Monster!

In my Reading 302 class last week, every person in class was given play-dough and told to make a “monster of our own creation”. It was so interesting to see the unique monster each person came up with. I thought about how neat it would be to see the monsters children in a classroom would make! We have been instructed to give our monsters personalities and write a short story about it. My monster, so far is named Ira and his super power is his whistling ability. I would love to hear children’s stories of monsters they made. I am always delightfully surprised when I get the chance to hear children’s creativity!

Book 7: Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

Mighty Max doesn't really have any friends. He's big and scary looking, and he's learning disabled, dumb too. When Freak, also known as Kevin moves down the street they become friends. Freak is a little over three feet high and knows everything, at least that's how Max sees it. The two have always been picked on and bullied by classmates and others, but together, with brains and strengh and a height of more than seven feet ,they become Freak the Mighty! The book's themes are bullying and friendship. It would be especially encouraging for kids who experience bullying or aren't seem as very smart. It turns out throughout the book that Max isn't "dumb", when Freak explains what they're learning in school to him, he understands. That could be encouraging to kids who feel ostracized from others. A great great read!

Limerick!

We have read so many poems in the last week or so, and I have really enjoyed reviewing some I already knew and learning new poems. In honor of that I wanted to write a poem of my own. I decided on a limerick because they’re so bouncy and fun, and already structured! The 77557 pattern limits you just enough to make coming up with one less complicated!

There once was a daisy named Claire
And though she was really quit fair
No one noticed her much
For you see there was such
A great bunch of bluebonnets right there!

I absolutely love e.e. cummings’ poetry! I like that one of his main focuses in his poetry is nature. Now I know most poets write plenty about nature. However, the way cummings puts words together is kind of close to magic. I love how he squishes words together and omits punctuation and then moves words around to make the meaning more clear. My favorite one of his poems in the Sword Anthology is “maggie and milly and molly and may”. Each of the girls has a unique experience at the beach and it reflects their personality. The last line “For whatever we lost(like a you or a me) it’s always ourselves we find in the sea” is something I never really thought about before is true.

book 6: "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!" by Mo Willems

Mo Willems is the author of the popular “Pigeon” books. These include “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus”, “Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Too Late!”, and “The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!”. The thing that is so captivating about Pigeon is his simple desire to do whatever it is the reader is supposed to keep him from doing- in the case of the bus and staying up too late. With “The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!” the reader just observes a little duckling’s attempt to keep Pigeon from eating his find. Kids are so drawn to these books because they can tell the Pigeon “NO!” when he begs to drive the bus. It’s so funny because kids are always in the situation of the Pigeon, asking for something they can’t have or do. However they feel no sympathy for the Pigeon and revel in telling him no, he can not drive the bus however much he asks!

Book 5: Ida B:and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan

Ida B. Applewood talks to the trees in the orchard, sends letters to Canada by homemade raft down the brook, and best of all gets to spend her days at home learning and playing. One of Ida B’s most charming characteristics is her magnetic personality. She pulls the reader, willingly, into her world and allows us to enjoy her well prepared plans for any possibility. When Ida B hears the trees’ news that something bad is coming she has no way of preparing for what is coming. By the end Ida B has grown as an individual and the story has gone in a circle and slightly mirrors the beginning. This book causes the reader to think about how their attitude and actions affect those around them and to see things in another perspective.

The first time I read poems by William Carlos Williams they just seemed odd to me. They’re certainly uniquely different from most of the other poems I read when I was younger. In sixth grade I had to do a report on a poem by a poet and I drew Williams. I was torn between the poem “This is Just to Say” and “The Red Wheelbarrow”. I finally picked “This is Just to Say”. It’s so short and simple but the imagery is clear. You can’t help but see the purple plum coming out of the icebox and tasting so sweet and cold. My favorite line though is about how “you were probably saving for breakfast, forgive me they were delicious”. Once one can adjust to the different style these poems actually carry a lot of meaning, though some of it may be hidden, as in the wheelbarrow.