Guest Post: I Could Pee on This and Other Poems by Cats by Francesco Marciuliano

I Could Pee on This and Other Poems by Cats offers us a sweet, humorous, and rather  bold look at how cats view their interactions with us humans and with the world around them.  I personally enjoyed the obnoxious "Man's Best Friend" and the adorable "Cute Bed Jump.”   But it’s the title poem that for me seals the deal and blows my mind as I imagine cats actually having those thoughts. 

Readers of all ages will find enjoyment between the covers of this book,  and educators will find the poems,  with their use of humor and irony,  an excellent way 

to engage students -   even those struggling  with literacy - in writing poems of their own. --E. Latham

Guest Blogger E. Latham currently teaches at Passages Academy.

Shine by Passages Academy Students

We’ve been celebrating all month long, first with Gwendolyn Brooks’ “We Real Cool” and Zetta Elliot’s "We Can't Breathe" and "We Are Wise" from Say Her Name .  Then, thanks to generous funding from our partners at LIT, we gifted every student with a copy of Ink Knows No Borders.  Last week we invited students to play with language and composition with Magnetic Poetry kits, also provided by LIT, and today we’re publishing their collected compositions in Shine,  our first epub. --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Ain’t Never Not Been Black by Javon Johnson

 Yes!   Your students will want to read this very of-the-moment book of poems by Dr. Javon Johnson, award-winning slam poet and Director of African American and African Diaspora Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  Johnson’s writing couldn’t be more accessible,  more honest, or more powerful.  Dense and tight, there is nothing extraneous here.  Highly recommended for proficient readers ages 14 and up. 

Johnson, Javon.  Ain’t Never Not Been Black.  Button Poetry, 2020. ebook.

Click here and scroll down to the third lesson for a compare and contrast lesson plan utilizing Johnson’s “Cuz He’s Black” poem and King’s “I Have a Dream Speech.”

Dear Justyce by Nic Stone

Quan was only in 6th grade when he witnessed  a home invasion and his father’s arrest by the police. Without his dad around,  Quan became the one to protect his little brother and sister from their mother’s abusive boyfriend,  and his experiences led him eventually to search for family elsewhere. 

Now Quan is incarcerated and writes letters to his friend Justyce, the protagonist of  Dear Martin,  a college student with heart who is determined to help his friend. 

Detained youth looking for a contemporary story of incarceration and happy endings will enjoy Dear Justyce.  While it is Nic Stone’s sequel to Dear Martin, it holds up to a stand-alone reading.  Recommended for 8th grade and up.   In the audiobook the author reads her forward, and the smooth voice of Dion Graham  narrates the story.  You can listen to a sample here.  Click here for a teaching guide to the two titles.   --Jessica Fenster-Sparber.

We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez

 

Pulga and Chico are two Guatemalan cousins  who are as close as brothers.  One day they are in the back of Don Feliciano’s store moving some boxes for him,  when they witness his murder at the hands of Rey,  the brother of a local bully. 

 

The two cousins fear Rey will come after them and they dream of leaving Guatemala for the US.    While they plan their escape,  their cousin Pequena,  who has given birth to a baby she doesn’t want to keep,  fears Rey who is claiming the baby and promising to “help”. 

 

To escape Rey and his continuing sexual assaults,   Pequena joins her two cousins as the three decide to risk taking La Bestia,  the dangerous train that runs north/south through Mexico and has cost the lives of many other desperate immigrants.

 

This relevant and sensitive novel by Brooklyn-born author Jenny Torres Sanchez,  builds empathy and understanding among strong readers who can make the 348 page journey. 

 

Recommended independent reading for 10th grade and up.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Torres Sanchez, Jenny.  We Are Not From Here. New York: Philomel Books, 2020.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

After an airplane crash on its way to the Dominican Republic takes their father, Yahaira and Camino’s worlds are thrown onto a collision course. Neither of them knew that their families helped their father keep such a big secret from them. Yahaira now begins to understand why her father left her every summer. Camino now understands why her father never took her to New York. Both now question if their father ever loved one more than the other. They struggle with learning that although they have lost their father, they each have gained a new sister.  In general this book is a must read, from the story to its characters to the cultural perspective. It all comes together to bring a powerful narrative.--Claudio Leon

Acevedo, Elizabeth. Clap When you Land. New York: Quill Tree Books, 2020. Print.

Click here for some thoughts and resources for teaching this title from Danielle Hall.