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Amazing Faces
In this contemporary yet timeless collection, sixteen evocative poems are brought to life in diverse and detailed faces that reveal the universal feelings we all share. Girls and boys, women and men invite us to experience their world, understand their lives, and find the connections that bring us together.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
About the author
Lee Bennett Hopkins
208 books52 followersLee Bennett Hopkins was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2017. He holds a Guinness Book of Records citation for compiling the most anthologies for children. He has also received the Christopher Award, the Regina Medal, and the National Council of Teachers of English Excellence in Poetry for Children Award. He lives in Florida.
For more information, please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Ben...
For more information, please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Ben...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
February 19, 2017
Quite wonderful. The illustrations are not a perfect fit to my taste, and 16 poems is not enough, but I do think this has a place in every school. My favorite poem is Jane Medina's "Me x 2" about a girl who is bilingual, and the picture reflects her pride in being able to "cry time two... try times two...." I'd want to discuss Janet S. Wong's "Living Above Good Fortune" as the illustrator shows a happy child, but I read the poem as sarcastically expressing frustration. (You can see this poem in another GR review so I won't type it here.)
December 13, 2012
I recently read Amazing Faces by: Lee Bennett Hopkins! This book is a pretty good book about different kids culture! This book is a good, different, and learning about others book because it is enjoyable, but also you learn about other people, how their culture works, and how they do different home things (like eating, learning, writing, reading, etc...) I like the idea of a poem book, but it could be a book where each chapter was about different kids ,their culture, and at home doing things! I think the author wrote this book to inform people about other peoples life's. This book is well written, informative, and interesting because it informs you about others, and interest you about the ways of living a life in their culture! I would rate this book 4 stars and recommend it to anyone who likes to know about others! This is a short picture/poem book and it was also a blue bonnet book last year!
April 18, 2018
Poetry:
I have never been much into poetry and I had a hard time understanding it as a child. After reading Amazing Faces, I have thought more critically about how I will use poetry in my classroom while engaging students.
Amazing Faces is a collection of poems about the faces, characteristics, and lives of many people all over the world. Some of the titles of the poems are “My Chinatown,” “Which Way to Dreamland,” “Me x 2,” and “Yo x 2.” My favorite poems of the collection were “Me x 2” and “Yo x 2.” These poems were written on the same page, one on top of the other. These poems were about how a little girl is bilingual. She says that she reads, writes, thinks, dreams, laughs, and sings times two (in two different languages). I think that this poem is especially interesting because it includes both an English version and a Spanish version which really completes the main purpose and details explained in the poem.
I would definitely use this book in any 3rd-5th grade classroom to introduce poetry to students. I think that this book is very diverse and allows many different students to relate to the information presented. I believe that many different people will be able to see themselves represented in this book and will be able to make connections to it. If I were using this book in the classroom, I would ask students to read through the book and stop when they found a poem they could make a connection with. Then, have students write about an experience in their own lives that relates to the poem that they read. This will help students with text-to-self connections. Another activity I would use in the classroom would be to have students write a poem about their lives similar to how the kids in the book did. This would be a great activity to connect to a social studies lesson about how our classrooms and world are diverse and contain many different cultures.
I absolutely loved Amazing Faces. This is a WOW book for me because I could really see myself using this book in my future classroom to introduce poetry. I loved how the book represented many different races, ethnic groups, languages, and experiences. This book not only touched on these topics, it also celebrated them! I think that many students could relate to this book and would love to read the stories of others.
I have never been much into poetry and I had a hard time understanding it as a child. After reading Amazing Faces, I have thought more critically about how I will use poetry in my classroom while engaging students.
Amazing Faces is a collection of poems about the faces, characteristics, and lives of many people all over the world. Some of the titles of the poems are “My Chinatown,” “Which Way to Dreamland,” “Me x 2,” and “Yo x 2.” My favorite poems of the collection were “Me x 2” and “Yo x 2.” These poems were written on the same page, one on top of the other. These poems were about how a little girl is bilingual. She says that she reads, writes, thinks, dreams, laughs, and sings times two (in two different languages). I think that this poem is especially interesting because it includes both an English version and a Spanish version which really completes the main purpose and details explained in the poem.
I would definitely use this book in any 3rd-5th grade classroom to introduce poetry to students. I think that this book is very diverse and allows many different students to relate to the information presented. I believe that many different people will be able to see themselves represented in this book and will be able to make connections to it. If I were using this book in the classroom, I would ask students to read through the book and stop when they found a poem they could make a connection with. Then, have students write about an experience in their own lives that relates to the poem that they read. This will help students with text-to-self connections. Another activity I would use in the classroom would be to have students write a poem about their lives similar to how the kids in the book did. This would be a great activity to connect to a social studies lesson about how our classrooms and world are diverse and contain many different cultures.
