rabbit's snow dance as told by joseph & james bruchac and illustrated by jeff newman

Bruchac, James, and Joseph Bruchac. Rabbit's Snow Dance, Illustrated by Jeff Newman. New York: Penguin Group, 2012. ISBN: 9780803732704

Plot Summary:
     Rabbit is a snow bunny who loves the Winter snow. He has his own special snow dance he performs to call the snow to fall during Winter; however, one bright sunny Summer day, Rabbit decides he wants it to snow. He sings his song and dances his dance causing it to snow in the middle of Summer, but due to his impatience, Rabbit is in for a surprise.

Critical Analysis:
     Rabbit's Snow Dance is a retelling of a traditional Iroquois story. The authors, James and Joseph Bruchac, retell this traditional story in a friendly and humorous manner while maintaining Native American authenticity. The authors base their main focus around the religious and ceremonial practices of weather dances in Native American culture. They proceed to describe one prominent figure (Rabbit) with the ability and power to call a weather occurrence when there is a lack thereof. In the case of this story, the authors correlate Rabbit with that prominent role of having great responsibility and knowing the importance of tradition.  The story continues as the authors detail how due to Rabbit's impatience and lack of responsibility to his gift, he endures great consequence. Along with the emphasis of traditional practices, the authors also incorporate animistic attributes which coincides with Native American beliefs of animals having living souls. This is shown at the conclusion of the story as the authors state, "...if yo keep an open ear toward the forest, you may just hear a small voice singing this song...," depicting the living soul after Rabbit is gone.
     In addition to the retelling of this story, the authors collaborate with Jeff Newman to illustrate this Iroquois tale. Newman utilizes watercolor, gouache, and ink to add to this story. He uses a simplistic artistic approach by only illustrating the outlines and main parts of each animal and the scenery. This approach allows the audience to not be distracted by detailed images that could result in taking away from the content of the story. Despite the illustrators lack of detail in his art, he is still able to depict the story by his accurate portrayal as he follows the storyline. The authors and illustrator do a good job in providing their audience with a humorous twist on this traditional Iroquois story.

Review Excerpts:

"The father-and-son storytelling team behind Raccoon’s Last Race and Turtle’s Race with Beaver return with their version of a traditional Iroquois tale. While the Bruchacs reach back hundreds of years for the source of their story, Newman’s influences are comparatively modern—think Mary Blair with a touch of Hanna-Barbera. Set back when Rabbit had a “very long, beautiful tail,” the story follows the selfish, impatient animal’s attempts to conjure a massive midsummer snowstorm (rabbit’s big snowshoe-like feet allow him to hop atop the snow and reach “tasty leaves and buds” more easily). His chanting and drumming do the trick, creating so much snow that it covers the treetops and causes difficulties for the small animals; the summer sun that rises the next day, however, brings about rabbit’s comeuppance and costs him his tail. Rabbit and the other animals don’t always look consistent from page to page, as though Newman couldn’t quite settle on a style, but his paintings are nonetheless a welcome departure from the stodgier artwork that can often accompany myths and folk tales." - Publishers Weekly

"When the long-tailed Rabbit wants something, he wants it immediately. One summer, tasty leaves high in the trees prove so irresistible to Rabbit that he decides he needs piles of snow to build up to the point he can reach the leaves. Small animals, such as Squirrel and Chipmunk, warn Rabbit that bringing snow in the summer will leave them without food. Beaver's dam is not finished, and Turtle is not ready to sleep. But Rabbit does not listen. He rushes home, grabs his drum and begins singing his winter song, the song that brings snow. Though the snow lasts only a day, the consequences of Rabbit's selfishness are long-lasting. This retelling of a traditional Iroquois tale by father-son duo James and Joseph Bruchac begs to be read aloud and shared at story time. Repeated sentences and sounds invite young listeners to chime in and bring the impatient Rabbit to life. Unusual animals, such as lynx and grouse give teachers an opportunity to discuss different habitats and the story's woodland inhabitants. Jeff Newman's energetic illustrations capture the feeling of animated cartoons of the 1970s and will inspire reenactments of Rabbit's racing, dancing, sleeping, and falling. A fun addition to any personal or library collection, this dramatic tale will capture the imagination of readers of all ages and gently teach lessons about seasons, thoughtfulness, and the importance of being patient." - Children's Literature

