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Module 3 Poetry - BOOKSPEAK - Written by Laura Purdie Salas & Illustrated by Josee Bisaillon

Module 3 – Book Review 1 

Review of Laura Purdie Salas’s BOOKSPEAK 

*This review was written for a course through Sam Houston State University.


1. BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Salas, Laura Purdie. (2011). BOOKSPEAK. Ill. By Josee Bisaillon. Clarion Books. ISBN: 9780547223001


 2. SUMMARY 

“BookSpeak” by Laura Purdie Salas is a fun and imaginative collection of poems that celebrates reading and how magical books can be. Salas personifies books and helps the reader see the unique qualities that make books special. The way the poems are written, the books are personified and actually have voices to tell their own stories. Vivid imagery, fun language, and illustrations work together to create a fun and memorable experience. This is a true tribute to literature and the power it can give to lifelong learning.


3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS  

“BookSpeak” by Laura Purdie Salas is a collection of poems with themes of the celebration of reading and the power of books. Salas works to promote the idea that books are not simply objects but living things that can inspire and educate readers. The structure of the book is a series of poems that have various forms including free verse and structured rhyme so that readers can see the true versatility of poetry and variety of stories. There is vivid imagery and playful language to help bring the personified characters to life. The poetry combined with Bisaillon’s illustrations helps to engage the reader and provide context. Because of the illustrations there is a richer understanding of the meanings of the poems. This book encourages literacy as well as a lifelong love of reading. 


As a mother and teacher, reading is an important part of life for my two sons, a 7-year-old and a soon-to-be 4-year-old. This book was a fun way to talk about reading in general and how important it is in life. This book received glowing reactions from both of my children and encouraged excitement and imagination with the illustrations and the personifications of different parts of books. It helped to introduce more advanced ideas in a fun way to my young boys. This was a fun and wonderful way to utilize poetry and foster a love of reading in my children.


4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S) 

Booklist (December 15, 2011 (Online)) 

Bright, mixed-media collage scenes illustrate this picture-book poetry collection that plays with literary allusions. With its mix of poetic forms and wry twists on language-arts terms, this is a natural choice for sharing in classrooms and young writers’ workshops.


Horn Book Guide (Spring 2012) 

In twenty-one clever, amusing, and spirited poems, books find their voices: an index beckons a reader to look up page numbers, a cover shouts out "Please stop! Take a look!", a library book compares being checked out to going on vacation. Buoyant mixed-media illustrations celebrate books as concrete objects while reinforcing their role as springboard for imagination.


Publishers Weekly (October 17, 2011) 

"Put down the controller./ Switch off the TV./ Abandon the mouse and/ just hang out with me." From the outset, this collection of poems makes its message clear: books are where it's at. Bisaillon's mixed media illustrations are dizzyingly inventive, their bright colors, sampling of typography, and whimsical details underscoring the idea of the potential that awaits between the covers.


School Library Journal (December 1, 2011) 

Some of these 21 poems are written in rhyme and meter, while others are free verse. They vary in length from a few to several stanzas, and all are well crafted and clever, covering a variety of aspects of books and reading. Whimsical, mixed-media illustrations grace every page. Bisaillon skillfully incorporates the printed poems into the artwork so that the words and images have a single, unified, visual effect.


5. CONNECTIONS  

  • Related Books - Other books for children to see the power of books, reading, and storytelling 

  • Janeczko, Paul B. A POKE IN THE I: A COLLECTION OF CONCRETE POEMS. ISBN 9780763623760 

  • Raczka, Bob. WET CEMENT: A MIX OF CONCRETE POEMS. ISBN 9781626722361 

  • Enrichment Activities -    

  • Personification – Have a discussion with young students about personification and help teach them how giving the parts of a book human characteristics changes how we think about them. 

  • Favorite poem – Ask students to talk about their favorite poem in “BookSpeak!” and why they enjoyed it. 


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