L*I*V*E*S
Poems About Famous Americans
Selected by Lee Bennett
Hopkins
cover image retrieved on
January 28, 2013 from
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lives-lee-bennett-hopkins/1005306213
Bibliography
Hopkins, Lee Bennett,
and Leslie Staub. Lives: Poems About Famous Americans. New York: HarperCollins
Publishers, 1999. ISBN 9780060277673.
Critical
Analysis
Lee Bennett Hopkins has
assembled a collection of poems by a variety of authors that pay homage to
greats among American history. Revere, Tubman, Parks, Armstrong, and a host of
memorable names grace the pages of this anthology. A variety of styles and
formats tell the stories of men and women who helped shape the history of this
country. Many are emotive and sincere in their portrayal. For example, from
“The Many and the Few” about Rosa Parks:
To celebrate the ride
that marks
The
debt the Many owe the Few,
One
day of freedom grew into
The
Century of Rosa Parks.
Readers of all ages
will enjoy these poems conveying the heart and story of famous Americans. Full
page portraits accompany each poem, lending a more personalized touch to the
representation of the hero. The person’s lifespan is noted under the portrait,
helping the reader to place the famous American in a particular time period. Poems
are arranged chronologically, aiding the reader in keeping each in the proper
order. Notes on each person appear at the end of the book, extending the
reader’s knowledge the person’s place in history.
This unpretentious
anthology presents common household names in a way that is at times idyllic, at
times quite personal and endearing. All speak favorably of the subject. This
book would be a worthy addition to a library or classroom collection. Upper
elementary through high school students will find this poetry relatable and
understandable.
Reviews
Carolyn Phelan
(Booklist, March 15, 1999 (Vol. 95, No. 14))
A collection of
selected poems … the strongest among the poems is Alice Schertle's
"Abe," which leaves readers with a powerful image of Lincoln
"wrapping his strong hands / around a nation / trying to hold the bleeding
halves / together / until they healed." Some of the other poets
represented include Lee Bennett Hopkins, Nikki Grimes, X. J. Kennedy, J.
Patrick Lewis, and Jane Yolen. Teachers looking for poetry to enhance
social-studies units will find several good choices here.
Elizabeth Bush (The
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, May 1999 (Vol. 52, No. 9))
An old-fashioned
naïveté which assumes uncritical, universal acclaim of the subjects permeates
the collection, though, and many readers will recognize that John F. Kennedy,
the Hero of PT 109, had feet of clay that go unnoticed here, that Abe the
Rail-Splitter was not roundly adored, and that Eleanor Roosevelt’s face can
hardly be described as “a portrait of beguiling grace.” While students may be
able to scoop up a little Social Studies extra credit with an entry or two,
poetry lovers probably won’t be engaged by the likes of “O, Babe, come back/
Hit one more/ Homer/ For one of your earth’s children.” Full-page folk-artsy
color portraits (all with narrow-eyed stares and most with eerily
interchangeable features) accompany the poems, and a concluding double spread offers
a paragraph of biographical information for each personage.
Best
Book Lists
Books for You: An
Annotated Booklist for Senior High, Fourteenth Edition, 2001 ; National Council
of Teachers of English; United States
Children's Catalog,
Eighteenth Edition, 2001 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Children's Catalog,
Nineteenth Edition, 2006 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Middle And Junior High
School Library Catalog, Eighth Edition, 2000 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Middle and Junior High
School Library Catalog, Ninth Edition, 2005 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Notable Social Studies
Trade Books for Young People, 2000 ; National Council for the Social Studies
NCSS; United States
Selected
Poem
The
Whippoorwill Calls
By Beverly McLoughland
No
one hears her
Coming
Through
the woods
At
night
For
she is like
A
whippoorwill
Moving
through the trees
On
Silent wings.
No
one sees her
Hiding
In
the woods
By
day
For
she is like
A
whippoorwill
Blending
into leaves
On
the forest floor.
And
one night
The
whippoorwill calls
And
the warm air
Carries
the haunting sound
Across
the fields
And
into the small dark cabins.
And
only the slaves know
It
is Harriet.
Learning
Extensions
Introduction:
·
Use this
poem as part of a unit studying slavery in America, the Civil War, the
Underground Railroad, and/or abolition, perspectives and viewpoints.
·
Students
will view a clip from The History Channel’s “America: the Story of Us” about
Harriet Tubman at http://www.history.com/shows/america-the-story-of-us/videos/harriet-tubman-and-the-underground-railroad#harriet-tubman-and-the-underground-railroad
Poetry Share:
·
This poem
would be a good read aloud for choral reading or two students to read
alternating verses.
·
Discuss the
use of signals during slave escapes on the Underground Railroad. Examine signals
in addition to calls at http://pathways.thinkport.org/secrets/
and http://www.followthedrinkinggourd.org/
·
Pair this
poem with historical fiction, such as Picture of Freedom: Diary of Clotee, a
Slave Girl, Belmont Plantation 1858 by Patricia McCormick.
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I Think I Saw a Snail:
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illustrated by Matt Novak, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1993.
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1999.
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Sports! Sports!
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My America, illustrated
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a Day, illustrated by Renee Flower, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2000.
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illustrated by Jane Manning, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2003.
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Valentine Hearts:
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Oh, No! Where Are My
Pants?, and Other Disasters: Poems, illustrated by Wolf Erlbruch, HarperCollins
(New York, NY), 2005.
Halloween Howls:
Holiday Poetry, illustrated by Stacey Schuett, HarperCollins (New York, NY),
2005.
Got Geography!,
illustrated by Philip Stanton, Greenwillow (New York, NY), 2006.
