Janeczko, Paul and Naomi Shihab Nye, eds. (1998). I Feel A Little Jumpy Around You: A Book of Her Poems & His Poems Collected in Pairs. New York: Simon and Schuster Children's. 256 pp.

Grade Range: 6-12

Genre: poetry

Summary and Critique

I Feel A Little Jumpy Around You is a collection of poems organized in male-female author pairs according to subject. The poems cover an enormous range of topics and provide fun fodder for discussion of gender and gender viewpoints. The poems are divided into four sections: "Heads on Fire," about childhood, growing up, and family;"Foreign Exchange," about male/female relations (in all age groups);"The Real Names of Everything," a conglomeration of just about anything; and"Separate Longings," about identity and relationships.

"The Sky Is Blue" and"A Geography of Lunch," by David Ignatow and Mary Jo Schimelpfenig, are both about childhood dreaming and relationships to mothers. In the first, a child considers the concept of place; in the second, a child composes poems while eating a sandwich.

"Nineteen," by George Bogin, tells of a young man who never works up the courage to speak to an admired girl in school. "All Their Names Were Vincent," by Miriam Kessler, tells of a girl who was never sought by the "right" boys in school, but is now grown up and happily married.

"Dressing My Daughter," by George Ekland, concerns a father's conception of his young daughter's mother-imposed feminine identity. "Fitting Room," by Lois Marie Harrod, describes a mother's reaction to her daughter trying on prom dresses.

Although the book addresses topics relevant to adolescents, one of its detriments is that the poems are not aimed at young people. They're accessible, cross-cultural, and, overall enjoyable; however, a teacher of younger grades should carefully select poems that are age appropriate. One nice thing about the book is that it includes paired poems on a multitude of topics that are applicable to most any literary unit.

Themes/Topics

Families

Friends and enemies

War and Peace

The Individual vs. Society

Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

Love, Sex, and Romance

Editor Information

Naomi Shihab Nye has been a writer, an editor, and a public speaker. In addition to publishing numerous prize-winning poetry collections, she has published a young adult novel, children's books, poetry translations, and essays, as well as edited other poetry collections.

Paul B. Janeczko is a former English teacher and has a large teenage fan base. He has published several books of poetry, thematic anthologies, and books for Teens and their teachers on how to write poetry.

For more information on Naomi Shihab Nye and Paul B. Janeczko:

http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/174 Biographical information on Nye.

http://voices.cla.umn.edu/newsite/authors/NYEnaomishihab.htm Biographical information, criticism of her works, and selected bibliography.

http://cbcbooks.org/cbcmagazine/meet/pauljaneczko.html Biographical information on Janeczko.

http://www.candlewick.com/cwp/authill.asp?b=Author&m=bio&id=2178&pix=n More biographical information on Janeczko.

Media Connections

Movies

Life With Father (1947) A spoof of family life at the turn of the last century. About a family with five sons. Deals with coming of age, fathers and sons, marriage, and with wife's concern with saving her husband's soul.

Billy Elliot (2000) About a young boy who wants to dance ballet instead of box, and his family's reaction. Deals with family relationships (especially father/son), boy/girl relationships, sexual orientation, and coming of age.

Roots (Vol. I) (1977) About the life of an African boy and his eventual enslavement. Good to note family and male/female relationships in a foreign culture. Also deals with coming of age.

The Breakfast Club (1985) Five very different Teens learn about relationships, friendship, love, and cliques while serving detention together.

The Color of Friendship (2000) TV movie. A Caucasian South African girl becomes an exchange student, and lives with an African American family in Washington D.C.

Television

The Wonder Years A teenager in the 1960s comes of age amidst political, racial, economic, and familial struggles.

