Mother Poems

Mother Poems

words and pictures by Hope Anita Smith

About the book:

A young girl thinks of her mom as a superhero, a doctor, her North Star. She feels loved in her mother’s arms and capable of conquering the world. But when her beloved role model dies, she cannot even cry; her sadness is too overwhelming. As she struggles to manage her grief, she must learn how to move on while keeping the memory of her mother very much alive inside her.

Hope Anita Smith uses her remarkable talent to explore a personal yet universal subject: the death of a parent. Through the eyes of a child and then a young woman, these poignant poems, together with stunning folk-art images, capture the complicated feelings of a young person who shows great hope, strength and will to overcome.

About the author:

Hope Anita Smith is the author of The Way a Door Closes and Keeping the Night Watch. A professional storyteller and in-school poet, Hope teaches poetry writing workshops to all grade levels. She lives in Los Angeles, where she writes, knits, and creates paper collage stationery and illustration.

Author interview:

1. How did you find poetry?

I found poetry when I was very young.  I learned poems from God's Trombones by James Weldon Johnson and performed them at church.  That led to Antebellum Sermon by Paul Laurence Dunbar and The Madam Poems by Langston Hughes.  I loved learning and reciting them.  I also loved that poetry told wonderful stories in such a small space on the page.

2. What do you wish kids knew about poetry?

 I wish kids knew that poetry should not be hard to understand.  It is not rocket science.  And I want them to know that poetry is a great way to look at words.  Through metaphor, simile, personification, etc. poems can bring such power and meaning to words.

1. What can your fans look forward to next?

 My fans (and I love you all) can look forward to a mid-grade novel and a couple of fun picture books.

Discussion guide:

1. Describe the relationship between the narrator and her mother. What images does the author use to show how she feels about her?
2. What is the narrator’s imagination in the poem “Sound Advice?” What advice have you received from you mom and grandma?
3. What give the narrator the blues? What gives you the blues? How can you chase them away?
4. What do you know about the narrator’s mom by the way she speaks?
5. How does the girl imitate her mother? Do children always imitate their parents?
6. How do the grandma and mother do things differently? Is it true for you as well? Why do you think so?
7. Find examples of figurative language (simile and metaphor) that help the reader understand the girl’s relationship with her mother.
8. What happened while the narrator slept? How does she feel?
9. How is death described in the poem “Duped?” How would you describe death?
10. How does the narrator try to find her mother? Do you think she understands the permanence of death? How can children possibly understand this kind of loss?
11.  What does the narrator mean when she says, “We both know/good daughters are hard to find.” in the poem “Let’s Make a Deal?”
12.  When were there flowers in the narrator’s world? How do you think she feels about them? How do people try to show they care? What actually helps, do you think?
13. The narrator feels safe and loved when her mother braids her hair. What ordinary moments make your mom feel close to you?
14. What is the structure of the poem “Words?” Why do you think the author chose to use this format?
15. How does the narrator try to get her mother back? How will she feel when she realizes, eventually, that she can’t?
16. What is Rule #1?  What is your number one rule?
17.  Compare and contrast the narrator’s mother’s kitchen to her Aunt Nedra’s. Whose kitchen would you like to learn how to cook inside of? Is the narrator hungry for more than food?
18. What childhood things does the narrator miss out on by having lost her mother so young?  What does she mean when she says, “that I’d all but hung the moon/ each time a tooth fell out of my mouth.”
19. How does the narrator feel about her friend’s treatment of their mothers? Is it inevitable that daughters and mothers have this difficult time through the teen years?
20.  How was the narrator “Cheated” by her dreams? In the bible, what did Lot’s wife do?
21.  Find out the “Q and A” on you and your mother or first caregiver. Why do you think it’s important to know what you were like?
22.  What phrases are in your own mother’s “rule book?”  Why do you think there are so many euphemisms for death like “losing someone?”  Do they make things better or worse?
23.  How does memory change over time for the narrator? What do you remember about someone you have lost? Is it concrete or like clouds? Why do you think memory is so difficult to understand?
24.  What is the “Dangerous Game” the narrator is playing? Have you ever played one too? How is repetition used to an intense effect in this poem?
25.  Why do you think the building of a Christmas tree is so clear for the narrator? How does she build the memories of her mother? What has she learned about herself?

Projects:

Reading:

Poems are meant to be read aloud so take turns reading one of the poems from the book aloud in pairs. Afterwards, discuss what the poem means to you. Try to make connections to the poem from something in your own life, or to another story you’ve read or to the writing itself.

