Orangutanka: A Story in Poems

by Margarita Engle, Renee Kurilla (Illustrator)

All the orangutans are ready for a nap in the sleepy depths of the afternoon . . . all except one. This little orangutan wants to dance! A hip-hop, cha-cha-cha dance full of somersaults and cartwheels. But who will dance with her? Written in bold poems in the tanka style, an ancient Japanese form of poetry that is often used as a travel diary, this exuberant orangutan celebration from acclaimed poet Margarita Engle will make readers want to dance, too!

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Animals, Nature, Childrens, Storytime, Asia

40 pages, Hardcover

First published March 24, 2015

About the author

Margarita Engle is a Cuban-American poet, novelist, and journalist whose work has been published in many countries. She lives with her husband in northern California.

Reviews

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this new book from Margarita Engle.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of tanka (a Japanese poetry form) that has an orangutan theme.

[Holly Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great play on words and fun with poetry as well as information about orangutans. I like the way Engle engages young children with a challenge to do a orangudance at the end.

[Erika Cano · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poem book is written in Japanese form consisting of five lines with traditional syllable count of 5, 7, 5, 7, 7. The orangutan facts and activity for the kids at the end of the book is genius! This book is about a family of orangutans who live at the zoo. The author does an awesome job of conveying emotion, taste, sound, and visual imagery as the orangutans play, eat, and sleep in the trees. The author uses descriptive words to describe what is taking place and the illustrator brings it to life with bold colorful pictures. The text size is great and the print concept is awesome. The words flow from side to side squiggly and follow along with the pictures. This book was joyful and fun to read and allowed me to view the lives of playful, fun, loving orangutan family. I'm sure the kids would enjoy this book.

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

April is National Poetry Month, this sweet book was facing out on the library shelves and I just couldn't resist. I know, my kids are now too old but come on....who doesn't love Orangutans?

Tanka is a form of Japanese Poetry, it shows a basic line pattern of short, long, short, long, long.

The book is beautifully illustrated and sweet. I think interesting and short enough to keep kids attention. Knocked one star off because I thought it could be more environmentally informative.

[Marytza Mundo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is useful when using it with students when teaching abut poetry. Theres a lot of ways to write poetry and this book focuses specifically on tanka. Tanka is a Japanese form of poetry that is explained in the beginning of the book. This book teaches students about poetry while also teaching a little about Orangutans. I really liked this book because the illustrations are really good along with the poem being short enough to keep students entertained but long enough to give a good story.

[Robert Gowdy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story. Introduces the topic of orangutans and the fact that they are an endangered species through a Japanese form of poetry. Simple and interesting painted art style that appeals to a slightly younger crowd of students. Touches on the topic of animal conservation, animal habitats, and Japanese poetry or "tanka". I would recommend this for students 1st grade and up.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never heard of Tanka poems before. If you don't stick to syllable limits (like these don't), then it feels very free form.

These work together to make a fun story of an orangutan family in a zoo or wildlife refuge. The older child in the family dances during nap time and inspires some human kids nearby to dance, too.

[Briana Lewellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really cute because it talks about the orangutans and how one of them really wants to dance and finding someone to dance with. The poems make it extra fun and you find yourself singing the poem in your head as you watch the orangutan dance on the pages. Great classroom read aloud!

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poem written in the Japanese form of Tanka, which follows a buffoonery of Orangutans deep in the rain forest as they all settle down in the trees for a nap; all with the exception of one female who wants to dance instead of sleeping. Facts about orangutans are listed at the end of the book.

[Kary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book to teach tanka poetry

[Joy Keil · Rating 3 out of 5]

2yo liked it. I didn't like the rhythm of the text...didn't flow well. Pictures were fun.

[Elizabeth Hensley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful introduction to Japanese tanka poetry. Beautiful illustrations.

[Kelly Carey · Rating 2 out of 5]

A nice alternative to haiku, this book introduces the poetry form called tanka using playful orangutans.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shows a typical day for a small family of Orangutans told through Japanese "tanka" poems.

A fun little story with a possible activity for littles.

No content issues.

[Brady Moxley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Albeit a bit silly I think the pictures and the wording is cute and worth the read. It probably would not suit children of any age over about 8.

