#Thunder Underground by Jane Yolen

[winningthesweepstakes]

Thunder Underground by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Josee Masse

Thunder Underground by Jane Yolen (Poems), illustrated by Josee Masse. Wordsong, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers, 2023. 9781662660054  Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4 Format: Paperback Genre: Poetry What did you like about the book? It’s very difficult to explore what is underground but Yolen and Masse do their best to illuminate the world deep beneath our feet.…

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Thunder Underground by Jane Yolen, Illustrated by Josée Masse

Genre/category: Poetry, Picture Book

Targeted Age: Toddlers to 2nd Graders

Quick plot synopsis: Thunder Underground is a collection of poems about all the things you can find under the earth. The illustrations follow two children as they explore caves, subways, farms, and more.

Why I chose Thunder Underground: Recipient of more than one starred review (Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly quotes can be found on the back of the book), Thunder Underground is a poetry collection any child can enjoy. The collection includes both scientific/nonfiction and personal poems relating to things in the earth. Together with the illustrations, each poem can inspire a child. The last page of Thunder Underground contains notes on each of the twenty-one poems for the reader to learn more. Further, Jane Yolen is a prolific children’s writer whose work spans almost 400 titles.

Evaluation:

The poems of Thunder Underground are perfectly paired with mixed media illustrations. Masse fills the pages with Earth-tones, greens, and blues befitting the topic. Cross-sections reveal fossils, animal burrows, roots, subways, and sewers below the feet of the two children. Paired with the poems, the artwork demonstrates the ideas being described. For example, on page twenty-four and twenty-five, “Notes from Some Old Fossils” is about ways fossils are made (Yolen, 2017). Three ways are described and three ways are illustrated: buried in the ocean, stuck in tar pits or bogs, and from volcanic activity.

Thunder Underground begins and ends with two poems titled “Under”. These two poems bookend the rest of the collection and form a sort of frame narrative. One introduces the underground, the other gives a conclusion, and the other poems are laid out to explore all the topic’s facets. On a page level, each layout includes a double spread illustration and at least one poem. Often, the poems are arranged to interact with the artwork, such as on page sixteen where the title of a poem is lit by streetlights.

Yolen’s poetry pleases the eye and the ear. The poems steer clear of condescension, respecting children’s reading capabilities. Thunder Underground shows Yolen’s love of wordplay in each poem. “Seeds” compares the growth of plants to writing: “This dot, / this spot, / this period at the end / of winter’s sentence / writes its way up / through the dull slate of soil / into the paragraph of spring.” (Yolen, 2017, p.8). A few puns are sprinkled here and there among the poems as well. The wordplay and different styles of poetry come together to make Thunder Underground a rich soil for planting ideas.

Do I recommend it?: Absolutely! Thunder Underground can be enjoyed by all ages and should be included in every poetry section for children. Both poems and illustrations are educational, imaginative, and inspiring.

Citations:

Yolen, J. (2017). Thunder Underground (J. Masse, Illus.). Penguin Random House.

[bibliophileaddict]

Echo Echo: Reverso Poems about Greek Myths

By Marilyn Singer Illustrated by Josee Masse

Bibliography

Singer, Marilyn. Echo, Echo: Reverso Poems about Greek Myths. Illustrated by Josee Masse. Penguin Young Readers Group, New York, 2016. ISBN 978-0-8037-3992-5

Plot Summary

Poems that can be read both forwards and in reverse about Greek mythology stories.

Critical Analysis

A beautiful collection of poems about Greek mythology. Marilyn Singer wrote each poem to be read both from top to bottom and bottom to top, while Josee Masse’s illustrations also capture that duality. What is amazing about these poems is that they tell the story of two characters in each story – Persephone and Demeter, Athena and Arachne; when reading the poem one way it tells the point of view of one character while the opposite poem tells the story of the other. For each poem to work in favor of the characters while not changing any of the words proves the literary talent that Singer has. Lines such as

“It is my curse to be the hero.                                     “Shield yourself from me?

Look away.                                                                 You cannot

You cannot                                                                 look away,

Shield yourself from me.”                                          hero.”

In the left side is Perseus telling the audiences that he is the hero but on the left side Medusa thinks that she isn’t the villain, also providing a discussion on how there are two sides to every story.

Masse’s illustrations also tell a story of their own, for children who may not know Greek mythology well enough there are tiny details throughout each poem that captures what is not said about the story. For example, Persephone’s and Demeter’s story about the changing of the season – While not specifically said in the poems Masse paints both mother and daughter as sad when it comes time for the winter season, this can help provide children and parents with discussion on how sad they would be if they had to spend six months apart from each other. While the story of Orpheus and Eurydice show Eurydice torn between both the Underworld and Orpheus as he turns back to see if she is still behind him.

