Student Annotated Bibliography
Eleveld, Mark. The Spoken Word Revolution. IL: Sourcebooks, Inc., 2007.
This book of poetry is most interesting reading. Not only does it have poems, but it also has commentary on traditional (academic) poetry and slam poetry. The writings describe the divide between the two schools. It includes a CD that is very well done.
Franco, Betsy. Things I Have to Tell You: Poems and Writing by Teenage Girls. CA: Pacific News Service, 2002.
This book contains poems, photographs and essays. The multi media are very attractively juxtaposed. The topics are current and relevant for the average teen.
Giovanni, Nikki ed. Hip-Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry with a Beat. CA: Sourcebooks Inc., 2008.
This children's book on poetry has a mixture of hip-hop and traditional poems. It includes several popular poems from a variety sources and Martin Luther King Jr. speech, "I Have a Dream" written as a poem. The strength of this book is that it has an audio CD with some strong, rhythmic poems. There is no analysis of the poems, just the sounds and a list of the editorial personnel, of the illustrators, and of the contributors.
Gordon, Ruth ed. Pierced by a Ray of Sun. New York: Harper Collins, 1995.
Ruth Gordon has put together a set on poems on feeling alone, a common feeling for most of us. She is known for devoting her time to compiling poems for teens.
McKeague, Patricia. Step by Step: Writing About Literature. Iowa: Kendall Hunt Publishing Co., 2007.
This book is an outstanding resource for both students and teachers. McKeague focuses on literary analysis using literary elements and activities and providing specific examples and models of literary analysis. Her section on poetry, like all the other sections of this book, is very well done.
Sitomer, Alan and Michael Cirelli. Hip-Hop Poetry and the Classics. Canada: Milk Mug Publishing, 2004.
Although this book is an excellent teacher source, I recommend it strongly for students because of its excellent organization and outstanding selection of poems from a wide spectrum of authors. Students should find it to be a student-friendly reference book.
Stepanek, Mattie J. Reflections of a Peacemaker: A Portrait Through Heartsongs. Kansas City: Andrew McNeel Publishing, 2005.
The poems in this book are written by a pre-teen who was dying of neuromuscular disease. His poetry is inspiring and touching because he was aware that his time was limited. His story was told to the world, became famous, and was on the New York Time best selling list.
Bush, Valerie Chow ed. Believe Me, I Know: Poetry and Photography by Writer Crops Youth. CA: Writer Corps Books, 2002.
The contributors to the poems in this book range in age from six to twenty. Contributions consist of poems and photography and should be engaging for students who are interested in writing and publishing poetry.
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