"A long-tailed rabbit who wants a nibble of the highest, tastiest leaves uses his special snow song in the summertime, despite the protests of the other animals. The Bruchacs' Iroquois pourquoi tale tells how selfish Rabbit, who is short on patience, simply cannot wait for natural snow, no matter that the other forest denizens are not yet ready for winter. Drum in hand, he sings as he dances in a circle: "I will make it snow, AZIKANAPO!" (It won't take much coaching before listeners join in with this and other infectious refrains.) Like the Energizer Bunny, Rabbit just keeps going; by the time he ceases his drumming, only the top of the tallest tree is left sticking above the snow. Exhausted, Rabbit curls up on this branch and sleeps through the night and the hot sunshine of the next day, which melts all the snow. Stepping from his treetop, Rabbit gets a terrible surprise when he falls to the ground, his long bushy tail catching on each branch he passes and making the first pussy willows. And that is why rabbits now have short tails. Newman's watercolor, gouache and ink illustrations are an interesting mix of styles. Some foregrounds appear to be painted in a pointillist manner, and some of the animals are almost manga-esque, lacking any shading in their sharp outlines and flat colors. Kids who are looking forward to a snow day may give Rabbit's chant a try, but hopefully, they will know when to stop." - Kirkus Reviews 

Connections:
Customers who purchased this title as purchased the following books: Turtle's Race with Beaver, Bear has a Story to Tell, and Between Earth and Sky.

Interactivity:

• Ask children if they have ever heard of a rain or snow dance and then educate them on the cultural significance as well as the factual information pertaining to these Native American ceremonial dances.
• Share the significance of lessons told at the conclusion of fables and their importance.

the absolutely true story of a part-time indian written by sherman alexie and art by ellen forney

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Art by Ellen Forney. New York: Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009. ISBN: 9780316013697

Plot Summary:
     Arnold "Junior" Spirit is a Native American teenager who resides on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Through his observations of the lack of educational emphasis among his reservation, he decides to transfer to a high school outside of his reservation. Junior tells his story of his journey as the outcast of his new school and as an outcast for leaving the reservation to attend a new school. Through his journey, he loses his best-friend on the reservation for being a traitor and he also endures many accomplishments at his new school.

Critical Analysis:
     The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is the story of a Native American teenager who endures the everyday struggles of a typical highschooler; however, this story incorporates some of the struggles that a Native American teenager may endure. The author, Sherman Alexie, incorporates a great deal of Native American culture within this novel such as details of reservation living to some to details of annual Native American celebrations. For instance, Sherman details how "the Spoke Tribe holds their annual powwow celebration over the Labor Day weekend," and how "there would be singing, war dancing, gambling, storytelling, laughter, fry bread, hamburgers, hot dogs, arts and crafts, and plenty of alcoholic brawling." This description is culturally accurate to Native American practices, as well as depicting some of the foods included among their culture. Another culturally authentic inclusion presented is when the author details how Junior is called an "Apple" by the kids from his reservation for leaving the reservation school to attend a white highschool. The author describes the insult as an Apple because Junior is seen as red on the outside and white on the inside. This insult coincides with the well known insult of an African-American person being called an oreo.
     Throughout this whole novel, Sherman Alexie incorporates a whole culture within his writing, especially with the inclusion of language relative to Native Americans such as rez (slang term for reservation), powwow, and the stereotypical names that Native Americans endure such as Chief, Tonto, and Squaw Boy. This story is the story of your everyday teenager, but through the eyes and life of a Native American teenager. Alexie does a great job incorporating accurate cultural depictions so well that his audience can understand and learn a vast amount of understanding for Native American culture as well as how inaccurate some stereotypes are portrayed.