I absolutely loved Amazing Faces. This is a WOW book for me because I could really see myself using this book in my future classroom to introduce poetry. I loved how the book represented many different races, ethnic groups, languages, and experiences. This book not only touched on these topics, it also celebrated them! I think that many students could relate to this book and would love to read the stories of others.
September 10, 2018
Hopkins has selected an excellent anthology of poems by well-known poets, which are paired with wonderful illustrations by Chris Soentpiet. His execution of faces and facial expressions is excellent, and his paintings are reminiscent of the art styles of two of his favorite painters: Ted Lewin and Norman Rockwell. My favorite was the final double-page spread of people of all races apparently celebrating the Fourth of July (my guess).
January 9, 2023
I used this one for the nonfiction poetry writing unit (see my review of Incredible Inventions for more on that) for my poetry about people mentor text. However, there were really only a few poems that fit the expository, NOT narrative style I was trying to use, that would be relatable to students even without a lot of background. I could have worked harder with this one, but it didn't really have what I was looking for.
Because of that, I should probably spend more time looking at this one. It does seem to be a lot less organized than the other poetry books I've looked at, and a lot more scattered in terms of the form of the poems.
I did enjoy this one, I'm just not sure if the lesson plan I created was as full a look as I would have liked to have at this book, and so I'm not sure if I can leave a review that shows my true feelings about it.
*
Because of that, I should probably spend more time looking at this one. It does seem to be a lot less organized than the other poetry books I've looked at, and a lot more scattered in terms of the form of the poems.
I did enjoy this one, I'm just not sure if the lesson plan I created was as full a look as I would have liked to have at this book, and so I'm not sure if I can leave a review that shows my true feelings about it.
*
October 30, 2022
I used this one for the nonfiction poetry writing unit (see my review of Incredible Inventions for more on that) for my poetry about people mentor text. However, there were really only a few poems that fit the expository, NOT narrative style I was trying to use, that would be relatable to students even without a lot of background. I could have worked harder with this one, but it didn't really have what I was looking for.
Because of that, I should probably spend more time looking at this one. It does seem to be a lot less organized than the other poetry books I've looked at, and a lot more scattered in terms of the form of the poems.
I did enjoy this one, I'm just not sure if the lesson plan I created was as full a look as I would have liked to have at this book, and so I'm not sure if I can leave a review that shows my true feelings about it.
If I change this review at all you can read the updates on my Goodreads account for children's books.
Because of that, I should probably spend more time looking at this one. It does seem to be a lot less organized than the other poetry books I've looked at, and a lot more scattered in terms of the form of the poems.
I did enjoy this one, I'm just not sure if the lesson plan I created was as full a look as I would have liked to have at this book, and so I'm not sure if I can leave a review that shows my true feelings about it.
If I change this review at all you can read the updates on my Goodreads account for children's books.
September 23, 2010
For the most part I liked the poems in this collection. I do not like the illustrations. This type of photograph quality watercolor with lots of detail always looks to me as if the lighting is too bright. It can distort facial features which I think makes it a bit creepy. I like the multicultural aspect of the poetry particularly Me x 2 done in both English and Spanish, which cleverly illustrates the point. There are a couple of poems that I felt didn’t really fit into the overall mix: A Young Soldier and Firefighter Face. The collection all has to do with very kid experiences and emotions and then you get these two poems that just don’t belong. Still there is enough here to appeal to a wide audience.
Read
October 17, 2011My books is a poetry. My book is about poems. I like thebook "Amazing Faces" because it's interesting, funny but is also cool. My favorite poem about this book is "Amazing Face" because it's about this little cute baby and the mom actioally the mom loves the baby because it's her's doo. I'll remeber that when i was a baby i was tiny. I'll recomend this book to my first (1) and therd (3) grade teacher thoe she was the same teacher i had named Mrs.Colon ,I'll recomend the book "Amazing Faces" because it's funny and it's also cute. My question is that why are they're alot of people in the front cover of the book. I'll give this book 3 stars.
April 22, 2018
In a collection of poetry, this book captures the emotions, cultures, and unique lives of various individuals. Each poem, matched with a beautiful illustration, shares the stories of joy, sadness, bravery, and contentment; all emotions that we have all experienced. These poems also explore our cultural uniqueness, and how even though we all have different experiences and stories to share, we are all interconnected through our emotions.
This book is an excellent way to expose children in grades three and higher to culturally rich poetry, and more broadly, the way in which poetry can be written. Often times, students and even adults feel intimidated when reading or writing poetry, but this book can help to ease this anxiety by showing the readers the many creative ways poetry can be written. To study poetry and how to interpret it, teachers could assign poems from “Amazing Faces” to groups of students, and have students interpret these poems and share their findings with the class (after much modeling of course). Teachers could also encourage students to write their own poetry which mirrors the work found in this book; poetry which depicts their unique experiences, stories, and emotions. Teachers can hang up their students’ poetry and illustrations, and encourage the class to go on a “gallery walk” to explore the work of their classmates. Through this exercise, teachers can help create cultural awareness among students, and help to develop a stronger classroom community.