[Scarlett Freeman-Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read with my mom & sister. Description in the beginning of what a tanka is. Nice artwork and story about an orangutan family 🙈

[Kaitlyn Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations and poetry throughout! It was interactive and engaging through the entire book. It could also be used in science to describe what orangutans are and do.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in a series of tanka poems*, this book creatively tells the story of an orangutan family living in a zoo as seen by the zoo’s visitors. Though the poems are short and simple, the author does a beautiful job conveying emotion, smells, taste, feeling and sound as the orangutan family plays in the trees, eats fruit and then takes a nap. Sister orangutan alone is not sleepy. Engle’s words and Kurilla’s illustrations work creatively together to show sister’s mischievous movements as she swings down from the trees and dances her way over the to noisy human onlookers. The illustrations, created in pencil and ink, are bright, colorful and effortlessly flow across the page in several double-page spreads. Kurilla cleverly incorporates the movement of Engle’s words into her illustrations. A bonus for any poetry collection, this book is also a wonderful mentor text for elementary teachers working with their students on different forms of poetry.

Includes a note about traditional tanka poems at the beginning of the book. Also includes facts about orangutans at the back as well as a brief list of both book and online resources.

*Tanka poems originate in Japan. Traditionally they consist of five lines with a syllable count of 5,7,5,7,7.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in a contemporary style of the Japanese tanka form, this simple yet satisfying story of an orangutan family comes alive with vivid language and playful illustrations by Renée Kurilla. Children will enjoy seeing how similar these lovable apes are to humans. Teachers and parents will appreciate the opportunity to introduce "Orangutan Facts" described at the back of the book, not the least of which is their critically endangered status. The back matter also includes recommended resources to learn more about orangutans.

It seems that no matter what age group Margarita Engle is writing for, there are common themes amongst her books:

1. A love of nature
2. Some aspect of freedom
3. Giving voice to the underrepresented – the "forgotten" ones whose stories need to be told.

While ORANGUTANKA may not be based on a historical figure like many of her other books, Ms. Engle is no less passionate about her topic or her cause. Besides her sensory-rich language (which I am prone to drool over), this is one of the things that I like best about her books: she is driven to shine a light on others – human or otherwise.

[Kid Lit Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the early morning, the baby orangutan cuddles with its mama in the trees. Mama is still tired but the baby and her sister not so much. Big sister takes off, leaping, swinging, flipping, and smiling as she swoops from branch to branch. The range foresters put out a banquet of fruit for their orangutan charges and the trees shake with the movement of orangutan to fruit.

In the afternoon, the heat rises and the big sister orangutan sneaks off once more. On the forest floor, the orangutan dances. A little hip-hop and a little cha-cha-cha, plus some somersaults make up her repertoire. All the other orangutans are up in their tree nests, asleep, when the rain begins. But then, movement. Grandma joins her granddaughter and they dance. Later, big sister and grandma are back in the treetops. Down below more orangutan dancing occurs . . . by the visiting children.

To Continue Reading, Go To: http://kid-lit-reviews.com/2015/12/15...

[Clare Rossetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book about orangutans that uses poetry in combination with facts. The poetry form used is a modern form of a Japanese poem called tanka. This form of poetry is a series of sentences using the syllable count of 5, 7, 7, 7, 7. Today poets do not count the syllables but they write their poems using the pattern of short, long, short, long, long. The verses in this poem are child friendly and will appeal to kids in a very positive way. One of my favorite pages describes big sister arranged around simple colorful pictures of her doing each thing-"big sister leaps and clings, swings on vines, flips, dips, swoops, twirls, and smiles upside down." These words make me smile and I see and sister swinging through the trees in a very playful way. There are directions for an orangudance activity that will be a good movement time for story time. The word orangutan mean, "forest person," in the Malay language. Of course, there are online sites to go to as well as other books to learn more about this interesting animal. Good use of poetry to interest kids as well as teach them-like the combination.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review at: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=6812