Review Excerpts:

"Nimbly blends sharp with unapologetic emotion....fluid narration deftly mingles raw feelings with funny, sardonic insight." - Kirkus Reviews

"Screenwriter, novelist and poet, Alexie bounds into YA with what might be a Native American equivalent of Angela's Ashes,a coming-of-age story so well observed that its very rootedness in one specific culture is also what lends it universality, and so emotionally honest that the humor almost always proves painful. Presented as the diary of hydrocephalic 14-year-old cartoonist and Spokane Indian Arnold Spirit Jr., the novel revolves around Junior's desperate hope of escaping the reservation. As he says of his drawings, "I think the world is a series of broken dams and floods, and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats." He transfers to a public school 22 miles away in a rich farm town where the only other Indian is the team mascot. Although his parents support his decision, everyone else on the rez sees him as a traitor, an apple ("red on the outside and white on the inside"), while at school most teachers and students project stereotypes onto him: "I was half Indian in one place and half white in the other." Readers begin to understand Junior's determination as, over the course of the school year, alcoholism and self-destructive behaviors lead to the deaths of close relatives. Unlike protagonists in many YA novels who reclaim or retain ethnic ties in order to find their true selves, Junior must separate from his tribe in order to preserve his identity. Jazzy syntax and Forney's witty cartoons examining Indian versus White attire and behavior transmute despair into dark humor; Alexie's no-holds-barred jokes have the effect of throwing the seriousness of his themes into high relief." - Publishers Weekly

"This book would really appeal to high school and junior high boys for casual and interesting reading. People who are interested in reservation life would find that this book gives a wonderful insight to Native American culture. Alexie makes a good storyteller. The pictures in the book give great detail to the story and writing. Within the story, there are two worlds that a boy must distinguish between and live in." - VOYA

Connections:
Customers who purchased this title also bought the following titles: Rain is Not My Indian Name, Indian Shoes, and Skysisters.

Interactivity:

• Ask audience if they ever recall a time where they had to leave or made the choice to leave somewhere they grew up to go somewhere new and how people treated them from their old residence in comparison to their new residence. 
• Contemplate how the life of a Native American teenager may differ from a teenager from another culture. Would it be different? Should it be different? Should they be treated any differently because they come from a different culture?
• Ask audience to find words or phrases that are significant to the Native American culture.

when turtle grew feathers written by tim tingle and illustrated by stacey schuett

Tingle, Tim. When Turtle Grew Feathers, Illustrated by Stacey Schuett. Atlanta: August House LittleFolk, 2007. ISBN: 978087487773

Plot Summary:
     Turtle has no reservation telling the story of the day Turtle beat Rabbit in a foot race. The story begins as Turtle takes his daily walk when he's stepped on by Turkey who accidentally cracks his shell. With the help of the ants, they manage to mend his shell. Through this encounter Turtle and Turkey become friends -- such good friends that Turtle allows Turkey to try on his shell. While Turkey is trying on Turtle's shell, Rabbit comes along challenging Turtle to a foot race. Unaware of Turkey's disguise, Rabbit is in for a rude awakening.

Critical Analysis:
     When Turtle Grew Feathers is a variant of the popular Aesop fable The Tortoise and the Hare; however, this particular version derives from the Choctaw Nation. The author, Tim Tingle, tells this tale through the incorporation of Choctaw culture gained through oral interviews as well as knowledge acquired through his personal membership of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Within the beginning of the story, Tim includes an introduction on how this Choctaw version varies from The Tortoise and the Hare as he describes, "that the reason Rabbit couldn't outrun Turtle was that he wasn't racing a turtle at all. He only thought he was." By incorporating this brief introduction, the author successfully shows the continuity of Native societies by connecting the Choctaw Nation's traditional tales to the present. The author also subtly incorporates the common Choctaw phrase "Chata hapita hoke." This phrase is used at the conclusion of his story meaning "We are proud to be Choctaw," denoting the pride of this particular Native American Nation.
     In collaboration with author Tim Tingle, Stacey Schuett provides illustrations for this story. Stacey uses bold reds, greens, and browns to visually depict the story of Turtle and Rabbit. She accurately illustrates the storyline by following the narrative from literally depicting Turkey not seeing Turtle laying in the grass to various facial expressions that the animals convey. Her attention to detail in her brush strokes from the usage of watercolors and acrylics allow her audience to visualize the context of this story. The collaboration between the author and illustrator convey this Choctaw Nation folktale in an enjoyable manner.

