Soft Hay will Catch You Review

Module 5


 

Soft Hay Will Catch You: Poems by Young People by Sanford Lyne

Bibliography
Sandford Lyne. (2004). Soft hay will catch you: Poems by young people (J. Monks, Illus.). Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780689834608

Summary
This is a wonderful little anthology of poems written by people ages 8-18. The book is an unusually narrow one with a fun illustration on the cover which can appeal to any age of reader. Once opened, you will find acknowledgments, an introduction, then a table of contents which catalogues six sections with a brief description, but no list of poems within the description, and after the poems, you will find an index of poets. Dispersed throughout the book are six glossy pages of chalk-pastel type illustrations that emanate warmth and welcoming.

 Analysis

This book is a collection of poems by young people of an array of grades. Divided by topic, they are sorted into six different sections, which is beneficial to the reader. This compilation also shares the quality of being short, with one of the longer poems, “Rockefeller Wildlife Preserve: Mid-August” only reaching 33 lines. Although this is not an advertised characteristic of poems, it is good to know and keeps the readings approachable for many readers. As is common in anthologies, there are not many shared features of the poems aside from a sometimes-far-reaching common topic or theme. I discovered these poems to be unusually deep, even the ones written by lower elementary school children. I was stunned by the wisdom and eloquence which was evident throughout the majority of the poems.

 Excerpt

A Father’s Mind 

I have a daughter who likes boys.
She would like to rule them
every year;
and when her heart breaks,
I’m always there
yelling at the boy.
Through the breeze,
I can see the boys lining up.
They look like a storm
lining up for her.

 -Chris Brockelman
Grade 7 

Activity
Students read through anthologies and poems to find a poem that is from a perspective that is different from their own, but discusses a topic or situation in which they have found themselves in. They will then share the poem.

An extension activity is for them to write a poem about the situation from their own perspective in juxtaposition of the first poem.

Reviews
From Horn Book Guide: “This collection features one hundred mostly brief free-verse poems by grade-schoolers and teens who participated in Lyne's writing workshops. Grouped into fluid themes about home and family, loneliness, discovery, and the search for self, among other topics, the poems reveal a range of emotion and tone and some startlingly muscular imagery. Childlike illustrations punctuate an inspiring collection to share with writing students.”

 

 

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