THE FIREFLY LETTERS: A SUFFRAGETTE'S JOURNEY TO CUBA

THE FIREFLY LETTERS: A SUFFRAGETTE'S JOURNEY TO CUBA

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Engle, Margarita. 2010. THE FIREFLY LETTERS. New York, NY: Henry Holt & Company, LLC. ISBN 9780805090826

 

PLOT SUMMARY

THE FIREFLY LETTERS is a beautiful true story written in poetic verse about Fredrika Bremer (1801-1865), Sweden's first woman novelist and one of the world's earliest advocates of equal rights for women.  In 1851, Fredrika visited Cuba for three months and met a young slave girl from Africa, Cecilia, who was her translator.  Cecilia and Fredrika shared their pains and struggles with each other while catching cocuyos (fireflies) and setting them free in the lush countryside.  The novel in verse also involves Elena, a fictious character, who is the young daughter of Cecilia's owner.  Elena and Cecilia become great friends and in the end, Elena gives a heart-felt, unexpected gift to Cecilia. 

 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In this novel in verse, Engle uses simple, eloquent and easy to read words.  The story, which is based on primarily true characters, is beautiful, yet chilling.  Cecilia, a young African slave girl says, "was eight, plenty old enough to understand that my father was haggling with a wandering slave trader, agreeing to exchange me for a stolen cow." Throughuot the story, she longs for her mother's voice.  The author's style is flowing and free, yet you can feel real emotion in her simple words.  Fredrika, a wealthy Swedish traveler, comes to visit Elena's family in Cuba.  She remembers that at home, she was not allowed to set foot outdoors or do the things that she dreamed of.  She says "there is no place more lonely than a rich man's home."  Elena is the daughter of Cecilia's owner and she has become fond of Cecilia and Fredrika and even jealous watching them get to run and play outside the little house in the garden "where the two can live in peace, surrounded by cocuyos-fireflies-instead of chandeliers."  Elena thinks to herself, "how disturbing it feels to envy Cecilia, a slave.  She is free, at least for now, to run and shout out in the open....splashing in mud puddles just like a man or a boy." 

 

The imagery in this poetic novel is beautiful as well.  Engle describes Cuba as having "lush gardens and winter sun."  "This island, with its lush gardens and winter sun, had me fooled.  I have always imagined that a gentle climate would make the people gentle too...but that is not the way of the human heart when it is lost in the selfishness of greed."  Engle's words made me actually feel Fredrika's hopelessness and sadness when she thought about not being able to help Cecilia or the slaves and women of Cuba. 

 

The symbolism that she used with the fireflies was extraordinary as well.  When Cecilia and Fredrika move out to the hills with the people of the Canary Islands, Cecilia notices that, "out here, no one tries to catch the soaring insects.  The cocuyos drift so high that they seem to live in heaven, like stars." 

 

 This story continues on with beautiful imagery, language and rhythm as the three women connect with each other.  Even though they all come from different worlds, they all seem to have similar issues, where they feel trapped and have no freedom or liberties to pursue their dreams.  Even Elena, who is a young affluent girl with seemingly everything feels "like she could go mad cooped up in this house like a songbird in a cage." Elena's touching gesture at the end of the story is a symbol of their love for each other and for mankind in general.  After all, "without even trying to be a teacher, Fredrika is teaching us, showing us how to see things in new ways instead of always thinking the same old tired thoughts."

 

AWARDS

2011 Pura Belpre Honor Book for Narrative

2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
 

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REVIEW EXCERPTS

 “Like the firefly light, Engle’s poetry is a gossamer thread of subtle beauty weaving together three memorable characters who together find hope and courage. Another fine volume by a master of the novel in verse.”--KIRKUS REVIEWS, Starred Review

 

“The imagistic, multiple first-person narrative works handily in revealing Bremer, an alert and intelligent woman in rebellion against her background of privilege.”--THE HORN BOOK

 

“Through this moving combination of historical viewpoints, Engle creates dramatic tension among the characters, especially in the story of Elena, who makes a surprising sacrifice.”--BOOKLIST

 

 

CONNECTIONS

Other novels in verse written by Engle based on Cuba's history are:

THE SURRENDER TREE: POEMS OF CUBA'S STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. ISBN  0805086749

THE POET SLAVE OF CUBA. ISBN  9780307583055

 

These books can be used in studies from anything about the women's movement, slavery, those interested in Cuba to teens with Biography assignments. 

 

 

JAZZ

JAZZ

 

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Myers, Walter Dean. 2006. JAZZ. Ill by Christopher Myers. New York, NY: Holiday House. ISBN 9780823415458

 

PLOT SUMMARY

JAZZ is a book comprised of 15 poems about jazz music.  Myers begins the book with an introduction about the history of jazz and then includes a timeline and glossary in the back of the book which help the reader become familiar with jazz.  The first poem starts in Africa and then moves on to  the streets of New Orleans including musicians such as the great Louis Armstrong.  Each poem is about the different styles of jazz including be-bop, swing, ragtime, etc.



