Module Fifteen: Forever by Judy Blume

Bibliography

Blume, J. (2007). Forever. New York, NY: Simon Pulse. (Original work published 1975 by Bradbury Press.

 

Summary

Katherine and Michael are high school seniors who meet by chance at a New Year's Eve party and are instantly attracted to one another. Their relationship progresses quickly, both emotionally and physically, and eventually Katherine loses her virginity. In anticipation for the future, they plan on rearranging their college plans so that they can be together...forever. But then Katherine's father arranges for her to be a tennis coach at a summer camp, keeping her and Michael apart all summer. Meanwhile, Michael has already made summer plans to work in North Carolina and is just now telling her. When Katherine meets Theo, a fellow tennis coach, the unexpected happens, and she begins questioning everything -- including her feelings for Michael.

 

My Impressions

Forever is a realistic love story, and its themes of first love and coming-of-age are timeless. Aside from references to "fondue" and the idea of Robert Redford being a kind of "Brad Pitt" of the time, Blume's novel translates well into 2012. All the characters, including the adults, are well-developed, and the ups and downs of Katherine's and Michael's relationship are quite realistic. Through the years, many parents and teachers have objected to the sexual content of Forever. While there is definitely sexual content throughout the book, it is never gratuitous and helps to give a further sense of realism to their relationship. While appropriate for high school students, the content may be too mature for middle school students.

Review

School Library Journal
"Katherine and Michael find each other, and it's first love for both of them. Katherine loses her virginity, finds out about contraceptives, and learns about VD with lectures inserted as needed. Actually, both kids are so kind and considerate, so understanding, so everything, that readers may wonder what's wrong with them. Finally, she realizes that first love isn't always Forever, that she is growing and accepting changes. Sniff, sniff. Obviously it's not a quality book, but that fact won't bother the many girls who will read it, identify, cry happily, and recommend it to their friends. Librarians buying for junior high schools should be aware that the sexual scenes, while not at all explicit compared to the run of adult novels, may be more than parents of young teens bargain for."

 

Use in Library

This is a classic example of a oft-banned book and would work well in a banned books display. For a twist on the familiar theme, the display could feature the most banned books by the decade, starting with the 1970s.

 

Minudri, R. U. (1975). Forever. [Review of the book Forever]. School Library Journal, 22(3), 95.

Image from http://paperbacktreasures.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-forever-by-judy-blume.html

Module Fourteen: Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant and Other Poems by Jack Prelutsky

Bibliography

Prelutsky, J. (2006). Behold the bold umbrellaphant and other poems. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Summary

Here, Prelutsky invents clever wordplay to describe a slew of new animal species by combining familiar animals with ordinary objects: the "Umbrellaphant," has an umbrella for a trunk; the "Panthermometer" is a panther with a thermometer for a tail; and the "Lynx of Chain" is a lynx with chain links for a body. For each of the creatures, the author has included a delightful poem describing its physical qualities and offbeat antics.

 

My Impressions

This is such a wonderful, whimsical book of poetry, and it's sure to appeal to many readers, young and old. Before Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant and Other Poems, I had noticed Prelutsky's books on the shelf but never picked any of them up. Well, I didn't know what I was missing because he is enormously adept at creating funny (and punny) verse. Had I read his work as a child, I would have learned to love poetry much earlier in life. Fortunately, the author includes a phonetic spelling of each new species; without it, readers would definitely struggle. I highly recommend this book and think it would be appreciated on some level by all age groups.

 

Reviews

Horn Book Magazine
"Berger’s sophisticated visual wit pairs with Prelutsky’s verbal ingenuity to create unconventional animals -- the Ocelock, the Clocktopus, and the Tubaboons, to name a few. In each of the seventeen poems, Prelutsky combines an animal with an inanimate object and then evokes the purpose of the object in the animal's behavior. An elephant extends into an Umbrellaphant, which is always in the shade and stays dry; a hornet becomes a shoehornet, a useful but dangerous tool; and 'the Pop-Up Toadsters hop and hop, / Then startlingly, abruptly stop / And place in sloats atop their heads / Fresh slices of assorted breads.' The style of Prelutsky's verse here is reminiscent of his poems for preschoolers in Ride a Purple Pelican, with effective use of repetition, but Berger's art marks this as clearly for elementary-age children. The clever collage art uses reproductions of old-fashioned illustrations of objects -- e.g., the Toadsters are vintage toasters with eyes and toad legs, the Alarmadillos' bodies are round analog clocks with bells, and the Panthermometer's tail is a glass mercury thermometer."

Kirkus Reviews

"The reigning king of iambic "pun"tameter returns with 17 new poems. By compressing words with shared syllables, Prelutsky hybridizes common objects and animals. Kids will delight in meeting "The Eggbeaturkey," "Shoehornets" and "The Ballpoint Penguins." The poems, most executed in iambic tetrameter, turn on trademark absurdity: "The TRUMPETOOS and TUBAOONS / Are blaring out discordant tunes. / They play them loud, they play them long, / But most of all, they play them wrong." Tautly controlling meter and rhyme, Prelutsky brings the roiling fun to a simmer with wry conclusions. ("They march about in close array. / We wish they'd simply march away, / Or stop and take a silent snooze-- / Those TUBABOONS and TRUMPETOOS." Berger's whimsical collages craftily handle exotica like "The Solitary Spatuloon" and "The Ocelock." A few poems present challenges. "The Limber Bulboa's" pun is a stretch for younger gigglers, though redeemed with this surefire couplet: "It has no idea what it's likely to find / As it lights up its way with its brilliant behind." Pretty brilliant, indeed."

 

Use in Library

This would work well as a read-aloud to preschool children and elementary children. For elementary school children, librarians could ask them to create their own make-believe creatures by combining an animal with an object, as Prelutsky does here. Children could draw their fictitious animals and share them with the group.

This could be used to introduce poetry-writing to elementary school children. Librarians would focus on the content, rather than form, of poetry and encourage the children to create their own.



Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant: and Other Poems. (2006). [Review of the book Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant: and Other Poems]. Kirkus Reviews, 74(18), 964.

S. D., L. L. (2006). Behold the bold umbrellaphant and other poems. [Review of the book Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant: and Other Poems]. Horn Book Magazine, 82(6), 730-731.

Image fromhttp://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/books/Scranimals/?isbn13=9780060543174&tctid=100