This book is right up my alley! As you all know, I love apes and orangutans might just be my favorite; however, they very rarely show up in text, so I was so happy to learn about this one. (Whoever told me to read this text, you definitely know me!) Additionally, I just love Engle’s work. I haven’t read anything by her that I haven’t enjoyed, and Orangutanka is definitely no exception. This text tells us a story of an orangutan family in tankas, a style of modern Japanese poetry. Tankas are more fun than haikus and allow for more freedom which makes for a playful book about our orangutan family. The colorful and page-encompassing illustrations add to the overall fun feel of the book. I also really like that at the end of the book, Engle included information about orangutans, their endangered habitat, and the dangers of palm oil and didn’t ignore the seriousness of the orangutan’s situation.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's curious to see how life circles back around. As a child the only thing eclipsing resistance to bedtime would be the dreaded afternoon nap. Nowadays curling up in a cozy chair, underneath a comfy blanket, in the sun reading a book and not worrying about drifting off to sleep, seems like a perfectly good option.

In some cultures a mid-day snooze is completely acceptable whether due to climate or practiced traditions. We need only look to our primate relatives living in the rain forests of Borneo and Sumatra to understand the value of short snatches of sleep in the animal kingdom, too. Orangutanka: A Story in Poems (Henry Holt and Company, March 24, 2015) written by Margarita Engle with illustrations by Renee Kurilla is a cheerful nod to naps and to rest rebels.

My full recommendation: http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2...

[Juliana Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in the Japanese poetry form 'tanka' this story is a series of poems. Baby Orangutan wakes up in her zoo home. Her mama and papa are still sleeping. Her big sister swings on the vines and smiles upside down. Finally the forest rangers come with colorful mounds of fruit for the orangutan family. The people look on as they eat. During the heat of the day, they stay in the tree tops… all except sister who comes down to play waving her arms and legs in the air. Everyone naps and the rains come. Sister looks for a big leafy umbrella. She crouches low as the people gather around to watch her. Finally grandma orangutan climbs down to rescue her… but first they dance in the rain. Safe in the trees, sister looks down to see the people dancing like orangutans.
http://julianaleewriter.com/books-ali...

[Alyssa Madden]

This book is all about how orangutans dance and move, it starts off with them in the forest moving from branch to branch and then some rangers set out food for them. Dad moves slow through the trees and baby sees a butterfly. Then the sister decides to go down to the forest floor when some humans arrive and it starts raining and she gets scared. Will the baby be okay?

I would have to children look at the dances in the book and think about how they dance, is it similar? I would also have them all try and draw an Orangutan and show me what the difference is between them and other monkeys.

Engle, M., & Kurilla, R. (2015). Orangutanka: A story in poems (p. 31). New York, New York: Henry Holt and Company.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charming illustrations and pleasing poetry make a winning combination. Baby orangutan couldn't be much cuter; papa is so massive his weight bends the branches. Both illustrations and text are full of movement (orangudance) and sounds (cha-cha-cha). While the rest of the family naps, adventurous sister dances and plays, even in the rain and brave grandma joins her.

(Tanka is 5, 7, 5, 7 , 7, though modern tanka is short/long/short/long/long, which Engle employs here.)

Includes a few facts and places to learn more about orangutans, and a simple dance activity to encourage children to dance too.

Pencil and ink illustrations, colored digitally.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd never heard of a tanka poem before seeing this book on the "new arrivals" shelf at the library.

Not a lot in the way of factual information but an enjoyable additional selection for a library picture book poetry collection. The illustrations are very well done and the poetic lines do have mentor text possibilities. One note at the end about deforestation and palm oil was coincidental as I read a headline about the French ecology minister denouncing Nutella for using it as an ingredient. Apparently he apologized later and said that Ferrero does use sustainable sources. Which is good. I would hate for my graham cracker and Nutella treat to take away an orangutan's home.

[Yapha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fun picture book about an orangutan family is told entirely in Tanka poems, the format of which is explained in the beginning of the book. This small family group lives in a wildlife preserve. As big sister orangutan frolics under the watchful eyes of her mother, father, and grandmother, we see humans also happily observing her antics. The bright illustrations will draw readers in and the lively poems will keep them interested. It culminates in an invitation to participate in an orangutan dance. Recommended for grades K-3.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tanka poems linked together describe a day in the life of a family of orangutans.

I like the inclusion of the note about the poetry that appears before the start of the story. The back matter contains facts about orangutans and both books and websites for further exploration of the topic.

Pencil and ink illustrations colored digitally.

Nice read aloud with PreK-2, especially during National Poetry Month, but certainly year-round as well.