WORDS WITH WRINKLED KNEES by Barbara Juster Esbensen

Esbensen, Barbara Juster. 1986. WORDS WITH WRINKLED KNEES. Ill. by John Stadler. New York: Crowell. ISBN 0690045042

Review

Twenty animal words are described to evoke visualization through the eyes of Esbensen. Words like snake, wolf, and penguin are given characteristics which may show through the animal itself or the word and its letters.  Concrete items, these animals are abstractly portrayed in a fun and pensive way. Esbensen’s style is irregular and requires pauses and breaks to give meaning.  Sound is used throughout in poems such as Whale, Frog, and Snake with sound words like “splat!,” “whoooosh,” and “sssssssss.”  “Wide,” “Li” (the Li as in the first part of the word lion), and “white” are used in the poem Lion to create assonance.  Spider includes hyphenated, “ing” words to create rhythm and rhyme.  “Fast-biting,” “tight-wrapping,” and “eight-legged” make speaking about spiders roll off the tongue more easily.  In a collection where mosquito noses are compared to stilettos and penguins wear black slippers, a different approach is used to make animals and poetry a joyful experience.

Poetry in Action:

Introducing the Poem:  Including the letters from “giraffe,” add other letters and make cards with only one letter on them; enough for the class.  For instance, one card will have a g, another will have an I, while a third will have an r.  Have students hold letter cards up and without moving or talking, just by looking around, have them think about the letters and if they can spell an animal with the letters on student’s cards.  (We call this Words with Friends).  After a few minutes, let them get up and talk and try to create animal words with their letters, hoping that someone will figure out you can spell giraffe.  Before reading, give students a few fun facts about giraffes including height, average age, and habitat.

Follow up Activity:  In a box, write other animal names and have students draw for one.  The animal that they get, students should use other books to find a few fun facts and a poem or poetry book that goes with that animal.  If time allows, have students present their facts and poems. 

G I R A F F E

Quietly nibbling

Sneezing now and then

(because of the dust)   this word

munches on the leaves

of books lined up

on the topmost shelves

of high-ceilinged libraries

In the oldest

neighborhoods

in town

G I R A F F E

The whole word has been spray-painted

golden brown through a large

net    The pattern    (light

and shadow filtered through dirty

windows)     protects it

from sharp-eyed

librarians     who think they hear

someone eating paper

high above their heads

 G I R A F F E    a word with legs

so tall    with neck so long

it has never seen

its knees!

A shy word        G I R A F F E   might

take its favorite

food     right from your hand

Offer it a bite of

STEEPLE     TOWER     STRATOSHPERE and

Maybe it will follow you home

If you want to keep      G I R A F F E

in your room

you only need to take

the roof

off the house!