Online Resources

http://www.pifmagazine.com/SID/240/ An interview with Naomi Shihab Nye about writing poetry as a child. Inspirational, especially since she's very down-to-earth about poetry.

http://www.poetrytodayonline.com/ A fun site with all kinds of links: to more poetry, to writing sites, to poetry discussion sites, and to poetry contests and publication info.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2280.html/ A cool site about Japan's coming-of-age ceremonies. Includes links to several articles.

http://teenadvice.about.com/?once=true& A magazine type Web site that includes articles about teen issues such as dating, depression, drugs, alcohol, sex, etc.

http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu This website is maintained by students at Columbia. It offers a Question & Answer format where Teens can ask any and every type of question without embarrassment.

http://www.teenadvice.org Teen Advice Online's Mission Statement is to provide support for teenage problems through a network of peers. It is basically advice given to Teens by Teens .

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/familyworks/teen-05.html Urban programs resources network that has articles relating to Teens and their view on friendships and family

http://www.wgby.org/edu/flirt/fhmain.html A website developed from the book, Flirting or Hurting? A Teacher's Guide to Student to Student Sexual Harassment in School by Nan Stein and Lisa Sjostrom. The website contains a survey for Teens , parents, and teachers to take concerning sexual harassment in schools.

Related Texts

Janeczko, Paul B. (1999). How To Write Poetry. New York: Scholastic. 128 pages. Writing advice for young adults.

Stephens, Ann S. (1929). Malaeska: The Indian Wife of the White Hunter. New York: John Day. 254pp. A Native American woman marries a Caucasian man. This text, thought somewhat archaic in nature, addresses issues of family, cultural integration, and male/female relationships.

Cushman, Karen. (1994). Catherine, Called Birdy. New York: Clarion. 169pp. A young girl in 1290, in England, is forced to marry against her will. Funny and spirited, good observations of male/female relationships.

Brashares, Ann. (2001). Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. New York : Delacorte Press. 294pp. Story of four best friends, the biggest summer of their lives and the magical pants that bring it all together. Celebration of life, laughter, roots and self-discovery.

Hidier, Tanuja. (2002). Born Confused. New York: Scholastic Press. 413pp. Personal account of the Indian-American teen expressed through the eyes of an insightful narrator.

Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Kimberly Kirberger, comp. (2001). Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff: Stories of Tough Times and Lessons Learned. Deerfield Beach, FLA: Health Communications, Inc. 343 pp. Heartfelt stories about Teens experiencing tough life lessons.

Vienne, Veronique. (2002). The Art of the Moment: Simple Ways to Get the Most from Life. New York : Clarkson Potter/Publishers. 96pp. Encourages reader to savor the fullness of life in brief, joyful installments.

Teaching Ideas

(1) "Themes in Songs" This lesson is originally intended to revolve around morals or parables, but it can just as easily apply to universal themes or messages. Students read a piece of writing that incorporates a message, then are asked to find a song or poem they like that contains a message. No two students are allowed to pick the same song. Later, the students present their projects to the class: they play the song or read the poem aloud, and display a visual product they've created to go along with the presentation. Then the students explain, in their own words, the messages they've found in their songs.

[Summarized/adapted from "Finding Lessons in Song" by Cathy McKinney in Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. October 1991. p.7]

(2) "Drawing Poetry" Students are given blank sheets of paper at the beginning of class. While the teacher reads a poem aloud (slowly), students"sketch each image, write down descriptive words and associations beside their pictures, and discover connections." Students share their responses with the class between each image or line. Only at the end of the poem—after all the students are actively engaged in discussion and interpretation—does the teacher ask for any sort of evaluation of the poem as a whole.

[Summarized/adapted from "Picturing a Poem" by Jane Ellen Glasser in Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. October 1991. pp.7-8]

(3) "Language in Poems" This is a good exercise to use with a pair of poems; it helps students identify and distinguish literal and figurative language. The students read two poems. The teacher then asks,"How are these two readings alike? And, how are these two readings different?" The teacher writes the students'responses on the board. The class then participates in a discussion about the language of the two poems. The teacher should pay attention to"unsolicited reactions" while the students are reading to help her guide the discussion.

[Summarized/adapted from "Let the Poems Do the Teaching" by Dennis Martin in Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. January 1991. pp. 11-13.]

(Review written by Christa French and edited by Jennifer E. Moore)