lo-co-motion
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Jacqueline Woodson’s Locomotion is a poem book that has the ability to grasp the reader from the opening poem, and evoke emotions that they may have never known had they not read the poetic literature. The book, published in 2003, is narrated by a young boy—Lonnie—who lost his parents at the young age of seven to a house fire, and is set four years later, when he is eleven years old and living with a lady by the name of Miss Edna. Lonnie lost more than just his parents in the fire—he also lost his home, the luxury of living with his little sister, Lili, and as we see through his poetry, he also lost quite a few nights of sleep. This narration takes the reader through a series of events happening during this year of Lonnie’s life, and includes a few very touching stories that are typical of a young inner-city boy. Because of the interesting storyline and simple language used, this book would fit well in classrooms anywhere from the third to fifth grade. Locomotion is aimed to address issues that may be relevant to inner-city boys (particularly those who fall under “minority” status), and to display how poetry may help express feelings that aren’t always easy to express. Through her convincing narration and careful placement of events, Woodson is able to achieve this objective.
This book would serve as a great tool to use in the classroom. This book is a the main character: Lonnie's personal poetry journal. Having the students make their own poetry journal would be a good way to incorporate this text in the classroom.
*Grade Level Equivalent: 4.9
*Interest Level: Grades 3-5
Awards for this book include: Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award Nominee (2007), Coretta Scott King Award for Author Honor (2004), The Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature Honor (2004)
Woodson, J. (2010). Locomotion. New York, NY: Puffin Books.
ISBN: 978-0142415528
* Information found on scholastic.com
*Interest Level: Grades 3-5
Awards for this book include: Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award Nominee (2007), Coretta Scott King Award for Author Honor (2004), The Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature Honor (2004)
Woodson, J. (2010). Locomotion. New York, NY: Puffin Books.
ISBN: 978-0142415528
* Information found on scholastic.com