Something that I loved from a non-poetry point of view is that underneath each poem is a short description of what the mythology is about so that if children have questions they can have a little bit more insight. However, because these poems aren’t necessarily told in a rhyme scheme the stories are able to come to life on their own without having a bunch of guess work at what the deeper meaning is, these are poems to tell your children at night – providing both a new style of literature while also just providing a story.

Review Excerpts

·         Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Books of the Year

·         An ALA Notable Book

·         A Cybils Award finalist

·         From Kirkus Reviews “A mesmerizing and seamless celebration of language, imagery and perspective.”

·         From Publisher’s Weekly “Masse’s clever compositions play with symmetry, bringing this smart concept to its fullest effect.”

·         From The Horn Book “Cleverly constructed and insightful”

Connections

Other Books by Marilyn Singer:

·         Have you Heard about Lady Bird:? Poems about out First Ladies

·         Feel the Beat!: Dance Poems that Zing from Salsa to Swing

·         Follow Follow: A Book of Reversos

·         Tallulah’s Ice Skates

·         I’m Gonna Climb a Mountain in My Patent Leather Shoes

·         Other Books Illustrated by Josee Masse:

·         Thunder Underground Poems by Jane Yolen

·         Mirror Mirror by Marilyn Singer

·         What Ship is NOT a Ship? by Harriet Ziefert

·         Frog and Friends by Eve Bunting

Use with and introduction to Greek Mythology

Use it with an English assignment for poetry

[scribesandvibes]

#lilmissstoryhour / #ibelievethechildrenareourfuture #Repost @lilmissstoryhour ・・・ we are keeping it moving! get ready for lil’ miss story hour’s 2nd annual national poetry and jazz month story time! saturday, april 17, 2021 from 1pm to 3pm MST, lil’ miss story hour will again be partnering with the african american historical and genealogical society of colorado springs for an exciting story time event. book selections will include “little melba and her big trombone,” by kathryn russell-brown, “thunder underground,” by jane yolen, “shaking things up,” by susan hood, and “feel the beat,” by marilyn singer. special guests will include, solo violinist and cellist, harriet lundrum; csu-pueblo professor, editor, author, and poet, juan j. morales; poet, educator, and martial artist, andrew ziegler; and poet, community leader, and activist, goddess tyescha! the event is free but donations are encouraged. suggested minimum donation for this event $5 and up. donation platforms are listed on the flyer as well in my bio! lil’ miss story hour tote bags and stickers will also be available for purchase at this event. mark your calendars and bring the kiddos! so grateful to aahgscs for providing a safe space for us to hold this event and for their support! 🙌🏾🙏🏾 . and as always, so thankful for all of our sponsors, the bee vradenburg foundation, knobhillurbanartsdistrict, lisa simmons and family, sue and george mulhern, @plume_graphicdesign, nicole frazier, @rosegoldsnap, @sylvidancemaker, @_served_719_, nithin coca, @tempeth and family, @hikergirl768, @humanitou, @cs_acupuncture, @kapowcomicscoffee, @bigbangjewelry, @thelittlecockroach, ommoffice, @hooked_on_books_cs, and @missvanessaspianostudio for making this event possible! in-person AND virtual attendees register on my website! website link in bio! donation handles in bio! #representationmatters #poetry #poets #nationalpoetrymonth #NaPoMo #janeyolen #susanhood #shakingthingsup #marilynsinger #feelthebeat #littlemelbaandherbigtrombone #cello #violin #wordsmith #werebettertogether #wereinthistogether #decolonizeyourbookshelf #storytime #colorfulstories #diversepicturebooks #adventureisoutthere https://www.instagram.com/p/CMvr-NIh6WD/?igshid=hwvd7diyskvf

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List of Reviewed Books

(This list will be updated as I add reviews here.)

PreK through 6th:

Hike by Pete Oswald

¡Vamos! Let’s Go to the Market by Raúl The Third

Jump at the Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston by Alicia D. Williams and Illustrated by Jacqueline Alcántara

When Aidan Became a Brother by Kyle Lukoff and Illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

Thunder Underground by Jane Yolen and Illustrated by Josée Masse

Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack and Illustrated by Stevie Lewis

The Cat Man of Aleppo by Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha and Illustrated by Yuko Shimizu

New Kid by Jerry Craft

The Real Boy by Anne Ursu

Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker

7th through 12th:

The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters

Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin

Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang

Himawari House by Harmony Becker

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao