Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems by Paul B. Janeczko and Melissa Sweet

Image retrieved from www.amazon.com

Bibliography:

Janeczko, Paul B., and Melissa Sweet. Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2014. ISBN 9780763648428

Review and Critical Analysis:

Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems is a collection of poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko, categorized by the four seasons of the year, and beautifully illustrated by Melissa Sweet. The collection includes thirty-six poems evenly distributed between seasons. The book begins with a table of contents including the titles of each poem, their author, and the page number where they can be found. This table of contents offers a quick guide for teachers or anyone who is browsing for poems by a particular author to use in a unit about that author. The book concludes with “Acknowledgments,” or a list of sources and permissions to show where each poem was printed from.

This collection of poetry is titled A Year of Very Short Poems, and the poems are just that - very short. The bookseller’s description of this book says, “It takes only a few words, if they’re the right words, to create a strong image.” The poems in this book have found the right words to create strong images. Each poem, in its simplicity and incredibly short amount of space, shows young readers how the right words can give an object or a thought brand new beauty and meaning. One of my favorite poems written for fall by Jim Harrison and Ted Kooser says, “What is it the wind has lost / that she keeps looking for / under each leaf?” This is such a simple question, written poetically, that begs to be read over and over for enjoyment and beauty. Another poem written for summer by J. Patrick Lewis called “Firefly July” says, When I was ten, one summer night, / The baby stars that leapt, / Among the trees like dimes of light, / I cupped, and capped, and kept.” What a unique description of fireflies, calling them “baby stars.” I can think of a more beautiful image for fireflies than that - baby stars that will someday make their way to the sky to be an adult star.

Another thing I love about his collection of poetry is that it includes poems from authors new and old. It includes poems by J. Patrick Lewis and Joyce Sidman, as well as William Carlos Williams, Robert Frost, and Emily Dickinson. This provides readers with a well-rounded book of poetry to introduce them to new and old poets alike. Because of their simple and short nature, these poems would be easy for teachers to include daily. They could be written at the top of the board, included in announcements, printed at the top of an assignment, or shared in many more ways.

These simple poems would do well on their own, but Melissa Sweet’s mixed-media collage illustrations certainly bring color and life to them and tie them together in a unique way. For each new season, she creatively includes the season word into the illustration. She does this so subtly that if you’re not careful you’ll miss it. You might find yourself immersed in poems about fall and wonder how you got there. One of my favorite illustrations is the one for “Window” by Carl Sandburg. The poem is about what can be seen at night from a railroad car window. The two-page spread is filled with windows, each showing a different scene that one might see through a railroad car window. I truly found this collection of short poetry to be delightful and I hope to use it with my students in the future.

Poem Used to Support Critical Analysis:

A Happy Meeting

by Joyce Sidman

Rain meets dust:

Soft, cinnamon kisses.

Quick, noisy courtship,

Then marriage: mud.

I would use “A Happy Meeting” in a lesson on using adjectives to describe objects in a new way. I would have the poem projected on the board for students to see. I would read it to them a couple times and then follow it up with a few questions such as: What do you think about the poem? What were you picturing as I read it? What is your favorite part of the poem?

I would ask students to point out the adjectives in the poem. What images do they bring to your mind? What effect does using these adjectives to talk about mud in a new way have on the poem and on the reader? Why doesn’t the poem just describe mud as it is? We would further discuss using adjectives to describe something in a new way.

As a class, we would come up with some more examples. I would give them an object or idea and ask for suggestions for describing it in an unordinary way. After practicing this several times as class, I would set students free to work in groups to come up with their own object to describe in a new way. They would illustrate it and share it with the class when everyone is finished.