Friday, February 20, 2009

Module 2: Poetry Book Review – Multicultural

POEMS TO DREAM TOGETHER by Francisco X. Alarcon

(Alarcon, Francisco X. 2005. POEMS TO DREAM TOGETHER = POEMAS PARA SONAR JUNTOS. Ill. by Paula Barragan. New York: Lee & Low Books Inc. ISBN 9781584302339)

In this amazing bilingual collection of 17 poems shared in both English and Spanish, Hispanic American poet Francisco X. Alarcon offers readers of all ages comfort, peace, and a strong message of the importance of dreams and family through the emotional world of poetry. The poems center around the theme of dreams and range in emotion from serious and thoughtful to silly and funny. For example, one of the more thought-provoking and insightful poems of the collection is NIGHTMARES:

NIGHTMARES
By Francisco X. Alarcon

sometimes
dreams

that ignore
or exclude

the dreams
of others

become
nightmares

In NIGHTMARES, Alarcon displays his talent to make readers truly examine the world they live in. On the other hand, he is also skillful at conveying the lighter and more humorous side of dreams in DAYDREAMING:

DAYDREAMING
By Francisco X. Alarcon

daydreaming –
another way
of brainstorming

The poems do not rhyme, and Alarcon carefully arranges the words of the poems into small sections of text, using spaces between sections that help contribute to the meaning of the poems. Interestingly, Alarcon uses capital letters and punctuation marks very sparingly throughout the book, allowing the reader to really focus in on the small chunks of text without distraction.

The use of figurative language is also present in some of the poems as Alarcon compares people to his surroundings in nature. For example, a simile is the perfect way to celebrate individual differences in THE SAME:

THE SAME
By Francisco X. Alarcon

we are all
the same

like pebbles
in a riverbed

each of us
so different

Sense imagery is also prevalent throughout the collection, with Alarcon’s words evoking rich images of nature, food, and life. In FAMILY GARDEN, readers can almost smell the mint herbs and feel the earth in their hands as Alarcon describes his family’s garden where “the sun shines green smiles.”

Paula Barragan’s vibrant and joyful illustrations capture the loving and comforting essence of the poems. The colors used throughout the book are enchantingly bright and cheerful, and Barragan does an amazing job of portraying the contagious peace and comfort brought about by Alarcon’s poetic dreams. This is a collection that will appeal to dreamers of all ages.

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