 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This poetic picture book is about the different styles of jazz and some of the origins and notable figures. The beautiful illustrations, which are bold and full of color and emotion, show various jazz figures and playing of jazz instruments.  There is a rhythmic beat to each of the songs (poems) in JAZZ.  The reader can actually feel the beat and hear the sounds of the songs in their minds.  The style of the text changes in size, color and font depending on the beat and the emotion of the poem.  The language that is used is typical of the era and the culture. I particularly felt the emotion in Session I where Myers describes the "bass thumping like death gone happy/ souls dancing in 2/4 time / breathing sounds and tasting the rhyme."  Myers successfully arouses many different senses in his poetic form and allows the reader to actually feel while they read (or listen) to the different songs. There is also a syncopated beat illustrated in the type and text of each of the songs that ties them together.  I loved being able to not only read these poems, but to actually feel them as well.  "Mercy, mercy, mercy/ please have mercy Mr. Slide Trombone."  I can actually feel the author's soul in these words! 

 

AWARDS

2007 Coretta Scott King Honor Book

2007 BELA Award

 

REVIEW EXCERPTS

PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY:

"Walter Dean Myers infuses his lines (and the rests between them) with so much savvy syncopation that readers can't help but be swept up in the rhythms."

 

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL:

"The expressionistic figures are surrounded by high-contrast colors in which the visible brushstrokes curve around their subjects, creating an aura that almost suggests sound waves."--Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library

 

BOOKLIST:

"Middle-graders will feel the sound of the words and pictures working together, and younger kids will hear and see that connection when adults share the book with them."

 

CONNECTIONS

Social Studies, Music:

This is a great book to teach children about the history of jazz and the rhythm of jazz.  It can also be used across the curriculum to discuss different cultures and/or to get students interested in music.  The poems are perfect for read alouds and even better for listening to audios of professional storytellers with music backgrounds.  The theme of rhyming can also be easily taught through these poems.

 

Also read, HARLEM ISBN 9780590543408, another poem by Walter Dean Myers to teach about culture.  

 

 

 



MIRROR MIRROR

MIRROR MIRROR

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Singer, Marilyn. 2010. MIRROR MIRROR. Ill by Josee Masse. New York, NY: Dutton's Children's Books. ISBN 9780525479017.

PLOT SUMMARY
In this collection of reversible verse poems, Singer puts a clever spin on classic fairy tales.  After a sample poem titled In Reverse where she introduces us to the style reverso (which she herself created), she starts the fairy tale stories with Cinderella's Double Life.  She includes many popular tales about Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling, Snow White, and many other well-known and loved fairy tales.  In each of the poems, Singer tells us another side of the story then cleverly reverses it by reversing the lines from bottom to top.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
A reverso is two poems in one.  Read the first down and it says one thing.  Read it back up, with changes just in punctuation and capitalization, and it's a different poem.  Singer shows how two different ideas can be expressed when read forward and backwards. An example of a reverso poem is below:

Up
or
Down --
A poem
in
a puzzleBut it can also be read this way:

A puzzle
in
a poem --
Down
or
Up

Singer's unique style is very appealing.  Although the illustrations by Josee Masse are superb and really give us a visual perspective for each poem, the words and style of the poems have beautiful imagery in creating different points of view for the reader to experience.  You can actually feel the emotions coming from the prince in The Sleeping Beauty and the Wide-Awake Prince where he is experiencing angst and seems to be annoyed that Sleeping Beauty gets to sleep all day while "it's no fun being out in the world/ never partying/ never sleeping/ the prince hard at work/ looking for love/ hacking through briars / typical."  Sleeping Beauty's perspective is totally different.  Although the exact same words are used, their order and punctuation help to create a whole new point of view.  She is upset that although the prince is "typical/ hacking through briars,/ looking for love / the prince hard at work/ but I have to be / sleeping/ never partying/ never out in the world / it's no fun being in a fairy tale."  My favorite tale is The Doubtful Duckling in which the first version portrays the ugly duckling with a postive attitude about turning into a swan.  "Someday, I'll turn into a swan.  No way, I'll stay an ugly duckling."  The second version shows a negative point of view and ends with "An ugly duckling I'll stay.  No way I'll turn into a swan someday."  The words are so simple and even though there is little to no rhyme, I think that these stories will definitely appeal to the younger readers as well as the more mature reader.  They are classics with a twist which makes the student want to read to find out what happens, even though they have heard these fairy-tales many times before.  It's the same motivation as created in reading fractured fairy-tales.   MIRROR MIRROR is ingenious and I am thoroughly impressed with the style and creativity that Singer has created with her reverso, not to mention the outstanding illustrations by Masse with their bold color, emotion and symmetry.


AWARDS
2010 Cybils Award
2010-2011 Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee


REVIEW EXCERPTS
"The poems are both cleverly constructed and insightful...giving us the points of view of characters rarely considered." --HORN BOOK

"A mesmerizing and seamless celebration of language, imagery, and perspective." --KIRKUS, starred review

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL:
"This is a remarkably clever and versatile book that would work in any poetry or fairy-tale unit. A must-have for any library."--Joan Kindig, James Madison University

BOOKLIST: (Starred Review)
 "This ingenious book of reversos, or poems which have one meaning when read down the page and perhaps an altogether different meaning when read up the page, toys with and reinvents oh-so-familiar stories and characters, from Cinderella to the Ugly Duckling. A must-purchase that will have readers marveling over a visual and verbal feast." --Patricia Austin


CONNECTIONS
Incorporating fairy tale poetry in the classroom is a great way to create interest in poetry itself.  Using reverso can help teach students the differences in points of view and examining multiple perspectives while also teaching about poetry.  Some helpful websites incorporating these lessons plans are: www.readwritethink.org - Explore Point of View in Fairy Tales
www.claudiagraphics.com - The Poets' Grimm Teacher's Guide
This book of poems could also be used across the curriculum on lessons of symmetry.  The illustrations provide a distinct view of symmetry.