I try to squeeze in as much reading as I can when I can but between my job, trying to maintain some sort of an exercise routine and trying, also, to write and work at art projects, it ain't always easy. Anyhow, I recently finished reading The Underneath, by Kathi Appelt. It's truly one of the most lyrical and beautifully written books I've ever read so it came as no surprise to me when it won a Newbery Honor Medal this year. My only surprise was that it didn't win the gold medal for it truly deserved it. There was some discussion about this book holding little appeal for children, about the language being inaccessible, but every one of my students who has read it has finished it and absolutely loved it.
For anybody who hasn't delved into this book yet, it's the story of a dog and a cat and her kittens who live beneath the house of a cruel man in a backwoods bayou. The story of a giant crocodile, two young lovers and a giant shape-shifting snake are also seamlessly woven into the story. At the end, all the stories come together. And that's all I'll tell you about the ending, except that it was emotionally satisfying. All I could say was, wow!
Kids, I've discovered, love beautiful language - words that roll off the tongue and paint a vivid picture for them. I love to read aloud stories that captivate their imagination and slowly reel them in. This year I have a squirmy bunch of fifth graders and as I started reading The Underneath aloud to them, they were moving around in their seats, whispering, flicking little wads of paper, etc. Slowly, they stopped to listen and as they did, they stopped squirming and tuned into the story. I knew I had them. At the end of the period, they groaned. Somebody even asked if she could come in during her lunch period to hear more!
I've read novels written in poetic prose before, but not recently and none that I remember for children (although Cynthia Rylant's books come close at times). A lot of books today are written in free verse. Sometimes it comes off sounding a little artificial, though, and I think the story would have been more effective if it had been written in narrative form.
Some outstanding free verse novels that work well for me include Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust (one of the first written in this style), Susan Taylor Brown's lovely novel, Hugging the Rock and Sharon Creech's book, Love That Dog. I'm sure there must be more.
Practicing the art of crafting poetry can lend your prose more beauty. But, more on this another time. Anybody else out there practice writing both poetry and prose? If so, I'd love to hear about it.