Review Excerpts:

"This Choctaw version of Aesop's fable, The Tortoise and the Hare, is retold with equal wisdom but more humor. It points out the common tendency to blame others for offenses we commit, but also models reconciliation and generosity, showing that cooperation solves problems. Without preachiness, readers are reminded that learning is the point of experience, but in this case the lesson is not only that the weak may prevail but also that it helps to have powerful friends. The storyteller's heartening conversational voice brings the vocabulary down to earth, substituting turtle and rabbit for tortoise and hare. Author and illustrator play with size images to increase the contrast between big and small, fast and slow. The illustrations so enlarge the animals that we perceive the landscape from the turtle's perspective—very near to the ground. Action scenes explode with color and movement, some of them bursting the bounds of their tame, tessellated frames, contrasting the turtle's slow, low lifestyle with the explosive events around him. The majesty of wings astounds both the ground-bound animals, rabbit and turtle, and the reader, and fills a double spread with their mythic power. The big astounded eyes of the surprised rabbit are compared to "Little Bitty Turtle shells," and thus embarrass him more. Irony adds humor when the defeated rabbit hops away like a bunny, but making "hip-hoppity, hip-hoppity" sound like a poor and somehow very slow exit line." - Children's Literature

"Variations of the race between the tortoise and the hare crop up regularly, but this version, retold as a trickster tale, stands out for its humor and expressive illustrations. Here, the rabbit only thinks he raced a turtle. In fact, it was a flying turkey wearing Turtle's shell. Also a porquoi tale, the story begins when Turkey steps on Turtle's back, breaking his shell into pieces. Turkey recruits an army of ants to mend it with cornsilk, and the shell transforms from a swirl into its familiar geometric pattern. In appreciation, Turtle allows Turkey to try it on just as Rabbit appears, itching for a race. The rest is history, though few have heard the historic event retold quite like this. The prose alternates between rhyming and nonrhyming text and for the most part it bounces along without stumbling. A few lines feel manipulated to create the rhyme, such as "'What is it?' asked Turtle, his eyes opened wide./'Here comes Rabbit,' said the Little Bitty Five./'Rabbit wants to race, and he won't be denied.'" Bright cartoon illustrations capture the tale's humor and energy. Turkey explodes off the page as he emerges from Turtle's shell, ready to run. The animals' various emotions are well rendered, including Turtle's chagrin, Rabbit's aggression and later humiliation, and the budding friendship between Turtle and Turkey. Use this book as a variation to a common folktale, an introduction to Native American lore, or as a fine read-aloud all on its own." - School Library Journal

"In this amusing variation on the traditional tortoise and the hare tale, Turkey tries on Turtle's shell after accidentally cracking and then repairing it. Then, " 'Here comes Rabbit,' said the Little Bitty Five. / Rabbit wants to race, and he won't be denied.' " Turkey, hidden in Turtle's shell, accepts the challenge of the bullying Rabbit, who is mean-looking and larger-than-life. The look on Rabbit's face when Turkey pushes out his long neck, then his long skinny legs, and finally his wings, is not to be missed. Turkey circles the lake before Rabbit even gets started, and puts Rabbit to shame. The story concludes, "Rabbit never challenged Turtle again. That's why you never see them racing today." The bold and colorful illustrations are a good match for this lively telling that, with Rabbit's breezy rap-like dialogue, is a joy to read aloud. Based on a traditional Choctaw story, this telling wins the race. Includes notes on sources." - Kirkus Reviews

Connections:
Customers who bought this title also purchased How Jackrabbit Got His Very Long Ears, Little Rooster's Diamond Button, and Jabuti the Tortoise.

