Amber Was Brave, Essie Was Smart

Bibliography

Williams, Vera B. 2001. Amber Was Brave, Essie Was Smart. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.  ISBN 0060294604.

Recommended Age Levels 7-13

Summary of Book

In the collection of poems called Amber Was Brave, Essie Was Smart, Amber is the main character, while Essie is her sister.  They are very poor and have to rely on one another.  The two girls cuddle together with Amber’s teddy bear Wilson in a “Best Sandwich” in order to keep warm because their heater is broken.  They cannot use a telephone, because their mother cannot pay the bill.  Their mother works hard to take care of the family, but she is not around often, except for late in the evenings and on Sunday.  Sunday is finger nail painting day and their mother ends up insulting their new friend Nata-Lee who has recently moved in on the top floor of their building.  Their dad is in jail because he forged a check.  This is devastating for Amber, and she sends him her braids to ensure that he remembers her.  The poems reveal the relationship of Amber and Essie as both sisters and confidants.  We really feel their inner struggles with the world, their family, and each other.  The story is so direct, yet the emotions are so rich.  The pictures help emphasize that also by going from black and white to colored pencil drawings.  In the end, they go with their uncle and mom to buy groceries just before their dad comes home.

Review Excerpts

“Williams opens with full-color portraits of the girls and closes with pastel drawings of the more dramatic moments; she punctuates the poems with black-and-white pencil drawings that convey the deep affection between these sympathetic sisters. Though the author taps into difficult themes, by relaying the events through the eyes of the two girls, she maintains a ray of hope throughout the volume.”

·         Publishers Weekly

“Williams's heartwarming story takes readers on the emotional roller-coaster ride that is Amber and Essie's life. Williams's spare and touching verses capture every detail with clarity, humor, and heart. While the text is accessible to children just venturing beyond easy-readers, the story has a great deal of substance for older readers as well. Black-pencil sketches are full of action and as lively as Williams's poems, and fully capture the joys and sorrows of the girls' life. Finally, when the story has ended (or perhaps just begun), readers are treated to a full-color album of most of the high points and some of the low points the youngsters experience. A poignant testament to what it means to have a sister.”

·         School Library Journal

“Two sections of full-color pencil illustrations add surprise and detail to the text. The opener, "Introducing Amber and Essie 4 Portraits," shows the girls from front and back, giving the reader a delightfully well-rounded portrait of each. The closing section, "Amber and Essie: An Album," adds additional action and color to some of the incidents. Poems and illustrations provide a portrait of close sisterly relationship that intimately and lovingly draws the reader into the joys and sadness of their lives. A wonderful story, brilliantly told.”

·         Kirkus Reviews

Awards / Honors Received

·         Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Honor Book

·         ALA Notable Children’s Book

·         Riverbank Review Children’s Books of Distinction Award

·         ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice

·         Publishers Weekly Best Book

·         School Library Journal Best Book

·         New York Public Library's "One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing"

·         Jane Addams Book Award Honor Book

·         Horn Book Fanfare

·         Book Sense 76 Pick

·         Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee 2004-2005

·         Claudia Lewis Poetry Award 2002

Questions to Ask Before Reading

Have the students discuss the following questions before reading aloud Amber Was Brave, Essie Was Smart.

·         Before showing the students the title of the book, ask Have you ever been compared to your brother or sister?  After several responses are shared, show children the title and ask What clues do we have that this book is going to look at the differences between two sisters?

·         Do you have a brother or sister?  What are some things that you do together?

·         Do you have someone that you share your feelings and experiences with?  Where do you share these things?  Do you always get along with them?  Explain.

·         What are the differences between having one person at home versus two parents at home?  What would you miss most about your family if it changed? 

·         How does your family cheer each other up?  Is there something that always happens when someone in the family is sad or going through a hard time?

·         What is it like to meet someone new?  Where did you meet them?  How did you become friends?