Writing:

Inspired by “What My Mom Says” write a poem about your own mother and her list of words for you. Play with simile, metaphor and line breaks as Hope Anita Smith did to bring your poem to life.

Art:

Study the torn-paper collage of Hope Anita’s beautiful illustrations for the collection. Create one yourself to accompany your poem.

Trouble

Trouble

by Gary D. Schmidt

About the book:

Henry Smith’s father told him that if you build your house far enough away from Trouble, then Trouble will never find you.

But Trouble comes careening down the road one night in the form of a pickup truck that strikes Henry’s older brother, Franklin. In the truck is Chay Chouan, a young Cambodian from Franklin’s preparatory school, and the tragedy sparks racial tensions in the school—and in the town where Henry’s family has lived for generations.  Caught between anger and grief, Henry does the only thing he feels he can: he sets off for Mt. Katahdin, which he and Franklin had planned to climb together. Early one morning, he strikes out for Maine with his best friend and the loveable stray, Black Dog, in tow. But when they encounter Chay Chouan on the road, fleeing demonds of his own, Henry learns that turning a blind eye to Trouble only brings Trouble closer…

With moments of humor, tenderness and remarkable strength, Henry and Chay travel a path to the mountain that neither of them expects.

Gary D. Schmidt is the author of Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, which received both a Newbery Honor and a Printz Honor. His other novels for Clarion are The Wednesday Wars, Straw into Gold, andAnson’s Way. He is a professor of English at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Pre-reading:

Do you think trouble can be avoided in life? If so, how?  Do people make trouble for themselves or does it find them?

Discussion guide:

1. “Is it possible for everything to change, and for nothing to change?” (p.14) How does everything and nothing change for Henry and the Smith family? Have you ever had a moment that felt like it could define your family from that moment on? How difficult is it to define yourself after an event like this?
2. Discuss Henry’s relationship with his parents and siblings. How does the accident complicate them? Would you consider Henry and Louisa close? Do you think Henry was close to his brother, despite his cruelty sometimes? How do each of them react to the tragedy?
3. What does the arrival of Black Dog do for Henry and his family? How important are pets in your own life? What purpose do they serve people? How do people serve animals?
4. Compare Blythbury-by-the-Sea to the town of Merton. How do these two places complicate the tragedy? Do you think that people would have felt as strongly about prosecution if Chay had been a typical kid from Longfellow Prep?  Should Chay have been charged with leaving the scene of an accident or not? Why?
5. After a storm, Henry and his mother discover a wreck in Salvage Cove. Why do people take such an interest? What does Henry eventually discover about it and come to realize about his family and Trouble?
6. Why do you think the author decided to tell Chay’s story at the end of chapters? How does it add to the conflict, suspense, and characterization? How long did it take you, as a reader, to develop empathy for Chay? Why?
7. Why does Henry decide to climb Katahdin? Is he trying to prove something? Why is Katahdin so important to him? If you could do one last thing with someone you lost what would it be? What happens on route to the mountain?
8. How are the acts against the Chouan’s looked on by the community? Why are the arsonist considered heroes who served justice? Do you agree? Why do you think the two communities dislike each other so much?
9. What does Chay finally learn about his own parentage? How does it change everything for him? His parents expected disappointment because of it. Does that make disappointment inevitable? Are family secrets ever justifiable?
10. Describe the Cape Ann Coastal Invitational. How does Henry perform? Why? Do you think he deserves to be released from his position on the team or not? Would you be able to concentrate under the circumstances?
11. The Smith’s grief is complicated by the question on whether Franklin would’ve turned out to be a good man, or not. Knowing what you do about Franklin, do you think he would’ve or not? Why? How does it make the family feel?
12.  Discuss Henry’s friendship with Sanborn. How does Sanborn prove his loyalty to Henry? Is the way the two boys tease and thump on each other typical to their age and sex? Do you think male friendships are quite different from female ones? Why?
13. Discuss the following quote: “There was no need for any words. A heart that has lost knows every other heart that has lost. Late and soon, loss is all the same.” (p.221)  Do people who have suffered a great loss have an affinity? What other things do you think people recognize in each other?
14. The privacy of family is weighed against the public right to know. Who has jurisdiction for the truth of community events? How is this issue of public knowledge and privacy rights revealed in the tragedy, the shipwreck, and the arson? How do you think it would feel to have the public looking in on your family’s private matters?
15. As the novel unfolds, the reader learns not only Henry’s story but also the story of Chay, his family, Sanborn, and Louisa. Do you think everyone has a story that makes them sympathetic? Why do you think Schmidt decided to tell Chay’s story as well as Henry’s?
16. Explain Chay’s reaction to any police officer. Is this because of the guilt for his previous acts or his past in Cambodia or simply being a minority in this country? Do you fear or try to ignore the police in your own community?
17. What happened to Chay and his family in Cambodia? How did they survive the ordeal? Does it remind you of any other historical or contemporary atrocities? What can be done to help these and other displaced families?
18. Describe what happens between the boys and the fishermen in the diner and out in the woods. Do you think the racism Chay faces is typical? How open to immigrants is your own community? What happens to Henry?
19.  What revelations are made about Chay, the accident, and the wreckage in Salvage Cove. Which one surprised you most as a reader? How can these twists in perspective change our understanding of not only a literary landscape but our own?
20. In the end Henry decides, “The world is Trouble…and Grace. That is all there is.” (p. 331) Do you agree? What does he mean by this? What are examples of trouble and grace from your own life?