The book “Amazing Faces” is a great way to introduce the power of poetry to students, as each poem found in this book depicts the creative ways authors use poetry to express oneself. This book can easily inspire students to create their own poems and can even be used to build classroom community!
This book is an excellent way to expose children in grades three and higher to culturally rich poetry, and more broadly, the way in which poetry can be written. Often times, students and even adults feel intimidated when reading or writing poetry, but this book can help to ease this anxiety by showing the readers the many creative ways poetry can be written. To study poetry and how to interpret it, teachers could assign poems from “Amazing Faces” to groups of students, and have students interpret these poems and share their findings with the class (after much modeling of course). Teachers could also encourage students to write their own poetry which mirrors the work found in this book; poetry which depicts their unique experiences, stories, and emotions. Teachers can hang up their students’ poetry and illustrations, and encourage the class to go on a “gallery walk” to explore the work of their classmates. Through this exercise, teachers can help create cultural awareness among students, and help to develop a stronger classroom community.
The book “Amazing Faces” is a great way to introduce the power of poetry to students, as each poem found in this book depicts the creative ways authors use poetry to express oneself. This book can easily inspire students to create their own poems and can even be used to build classroom community!
November 20, 2017
Summary “Amazing Faces”: A beautifully book illustrated by Chris Soentpiet to Lee Bennett Hopkins’s compilation of poems, this book captures several moments tied to multicultural topics such as sewing in “My Chinatown”, Mexican food selections in "Me x 2" (also translated in "Yo x 2") and the Native American storyteller in "Aunt Molly Sky".
Reading level: not rated
Characteristics that Support the Genre: The premise of this book relates to life in America from diverse perspectives while illustrating the universal emotions we share.
Mentor Writing Traits:
Idea: The heart of the composition is the connection of immigrant and native Americans through our humanity as expressed in emotions.
Voice: The reader feels connected additionally with the beautiful illustrations. When I look at the illustration of the young girl gazing in the window at a Mexican restaurant in Manhattan, I'm immediately transported there with my memories of the sounds, smells and people on the streets there.
Conventions: The text offers traditional conventional traits with punctuation but also demonstrates various poetic forms.
Classroom Integration: I would use this book in combination with a field trip to New York or a reservation in Minnesota. I would also use this in a lesson about poetry, instructing the students to devise a personal poem about themselves (bonus points for including a drawing or photo!)
Reading level: not rated
Characteristics that Support the Genre: The premise of this book relates to life in America from diverse perspectives while illustrating the universal emotions we share.
Mentor Writing Traits:
Idea: The heart of the composition is the connection of immigrant and native Americans through our humanity as expressed in emotions.
Voice: The reader feels connected additionally with the beautiful illustrations. When I look at the illustration of the young girl gazing in the window at a Mexican restaurant in Manhattan, I'm immediately transported there with my memories of the sounds, smells and people on the streets there.
Conventions: The text offers traditional conventional traits with punctuation but also demonstrates various poetic forms.
Classroom Integration: I would use this book in combination with a field trip to New York or a reservation in Minnesota. I would also use this in a lesson about poetry, instructing the students to devise a personal poem about themselves (bonus points for including a drawing or photo!)
April 22, 2019
Synthesis: This collection of poems shows different points of view and cultures. The collection starts with a poem about a baby and continues on with different poems about children and eventually grownups. This collection sheds light on how different we all are and different experiences we go through. Some of the poems in the collection are complex, while others are pretty simple. This would be a great addition to a classroom with students on varying reading levels (so every classroom).
WOW Books: This book was eye opening while still being fun to read. There was a good mixture of serious and comical poems. The poems from a child's perspective were my favorite and gave me insight into their life in a culture different than mine. My favorite poem in the book was"Mex2,Yox2."
Activity: To supplement this book, I would have students write a poem about themselves from their own perspective. This collection gives multiple examples of simple and complex poems from a child's perspective. This would be a good final project for a poetry unit. Another activity could be a jigsaw of poems. Each student could chose one of the poems from the collection and share with a group. This way each student will become an expert on their poem and can share what they took away from their poem to a small group. Each student will then get to hear multiple poems without having to read and dissect every individual poem.
WOW Books: This book was eye opening while still being fun to read. There was a good mixture of serious and comical poems. The poems from a child's perspective were my favorite and gave me insight into their life in a culture different than mine. My favorite poem in the book was"Mex2,Yox2."
Activity: To supplement this book, I would have students write a poem about themselves from their own perspective. This collection gives multiple examples of simple and complex poems from a child's perspective. This would be a good final project for a poetry unit. Another activity could be a jigsaw of poems. Each student could chose one of the poems from the collection and share with a group. This way each student will become an expert on their poem and can share what they took away from their poem to a small group. Each student will then get to hear multiple poems without having to read and dissect every individual poem.