Interactivity:

• Read The Tortoise and the Hare prior to reading this version and have children compare and contrast between the two.
• Ask children which story they enjoyed better and why.

separate is never equal: sylvia mendez and her family’s fight for desegregation written by duncan tonatiuh

Tonatiuh, Duncan. Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & her Family's Fight for Desegregation. New York: Abrams, Harry N., Inc., 2014. ISBN: 9781419710544

Plot Summary:
     Sylvia Mendez was a young girl excited to begin school in her new town in California. However, upon the arrival of her first day, her and her siblings were turned away and told that they must attend the Mexican school. Being a young child, Sylvia could not comprehend why her and her siblings who spoke perfect English could not attend the same school as her peers. This day begins the day in which the Mendez family begins their fight for desegregation within the school system. A compelling story behind a family who fought for equality prior to the famous Brown vs. the Board of Education.

Critical Analysis:
     Separate is Never Equal is a picture book that both illustrates and articulates the story behind the efforts of the Mendez family as they seek justice and equality within segregated schools. The author, Duncan Tonatiuh, incorporates actual interviews with Sylvia Mendez as well as information gathered from court records and news accounts. The most moving part of this story is when the author depicts when the lawsuit went to court and incorporates actual transcript from the case within this work of historical fiction. Dialogue from the superintendents as they make claims such as, "they need to learn cleanliness of mind, manner, and dress. They are not learning that at home." These are actual accounts from court transcripts from the Mendez vs. Westminster court case. Further strengthening the author's usage of cultural authenticity is his inclusion of interlingualism throughout the context including another powerful line said by Sylvia's mother; "No sabes que por eso luchamos?" This line is translated as, "Don't you know that is why we fought?," as Mrs. Mendez begins to describe the importance and hardships endured for desegregation.
     Along with Tonatiuh's strong inclusions from actual dialog, he also provides his audience with profound illustrations. He utilizes simplified shapes and various textures to portray cultural elements among the Mexican Americans he depicts. Such elements include the usage of brown skin and thick shiny hair to depict Mexican Americans, as well as including the style of clothing worn in the mid 1940's. The author does a great job including various elements to accurately depict and tell the story of Mendez vs. Westminster.

Review Excerpts:

"Tonatiuh (Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote) offers an illuminating account of a family’s hard-fought legal battle to desegregate California schools in the years before Brown v. Board of Education. In 1944, after years of laboring as a field worker, Sylvia Mendez’s father leases his own farm in Westminster, Calif. But even though Mexican-born Mr. Mendez is a U.S. citizen and his wife is Puerto Rican, their children are banned from the local public school and told they must attend the inferior “Mexican school.” When all else fails, the Mendezes and four other families file a lawsuit. Readers will share Sylvia’s outrage as she listens to a district superintendent denigrate Mexicans (Tonatiuh drew his words and other testimony from court transcripts). Visually, the book is in keeping with Tonatiuh’s previous work, his simplified and stylized shapes drawn from Mexican artwork. He again portrays his characters’ faces in profile, with collaged elements of hair, fabric, and fibrous paper lending an understated texture. An extensive author’s note provides historical context (including that Sylvia Mendez received a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011) and urges readers to make their own voices heard." - Publishers Weekly

