Another great book for poetry month! A teacher asks her students what they would save if the place where they lived was destroyed. All the living things are safe and you don't have to worry about money. So what means the most? What one thing would you save?
Linda Sue Park explains in her author's
note at the end that she borrowed from the line structure for sijo
(pronounced SHEE-zho), a 14th-century Korean syllabic verse form, to
create the poems for this book. Sijo usually has three lines of thirteen
to seventeen syllables but there are variations. As Park says, "Using
old forms in new ways is how poetry continually renews itself, and the
world."
I enjoyed reading the thought process behind the choices
of the students. I also really liked that the teacher admits that she
had chosen one thing but has changed her mind after listening to what
her students selected. Using this book could spark some great
discussions in a classroom -- or for your next Zoom meeting! Just be
sure to give the participants plenty of time to think about their
response. It isn't easy! But the students in the book do offer a lot of
great ideas.
Also - don't overlook Robert Sae-Heng's lovely illustrations. They add a lot of context to the poetry and the different choices made by the students.
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