BIBLIOGRAPHY

George, Kristine O’Connell. 2001. Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems. Ill. By Kate Kiesler. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 061804597X

PLOT SUMMARY

This book of poetry, like “In my Tent” by M. Singer, is a sequence about a young girl and her family’s experiences on a camping trip. They set up a large orange tent and observe several animals, including a deer, chipmunk, and moose. They build a campfire, struggle with sleeping bags, go exploring and discover the remains of and old cabin, endure a storm, and mosquitoes, go fishing and rowing, explore the cave and hear an owl in the night. At the end of this trip, the girl promises to return next year.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The poems in this collection, while covering the same themes, are more structured then those in Singer’s book. The language is simple and yet successfully communicates its message to young readers. The act is appealing and varied with some scenes being more detailed than others. The poetry and the illustrations are melded together, with the poems themselves frequently printed on the art. This provides the structure that combines the two elements into a verbal – visual work. The poem “Owl” is a prime example, its words describing the girl’s hearing of the owl in the night as it majestically flies across the bottom of the page. Children will love the words and pictures and their parents will enjoy sharing them.


REVIEW EXCERPT

“The poems are varied and inventive, replete with marvelous images and universal truths. There's even a selection devoted to the "Mosquito Song." Each one is accompanied by a well-executed and evocative acrylic painting. Some of Kiesler's artwork sweeps across double pages to provide a dramatic vista-a meandering hiking trail, a field of wild mustard, a star-studded night sky-while other pictures reveal small, but equally telling details. In "Flannel," the child is shown holding her pine-, smoke-, and moss-scented camping shirt to her face, paired with the words, "I keep it hidden/in my bottom drawer-/where no one will find it/and wash away/my memories." A terrific idyll for summertime sharing, even for confirmed couch potatoes.”

Jones, T., Toth, L., Charnizon, M., Grabarek, D., & Larkins, J. (2001). Toasting Marshmallows (Book Review). School Library Journal, 47(7), 93.Retrieved September 26, 2009, from Academic Search Complete database. http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2052


5. CONNECTIONS

George, K. O., & Kiesler, K. (1997). The great frog race and other poems. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 9780395776070