Poetry Review: Bookspeak! by Laura Purdie Salas Ill. by Josèe Bisaillon

Bookspeak! By Laura Purdie Salas, Ill. by Josèe Bisaillon

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Salas, Laura Purdie. 2011. Bookspeak!: Poems About Books. Ill. by Josèe Bisaillon. NewYork: Clarion. ISBN 978-0547223001

2.  SUMMARY

If a book could talk, what would it say? Laura Purdie Salas indulges our imagination and provides us with a collection of fun poems that give a voice to books themselves.

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

In this playful collection of poems about books and the things they contain, Laura Purdie Salas uses a variety of poetry types as a medium for different tones. Each poem has its own style and rhythm that is directly reflective of the poem’s mood. For example, in “Conflicted”, a poem written from the point of view of the problem in a story, the lines are a short spurt of two to three words. The language used is strongly negative, with words like “demand”, “misery”, “hate”, “dreary”. It feels as though you are listening to someone who is unhappy, which is perfectly representative of what the point of view for this poem is trying to convey. Some poems in this collection are quite literal, and young readers will be quick to understand. Other poems, such as “Paper Sky”, will take a bit of work for readers to construct meaning from the few lines and abstract concept.

The mixed media illustrations and the wide variety of font choices used by Bisaillon are dynamic. Each illustration compliments the poem’s mood without overpowering the words themselves. Much like Salas’ poems, some illustrations are straightforward and serious, and others are playful and humorous. Children’s imaginations will flourish while reading this collection of poems, each from their own unique point of view. The next time they visit the library, they might have a different perspective on their favorite book!

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY: “Bisaillon’s mixed media illustrations are dizzyingly inventive, their bright colors, sampling of typography, and whimsical details underscoring the idea of the potential that awaits between the covers.”

5. CONNECTIONS

*Use this book to teach children about different aspects of a book, and how to treat books. Several poems are included on the parts of a book (illustrations, pages, indexes, etc.) as well as story elements (cliffhangers, problem, story structure) which make this collection of poems a great teaching tool.

*Have children choose an element of a story and write a poem from its perspective.