Folktales and Poetry

 

 

Hamilton, V. (1993). The people could fly: American Black Folktales. Illus. Leo and Diane Dillon. Knopf Books for Young Readers.

"They didn't sing. They rose on the air. They flew in a flock that was black against the heavenly blue. Black crows or black shadows. It didn't matter, they were up so high. Way above the plantation, way over the slavery land. Say they flew away to Free-dom" 

This quote comes from the titular, and final, story in this collection of twenty-four folk tales. The tales themselves cover a range of styles: animal tales, "fanciful" tales (what would read akin to fairy tales to some), tall tales, supernatural tales, and slave tales. Additionally, stories vary in language style, as Hamilton takes great effort to preserve the feel of the dialects many of these stories are translated from. This can potentially lead to some difficulty for young readers, however many of the stories still scan well enough to the modern eye. In the hands of an experienced teller willing to put in some legwork this would not present much of an issue. 

Hamilton provides short source/historical context notes after each tale however direct sourcing is not present. In her introduction she provides context for this deficiency as she discussed how slaves were forbidden to read and write, therefore collection of these tales is difficult to track. She does, however, make sure to mention variations of tales and where the origins of those variations are from. 

The illustrations included are beautiful and expressive, helping to make up for the body language and tone that is lost when reading a story that is meant to be told. Ultimately this collection is a fine addition to any folk tale collection and given the variety of stories in its pages, there is likely to be something for any lover of folk tales.  

 

  

Sidman, J. (2010). Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night. Illus. Rick Allen. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 

For those that are called by the night, this collection of poems is sure to delight! 

Sidman's collection  of 12 poems explores the thoughts and habits of different nocturnal flora and fauna. Each poem focuses on one particular entity ranging from insects, animals, a snail, oak trees, mushrooms, and a spider. Included with each poem is a short factual entry regarding the subject of the poem if the reader wants to learn more.  

There is a fair amount of variety in the meter and sound patterns throughout the poems. Of note is the titular poem, which is a shape poem of an owl. Others make use of space and short lines to delineate time, such as the poem about the snail, which is broken up into short phrases that invite pauses, as if one is the snail slowly crawling across the leaves. However, Sidman's words really stand out in her luscious imagery:

"The night's a sea of dappled dark, 

the night's a feast of sound and spark" 

Each poem is also accompanied by a full page illustration. Allen's heavy line work implies the deep shadows and shifting light of night, without ever seeming too dark. 

 

At times these even add a layer of humor to the poem, such as with the poem about the snail, where we see an eft caught up in the snail's slimy trail. 

 

Ultimately, this would be a wonderful inclusion in any poetry collection, and for those that want to learn more about nighttime flora and fauna, could serve as a bridge into exploring poetry.