·         What is a routine or tradition?  Do you have a routine or tradition in your family?  Is there something special that your family does on a set day or occasion? 

Suggestions for Reading Poems Aloud

·         “Conversation Under the Bed” – Have the students separated into 5 groups (organized by their tables), so each group gets a stanza to read aloud.  They may act it out as a group when it is their turn to read aloud.  This will help them focus on the meaning of a stanza and the meaning in the stanza.

·         “Daddy Song” – Have all the children choral read the word daddy on every other line.  They will then really hear the other words emphasized and as the focus.  They get to see how things evolve or change with her experience with her dad.  The main idea is Daddy, and the students will pick up on that from this activity.

·         “No I Won’t / Yes I Will” – Divide the students into two groups.  Have them take turns being either Essie or Amber.  They will act it out bantering back and forth.  This poem is perfect for this, because it is written like it should be a dialogue!  

Follow Up Activities

Writing

·         In this poetry book, Essie helps Amber cut her braids.  Amber wants to send her braids to Daddy, so he does not forget her.  Amber would have liked to have included a letter with her braids.  The letter would have reminded her dad why she is so special.  Have the students write a personal essay about why they are special.

·         In the book, Nata-Lee gets her feelings hurt on “Sunday Beauty Parlor”.  The mother of Amber and Essie tells Nata-Lee that she cannot participate as fully or as well, because she does not take care of her fingers.  Amber becomes embarrassed by her mother.  Have the students write a personal narrative about a time when they got embarrassed by a family member.

·         In the book, Nata-Lee becomes a new friend to Amber and Essie.  It was a very convenient friendship, since she moved into the same building.  Have the students write a personal essay about a time that they made a new friend. 

Math

·         After reading the poem At the Table in Nata-Lee’s Turret House and Knowledge, discuss fractions with the students.  Essie, Amber, and Nata-Lee split four apples evenly among three people.  Have them think of things that they share and split among friends.  Practice by splitting the pencils, crayons, erasers or snacks evenly among the students. 

·         After comparing the two poems, Thursday Afternoon, where money and food were difficult to obtain, and Full Cart, where money was not as much of an issue, talk to the students about money.  Discuss the importance of a budget and spending money wisely.  Practice by giving the students a realistic budget for groceries.  Print up a list of items at the grocery store, and let them ‘purchase’ and total their mock-bill.  Have them sort what they bought and determine how many meals they can make with what they bought.  Afterwards, discuss positive choices.  They are also then practicing addition. 

·         After reading the poem Amber’s Pleasure, discuss the value of 150.  Bring in containers or things that have more or less than 150 items in them.  Discuss with the students greater than, less than, and equal to.  Students can then bring in their own items and make an anchor chart of their things that are greater than, less than, and equal to.

Social Studies

·         Students can begin a unit of study on the Great Depression.  They can research using both historical fiction and nonfiction texts.  They can then compare and contrast the recession now to the Great Depression then.  Additional information available at http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/themes/great-depression/students.html.

·         After reading the poem Knowledge, have the students locate the equator and the continents.  Have them create and label a map.  Sing the continent song, which is viewable at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVrN-0aQV1o.

·         During the Great Depression, many people struggled financially.  Discuss the economic ramifications this poverty caused in the family structure. 

Science

·         After reading the poem Best Sandwich, discuss friction.  Amber and Essie had to try to keep warm.  They chose snuggling up close to each other to do so.  Have students try rubbing their hands back and forth together to create heat.  Discuss why this works and identify this as friction.  Also, have the students breathe on their own hands to feel heat. 

·         After reading the poems Amber’s Pleasure and Whoops, discuss gravity.  Discuss which objects they think will hit the ground first with different objects and model it.  Have the students pick an object that they would like to test in groups.  Calculate the time that each object takes to reach the floor when dropped at the same height.  Discuss the principle that all take the same amount of time and that it is called gravity.  