"When the Mendezes moved to Westminster, CA, in 1944, third-grader Sylvia tried to enter Westminster School. However, the family was repeatedly told, "'Your children have to go to the Mexican school.' 'But why?' asked Mr. Mendez……'That is how it is done.'" In response, they formed the Parents' Association of Mexican-American Children, distributed petitions, and eventually filed a successful lawsuit that was supported by organizations ranging from the Japanese American Citizens League to the American Jewish Congress. Younger children will be outraged by the injustice of the Mendez family story but pleased by its successful resolution. Older children will understand the importance of the 1947 ruling that desegregated California schools, paving the way for Brown v. Board of Education seven years later. Back matter includes a detailed author's note and photographs. The excellent bibliography cites primary sources, including court transcripts and the author's interview with Sylvia Mendez, who did attend Westminster School and grew up to earn the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Tonatiuh's illustrations tell a modern story with figures reminiscent of the pictorial writing of the Mixtec, an indigenous people from Mexico. Here, the author deliberately connects his heritage with the prejudices of mid-20th century America. One jarring illustration of three brown children barred from a pool filled with lighter-skinned children behind a sign that reads, "No Dogs or Mexicans Allowed," will remind readers of photographs from the Jim Crow South. Compare and contrast young Sylvia Mendez's experience with Robert Coles's The Story of Ruby Bridges (Scholastic, 1995) to broaden a discussion of school desegregation." - School Library Journal

"A little-known yet important story of the fight to end school discrimination against Mexican-American children is told with lively text and expressive art.Most associate the fight for school integration with the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education. However, seven years earlier, Mexican-American students in California saw an end to discrimination there. The little girl at the center of that case, Sylvia Mendez, was the daughter of parents who looked forward to sending her to the school near their newly leased farm. When her aunt attempted to register the family children, they were directed to the "Mexican school," despite proficiency in English and citizenship. No one could explain to Mr. Mendez why his children were not allowed to attend the better-appointed school nearby. Despite the reluctance of many fellow Mexican-Americans to cause "problems," he filed a suit, receiving the support of numerous civil rights organizations. Tonatiuh masterfully combines text and folk-inspired art to add an important piece to the mosaic of U.S. civil rights history. The universality of parents' desires for better opportunities for their children is made plain. The extensive author's note provides context, and readers can connect with the real people in the story through photographs of Sylvia, her parents and the schools in question. Helpful backmatter includes a glossary, bibliography and index. Even the sourcing of dialogue is explained.A compelling story told with impeccable care." - Kirkus Reviews

Connections:
Customers who purchased this title also purchased Brown Girl Dreaming, The Right Word, and When the Beat was Born.

Interactivity:

• Ask children if they have heard of Brown vs. The Board of Education, then educate them on Mendez vs. Westminster.
• Teach children that separate is not equal.
• Allow children to describe how they would feel if they were not able to sit next to their friends because they do not have the same eye color as them.

dizzy in your eyes: poems about love written by pat mora

Mora, Pat. Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems About Love. New York: Random House Inc., 2010. ISBN: 9780375843754

Plot Summary:
      Various poems depicting the emotions people go through as they experience love are collectively compiled in this title. Through these poems, the author takes her audience through a myriad of emotions as she details all kinds of love varying from the love of a pet to the love of your first crush. These poems question your own understanding of love and the relationships we all hold dear and true.

Critical Analysis:
     Dizzy in Your Eyes is a compilation of fifty poems detailing the emotions of love. The author, Pat Mora, subtly incorporates Hispanic cultural markers such as interlingualism and the struggles that one may succumb due to language barriers. Within the poem titled Spanish, the author, Pat Mora, incorporates various inclusions of Spanish terminology and the Spanish language such as, "Porque estas tan quieta?" Along with these inclusions, the author also details how hard it is for a Hispanic girl to go to school because she struggles to comprehend English. Because of this description, the author allows her audience to take a look on the inside of literacy issues that those who may not speak fluent English deal with on a day-to-day basis. The author subtly incorporates Hispanic cultural authenticity within this compilation; however, she emphasizes more on love itself.