Projects:

Language arts:

Gary D. Schmidt is a master storyteller but he also holds a great command of the language. As you read the story, find at least five examples of memorable description or figurative language. (Ex: “And the dim ghosts laughed their breathless laughs.” (p. 47)

Reading:

Since good readers always make predictions about what may happen next in the story, write a prediction at the end of every chapter. Base these predictions on facts from the story, what you’ve learned about the character and setting, and what you know about story structure. Remember: it doesn’t matter if your predictions are correct (after all, it wouldn’t be much fun to read if we always knew what was going to happen!)

History:

In small groups research and report on one of the following topics from the novel:

Cambodian Immigration

Racism against immigrants

The Khmer Rouge

Indians as slaves

Slave trade

history of crew

English as a second language

Cambodian art, culture or religious beliefs

Elephant Run

Elephant Run by Roland Smith

About the book:

The year is 1941, and bombs are being dropped from the night sky, blanketing the city of London. When fourteen-year-old Nick Freestone’s home is demolished, his mother decides the situation in England has grown too unstable. Nick will be safer, his mother hopes, living with his father in Burma on the family’s teak plantation.

Nick arrives at the plantation eager to learn about the timber elephants raised and trained there, and to spend time with his father. But before he can settle in, trouble erups in the remote Burmese village. Japanese soldiers invade, and Nick’s father is taken prisoner. Nick is stranded, forced to work as a servant for the new rulers. As life in the village grows more dangerous for Nick and his young friend Mya, they plan a daring escape through the jungles of Burma, determined to rescue their families. But to succeed, they will have not only the threat of enemy soldiers, but the dangers of their journey through the wilderness.

About the guide:

This guide includes discussion questions and projects intended to extend the use of the novel into classrooms, book clubs, and literature circles. It should promote discussion on the themes of the novel include friendship, loyalty, betrayal, hope, and violence.

Discussion Guide:

1.       What time period and setting opens the novel? Explain why Nick needs to go to Burma for his safety. Would you be as willing to go?

2.       Compare and contrast the house (Hawk’s Nest) of Nick’s memory to the one he finds nine years later. Why is it so deserted? What makes this place so important to Nick’s family?

3.       Who is Magwe? What conflicts swirl around him? Have you ever worked or known someone who made things more difficult? How did you handle being near this person?

4.       Describe Nick’s first encounter with Hannibal. What are the effects of this event over the next several chapters? How would you have felt in this circumstance?

5.       Why can’t Mya become a mahout? Are there any good reasons for this tradition? Why is Mya eager to have Nick around on the teak plantation? How does it backfire on her?

6.       What  is Hilltop (or Taung Baw) story? What is his history on the plantation?

7.       How does the war find Nick in Burma? What does it mean for his stay on the plantation? What are the plans to get him to safety? Describe what happens instead. What would be the most frightening part of these events?

8.       What deal does Colonel Nagayoshi make with Nick and his father? Would you believe him or not? Why? Does he keep his promise or not?  When the Colonel learns of the Japanese internment in America he changes his mind. Do you blame him? Have you ever heard about America’s treatment and internment of citizens during WWII before?

9.       Describe Nick’s days as a captive of the Japanese. Who shows mercy? Who is cruel? Do you think war brings out different parts of people’s personality or only lets the true person shine through?

10.   Communication is an important element in the escape and hope of the prisoners. How do they manage to get word to one another without being caught by the Japanese?  Even the letters from Nick’s mother are intercepted. Why? Is “all fair in love and war” just like they say?

11.   Hawk’s Nest is more than what it appears. How? Does this prove to be important to Nick and Mya? Would you want to live in a house like this or not? Why?

12.   What is the escape plan? Does it work? Who surprises them in the tunnel? How has everyone changed from the beginning of the novel? Who has transformed the most?

13.   Why do you think Hilltop was able to gain control over Hannibal when no one else was capable of it? Do some people just have an affinity for animals while others do not?

14.   Discuss the ten precepts a Buddhist monk novice must agree to live by. Which ones would be most difficult for you? Why must Mya and Nick submit themselves to these standards? Are there any connections to other religious traditions that you know of? Do all religions have anything in common?

15.   Sonji is guarding Nick’s father. Why is this fortuitous? What does Nick learn about his father? Why is it so much easier for Indaw to escape than Jackson? Is he able to be reunited with his son?  What is the climactic scene of the escape? Did you picture it as a movie? How does this help with comprehension?

Projects:

Language Arts:

Create a list of important characters as you read the novel. Include their name, their relationship to Nick, a description of important skills or attributes that they have, and conflicts that arise. Use to study for quizzes and to aid in comprehension.

Social Studies:

Research one of the following topics from the novel and create a presentation about it: (PowerPoint presentations, web pages, etc.)

Mahouts

Teak forests

Prisoners of War

Asian theater of WWII

Buddhism

Timber elephants

Burma

Colonialism

Jingle Dancer

Multiple Intelligence Projects
Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Verbal/ Linguistic
1. When Jenna visits her Great-aunt Sis she tells her the story about Bat (again). Is there a story you love to hear told to you? What is it? Retell the story to one of your classmates, so they can share it too.
2. In the story, the author uses personification to describe the times of day:
As Moon kissed Sun good night
As Sun fetched morning
As Sun caught a glimpse of Moon
How could you use personification to describe the seasons?
Logical/ Mathematical
In the story, Jenna needs four rows of jingles to finish her dress. Can you identify anything else that comes in fours? (The author's note mentions: the four directions, four seasons, four stages of life, and four colors of man).
Visual/ Spatial (a good bulletin board activity)
After identifying all of the above, create a picture using any media you like. Use a variety of color, texture and pattern so that you will remember them!
Body/ Kinesthetic
Dancing is a terrific exercise. Brainstorm a list of all the different kinds of dance you can think of. List, too, if any of them have special costumes or regalia that are worn. Then, get those feet moving! If anyone has a dance they know which is celebrated in their culture, perhaps they would share it. Note: it is strongly recommended that the children do not imitate a powwow or otherwise "play" Indian; instead, feature another form of dance. (If you want to integrate a powwow into the curriculum, you might consider a powwow video or taking the children on a field trip to a powwow in your area).
Musical/ Rhythmic
Jenna’s heart beats to the “brum, brum, brum, brum of the powwow drum.” Find something, other than an actual drum, that would create this sound. Then, create other rhythms that you think match the rhythm of the words in this story.
Interpersonal
Jenna never asks for more than one row of jingles. Why? Have you ever asked for more than you should have? Write a brief journal about the times when maybe you should ask for less.
Intrapersonal
In the story, Jenna goes to visit her Great-aunt Sis, Mrs. Scott, and Cousin Elizabeth. If you were going to be in a big performance, who would you go tell? Who might you ask for help in getting ready for it? Write a letter to one of them telling about this story you read, and how it made you think of them!
Prediction/ Pre-reading Guide
Pre-Reading
What can you tell about the story just by reading the title and looking at the cover? Who do you think this story is about? Why do you think so?
Have you ever heard of a powwow? What do you think it would be like?
Prediction guide:
1. Why do you suppose Jenna waits last to ask her Grandma for jingles?
2. Do you think Great-aunt Sis will come see Jenna dance?
3. Do you think someone will video-tape Jenna’s dance like they did Grandma Wolfe?
4. Who will Jenna tell about the powwow? Why?
Comprehension Questions for
Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Knowledge
1. Explain what a jingle does.
2. Identify the characters who help Jenna prepare for the powwow.
Comprehension
1. Describe what happens in the story in your own words.
2. Retell why each person can’t dance at the powwow.
Application
1. What can you learn from the way Jenna solved her problem?
2. What did you learn about contemporary Native Americans?
Analysis
1. How is a jingle dance similar to a ballet recital? How is it different?
2. Examine where each of the characters live. Is it what you expected? Why or why not?
Synthesis
1. Imagine you were going to jingle dance. What things would you have to learn before that would be possible?
2. What events are important in your family each year? In what ways do you prepare for them?
Evaluation
1. What do you suppose happens after the powwow?
2. Which scene of the book is your favorite? Why?

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