November 12, 2018
Amazing Faces is a collection of poems each written by a different author featuring people and their experiences. This text features multiple cultures and a wide range of ages. This is a very relatable text, there is at least one poem for every student. This text also features a variety of different types of poems. This is the perfect text to use when teaching poetry.
This book on poetry is great for all ages. I would specifically use this book for students in Kindergarten through 6th grade. In the lower grades, I would use this text as an introduction to poetry through reading aloud and shared readings. And in the upper grades, I would use this text to introduce different forms of poetry to students. This book is also a great tool when talking about diversity and different cultures.
This book on poetry is great for all ages. I would specifically use this book for students in Kindergarten through 6th grade. In the lower grades, I would use this text as an introduction to poetry through reading aloud and shared readings. And in the upper grades, I would use this text to introduce different forms of poetry to students. This book is also a great tool when talking about diversity and different cultures.
March 16, 2020
This collection of poems explores some of the many faces in this world. It allows the reader to look through a small window into the lives of children of different ethnicities, children without friends, siblings, heroes, and many more.
This book is a valuable tool in addressing race and treating all people with kindness. The images and poems in the book are of diverse characters, and this is important representation in the classroom. I would use this book to open up discussion about treatment of others at the elementary level.
This book is a valuable tool in addressing race and treating all people with kindness. The images and poems in the book are of diverse characters, and this is important representation in the classroom. I would use this book to open up discussion about treatment of others at the elementary level.
September 5, 2023
With this book I chose I thought it be an easier thing to read to the kids, but trying to figure out what to do as an activity with the class. I thought of doing family description and have kids write out what they see in their parents. The thing is you can read this to a younger class like first grade. Yet, this book can be used in a higher level classroom which would give you more oprotunity of activities you can do with students
September 14, 2018
This book is stunning!
My favorite poem - reduces me to tears.
Amazing, your face.
Amazing.
It shows there will be trails to follow,
porches to wave from, wonder from,
play on.
It shows you will sail ships,
paint stars,
carve pumpkins,
hours,
years.
You will climb stalks,
greet giants,
crawl before you walk.
And you will fly
And you will fall.
And you will fly again.
Amazing, your face.
It shows you will watch from a window,
whisper to a friend,
ride a carousel,
melt candy on your tongue.
Amazing, your face.
Amazing.
Rebecca Kai Dotlich
from "Amazing Faces" compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins
My favorite poem - reduces me to tears.
Amazing, your face.
Amazing.
It shows there will be trails to follow,
porches to wave from, wonder from,
play on.
It shows you will sail ships,
paint stars,
carve pumpkins,
hours,
years.
You will climb stalks,
greet giants,
crawl before you walk.
And you will fly
And you will fall.
And you will fly again.
Amazing, your face.
It shows you will watch from a window,
whisper to a friend,
ride a carousel,
melt candy on your tongue.
Amazing, your face.
Amazing.
Rebecca Kai Dotlich
from "Amazing Faces" compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins
April 28, 2024
An interesting collection of short poems about different people who all live in the same neighborhood. Since people are very varied, the poems are as well. My favorite was the favorite of lots of other reviewers-- Me x 2.
Read
January 24, 2020This is a poem book that uses other cultures of children to paint a simple picture of their lives. All people are different and all people are beautiful. I think I would use this book for Intermediate learners. As a teacher, I would use each poem for a part of a series of lessons on individuality.
August 31, 2021
21/31 #TheSealeyChallenge I've read this book MANY times, and it was a favorite in classroom Poetry Friday.
July 15, 2013
22 September 2010 AMAZING FACES, poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins and Chris Soentpiet, ill., Lee & Low Books, June 2010, 40p., ISBN: 978-1-60060-334-1
In a sense, it was like out of some children's fantasy novel -- a second world existing above the one we all know and see. And only a few people outside of its inhabitants can actually lay eyes on this second world.
But now I was seeing it!
It was mid-morning, the fog had just cleared leaving San Francisco bright and brisk, and I was walking along Stockton Street in Chinatown. Sure, in the past, out of the corner of my eye, a gust of wind would cause me to glance upward momentarily and notice clothes hung out to dry on some nearby fire escape. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that this neighborhood was not just restaurants, produce markets, and tourist shops. But until you make a conscious effort to see that second world above the first one -- the upstairs apartments in which so many of this community live -- it is so easy to remain oblivious to its presence.
What seems sort of ironic is that this second world is in my genes. During the Depression, on the other coast, my mother grew up in just such an apartment. But it took my being in teacher mode on this day to fully open my eyes to what I'd not really seen during dozens of previous trips here, when I'd drive down to visit my favorite restaurant in the world (Lucky Creation Vegetarian Restaurant on Washington Street.)
