I Say ODE, You Say ... Grecian Urn?

This post title actually reveals my own reaction to poems in the form of ODES. One official definition of an ODE is this:

a lyric poem in the form of an address to a particular subject, often elevated in style or manner and written in varied or irregular meter.

Many of us who were traditionally educated in earlier decades learned Keats's ODE TO A GRECIAN URN, a poem whose language I admired but one that did nothing to inspire me or make me run right out to gush over an urn. Now, later in life, I have come to admire the excellence of the poetic structure and patterns, the lyrical flow and underlying emotional passion expressed. Even so, mention of an ODE, to me, elicits expectations of stilted language, overwrought or exaggerated emotions, and tightly structured forms.

Chronicle Books, 2023, Poetry

ODE TO A BAD DAY, written by Chelsea Lin Wallace and illustrated by Hyewon Yum takes those reactions to the ODE form (which I suspect are more common than not) and plays with them in delightful ways. Using familiar daily disappointments, a la ALEXANDER and the TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY, Wallace identifies moments in a day that knock this young girl narrator back a peg, although leaving us to slog alongside with her  to the next mundane disappointment. 

End papers reveal a charmingly aware and self-directed young girl who recognizes happiness around her but also spies miseries, even slight ones. Her body-angst while still in her morning bed (sprawling, upside down, visibly uncomfortable) call to mind a child I know who requires many square yards of mattress to make it through a night. Sometimes, her day dawns as sunny as the outdoors, and others are launched with groans. 

In this case, the first ode decries crusty eyes, rusty bones, and dusty teeth. This ode, as with all others, has an opening line to address the offending aspect of the day, and concludes with a similar line of direct address. 

The next ode is excerpted on the publishers page:

Oh Too Much Milk in My Cereal!

Soggy, squishy! Boggy, mushy!

You turned my crispy into gushy!

Slogging through the remains of the day, odes address OUCHY, LINE CUTTER, HICCUP, BOREDOM, and... just imagine more. The cover illustration aptly reveals a lass whose responses to the world and her own moods are fully felt and expressed, perhaps edging toward being a drama queen. What shines through is that she periodically calls out for tomorrow being a better day, displaying awareness of the transient nature of such misery and longing for a return to a rosy state of mind. 

Yum's illustrations are  delightfully effective, utilizing broad strokes of colors and exaggerated facial expressions and postures that reveal the narrator's moods in contrast to the reality of the quite sunny world through which she is moving. This defies the girl's descriptions of her gloomy day and ramps up the humor found in the descriptive word choices and targets of her anguish. Those illustrations also incorporate subtle details that will invite multiple readings and enhance the entertainment  factor, particularly the eye rolls and reactions of stuffed animals, even the cow on the milk carton. 

This title offers a delightful mentor writing resource for workshop use, allowing practice with the form, exploration of emotions, formal rhyme patterns, humor (without relying on puns and joke telling), and story arc/character development. Figurative language that is often used by kids in everyday conversation but is seldom addressed as a writing skill is HYPERBOLE. This picture book uses it to great effect, balancing successfully on the line between sincere and silly.This dramatic young narrator has actually inspired me to try writing some odes of this type, perhaps as self-help therapy on a bad day! Be sure to compare this to the fifty-plus year old, never-out-of-print classic ALEXANDER for a sure source of inspiration in kids who sometimes struggle to find things to write. EVERYONE has a bad day now and then, so why not write about it?

Here's an opinion from one of my most trusted review sources: 

“The poetic structure and regal cadence lend the child’s voice a sense of polite formality, bringing ironic humor to her bad day…cleverly matched with bits of visual humor” — Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books 

Two Titles: Two Different Delightful Days with Dads

I suppose I should save this for Father's Day, but then, I tend to reject herding wonderful books into narrow opportunities like theme months and designated days. So, I'll double down and share TWO remarkably similar yet distinctly different picture books with the identical title: 

I AM A BIRD.

CANDLEWICK, 2021

First, I AM A BIRD is written by Hope Lim and illustrated by Hyewon Yum. In this case Daddy takes his imaginative daughter to school each day on the back of his bike- or is that a bird perched behind him? She waves her arms and sings out her birdsong, until she spots a certain older woman with a bag and a frown. Her sudden silence signals wariness, until the day when she discovers what is in that bag and finds a kindred spirit. There is much to love about this.