·         After reading the poem Full Cart, discuss the importance of a balanced nutrition.  Discuss healthy foods while looking at the food pyramid.  Discuss the benefits of eating healthy, such as increased energy and healthfulness.  Have children create a poster advertising delicious healthy foods and their benefits. 

Arts – Music, Art, Drama

·         Students can create their own play to perform a Reader’s Theater.  Once a script is written, allow the students to assign roles and gather props.  Allow the students ample time to rehearse their parts.  Let them perform their Reader’s Theater.

·         Have the students write a song just like Amber did for Daddy Song.

·         Review the pictures at the beginning of the book.  The author Vera Williams created the pictures by using colored pencils.  Take a picture of the kid’s faces and the backs of their heads.  Give them their photos and have them create their own portraits using the same materials as Vera Williams.  

Counseling Issues

·         A counselor may use this book to lead into whole group or one-on-one discussions with children about friendship, sibling rivalry, latchkey kids, poverty, death of a parent, single parent households, or having a parent in jail.

Related Web Sites

An Interview with Vera B. Williams

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNIXrAxonMo

[Check out this video clip to hear Vera Williams say this book is her favorite and say how it was inspired by her own life experience.]

Great Depression

www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/themes/great-depression/students.html

[Check out this website for more information about the history of the Great Depression.]

Vera B. Williams

http://whatsupwiththebooks.edu.glogster.com/verabwilliams/

[Check out this website for more information about the author and her other works.]

Related Books

Fiction

Hanson, Warren. 2005. Raising You Alone.  Tristan Publishing. ISBN 0972650466.

Downey, Roma. 2001. Love is a Family. Gasquet, Justine. HanpeerEntertainment. ISBN 0060393742.

Jenkins, Emily. 2004. Daffodil. Bogacki, Tomek. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.  ISBN 037316767.

Amato, Mary. 2008. The Children of the Family. Durand, Delphine. Putnam. ISBN 0399241965.

Nonfiction

Freedman, Russell. 2010. Children of the Great Depression. Sandpiper. ISBN 0547480350.

Stanley, Jerry. 1993. Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp. Crown Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0517880946.

Lied, Kate. 2002. Potato: A Tale from the Great Depression. Ernst, Lisa. National Geographic Children’s Books. ISBN 0792269462.

Poetry

Winter, Jonah. 2011. Born and Bred in the Great Depression. Root, Kimberly. Schwartz and Wade. ISBN 0375861971.

Hesse, Karen. 1999. Out of the Dust. Scholastic. ISBN 0590371258.

Greenfield, Eloise. 2008. Brothers and Sisters: Family Poems. Amistad. ISBN 0060562846.

George, Kristine O’Connell. 2011. Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems. Carpenter, Nancy. Clarion. ISBN 0618428429.