Thanks to Lee Bennett Hopkins and Chris Soentpiet, Janet Wong's poem "Living Above Good Fortune," relating to this very topic, will now enlighten readers, no matter how far away from such a community they, themselves, live:
"I live above Good Fortune
where they catch crabs fresh
cook them any way you want
fast as you can spell c-ru-s-t-a-c-e-a-n
I live around the corner from Heaven's Supermarket
where all the lines are cash only
and you can get two for one
if you know how to talk nice
I live on a street where every other thing is Lucky
and every other thing is for tourists
My mother says,
'You don't want to go to those places'
even though she sees it in my eyes
how much I wish sometimes
but I live above Good Fortune
Lucky me"
Janet S. Wong
"Living Above Good Fortune" is but one of sixteen exceptional poems that have been collected here by Hopkins and illustrated by Soentpiet.
We in the library world so often speak of the importance of children getting to see themselves in the books to which they have access. And this is one of the things that AMAZING FACES does so amazingly well. It is a collection in which diverse young readers will see themselves -- both in the poems and the pictures -- amidst the rainbow of cultures and skin colors found here.
Abuela
"Her face, a lacework of courage;
Her brow, brown as settled earth;
Her chin, worn thin, a point of pride;
Her cheeks, soft antiques of the sun;
Her smile, a profile in mischief,
Latina, abuela, she is everyone
Of us come from otherwhere,
Happy to call another stratosphere
Home.
J. Patrick Lewis
Inclusion and exclusion is another thing of which we often speak. It was just the other day that I was talking to student teachers about familiarizing themselves with Teaching Tolerance's Mix It Up at Lunch Day which, this year, will take place on November 9th. I was explaining what none of these young teachers-in-training can yet fully grasp --- how one can be as old as me and still so clearly feel the sting of being excluded decades earlier. And how the slights I suffered are so inconsequential in comparison to what far too many twenty-first century young people still experience -- particularly in today's economic climate --despite it's being so many decades beyond Martin and Cesar.
This is another forever-a-problem that this collection will help address, and I am confident that if it is made available to young readers, AMAZING FACES will be responsible for many a young reader "getting it."
"I'm The One"
I'm the one
You turn your
Back on,
Never asking me
To play.
I'm the one
You heard crying,
Walking home
From school
Today.
You're the one
Who could erase
Sadness
Traced
Upon my face.
If only one day
You could see,
What fun
You'd have
Being
Friends
With
Me.
Jude Mandell
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
In a sense, it was like out of some children's fantasy novel -- a second world existing above the one we all know and see. And only a few people outside of its inhabitants can actually lay eyes on this second world.
But now I was seeing it!
It was mid-morning, the fog had just cleared leaving San Francisco bright and brisk, and I was walking along Stockton Street in Chinatown. Sure, in the past, out of the corner of my eye, a gust of wind would cause me to glance upward momentarily and notice clothes hung out to dry on some nearby fire escape. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that this neighborhood was not just restaurants, produce markets, and tourist shops. But until you make a conscious effort to see that second world above the first one -- the upstairs apartments in which so many of this community live -- it is so easy to remain oblivious to its presence.
What seems sort of ironic is that this second world is in my genes. During the Depression, on the other coast, my mother grew up in just such an apartment. But it took my being in teacher mode on this day to fully open my eyes to what I'd not really seen during dozens of previous trips here, when I'd drive down to visit my favorite restaurant in the world (Lucky Creation Vegetarian Restaurant on Washington Street.)
Thanks to Lee Bennett Hopkins and Chris Soentpiet, Janet Wong's poem "Living Above Good Fortune," relating to this very topic, will now enlighten readers, no matter how far away from such a community they, themselves, live:
"I live above Good Fortune
where they catch crabs fresh
cook them any way you want
fast as you can spell c-ru-s-t-a-c-e-a-n
I live around the corner from Heaven's Supermarket
where all the lines are cash only
and you can get two for one
if you know how to talk nice
I live on a street where every other thing is Lucky
and every other thing is for tourists
My mother says,
'You don't want to go to those places'
even though she sees it in my eyes
how much I wish sometimes
but I live above Good Fortune
Lucky me"
Janet S. Wong
"Living Above Good Fortune" is but one of sixteen exceptional poems that have been collected here by Hopkins and illustrated by Soentpiet.
We in the library world so often speak of the importance of children getting to see themselves in the books to which they have access. And this is one of the things that AMAZING FACES does so amazingly well. It is a collection in which diverse young readers will see themselves -- both in the poems and the pictures -- amidst the rainbow of cultures and skin colors found here.
Abuela
"Her face, a lacework of courage;
Her brow, brown as settled earth;
Her chin, worn thin, a point of pride;
Her cheeks, soft antiques of the sun;
Her smile, a profile in mischief,
Latina, abuela, she is everyone
Of us come from otherwhere,
Happy to call another stratosphere
Home.
