Nye, Naomi Shihab. Salting the Ocean; 100 Poems by Young Poets. Illus. by Ashley Bryan. Greenwillow, 2000. ISBN 978-0688161934.
SUMMARY AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Naomi Shihab Nye served as writer-in-the-schools throughout the state of Texas and visited several other states to teach about writing over the course of 25 years. While working with students, she collected original poetry that was written by children in grades 1 - 12. This book is a compilation of 100 of those original poems. The authors are not famous or well known and are now adults working in a variety of fields. The book is divided into four sections with different poetry topics. The topics are section headings and listed as; "The Self and the Inner World," Where We Live,: "Anybody's Family," and "The Wide Imagination." Nye partnered with the talented Ashley Bryan to provide the colorful section illustrations and other artwork interspersed throughout the collection.
The poetry represents a range of life experiences mostly written in free verse. Some of the poems are readily understandable while others take a little more contemplation to capture the author's message. The poetry is personal and genuine, ranging in length from two lines to filling two full pages. There are many heartfelt and emotional scenes as in the poetry of Jennifer Caraway as she remembers the life of her cat. Other poems reflect humor as in Amy Gonzales' "Where We Live" or "Rules for Trees" by Dana Dagues. Figurative language is found in many poems, consider the work of Rebecca Martinez in "Monday Night at the Kwik-Wash." She describes the scene with "Mr. Clock swinging his arms swiftly / Mrs. Dryer warm and soothing."
The book includes an introduction that addresses three specific types of readers. There is an "anyone" category, a message to teachers and a message to poets. Nye's wisdom and advice is best summed up in her words, "Read it! Share it with one another!" A table of contents and index of poems will help readers navigate the pages. Nye includes insightful afterward notes and some extra notes in the index. Teachers will find these poems useful as examples for students and a positive way to encourage writing in all grades.
The colorful illustrations add vibrancy to the text. Bryan used colorful tempera paint for his illustrations. The paintings include cultural markers in the skin tones, colorful designs and patterns. They are interesting to view and are well placed throughout the book.
SPOTLIGHT ON A POEM
Everyday objects make interesting subjects for a poem. Robert Kimmel's "Clock" is a good example of an object that students can relate too (although some may be more familiar with the digital clock and will need to see pictures of a traditional clock). Every child can relate to time and wanting it to speed up or slow down. If possible, provide a large clock with a second hand, challenge the children to just watch the clock for one minute (it will seem like an eternity). Ask children to respond to watching the clock for that length of time and to talk about times where time seemed to stand still or move very quickly. Read the poem aloud while the words are projected for the students to see. Invite five students to each take a line beginning with the word clock and read it aloud, ending with all calling out in unison CLOCK! Allow them a few minutes to practice together before presenting it to the class.
"Clock"
"Clock, who has looked at you
and seen the time?
Who has looked at you and said they were late?
Clock, you must be tired,
after all, you stay up all night.
Clock, who has looked at you and said they only had five minutes?
Clock, how many times have you been wound?
Clock, you have all the time
in the world locked up inside."
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