Wicked Girls

1.    BIBLIOGRAPHY:  Hemphill, Stephanie. 2010. WICKED GIRLS: A NOVEL OF THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 9780061853289.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this verse novel, the thoughts, feelings, and motives of three of the ‘afflicted’ girls from the Salem Witch Trials are revealed through poetry.  Mercy Lewis, Margaret Walcott, and Ann Putnam Jr. are the girls that the story focuses its attention on.  Ann introduced all the girls to different ‘folk magic’, one of which they read fortunes from cracked eggs.  However, she was not one of the first girls who got sick.  When Abigail and Betty get sick and starts to feel guilty and wonders if the Devil is paying her back for her mischief.  The town elders start paying attention to these girls, and Ann then also decides to become involved and afflicted by witches.  She becomes very important to her family, rather than ignored.  She relishes the attention.  Ann soon becomes the leader of the group and bosses everyone around.  She lets people know what to do and when.  There are consequences for the girls when they do not obey her.  For example, Abigail is given the silent treatment and for a limited time is kicked out of the group for hollering when Ann did not tell her to.  Ann also killed Mercy’s dog, Wilson, when Mercy wanted to leave their group.  While Ann enjoyed the power and attention, the other two joined for different reasons.  Mercy Lewis joined when Ann begged by stating that a witch was spooking her.  Mercy knew how much Ann idolized her, and she was also her caregiver.  Mercy was hesitant to ‘see’ what Ann claimed to see the first time; however, she wanted to look out for Ann.  This all changes though when the lowly servant becomes revered as a seer.  Her words matter, and she is no longer invisible in the world.  Mercy manipulates Ann to do what she wants and ends up becoming the leader of the group until her dog Wilson is killed.  Mercy seeks revenge on her previous master, who had abused her, with her new power.  She justifies the resulting hangings and accusations as getting rid of people that are sinners.  She is the master-mind of strategy to make their voices continue being heard as the word of God.  Margaret is brought into the group initially by her jealousy of Mercy.  Margaret’s beau, Isaac, starts showing Mercy a lot of attention, which Margaret does not appreciate.  She joins the group to get attention from him.  Isaac becomes betrothed to Margaret; however, things still do not feel right for Margaret.  Isaac still flirts with everyone.  Isaac comes over one night when nobody is around and pressures her to have sex before their marriage.  He never comes around to visit her for some time after that.  Mercy learns of this from Isaac and consoles Margaret, which bonds Margaret more to the group.  Mercy later enables Margaret to save Isaac’s life, when she accuses Isaac of witchcraft and then lets Margaret deny the accusation.  Margaret is allowed out of the group before their demise, so that she can marry Isaac.  Isaac does not approve of the girls’ accusations, because he realizes that they are lying.  Margaret is never allowed to have contact with the other seers again, even in matters of life and death.  She had to stand by and do nothing while Elizabeth was run over by a carriage.  These young ladies wanted their voices heard and undivided attention above all else.       

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Hemphill does a wonderful job of letting the emotions and motives of the characters unfold through poetry.  The way the verses are written the audience feels like they know the private life and secrets of the girls.  It was a very intriguing way to carry out a historical fiction and poetry novel of the Salem Witch Trials in a fresh way.  The clique aspects are very relatable to teenage girls today.  There was definitely a mean girl syndrome of bullying through words and actions that girls of today still face.  This book deals with many tough issues, such as bullying, peer pressure, pre-marital sex, abuse, and neglect.  While most books show either the before or after of these controversial issues, this book shows, through inner thoughts, the cause of the acting out, the acting out, and the consequence of the action.  Without being preachy about a moral, it shows the extreme consequences of lying and getting caught in a lie.  Since it is done through poetry, the audience really focuses on the emotions and how each character fits into the whole situation.  This was very well executed.

 
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Starred review in BOOKLIST: "Once again, Hemphill's raw, intimate poetry probes behind the abstract facts and creates characters that pulse with complex emotion. According to an appended author's note, unresolved theories about the causes of the girls' behavior range from bread-mold-induced hallucinations to bird flu. In Hemphill's story, the girls fake their afflictions, and the book's great strength lies in its masterful unveiling of the girls' wholly believable motivations: romantic jealousy; boredom; a yearning for friendship, affection, and attention; and most of all, empowerment in a highly constricting and stratified society that left few opportunities for women. Layering the girls' voices in interspersed, lyrical poems that slowly build the psychological drama, Hemphill requires patience from her readers. What emerge are richly developed portraits of Puritanical mean girls, and teens will easily recognize the contemporary parallels in the authentic clique dynamics."

Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL:  “The verse format is fresh and engaging, distilling the actions of the seven accusing girls into riveting narrative.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*It is great to use in conjunction with a history lesson on the Salem Witch Trials.

Other books for children about the Salem Witch Trials:

Aronson, Marc.  WITCH-HUNT:  MYSTERIES OF THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS.  ISBN 1416903151.

Wilson, Lori Lee.  THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS (HOW HISTORY IS INVENTED).  ISBN 0822548895. 

