aloft by a strong wind. Lissy is distraught. She has lost her only friends. She sits on the playground equipment and buries her face in her hands.

Then a schoolmate named Paige comes along holding Menu. She asks Lissy if Menu is hers. Paige thinks the paper crane is nifty and asks Lissy if she will show her how to make one. Soon after that, Paige comes to Lissy’s house and the “new” friends make origami animals, chatter, and laugh with each other. In the illustration other children from the school are pictured peeking in the window at the two girls. The very next day, we see Lissy happily spinning around on the merry-go-round with lots and lots of school friends—most of whom are holding origami animals. She has been accepted into the group.

The final illustration in the book shows a picture of Lissy’s animal friends sitting at a table in an outdoor café in Paris and a postcard message saying: “We hope you are doing well. We are having fun traveling the world. We miss you.”

LISSY’S FRIENDS is a story to which many young children can relate—whether they are new students in a school or shy or different children who may have few close friends. This is a fantasy that touches on reality: a child who feels alone in a sea of children. It’s about a child with an imaginative mind who decides to occupy her “lonely” lunchtime with a creative pursuit. It is this artistic craft that helps bring her into a circle of “real” friends.

Grace’s illustrations in LISSY’S FRIENDS have everything we have come to expect in her picture book art: lots of bright colors, lots of different patterns, and the trademark swirls in the sky. The illustrations help tell Lissy’s story and are a perfect complement to the text.

The Lissy Doll

(Note: Grace Lin is a good friend—but I would not have written this review if I didn’t think LISSY’S FRIENDS was worthy of recommendation.)


True Story
I once had a student (I’ll call Eddie) in my second grade. Eddie was overweight. He had learning difficulties, a terrible home life, behavior problems…and no friends in my classroom. Eddie was, however, one of the most artistically gifted children I ever had as a student—and also one of the funniest. I loved that kid!

We did lots of art projects in my room. I praised Eddie’s creations…showed them to his classmates. And I laughed at the funny comments he made. My other pupils began to see Eddie in a new light. They often asked for his help when working on their own projects. He began to feel good about himself. His behavior improved and he began to work harder in school. Even the music teacher spoke to me one day about Eddie’s remarkable metamorphosis.

I knew Eddie was one smart kid. I referred him for additional testing that year. His IQ determined by a WISC? 136!!! This story is an example of how a career in education can bring a teacher great personal rewards.

FOLD ME A POEM

Written by Kristine O'Connell George

Illustrated by Lauren Stringer
Harcourt, 2005

FOLD ME A POEM is an excellent book to share with children after reading and discussing LISSY’S FRIENDS. It’s a collection of poems about origami creations—most of which are animals, including a rooster, a camel, a robin, dogs, a cheetah and lion, a frog, peacocks, a snake, rabbits and foxes, and penguins. George’s poems are haiku-like in their simplicity. Stringer’s uncluttered, colorful acrylic illustrations are a perfect complement to the spare text. This is a book in which art and text work hand in hand to make a unified pair of creative expressions about origami. Stringer even paints the endpapers to resemble six different patterns of origami papers.

At the end of the book there is A Note from the Illustrator in which Stringer informs readers of how she learned to do paper folding in preparation for painting the illustrations for FOLD ME A POEM. She even includes a bibliography of books about origami.


Find Out More about FOLD ME A POEM

Visit the FOLD ME A POEM page at Kristine O’Connell George’s website for links to teaching resources and further information about the book. Click on the titles below to read two poems from the collection:
Pond
Recycled

Lauren Stringer also has a FOLD ME A POEM page at her website. It includes links to a teacher’s guide, a view of an illustration from the book, and step-by-step instructions for making a paper snake, rooster, giraffe, and penguin.

What Do You Do with Books Like These?
It could be great fun to do a mini literature-writing-art unit in an elementary classroom using LISSY’S FRIENDS and FOLD ME A POEM. A teacher could read and discuss the story of how Lissy made her paper friends to keep her company when she felt lonely. Then, maybe with the help of the art teacher, students could make their own origami animals. And, finally, students could write poems about their paper animal friends…using George’s poems as models for their own writing. I think the children's origami art animals and poems would make an outstanding display in a classroom or school hallway.

A Poem a Day #4

Here’s a letter poem for the fourth day of National Poetry Month.
This poem’s for you, HipWriterMama!


LETTER FROM THE QUEEN OF BEASTS
by Elaine Magliaro

Dear Lion,

I’m tired of doing the hunting, the preying
While your only job is to watch the cubs playing.
I’m tired of stalking the zebras and gnus
While you lie around on the grassland and snooze.
I’m tired of running, and pouncing, and killing.
I want a career that is much more fulfilling.
I’m tired, so tired. I’m spent to the core.
While I’m hard at work, you just eat, sleep, and snore.
I fetch all the food. You grow stronger…I thinner.
For the next seven days you can catch your own dinner!
I’m going away for a well-needed rest.
I’ll be seeing you soon.

All my love,
Lioness


If you are in the mood to read some more letter poems, you may want to go looking for the following books in the library:

LOVE LETTERS
Written by Arnold Adoff
Illustrated by Lisa Desimini
The Blue Sky Press/Scholastic
1997

From the book summary: “A collection of twenty poems written by kids and klutzes, secret admirers and detractors, friends, enemies, and skeptics to the objects of their affection—or aversion.” Most of the poems are written from one person to another person—but there is a letter poem written to a dog and one to a cat. There's even a letter to Once Upon A Time from Your Happy Ending.

LOVE LETTERS received a Blue Ribbon from the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books and was a Riverbank Review Children’s Book of Distinction. The author, Arnold Adoff, was the 1988 recipient of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. You can read the NCTE profile of Adoff here.

Lisa Desimini was winner of a New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award for MY HOUSE. Her multi-media illustrations for LOVE LETTERS are playful, inventive, and add touches of humor in all the right places.


DEAR WORLD
Written & Illustrated by Takayo Noda
Dial/Penguin Putnam
2003

In DEAR WORLD, Takayo Noda focuses mostly on the natural world with letter poems written to apples, the dawn, the sun, snow, trees, the stars and to a turtle, a bird, and fish. Her watercolor and collage illustrations are colorful and visually stunning. They absolutely add a whole other dimension to her text.

Here are a few snippets from her letter poems:

dear snow

I see you
spinning and dancing
just like angels in white…


dear sun

I know
when you are happy
because you shine
and bounce
on everything

I know
when you are sad
because you become
hazy and fuzzy
as if you had
tears in your eyes


FOR TEACHERS
What do you do with books like these?

• First, you share and discuss poems from one of the books with your students in class.


• Next, you talk about reasons why people write letters to each other.


• Third, you ask students to think about the persons, animals, or things to whom they might like to write letter poems.


• Fourth, you write their responses on chart paper.


• Then you and your students choose a letter recipient from the list you made and write a collaborative class poem to that recipient. As the students dictate the poem, you copy it down on the chart paper—modeling the process for them.


• Finally, after reading the collaborative poem aloud with the class, you ask students to write individual letter poems to the person, animal, element of nature, or object of their choice.

It is always important to have a class sharing session--and maybe some kind of creative project--planned as a follow-up activity when your students finish writing the final drafts of their letter poems. One suggestion: Using the artwork in LOVE LETTERS or DEAR WORLD as an example, have students illustrate their poems with collages or mixed-media pictures. Then make a bulletin board display of the poems and pictures or compile them in a book to keep in the class library.