Hip Hop Speaks to Children

Nikki Giovanni (Editor). Hip hop speaks to children: a celebration of poetry with a beat. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2008.

Illustrators: Kristen Balouch ... et al..
ISBN-13: 978-1-40221-048-8

POETRY REVIEW: Hip Hop Speak to Children is a collection of poems with a focus on poems for African American Children and incorporates music (read and sang or rapped) to help relate the theme and tone of the words and meaning of the poem. But while this book does not have the traditional rhyme and meter in poems, it brings in the use of music to help establish a memorable beat for reading. The poem I choose lacks a solid method of rhyme and rhythm and changes beat at best three different tempos throughout. In addition, the poem brings to mind all of the wonderful places, people, and animals that poetry can take us to, the images bring to mind a free-spirit, free to wander among favorite adventures, and enjoying it so much, that you just can't get enough. In fact, if I reach out far enough I might be able to touch each object, real, concrete, and imagined.

POEM EXCERPT: Eloise Greenfield, Books

I've got

books on the bunk bed

books on the chair

books on the couch

And every old where

But I want more books

just can't get enough

want more books about

All kinds of stuff, like

Jackie's troubles, Raymond's joys

Rabbits, kangaroos, Girls and Boys

Mountains, valleys, Winter, spring

Campfires, vampires

Every old think

I want to

Lie down on my bunk bed

Lean back in

my chair

Curl up on the

couch

And every old

where

And

read

more

books!

POEM INTRODUCTION TO CHILDREN:

I cannot express my true enjoyment of this book especially with the use of the CD and music to help convey the thought and messages in the poems. We always talk about how the use of music helps children to learn about rhythm, beat, and tone of words and text, well this book has that in an upbeat and non-traditional manner both for poetry and rap music (words). I actually played another poem with my 3rd graders, and they were snapping their fingers, bobbing their heads, and repeating the words. With this poem, I would look at tying it into a larger unit for 4th graders by reading 2 other poems, "Pencils" from Recess, Rhyme, and Reason, and "Words" from Days to Celebrate. Using these 3 poems together to connect the pieces of written words from the tools we use, to the words, and then to the larger picture of the compilation of texts into books.