Review Excerpts:

"In the introductory material readers learn that most of the poems started out as free verse in which Mora addresses various forms of love—filial, boyfriends, pets and just those warm fuzzy feeling caused by caring for someone or something. Mora decided to take some of her poems and put them into forms some of which like tercet, tanka, letter, pantoum, sestina and villanelle are not all that familiar while sonnet, cinquian, haiku, dialogue and list are much more familiar formats. The effect is to create a varied collection held together by the subject of love. Some poems will bring back memories of first love, friendships that lasted through school but were shattered when it came time for the prom. Perhaps that one held a special significance because it stayed with me-the boy whose company you have enjoyed for years asks someone else to the prom, (your heart almost stops.) There are wonderful poems celebrating an older couple's long life together, family outings and the unfailing love of parents and unquestioning love of a pet for its owner or vice versa. One of the poetic forms used to great effect is the tercet (Revenge X3) where a young man slips the same note to three girls, but finally gets his comeuppance. Yet another wonderful poem, Sisters,extols all the positive aspects of sisterhood. A nice item to be shared with ones own sisters. Teachers should be able to make effective use of this collection and students are bound to find several poems that will resonate." - Children's Literature 

"Celebrated author and speaker Mora offers encouragement by example in this appealing and evocative poetry collection that spans the rainbow of different types of love as well as provides an array of poetry forms. Many poems are snapshots or vignettes of the myriad emotions and angst experienced during young adulthood. The love is at times simple, innocent, and playful and at other times celebrates those important people such as mothers and teachers. Finally there is the new, intense, dizzy but sometimes scary and often unrequited love. For example in the pantoum form "Dumped," Mora writes "me, a lump you dumped, casually," which conveys a feeling almost all teens will experience. While in the villanelle, "Our Private Rhyme," she offers "I feel you near. We're intertwined." The choices of poetry are arranged in a cycle which parallels that of love itself and mirrors a song with four movements. The poems run the gamut of emotions and offer glimpses into the heart and head as well as the creative soul. There are helpful and informative footnotes throughout the text that describe the various styles of poetic form used in the poem on the following page. One poem is even offered in both English and the author's native Spanish. This collection may be used to stimulate young adults to attempt their own poetry and could easily be employed as a classroom tool." - VOYA 

"A collection of poems written in various forms, each narrated in a different teen voice. According to the author's note, Mora envisioned the flow of the poems as that of a symphony with four movements—an opening focus on love's initial rush, followed by a few bumps in the road, healing after loss of love, and finally the joy of finding new love. This cohesion is indeed delivered. Peppered with Spanish, the selections define the emotion in countless ways. The quiet lyricism of some lines will prompt many readers to roll them over and over on their tongues; this is a world in which a simple smile can make a boy feel as if he's "swallowed the sun" or one's worst fear might be a kiss "dull like oatmeal." Where relevant, poetic form is indicated, defined, and discussed on the adjacent page. For all its beauty, this collection is also, in some ways, hard to pin down. The jacket copy and title might lead one to expect a focus on the intensity of teen romantic love. The love here is neither hot and heavy nor clichéd, however, but rather a glimpse into the last remaining innocence of the teen years. At times, the narration even slips a bit astray from an authentically teenage voice. Those expecting a more typical raw, edgy approach to love with poetry akin to the ramblings of a teenager's journal will be better off elsewhere. Teachers in need of a fresh new avenue for teaching poetic form, lovers of language, and teens in search of a broader definition of love will find it here." - School Library Journal 

Connections:
Some titles purchased by customers who also purchased this title include: Secret Saturdays, Surface Tension, and All Unquiet Things.

Interactivity:

• Ask children if they have ever felt left out because of something they felt like they didn't grasp as fast as other children.
• Facilitate a discussion based around the things they love the most and why they love them.
• Have children write a short poem on the thing they love the most and then have them choose a noun and replace it with the Spanish translation of that word.

the surrender tree: poems of cuba's struggle for freedom written by margarita engle

Engle, Margarita. The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom. New York: Henry Holt, 2008. ISBN: 9780805086744

Plot Summary:
     Rosa is a young nurse/healer who makes it her duty to help those in need of medical attention. Despite the circumstances during Cuba's struggle for independence from Spain, she helps those in need of her gift. Through her journey to help, she becomes a target in Lieutenant Death's eyes because she aides the wounded runaways that he hunts. However, a time comes when even Lieutenant Death seeks the medical attention from Rosa.