Myers, Anna.  TIME OF THE WITCHES.  ISBN 0802798209.

Hill, Frances.  DELIVERANCE FROM EVIL:  A NOVEL OF THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS.  ISBN 1590204700.

*It would be great to use in conjunction with a lesson discussing powerful women.  Give some examples of positive influences after this negative example.

Other books about powerful women: 

Bober, Natalie.  ABIGAIL ADAMS: WITNESS TO A REVOLUTION.  ISBN 0689819161.

Stanley, Jerry.  BIG ANNIE OF CALUMET.  ISBN 0517700972.

Mirror Mirror

1.    BIBLIOGRAPHY:  Singer, Marilyn. 2010.  MIRROR MIRROR. Masse, Josee.  New York, NY: Dutton Children’s Books. ISBN 9780525479017.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Singer does a collection of fairy tale stories in poem format using dual points of view.  Cinderella is stuck cleaning while everyone else is at the ball, then she is the one everyone envies at the ball.  Sleeping Beauty is exhausted of sleeping while waiting for her prince, while the prince is feeling restless and sick of always having to work to keep looking for his true love.  Rapunzel has to manage her hair and the rumors about her mother, then she has to clean up the mess from cutting her hair.  Little Red Riding Hood picks tasty treats on the way to grandma’s house, while the wolf is admiring his tasty treat of Little Red Riding Hood.  The Ugly Duckling switches his opinion on whether or not he will end up as a beautiful swan.  Snow White would like to give the seven dwarves a break after a hard day of work and let them rest, while Snow White’s stepmother, the queen, is trying to put Snow White into a permanent sleep and kill her.  Jack and the giant both make plans for one another about how to benefit from the other.  Goldilocks blames the bears for leaving the door unlocked and breaking-in with her fear making the news, while the bears blame Goldilocks for the scaring them.  Hansel is given advice from both the witch and from Gretel about whether or not he should fatten up.  Rumpelstiltskin and the queen that guessed his name are portrayed by their foolish choices to one another and show how one’s name will be remembered.  The princess did not want to try more than once to kiss the frog to make him a prince, while he was frustrated that she would only try once to make him change into a prince, so he stayed a frog.  The beast found a soft place in his heart for the beauty, while the beauty looked deep and fell in love with the beast. 

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Marilyn Singer creates a splendid poem book with witty parallels.  The lines of poetry are written in exact reverse for the reader to understand the other perspective.  It is so clever!  Students love to see how order and sequence completely changes the meaning of the whole poem.  It focuses greatly on the fairy tales.  Some compare how the main character changed in the story and showed their inner struggle.  The others compare two characters that were seemingly unlike one another.  It was very unique!

The illustrations by Singer do an amazing job of supporting the story.  The pictures are blocked to show the different perspectives.  Half of the picture shows one side, while the other half of the picture shows the other perspective.  The text color of each poem is different and also has a different background color, so the two sides are emphasized as distinctively different.  In “Bears in the News”, the illustrations really focus on whose side you are supposed to agree with.  When it is Goldilocks talking, the bears are just brown shadows that are given no facial expressions or colors.  Then when it is the bears turn, Goldilocks is a brown shadow without expression.  The characters are always giving their impression and opinion on what is happening.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Bluebonnet Nominee 2011

Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "The vibrant artwork is painterly yet unfussy and offers hints to the characters who are narrating the poems. An endnote shows children how to create a "reverse" poem. This is a remarkably clever and versatile book that would work in any poetry or fairy-tale unit. A must-have for any library." Starred review in BOOKLIST: "Matching the cleverness of the text, Masse’s deep-hued paintings create split images that reflect the twisted meaning of the irreverently witty poems and brilliantly employ artistic elements of form and shape—Cinderella’s clock on one side morphs to the moon on the other. A must-purchase that will have readers marveling over a visual and verbal feast."
5. CONNECTIONS
*It would be great to use in conjunction with a fairy tale unit.