J. Patrick Lewis
Inclusion and exclusion is another thing of which we often speak. It was just the other day that I was talking to student teachers about familiarizing themselves with Teaching Tolerance's Mix It Up at Lunch Day which, this year, will take place on November 9th. I was explaining what none of these young teachers-in-training can yet fully grasp --- how one can be as old as me and still so clearly feel the sting of being excluded decades earlier. And how the slights I suffered are so inconsequential in comparison to what far too many twenty-first century young people still experience -- particularly in today's economic climate --despite it's being so many decades beyond Martin and Cesar.
This is another forever-a-problem that this collection will help address, and I am confident that if it is made available to young readers, AMAZING FACES will be responsible for many a young reader "getting it."
"I'm The One"
I'm the one
You turn your
Back on,
Never asking me
To play.
I'm the one
You heard crying,
Walking home
From school
Today.
You're the one
Who could erase
Sadness
Traced
Upon my face.
If only one day
You could see,
What fun
You'd have
Being
Friends
With
Me.
Jude Mandell
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
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April 25, 2014Picture book #2 Amazing Faces
1. The book Amazing Faces contains sixteen short poems with beautiful illustrations told from people of different ages, cultures and genders. It includes the African American culture, the Hispanic culture, the Anglo-Saxon culture, and they are all in America. Each poem tells about the feelings of each person and how they play a part in our world and in America. I made a text to self connection when reading the poem titled “Me x 2, Yo x 2” by Jane Medina. It’s a poem about a person who can read and speak two languages, whereas most people in this country do not. She says she can write, sing, and do twice as much as a normal person. She is proud of being able to speak two languages and the poem is written in English and Spanish. I am also proud of being able to speak two languages and teach it to my students who will have great lives ahead of them by being fluent in both Spanish and English. It’s important to be proud of what your culture is and this poem definitely shows it, especially with the picture. In the illustration, there is a young girl looking at a window of a Mexican restaurant, and smiling as she reads the different foods they sell. When I saw that, I could see myself in that little girls shoes walking by the restaurants on 24th street here in Omaha and just being happy to be able to read all the signs, and help those who may not understand them.
2. Remembering: Name two things the boy in the poem “I’m the One” by Jude Mandell feels as he walks back home from school.
Understanding: How would you characterize “Abuela” from the poem “Abuela” by J. Patrick Lewis?
Applying: How are the poems “Hero” by Tom Robert Shields and “Karate Kid” by Jane Yolen similar?
Analyzing: What motive is there when Aunt Molly tells her stories to all the children and adults in the family, from the poem “Aunt Molly Sky” by Joseph Bruchac?
Evaluating: Why was it better that the soldier keep his “miles of memories sealed”? From the poem “A Young Soldier” by Prince Redcloud.
Creating: Create a new haiku poem about a part of your culture.
3. (2010, May 01). School Library Journal. http://www.booksinprint.com/DetailedV...#
1. The book Amazing Faces contains sixteen short poems with beautiful illustrations told from people of different ages, cultures and genders. It includes the African American culture, the Hispanic culture, the Anglo-Saxon culture, and they are all in America. Each poem tells about the feelings of each person and how they play a part in our world and in America. I made a text to self connection when reading the poem titled “Me x 2, Yo x 2” by Jane Medina. It’s a poem about a person who can read and speak two languages, whereas most people in this country do not. She says she can write, sing, and do twice as much as a normal person. She is proud of being able to speak two languages and the poem is written in English and Spanish. I am also proud of being able to speak two languages and teach it to my students who will have great lives ahead of them by being fluent in both Spanish and English. It’s important to be proud of what your culture is and this poem definitely shows it, especially with the picture. In the illustration, there is a young girl looking at a window of a Mexican restaurant, and smiling as she reads the different foods they sell. When I saw that, I could see myself in that little girls shoes walking by the restaurants on 24th street here in Omaha and just being happy to be able to read all the signs, and help those who may not understand them.
2. Remembering: Name two things the boy in the poem “I’m the One” by Jude Mandell feels as he walks back home from school.
Understanding: How would you characterize “Abuela” from the poem “Abuela” by J. Patrick Lewis?
Applying: How are the poems “Hero” by Tom Robert Shields and “Karate Kid” by Jane Yolen similar?
Analyzing: What motive is there when Aunt Molly tells her stories to all the children and adults in the family, from the poem “Aunt Molly Sky” by Joseph Bruchac?
Evaluating: Why was it better that the soldier keep his “miles of memories sealed”? From the poem “A Young Soldier” by Prince Redcloud.
Creating: Create a new haiku poem about a part of your culture.
3. (2010, May 01). School Library Journal. http://www.booksinprint.com/DetailedV...#
April 20, 2016
I loved this book because it is made up of sixteen poems that include people from different cultures and genders. It shows how diverse the United States is and how we all come together to form one beautiful country.
