FIREFLY JULY selected by Paul B. Janeczko

Janeczko Collection 

Janeczko, Paul B. 2014. FIREFLY JULY: A YEAR OF VERY SHORT POEMS. illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 9780763748428

Paul B. Janeczko selects 36 poems for this anthology grouped into the four seasons: spring, summer, fall, winter. Each poem is short in length, none more than 10 lines. You will find a variety of poets, with works from children's poets and a few adult poets. The subjects of the poems are mostly very simple objects, such as a water lily, a wheelbarrow, and a screen door. 

While these poems are very short in length, some only one sentence broken into several lines, the poems are packed with meaning and symbolism. I found myself reading the poems over and over again, and I admit it was hard for me to choose one to spotlight. These poems can find many places in the classroom and school libraries. The poems can be used in science, art, and social studies. I highly recommend this book for any classroom library or school library, elementary and middle school. 

Most of the poems in the book are free verse, a few rhyming. The selection of poems are perfectly fitting with the four seasons throughout the book. The poems use personification that enables the reader to really visualize the topic. One example is the poem, "Fog" by Carl Sandburg, where the fog "sits looking/ over the harbor and city". Imagery is also in abundance throughout the anthology. My favorite grouping of poems is the summer poems, where the reader can read about an orange cat, the moonlight, the sea, and a screen door. It made me think of my summer vacations and visiting my grandmother. 

The illustrations, by Melissa Sweet, are fancy and whimsical. The illustrations are done in watercolor, gouache, and mixed media. An example is the illustration accompanying the poem "Fog", which you can see above. The use of bright colors on the ships, where you typically wouldn't see bright colors, is so well done. This technique is used throughout the book. If you look closely, you can see the fog in the illustration depict the personification in the poem.  Do you see the cat sitting on top of the city? 

Spotlight Poem

The Red Wheelbarrow

so much depends

upon

a red wheel 

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens.

~William Carlos Williams

Classroom Activities

"The Red Wheelbarrow" would be a fantastic introduction to a unit about the life of poets. After reading the poem, together research why William Carlos Williams wrote the poem and discuss the meaning it has behind the poem. Williams had an interesting life as a doctor, and many of his patients did not even know he was a poet. 

Use this poem in an art class, reading the poem and pausing to visualize the red wheel barrow, the rain, and the contrast of the white chickens. Students can paint what they visualize from the poem. This could also be an introduction to painting still objects in the art class. Students can choose an everyday object, such as a fork or cup, to paint, then write a poem about their painting.