Module 1: Poetry Book Review - Hopkins Anthology

HOOFBEATS, CLAWS & RIPPLED FINS: CREATURE POEMS edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins

(Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 2002. HOOFBEATS, CLAWS & RIPPLED FINS: CREATURE POEMS. Ill. by Stephen Alcorn. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0688179428)

In this unique anthology, Lee Bennett Hopkins compiles 14 poems inspired by Stephen Alcorn’s fascinating animal portraits. Alcorn’s illustrations are highly detailed with intricate details and borders. The artwork makes use of a unique technique that incorporates astounding detail, begging readers to intently pore over the amazing representations of some of children’s favorite animals. Paired with the intense illustrations are engaging and equally intense poems. In fact, this anthology offers readers of all ages an interesting combination of poetry and art. The illustrations could stand alone to tell each animal’s story, but so could the poems. Together, the language and art make a powerful statement that will captivate readers.

Each double page offers a poem paired with a corresponding illustration for a specific animal. Each double page uses a different rich, earthy color as a background for the poem’s text. This anthology includes poems by some of the more familiar children’s poets, such as Kristine O’Connell George and Karla Kuskin. Some of the poems rhyme and some do not, contributing to a good mix of different styles of poetry. There does not appear to be any particular order to the arrangement of the poems, but a table of contents at the beginning of the book offers some organization.

The language focuses on the animal’s movements and qualities, making the poems deeper and more complex than some other animal poems. The moods of the poems vary from lighthearted in HERE’S FROG to more thoughtful in FULL MOON AND OWL. Some of the poems make interesting and playful use of the layout of the words on the page. For example, HERE’S FROG uses arches to arrange the words on the page, resembling either the rounded back of a frog or the arch he makes when hopping. Similarly, the poem PORCUPINE playfully displays its words in the shape of sharp quills. Font sizes also play a role in many of the poems, with larger fonts emphasizing and giving more power to important words. For example, in CAMEL, the words “lumpy,” “bumpy,” “fantastical,” and “bombastical” are typed with a larger font size. Additionally, the color of the text and the separation of text into columns make an interesting visual representation of an indecisive cat’s movements and behaviors in IN AND OUT. Sophisticated descriptions of the animals’ movements are consistent throughout the anthology and will have readers feeling the experience as if they are the animal they are reading about.

The unique look of this anthology combined with its high interest animal poems will appeal to children and adults alike. The poems are generally easily understood, yet the language used is interesting enough to captivate children and entice them to read and reread this collection.

INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITIES:
*Before sharing the poem with children, select one of Stephen Alcorn’s animal portraits to show them. Ask the children to help you brainstorm a list of characteristics for that animal, striving for a variety of interesting words and phrases.

*Or, spark children’s interest by playing an animal guessing game prior to sharing the poems. Call out one word characteristics of an animal one at a time until students guess which animal you are thinking of. Give children a turn to think of their own animals for others to guess, too!

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:
*After sharing the book with children and reading the poems out loud, have students select a favorite animal. Invite students to draw portraits of their own favorite animals and brainstorm a list of words and phrases that could describe the movements and qualities of their favorite animals. Students could then be encouraged to transform the words they chose into their own poems. Volunteers could share their creations with the class.

*Each individual animal poem in this anthology would also pair well with a nonfiction book about each specific animal. For example, the poem EASY LIVING would pair well with a book about cows, such as Julie Murray’s COWS. Or, the poem SHE LIKES TO HIDE would pair well with Adele Richardson’s FISH. After reading and discussing a poem, children might like to learn more about that particular animal and compare the poem’s representation of the animal’s qualities with actual facts about the animal.

*Since this anthology can leave readers feeling like they are the animals in the poems, it might be fun to encourage young children to create physical movements to represent some of the animals portrayed in the book. For example, children could try strutting like a rooster or ambling like a camel, using the words in the poems as guides!