Critical Analysis:
     The Surrender Tree is a compilation of poems organized in narrative form to articulate the story of Cuba's struggle through the eyes of the protagonist, Rosa. The author, Margarita Engle, organizes this story within five separate parts detailing significant events surrounding Cuba's fight for freedom. Three of the five parts includes descriptions of The Ten Years' War, The Little War, and The War of Independence. Within these segments, the author accurately incorporates historical markers portraying the time period that of which is being described. Lines such as, "Ten years of war are over. A treaty. Peace...The Spanish Empire still owns this suffering island," are examples of the details utilized to strengthen historical context. Along with historical inclusions, the author also incorporates interlingualism; these examples can be seen in sentences such as, "Quien vive? Who lives?" The utilization of interlingualism strengthens language introduction to his audience. Lastly, the author also incorporates cultural markers through the descriptions of the types of foods prepared, such as yams, cornmeal, coconuts, and pineapples -- these foods are indigenous to Cuba. Through the usage of various cultural markers, the author provides his audience with varied cultural authenticity.

Review Excerpts:

"A powerful narrative in free verse . . . haunting." - The Horn Book

"Tales of political dissent can prove, at times, to be challenging reads for youngsters, but this fictionalized version of the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain may act as an entry to the form. The poems offer rich character portraits through concise, heightened language, and their order within the cycle provides suspense. Four characters tell the bulk of the story: Rosa, a child who grows up to be a nurse who heals the wounded, sick and starving with herbal medicine; her husband, Jose, who helps her move makeshift hospitals from cave to cave; Silvia, an orphaned girl who escapes a slave camp so that she may learn from Rosa; and Lieutenant Death, a hardened boy who grows up wanting only to kill Rosa and all others like her. Stretching from 1850 to 1899, these poems convey the fierce desire of the Cuban people to be free. Young readers will come away inspired by these portraits of courageous ordinary people." - Kirkus Reviews

"Often, popular knowledge of Cuba begins and ends with late-20th-century textbook fare: the Cuban Revolution, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Fidel Castro. The Surrender Tree , however, transports readers to another, though no less tumultuous, era. Spanning the years 1850-1899, Engle's poems construct a narrative woven around the nation's Wars for Independence. The poems are told in alternating voices, though predominantly by Rosa, a "freed" slave and natural healer destined to a life on the lam in the island' s wild interior. Other narrators include Teniente Muerte , or Lieutenant Death, the son of a slave hunter turned ruthless soldier; José, Rosa's husband and partner in healing; and Silvia, an escapee from one of Cuba's reconcentration camps. The Surrender Tree is hauntingly beautiful, revealing pieces of Cuba's troubled past through the poetry of hidden moments such as the glimpse of a woman shuttling children through a cave roof for Rosa's care or the snapshot of runaway Chinese slaves catching a crocodile to eat. Though the narrative feels somewhat repetitive in its first third, one comes to realize it is merely symbolic of the unending cycle of war and the necessity for Rosa and other freed slaves to flee domesticity each time a new conflict begins. Aside from its considerable stand-alone merit, this book, when paired with Engle's The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano (Holt, 2006), delivers endless possibilities for discussion about poetry, colonialism, slavery, and American foreign policy." - School Library Journal 

Connections:
Customers who purchased this title also purchased the following titles: Savvy, After Tupac and D Foster, and The Underneath.

Interactivity:

• Ask children if they are familiar with The Ten Years' War, The Little War, and The War of Independence.
• Facilitate a discussion on the similarities between the Underground Railroad and how Rosa created her own makeshift hospitals for the wounded and sick.
• Ask children if they think they are brave enough to help those in need vs. not helping them because they are told not to.