Other books about fairy tales: 

Mayer, Marianna.  BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.  Mayer, Mercer.  ISBN 1587170175.

Lothlorien, Elle.  THE FROG PRINCE.  ISBN 14111196X.

Zelinsky, Paul O.  RAPUNZEL.  ISBN  0142301930.

Zelinsky, Paul O.  RUMPELSTILTSKIN.  ISBN  0140558640.

*It would be great to use in conjunction with teaching point of view.

Other books that deal with point of view:

Scieszka, Jon.  THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS.  ISBN 0670831018.

Randall, Ronne.  THE THREE LITTLE PIGS.  Dodd, Emma.  ISBN 1844229610.

Trivizas, Eugene.  THE THREE LITTLE WOLVES AND THE BIG BAD PIG.  Oxenbury, Helen.  ISBN 068981528X.

*This could be used in conjunction with sequencing. 

Blue Lipstick

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY:  Grandits, John. 2007. BLUE LIPSTICK.  New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 0618568603.

2. PLOT SUMMARY
The book by Grandits is full of concrete poems meaning the poem takes the shape of whatever subject matter it is about.  Jessie is the main character.  She is a typical teenage girl with teenage girl drama.  She is on the volleyball team, has a crush on a boy, dislikes cheerleaders, argues with her little brother Robert, struggles with her appearance, disagrees with her parents, and has bad days.  She is also a vegetarian.  Lisa is her best friend and she stays up late at night with her sending instant messages.  She helps her dye her hair blue.  Jessie spends a lot of time hanging out with her volleyball team, even going bowling without much success.  She ends up befriending the cheerleader that she disliked, named Andrea.  They become friends from learning about each other’s instruments.  Andrea plays the electric guitar while Jessie plays the cello.  Jessie decides that she would like to be in a rock band like Andrea too.     

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This poetry book is a very relatable book for many teenage girls or boys.  The author took very mundane high school things and added the hype, drama, and randomness that truly come from a high school student’s perspective.  I love the “Bad Hair Day” when her hair is bleached white on some parts and an awful blue in other areas.  Her mom calls her a woman, and all that mattered to her after that was that her mom viewed her as grown-up.  Teenagers are resilient and very honest, which the book really seemed to capture in the dialogue with words like “instant messaging”, “B.O.”, and “post-punk urban too-cool-to-go-to-the-mall style”. 

The style of using the concrete poems was so clever.  It really captures the essence of the poem.  It also helps convey the scattered thoughts of the teenage girl, particularly in the “All My Important Thinking Gets Done in the Shower”.  In “Go Look in the mirror!”, the image that she sees is even inverted to emphasize how she sees something very different than her father does.  Grandits uses not only shape to make a point, but he also uses color and text to emphasize his point.  The color of words changes when he needs to emphasize a point, such as, in “Zombie Jocks”, uses the word trophy symbolically as the eyes as jocks that can only envision and see a trophy as a goal.  Also, the letter e is written in reverse to show how she thinks they are not as intelligent.  Grandits really uses a multitude of visual strategies to capture Jessie’s thoughts and interpret her deeper feelings.

 
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Starred Review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL:  “This irreverent, witty collection should resonate with a wide audience.”

Starred Review in HORN BOOK:  “A cover that'll grab adolescent girls' attention--and the poetry inside is equally appealing.”

5. CONNECTIONS

*It would be great to use in conjunction with teaching concrete poems.

Other books with concrete poetry:

Grandits, John.  TECHNICALLY, IT’S NOT MY FAULT.  ISBN 061842833-X.

Sidman, Joyce.  A POKE IN THE I.  ISBN 0763623768.

Raschka, Chris, & Janeczko, Paul.  MEOW RUFF.  ISBN 0618448942.

*It would be great to use in conjunction with talking about expressing your feelings.