Module One - Introducing Poetry - African American Poetry

Bibliographic citation

Grimes, Nikki. 2006. Thanks a million. Ill. by Cozbi Cabrera. China: Greenwillow. ISBN 9780688172930.

Review

Author Nikki Grimes encompasses the power of the two simple words: thank you, as she expresses the many faces of gratitude through this marvelous collection of sixteen poems. She uses a variety of poetry forms including haiku, verse, and a rebus throughout the collection. Each poem is beautifully illustrated with acrylics by Cabrera in a manner that adds to the visual depth of each selection. Young readers will find themselves connecting with many of the poems through their emotions and senses. “Dear Teachers” speaks of a young boy “who only hates math/ ½ as much/ as he used to”, and “The Lunchroom” depicts a day in the life of a new student and his first day in the lunchroom, “If no one will sit next to me/why should I even care?/Oh, wait! Here comes a boy.” Another touching poem is “Dear Author” which details how a young reader found comfort in the character of and author’s book after the death of her own father, “..She was also drowning deep inside/Some nights, I’d crawl between the pages/of that novel and hide for hours./The two of you made all the difference/I just thought you’d want to know/…”. This is a wonderful collection and would be a nice addition to a school’s character education program.

Poem Title

“Shelter”

I wish these walls were ours,
I wish this bed were mine,
that dinnertime meant just us three,
my brother, mom and me.

I wish I had a room
that I was forced to clean.
I’d gripe to my best friend, then say,
“Come to my house and play.”

Things could be worse, I know.
At least, I’m not alone.
My mom and brother hold me tight
when I cry late at night.


Introduction or Follow-up Activity

I would pair Grimes collection of poems with the book, “A Chair for My Mother", written and illustrated by Vera B. Williams, which is the story of a little girl and her mother who lose all their belongings. They sacrifice and save just to get a new comfortable chair, something that gives them comfort for which they are very thankful. As an introduction, I would ask students what material and non-material things they are most thankful for and why. Similar to the characters in Grimes’ poem, “Shelter”, we could find ourselves in their shoes with only each other. Would we still have an attitude of thankfulness if we had no material things? This discussion could lead to a writing activity where students could express their thoughts on what they are most thankful for in the form of a poem, song lyrics, a rap, or a short story.