In the Land of Words: New and Selected Poems (Poetry)

In the Land of Words: New and Selected Poems

Written by Eloise Greenfield, Illustrations by Jan Spivey Gilchrist
(Poetry/Primary reader)

Did you ever wonder what a poet has to say about words? This collection of poems from Coretta Scott King Award winners Eloise Greenfield and Jan Spivey Gilchrist explores a ‘land of words’ from a boy named Nathaniel’s love of rapping to a conversation between a poet and her poem and is sure to delight the minds of young children just entering their own land of words.

In the Land of Words is a collection of poetry. Poetry may be defined as written works that “rich meaning with sounds of language arranged in interesting form” (Galda, 2010, p. 139). According to this definition, the pieces featured in this book certainly fit this genre. Content, language and form are important aspects to consider when evaluating poetry. Content must speak to the poem or collection of poem’s intended audience, in this case young children. Poems feature concepts and themes such as fishing, the world of babies, music, making friends, and the love of parents, all content that children will be able to relate to. Language is central to poetry. Greenfield incorporates many different poetic techniques into the poems in this collection. An example of rhyme can be seen in the poem “Nathaniel’s Rap:” “Rested, dressed and feeling fine/ I’ve got something on my mind/ Friends and kin and neighborhood/ Listen now and listen good” (Greenfield, 2004, p. 15). She uses repetition of phrases including “I get down” in the poem “Way Down in the Music” to imbue the poem with a rhythm of the music she is hearing (Greenfield, 2004, p. 20-21. In the poem “Oh, words” Greenfield uses alliteration when she writes “words, oh, words,/ Oh, what a mess,/ Wicked, wacky, yucky,/ Yes!” (Greenfield, 2004, p. 41). Greenfield also pays attention to the form and structure of her poems. Much of her work is free verse, but she turns the reader’s attention to parts of her poems using techniques such as varying the size and color of words and phrases and offsetting certain words and phrases (see image of poem below). She also includes one poem that is presented as a conversation between a poet and the poem being written.

As a collection of poetry, this book includes a variety of moods and styles of poems that are unified by their overarching themes. The book is divided into two sections, part one is entitled “The Poet/The Poem” and part two is entitled “In the Land” (Greenfield, 2004). Greenfield has also provided comments to accompany several of the poems which offer insight into her creative process and intent. For example, to introduce the poem “New Baby Poem (I), Greenfield writes, “I was thinking about how a new little baby might feel in a big crib, a big room, a big world” (Greenfield, 2004, p. 18).

This book is illustrated, and each of the poems is accompanied by some sort of illustration designed especially for it. Artist Jan Spivey Gilchrist has created the illustrations with fabric collages. The colorful collages pepper each page offering a snapshot of a character, moment, or feeling from each poem be it a boy and girl, a block of dancing cheese, or a bright sun. The medium is particularly captivating as children will be able to make out Gilchrist’s stiches holding fabric together and a texture that seems touchable (see image of sun above).

ACTIVITIES:

1. With consistently strong rhythm, the poetry in this book begs to be read aloud. For very young children, create an activity where the teacher reads selected poems aloud and have children respond to the sound of the poems through movement. For older readers, have students select a poem to practice reading and then “perform” for the class. This way students will be able to interact with the poetry and understand the impact of voice and phrasing built into poems.

2. “Making Friends” is a lovely poem about the first interaction two kindergarteners have and the friendship that blooms. Read this poem with the class and use the poem’s structure to have students create their own narrative poems about making a friend. For example, the poem begins “when I was in kindergarten,” but students may begin their poem with “when I was at camp” or “when I was at the playground.”

READER RESPONSE QUESTIONS:

1. What poetic techniques did you see in these poems? (Poetic techniques should be taught in conjunction with reading poetry.)
2. Pick a poem that stood out to you and explain what you noticed or thought of when reading this poem.
3. Why do you think some words in the poems are written in different colors?

This is a fun and thoughtful collection of poetry for children that will inspire a desire to delve into the world of language. This may also be considered a book with cultural diverse elements because it was created by two African American women who are known for offering expressions of their cultural experience in their written work. As with all good multicultural literature, this work will speak to children of all experiences, incorporating universal themes that resonate with young readers.

Resources

Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2010). Literature and the child (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:

            Wadsworths, Inc

Greenfield, E., & Gilchrist, J. S. (2004). In the land of words: new and selected poems. New

York: HarperCollins.

Images from https://www.harpercollins.com/web-sampler/9780060289935