Poetry for Children 5903-23
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Poetry Break 23

cover.jpg
Available from http://ake.epsb.ca/dearworld/. Accessed July 16, 2005

A poem by an Asian American poet
 

dear ocean
by takayo noda
 
please leave the doors open
the houses are for small fish
living deep in your water
 
when a large fish
tries to catch them
they need shelter
to be safe and sound
 
when the water becomes
too cold in winter
they need shelter
to be warm and cozy
 
when they are tired
 they need shelter
to take a nap and rest
 
please leave the doors open
the house are for small fish
living deep in your water
 
dear world, New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.
     2003
 
 

Introduction
 
 What attracted me to this book is the colorful illustrations; they are beautiful. Takayo Noda  was born in Japan and now lives in New York city. The pictures are done in cut-paper collages. The title  is not capitalized nor is there punctuation in the poem. I believe the author did this for effect.
 
Extension
 
The book is based on letters to different parts of the world. Have the students write their own letters to a part of the world, using the format of dear ocean.
When the students finish their work give them bright colored paper and tell them they will illustrate their poem like the author did for dear ocean .
Explain that  the author did not use capitals nor punctuation, ask the class why they think she did that.
What are the words in the poem that should be capitalized and where should there be punctuation marks?

A poem by a Native American poet