The book does a great job of accurately representing language, culture, setting, and relationships. The sixteen poems are about different cultures. Each poem has something about the culture in a non-stereotypical way. The poems show the cultures in a positive light. For example, language is represented accurately in YO X 2, a Spanish poem. The author wrote a beautifully written poem in Spanish about how being bilingual is a strength and superpower. I would read this poem to my students to help them realize why being bilingual is important. There are also relationships in the book between friends, parents, and children that are portrayed in an accurate way. Most of the poems contain positive relationships between people but there is one poem that shows how bullying can affect a child. It shows that bullying can affect any race.
Difference is constructed by everyone in the story. Each poem has a different culture and they embrace their differences. At the end of the book there is one poem that shows how even though there are differences between us we can all still unite together. The differences are what make this country a great place to live in.
The book does a great job of accurately representing language, culture, setting, and relationships. The sixteen poems are about different cultures. Each poem has something about the culture in a non-stereotypical way. The poems show the cultures in a positive light. For example, language is represented accurately in YO X 2, a Spanish poem. The author wrote a beautifully written poem in Spanish about how being bilingual is a strength and superpower. I would read this poem to my students to help them realize why being bilingual is important. There are also relationships in the book between friends, parents, and children that are portrayed in an accurate way. Most of the poems contain positive relationships between people but there is one poem that shows how bullying can affect a child. It shows that bullying can affect any race.
Difference is constructed by everyone in the story. Each poem has a different culture and they embrace their differences. At the end of the book there is one poem that shows how even though there are differences between us we can all still unite together. The differences are what make this country a great place to live in.
May 28, 2010
This book is a great collection of poems that really reflect diversity and America. Diversity in race as well as the range of emotions in human experience, both are on display in this collection. The collection moves gracefully from one poem to the next, each fitting next to the other to make a cohesive whole. This is helped by Soentpiet’s art which celebrates emotions, humanity and community in the faces he depicts.
Hopkins has created a collection that really meshes well. Each poem and poet has a distinct voice and point of view. The differences are celebrated here, the poems just as diverse as the world they share. The first poem, Amazing Face by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, welcomes readers with open arms into the collection. It is closed just as effectively with a Langston Hughes poem, My People.
Soentpiet’s art captures moments in the world that we all want to grasp and hold onto a bit longer before they pass. There is the smile of a baby, the power of a storyteller, the evening sky, and that moment that loneliness disappears. All are illustrated with great detail, making those moments ever so real.
Highly recommended, this collection of poetry will help you celebrate what America is all about: the diversity of its people. Appropriate for ages 5-9.
Hopkins has created a collection that really meshes well. Each poem and poet has a distinct voice and point of view. The differences are celebrated here, the poems just as diverse as the world they share. The first poem, Amazing Face by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, welcomes readers with open arms into the collection. It is closed just as effectively with a Langston Hughes poem, My People.
Soentpiet’s art captures moments in the world that we all want to grasp and hold onto a bit longer before they pass. There is the smile of a baby, the power of a storyteller, the evening sky, and that moment that loneliness disappears. All are illustrated with great detail, making those moments ever so real.
Highly recommended, this collection of poetry will help you celebrate what America is all about: the diversity of its people. Appropriate for ages 5-9.
April 26, 2014
(Intermediate) Amazing Faces by Lee Bennett Hopkins
1.This is a great book that can facilitate student connections in text-to-self. Students can ask themselves: What does this remind me of in my life? and create a poem about their face and life. This activity can ensure that students become activity involved with the discussions of the different poems of faces and the lives of the people with that face.
2. Remembering: Which poem was your favorite? List three reasons as to why this was your favorite face poem.
Understanding: What is the author of your favorite poem trying to describe in their through their words?
Applying: How is your favorite poem similar to your face/life experiences?
Analyzing: What questions would you ask the author of your favorite face poem if you could meet them?
Evaluating: What is the most exciting/memorable part of the poem that you selected as your favorite?
Creating: Create a poem based upon your face/life experiences: What information, feelings, likes and dislikes about yourself would you want to share with a reader through your own poem? ?
3. (2010, May 1). School Library Journal. http://www.booksinprint.com.leo.lib.u...#
1.This is a great book that can facilitate student connections in text-to-self. Students can ask themselves: What does this remind me of in my life? and create a poem about their face and life. This activity can ensure that students become activity involved with the discussions of the different poems of faces and the lives of the people with that face.
2. Remembering: Which poem was your favorite? List three reasons as to why this was your favorite face poem.
Understanding: What is the author of your favorite poem trying to describe in their through their words?
Applying: How is your favorite poem similar to your face/life experiences?
Analyzing: What questions would you ask the author of your favorite face poem if you could meet them?
Evaluating: What is the most exciting/memorable part of the poem that you selected as your favorite?
Creating: Create a poem based upon your face/life experiences: What information, feelings, likes and dislikes about yourself would you want to share with a reader through your own poem? ?
