Week Nine: Tap Dancing on the Roof

Tap Dancing on the Roof

by Linda Sue Park

illustrated by Istvan Banyai

Summary

    Tap Dancing on the Roof is a collection of sijo, a traditional Korean form of poetry. The sijo is structured with three lines and fourteen to sixteen syllables in each line, or six shorter lines. Each line serves a purpose; the first introduces a topic, the second develops the topic, and the third contains humor, irony, or a pun. Park's sijo topics include school lunches, brushing your teeth, long division, the ocean, and snowmen. 

APA Reference
Park, L. S. (2007). Tap dancing on the roof. New York, NY: Clarion Books. 

My Impressions
   In her introduction "About Sijo," Park says the final line always has a twist- something funny or unexpected perhaps. I had never heard of the Korean sijo, but after reading this I was instantly intrigued. 
    One of my favorite sijo was "School Lunch"

                             Each food plopped by tongs or spatula

                             into its own little space--

                             square pizza here, square brownie there; 

                             milk carton cube, rectangle tray 

                             My snack at home after school? 

                             Anything without corners. 

    I think that's a funny, little realization; something I never noticed before, but kids can easily understand. I also liked the sijo "Tennis." She compares a real game of tennis to a metronome, but the narrator's tennis games he says are like jazz or hip-hop. I think this creates an interesting image in the reader's mind. Some of the sijo are funny, some are silly, and others are thoughtful. I like how varied they are, as well as the unrelated subject matter. Despite this, I think the collection is cohesive and accesible to children and adults alike. 

Review
    Linda Sue Park's collection of sijo is "fresh" and "stands out" from other collections of poetry, according to Kirkus Reviews. The illustrations possess "wit and imaginative freedom," "enhanc[ing] the collection." Park hopes she will inspire readers to write their own sijo, and Booklist predicts Park's sijo will "take a flying leap into the consciousness of both children and teachers."

Kirkus Reviews (2007, September 1). Tap dancing on the roof [Review of the book Tap dancing on the roof]. Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/linda-sue-park/tap-dancing-on-the-roof/#review

Mattson, J. (2007). Tap dancing on the roof [Review of the book Tap dancing on the roof]. Booklist. Available from http://www.booklistonline.com/Tap-Dancing-on-the-Roof-Sijo-Poems-Linda-Sue-Park/pid=2016344

Library Use
    With Tap Dancing on the Roof, the library could host a writing workshop. Linda Sue Park includes "tips for writing your own sijo." In the workshop you can introduce the sijo, give information about it origins and teach the parameters of the poetry form. Kids can then practice writing and sharing their own sijo. 

Week Nine: Scranimals

Scranimals

by Jack Prelutsky

illustrated by Peter Sís

Summary

    In Scranimals readers are taken on a journey to Scranimal Island, where the animals are like you've never seen before. Scranimals includes poems describing and celebrating the various species found on Scranimal Island, such as the "spinachicken", "potatoad", "bananaconda." 

APA Reference

Prelutsky, J. (2002). Scranimals. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

My Impressions

    This is a good example of a picture book that requires both the text and the illustrations. Prelutsky's poems and Sís' illustrations work in harmony to take readers on a fun expedition to Scranimal Island. The illustrations help the reader to visualize the fantastical creatures, such as the Bananaconda, Potatoad, and Avocadodos. Scranimals shows readers that poetry can be fun and silly, or anything you want it to be. It would also be good for reluctant poetry readers because it easy to read and doesn't require much analyzation. 

Review

    Jack Prelutsky and Peter Sís are called the "meisters of madcap" by Publishers Weekly, who together create "devious...silliness." Prelutsky contributes language with "glee" and "plenty of humor", and Sís adds "exquisite artistry" that enhances Prelutsky's verse. 

Publishers Weekly. (2002, June 24). Scranimals [Review of the book Scranimals]. Publishers Weekly. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-688-17819-2

Library Use

    With Scranimals, you could have an art and poetry activity. Give kids pictures from magazines of food, animals and objects. Let kids create their own scranimals and give them funny names by cutting out and combining pictures. Kids could then write silly poetic descriptions of their Scranimal.