Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear is a collection of 14 poems about teddy bears written by Christopher Award-winning author, Alice Schertle. Schertle’s warm and inviting style invites any reader to explore the imagination or recall memories of past teddy bears. Each page contains its own poem while the opposite page boasts of Linda Griffith’s teddy bear artwork. In the poems, teddy bears play dress up, take naps, take baths, play with the other stuffed animals, eat snacks, and ride the bus. The collection ends with a sleepy teddy, tucked in tightly and dreaming of far-off adventures.
Schertle’s work can be found in most public libraries as she has published more than 40 works. I think she can be an inspiration to young and old to engage in poetry, for as she says, "there are things a poem can say that cannot be expressed as effectively in any other way. I love to find a poem that shows me something, creates an image, perhaps, that is so startling, so original, so unique only one particular poet could have thought of it. But at the same time, the image, the idea, is so true, so right, that I find myself saying, 'Yes! I knew that!'"
My personal favorite poem is entitled “Barely Bear,” in which the bear has lost his hat, hair, voice, clothes, and most of his nose. All of these losses result from too much hugging, kissing, and traveling. The final line reads, “Wrinkles, lumps, patches, creases – Barely Bear’s been loved to pieces.” I know that I had one or two stuffed animals that resembled Barely Bear. The associated artwork shows a little girl asleep with Barely Bear, who has many patches and bare spots.
Griffith’s attention to detail can be seen on every page. Each piece of art appropriately represents its corresponding poem, thus helping young readers find context clues. Although published in 2003, the artwork shows no ethnic diversity. All of the children included in the art are white and live in a suburban setting. With this recent of a publication, I expect more diversity in children’s literature.
While the lack of diversity does seem bothersome, I see so much potential in exposing young primary students to poetry. This seems like a great way to expose kindergartners to poetry. What a great resource to allow kids to read and listen to poetry that they can relate to and understand at such a young age!
ReplyDeleteAssociating poems with teddy bears seems like an effective way to encourage children to enjoy poetry. Using illustrations as context clues that help young readers comprehend the poems probably makes this book very readable and helps children develop an appreciation for poetry.
ReplyDeleteThese poems sound adorable! I imagine that primary aged children would relate to bears doing things that are familiar to them. It communicates the message that poetry can be about the every day things and the "pretend" things at the same time. Awesome!
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