3. (2010, May 1). School Library Journal. http://www.booksinprint.com.leo.lib.u...#
May 11, 2016
In this contemporary yet timeless collection, acclaimed anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins brings together sixteen selections that reveal through poetic word imagery the common universal emotions and feelings we all have, whether they be happy, excited, wishful, proud, sad, or lonely. The poems taken as a whole reflect the great variety of people in our society, bringing children of today into focus as they meet with childhood experiences and also interact with adults in their world. The moving and insightful verses more than half of which were commissioned specifically for this collection were created by many well-known writers, including Joseph Bruchac, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Nikki Grimes, Lee Bennett Hopkins, Carole Boston Weatherford, Jane Yolen, Pat Mora, and Janet S. Wong. Glowing illustrations by Chris Soentpiet infuse the poems with life, exquisite settings, and atmosphere. Readers of all ages will want to feast their eyes on these captivating poems and images again and again.
October 23, 2013
I enjoyed reading this book by Lee Bennett Hopkins. He did a great job at depicting different races and their cultures. The book is told from different little children of different races throughout the world. They each have a different poem that demonstrates something about their culture and something that is important to them and their family. This book can teach children what certain races do or what some important things are for their specific culture such as language, symbols, food and art. It also shows that regardless of our racial difference we all have something that we hold important to our specific culture. This book is appropriate for classroom use, because it displays several different races in daily interactions with other people. It introduces a more critical view of race throughout the U.S and the world.
February 22, 2015
This book was about the universe and the people that live in it. The 16 poems help show you see the diversity we have in this world and that is important to show to your children when teaching so your students get a better idea of others in this world. You want your students to understand one another and know that no one is the same so we must be respectful for what makes other people happy. The illustrations were very detailed on the men women and kids faces. They almost look real with using watercolors. This can be for ages 3rd to 4th grade. You can read the kids this book and then have them draw their face. Also have them right one thing that they love about themselves, whether thats their color of hair or length or the color of their eyes etc. Then have them share the similarities and differences of their classmates.
July 21, 2021
This book is a themed book about culture, it has 16 short poems that are about people from different ages, genders and cultures. It tells about these people and how their culture works. It also describes their home life. It included the African American culture, the Hispanic culture, and the Anglo-Saxon culture. Each poem tells about the feelings of each person and how they play a part in our world.
This can be for grades 3rd to 4th grade.
The illustrations were very detailed on the faces. They almost look real with using watercolors. They illustrated the many different races and cultures that we may see.
Amazing Face is about a baby and the mom and the way she feels about her baby. You see the joy on both of their faces.
July 18, 2011
Age of readership: Ages 4-10
Genre: Poetry
Diversity: Ethnic, Gender and Age diversity in the United States
Illustrations: Expressive and vibrant watercolor portraiture
My response to the book: These 16 poems highlight the beauty of Asian-American, African-American, Native-American, Hispanic-American and Caucasian-American girls, boys and women and men. One poem by Jane Medina, Me x 2 or Yo x 2 is presented completely in English and Spanish.
Curricular/Programming connections: Use this book in a multi-cultural poetry unit in either English class or to open up a class discussion on ethnic diversity in a Social Studies class.
Genre: Poetry
Diversity: Ethnic, Gender and Age diversity in the United States
Illustrations: Expressive and vibrant watercolor portraiture
My response to the book: These 16 poems highlight the beauty of Asian-American, African-American, Native-American, Hispanic-American and Caucasian-American girls, boys and women and men. One poem by Jane Medina, Me x 2 or Yo x 2 is presented completely in English and Spanish.
Curricular/Programming connections: Use this book in a multi-cultural poetry unit in either English class or to open up a class discussion on ethnic diversity in a Social Studies class.
October 20, 2011
A mi me encanta este libro poesia.Este libro se trata de muchos poemas por ejenplo un poema se trata de un nino que dise de donde bienen los suenos y el se pone a pensar que si los suenos se esconden debajo de la almuada.Mi esquema de este libro es que yo me recuerdo cuandoyo tanbien ddesia de donde benian los suenos.Me pregunto porque o que lo iso pensar de donde benian los suenos.Me recuerdo que cuando se me cayo mi diente yo tenia un sueno que me dieron 20 dolares pero cuando desperte nomas tenia 5 y le pregunte a mi abuelita de donde binian los suenos
June 6, 2011
Forgot to mark this one even though I read it a while back. Beautifully done. Looking through it again just about made me cry--A Young Soldier. One brother is already deployed and the second one left just this morning for basic training. :[
Trying to think through a lesson using this and the "Seek first to understand, then to be understood" habit (our school will be a "Lighthouse" campus next year) as there are so many different people represented in the book.
Trying to think through a lesson using this and the "Seek first to understand, then to be understood" habit (our school will be a "Lighthouse" campus next year) as there are so many different people represented in the book.
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