"Each day, a rosy-cheeked girl rides to school in the booster seat on the back of Daddy’s bike, pretending to fly and sing like the many birds in their coastal town... It’s a simple tale for the youngest set of readers, written around an overt message of not judging too quickly and finding connections in unexpected ways... Yum’s soft colored-pencil illustrations complement the words with a pleasant atmosphere, setting the tone through gently bright colors and the simple, smiling features of her characters... A sweetly serene story with a useful lesson."
—Booklist

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2021

But then...a different  I AM A BIRD is written by David Walrath and illustrated by Jaime Kim.

This story unfolds with minimalist text progression, each short statement leading to a new, interpretive round, always generating exuberant physical demonstrations and interpretations of beach life: 

"I am a bird, I fly. // I am a fly. I land // I am land. I stretch to the sea."

Children will notice the progression and quickly engage with the thought-provoking page turns, gently settling into the  small-hand-friendly spreads of sea, sand, waves, and wonder. 

    From Indiebound:

"Celebrate the bonds between fathers, sons, and nature with this lovely, sun-drenched debut picture book.

I am a bird. I glide
into arms open wide.
I’m the hands that hold
and the eyes that shine…
when it’s you
and it’s me
and the sea.

A boy and his father spend their day at the beach, exploring the shore, the sand, the water, and everything in between. The result is a warm, elegant celebration of nature, connection, and the myriad relationships formed all around us."

There are many similarities between these, but each merits its own attention and celebration of time spent together, of imagination, and of deep emotional connections. Enjoy!

Facing Our Fears- With Help

If snow and sub-zero temperatures have you feeling worried, check out my previous post to enjoy a kinder, gentler, more hopeful version of WINTER. 

OR,
you could escape to indoor activities. I was in awe of my parents for many reasons. Among them, I was especially impressed when they continued their weekly indoor swim sessions throughout the long cold months of midwest winters. They enjoyed joining their friends in the water exercise group, and the activity helped them feel better physically. At least Mom did. She loved the water, but Dad existed in a borderline state of hating/fearing water activities. He went with her, joined in with her, because he was always one to face his fears. 

To overcome this somewhat threatening wintery spell, let's shift gears and read about swimming, of all things. Then let's also reflect on facing fears.

SATURDAY IS SWIMMING DAY is written and illustrated by Hyewon Yum. Here's the gist:
When little Mary wakes one Saturday morning feeling ill, there's no malingering involved.(That's Mary on the cover.)  She feels AWFUL! Those Saturdays circled on her wall calendar were not marked in happy anticipation. They indicate the mornings she will be going to swimming lessons. Her misery is deeply felt. She is worried about this process, fearful of that pool. 

On the surface (my pun on that threatening water surface is intentional), this is clearly a story for little kiddos who are afraid of the pool, or some other mundane childhood experience. Her fear is there, her resistance is there, and Yum's illustrations, pacing, and spare text capture it all well.
But I'll argue with anyone who says it is ONLY that. 
Just as readily as Mary's classmates plunged right into that pool, we can dive deeper and see that this is a universal human story. Granted, there are many kids (and older folks) who embrace adventures, challenges, any kind of change with a full-throated 

I believe, though, that even those brave souls have occasionally encountered something that caused a twinge in their guts, put a wobble in their chins. It would be a something that they recognize as scary for them, even if embraced eagerly by peers. A something that doesn't appear to have the least bit of scary attached. 

And yet... that gut feeling screams danger!

May each of us find someone willing and able to coax us through those times. Someone like Mary's swim teacher. Someone who knows when to stay within reach and when to step away.
Someone whose wise guidance allows us to own our success and face the next challenge confidently.

SATURDAY IS SWIMMING DAY is an outstanding example of the truth that picture books are not only for the young. It could be the right book for you (adults). If there's something lurking in your life that gives you that gut-punch feeling, lift your head just a little higher. Stick your neck out, look around for your own "swim teacher". Somewhere there's someone who will help you find your own strength, your willingness to face your fears, even if it takes some handholding along the way. Each out and take that hand, accept that help.

Another outstanding picture book about facing fears with steadfast help standing nearby is JABARI JUMPS, which I shared in a past post, here.

If these kids can face their fears, you can, too. 
I know it.
Feel free to share experiences in comments.

Your success stories could be the helping hand to someone else.