Janeczko Collection
Bibliography
Janeczko, Paul B. 2001. DIRTY LAUNDRY PILE: POEMS IN
DIFFERENT VOICES. Ill. by Melissa Sweet. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN
0688162517
Summary
Have you ever wondered what a cow might complain of? Did you
know that a scarecrow could dream? Dirty
Laundry Pile is an anthology of poems that presents the perspectives of
both animals and objects. Seashells share messages, a vacuum cleaner thinks of
swallowing its owner, a dirty laundry pile heeds a warning, and a mosquito only
needs its prey to be still to feed. This book will make you think twice the
next time it’s time to clean house.
Quality and Appeal
Dirty Laundry Pile is
an anthology of twenty-seven poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko. The poems are
written from the point of view of an inanimate object or animal. The book’s
poems include several well-known poets including Douglas Florian, Bobbi Katz,
Marilyn Singer, and Jane Yolen. As explained in the introduction at the
beginning of the book, the author describes these poems as mask poems because
“the poets let their imagination fly and feel what it might be like to be a
mosquito, a crayon, a kite, a turtle.” Although the subject matter is varied,
there are sections where several poems have been included on one particular
topic including trees, household cleaning tools, cats, and turtles. A table of
contents is not included, but would have been a much-welcomed addition to
locate a poem quickly.
Illustrator Melissa Sweet contributes to the whimsical
nature of the book. The illustrations are inviting and helpful to the reader by
providing understanding to each poem and clearing up any misconception that
might come about by the poet’s words. The illustrations are water colored based
and the colors are bright, but not intense. The illustrator does a particularly
good job of delivering an emotional response through the character’s facial
expressions. Just as Mr. Janeczko encourages his readers to use their
imagination as they write a poem, so too can the illustrations contribute to
that use.
Poetic forms included in the book free verse, concrete, and
rhyme. The rhyme poems will appeal to younger children the more often they are
heard. Children will also begin to actively participate in each reading as they
recognize the rhyme scheme. The poetic element of sound is also heard through
examples of onomatopoeia. In the poem, “Washing Machine,” there are several
examples including, “Glubita / glubita / glubita,” and “Blub-blub-a dubba.” The
words are laid out on the page to animate the sound and force of water flowing
into the machine.
Figurative language in the form of simile can be seen in the
poem, “Root,” where “Roots like ours, coarse and strong / as a grandmother’s
fingers” and “A tangled weave, rough and aged / like wooden lace” are written.
In the poem, “The Whale,” simile is seen in the line, “Big as a street.”
Personification is seen throughout this book of poems. A few
examples include, “Winter Wind,” where the wind is “shaking the door with both
my fists.” The poem “ The Vacuum Cleaner’s Revenge” gives the machine
human-like qualities with the lines, “My stomach is full” and “I gulp another /
Pizza crust.” One final example is from the final poem, “Curtain’s Call” where
the curtains proclaim, “I clap them awake / on summer days / with a wink of
wide-eyed light.”
Imagery is plentiful in this anthology of poetry. One example
which encompasses all the senses is in the poem, “Old Tortoise,” which begins
“Some might mistake me / for a rock / and pass me in a hurry, but if you are as
slow as I, you too may touch the grass / and hear it talk all afternoon / and
watch and smell in wonder. What was that and that and that?”. Another example
is in the poem, “Turtle in July,” where the turtle seeks comfort from the
intense heat. The lines include, “Heavy / Heavy hot / Heavy hot hangs / Thick
sticky / Icky.” These lines almost make the reader break out into a sweat.
The emotional impact of the poems range from the
lightheartedness of being a kite in the poems, “I’m Up Here” and “ Being a
kite” to the playfulness of a washing machine’s duties in “Washing Machine.”
There are times when the poems can turn reflective with “Old Elm Speaks,” and “Roots.”
Sadness creeps in with a lost article clothing in the poem, “The Red Gloves.” The
neglect of an animal petitioning for warmth in “The Plea of the Old Horse on
Looking through the Kitchen Window” is another poem that reflects sadness.
Dirty Laundry Pile offers
an inviting look at objects from their perspective. The book helps children to
see that even inanimate objects can have a voice of their own. The
illustrations that accompany each poem contribute to the tone and mood of each
poem. The poems are written in a variety
of structures, which can also be a great teaching point for introducing poetry
format. Overall, an entertaining book that will keep children engaged.
Spotlight Poem
Crayon Dance
The cardboard ceiling lifts
Pickmepickmepickme,
I pray
The fingers do! They choose me, Sky Blue!
Hurrah! Hooray!
As I am picked from the
pocket
All colors whisper,
“Good-bye, Pastel!
Be Strong! Don’t break!
Enjoy! Farewell!”
Hi, hi! I’m scrubbing a sky!
Some stripes and whorls and –
whee!
Cha-cha-cha, Loop-de-loop
I’m leaving bits of me!
They gave me a chance!
All of me rocks in
this
Fine, wild dance-
The dance of me, Sky Blue!
Leaping and laughing, this message I’m leaving:
Ha ha!
Hi hi!
Hurrah!
Hooray!
….Good-bye!
Connections:
To set the mood for
the poem, have a box of crayons set out for students to see. Ask the children
to think about a crayon being alive and having a voice. How would it feel
inside the box? What does each crayon want to accomplish? Do crayons want to be
something when they grow up? Is one crayon upset because of the color is has
become? Do any crayons have family members that live in the box? Read the poem
aloud to students; discuss the feelings of the Sky Blue crayon in the poem.
Pair students to read alternate stanzas. Have students create their own poem
about any crayon in the box. Students should consider the questions above when
composing their poem. The teacher can pair this book with, “The Day The Crayons Quit.”
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