Janeczko Poems

Firefly July: A year of Very Short Poems

 

Bibliography:

Janeczko, Paul B., and Melissa Sweet. 2014. Firefly July: a year of very short poems. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. ISBN 978-0763648428

Summary/Analysis:

Firefly July is a collection of poems compiled by Paul Janeczko.  The collection features 36 very short poems that are by well known poets and are all focused on the seasons.  The poems are light in tone and the poems in this collection are well suited for all ages in elementary school and a great resource for simple poems that can be easily understood by younger students.  The poems are free verse, haiku, and some are rhyming while all staying very concise.  The vocabulary in some poems will need some explanation before students read them, but this collection is a good addition for any classroom library.  Melissa Sweet’s illustrations support the poems and help the reader get into the season that the poems are “in.” Most illustrations contain images, animals,  and items that are mentioned in the poems.  This collection could benefit by including a larger variety of poetic forms, but still does a good job of keeping the poems simple and concise.  

Use:

The Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams

so much depends

upon

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens.

This poem by William Carlos Williams is a good example of a short poem that is full of imagery and by a notable poet.  It is found in the “spring” section of the collection, but nothing necessarily makes the reader think of spring besides the rain found in the poem.  The accompanying illustrations by Melissa Sweet show the rain, wheel barrow, and chickens mentioned in the poem.  This is a great poem to read aloud and have students hear how the pauses between lines help the poem “speak.” This poem would also make a great intro into the famous poet.  Students could use the poem’s topic and style and create their own “So much depends upon” poem.  After students create their own poem and research the poet they could also read another famous poem by William Carlos Williams titled “This is Just to Say” and create their own poem based off of that style.