Hip Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat edited by Nikki Giovanni (Audio Book)

Summary
This is a compilation of poems by Nikki Grimes that have rhyme and rhythm. Poets and songwriters such as Langston Hughes, Kayne West, W.E.B. DuBois, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Lauren Hill, Mos Def, and A Tribe Called Quest are included along with colorful vibrant pictures. From Hughes' elegant gospel, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" to Elosie Greenfield's playful poem, "Books," there is a poem in here that is sure to reach everyone. There are more than 50 poems, 30 of which have performances on an accompanying CD (some performed by the author's themselves)! Children and adults alike will find themselves tapping along to the beat!

Discussion Questions
1. Which poem "spoke" to you the most? Why? Which poem was the most interesting? Why? Which poem was the funniest? Why? Which poem was the saddest? Why? Which poem really made you think? Why?
2. In Hip Hop Speaks to Children, there are poems about reading, words, and school. Which one do you most relate with? Why? (Poems include: Oh, Words; Books; For Word; from Principal's Office)

Other Books to Check Out
Poetry Speaks to Children edited by Elise Paschen and Dominique Raccah
Poetry Speaks Who I Am with CD: Poems of Discovery, Inspiration, Independence, and Everything Else by edited by Elise Paschen and Dominique Raccah

APA Citation
Giovanni, N. (2008). Hip hop speaks to children: A celebration of poetry with a beat, (Ed.). Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Inc.

Red Sings from the Treetops: A Year in Colors (Poetry)

Summary
This uniquely illustrated picture book is a collection of poems tied together by colors and the seasons. Joyce Sidman takes the reader on a journey through spring and summer to fall and winter by describing the world around her in colors. As the seasons change, so do the meanings of the colors. She writes, "In spring, red sings from the treetops: cheer-cheer-cheer, each note dropping like a cherry into my ear, " but in fall, "Red splashes fall tree, seeps into every vein of every five-fingered leaf." You start to see the world around you in a new way by her rhythmic tone, language, and word choice. Readers of all ages could love these colorful poems.

Discussion Questions
1. Which season's colors do you find most beautiful? Why?
2. If you were to add another color to spring, summer, winter, or fall, what would you add? Why? Where would this color be found?
3. Why do you think the author wrote this poem?

Other Books to Check Out
Salas, L. (2008). Flashy, clashy, and oh-so splashy: poems about color. North Mankato, MN: Capstone Press.
Sidman, J. (2006) Butterfly eyes and other secrets of the meadow. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.
Sidman, J. (2007). This is just to say: Poems of apology and forgiveness. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.
Sidman, J. (2010). Ubiquitous: Celebrating nature's survivors. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.
Yolen, J. (2003). Color me a rhyme: Nature poems for young people. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press.

Author's Website


APA Citation
Sidman, J. (2009). Red sings from the treetops: A year in colors. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.