Children's Literature

NCTE AWARD POETRY

HEROES AND SHE-ROES:
Poems of Amazing and Everyday Heroes

Lewis, J. Patrick. Heroes and She-Roes: Poems of Amazing and Everyday Heroes. Illustrated by Jim Cooke. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2005.

ISBN: 978-0803729254

J. Patrick Lewis has written a book of poetry that appeals to the heart.  He has created poem-stories about many different people in history, as well as honoring several professions.  From teachers to firefighters and Helen Keller to a 12-year-old child laborer, Lewis has written verse that shares with readers the profound effect they have had on our history and our lives today.

Many of the poems have distinct rhyming patterns, giving them an almost singsong quality, but several are written in free-verse form.  They all have a rhythmic feel and lend themselves well to reading aloud.  Some of the poems lack the nitty gritty details of the life of the hero (or she-ro), but Lewis has included a narrative at the end of each poem that seems to fill in some of the historical gaps.  This inclusion makes these poems useful in a social studies or language arts classroom.

The heroes that J. Patrick Lewis chose to include in this book allow the reader to see who true heroes really are.  Oftentimes, children think of ballplayers and singers, actors and athletes as the heroes of their world.  The people Lewis has highlighted bring topics to the forefront that may otherwise be unknown or, even worse, forgotten.  Cooke’s illustrations are simple and colorful, with just enough detail to provide readers with information without overwhelming the senses.  This allows readers to use the words of the poem to see the story.

These poems could provide the stimulus when beginning a unit on biographies or, individually, they could help introduce a Social Studies unit.  These would be great for showing students how to combine poetry with nonfiction writing.

"The Child Laborer"

by J. Patrick Lewis

Iqbal Masih

Pakistan, 1982-1995

Iqbal Masih – Pakistan.

Father sold him to a man.

Sixteen dollars, the going price.

Five-year-olds were merchandise.

The factory owner – dealer in doom –

Chained him to a carpet loom.

Slaving long hours without food,

Iqbal found the fortitude

To escape a inhumane

Never-ending house of pain.

Men occasionally destroy

Youth and spirit, but the boy,

Ten years old, led the crusade –

Life, the highest price he paid –

Against some of the greatest crimes

Perpetrated in modern times.

A Pakistani boy, Iqbal Masih, was one of the warriors in the long, painful struggle to end the debt enslavement of children.  Taken young, Iqbal escaped after five years of servitude.  At great risk he went on to gather evidence and became an international crusader for child workers worldwide.  He was shot and killed at age twelve by unknown assailants.

Before reading this poem:

            Show students just the name, his country, and the years he lived. 

Ask:
            Do you think anyone who lived only those few short years could be a hero?
            What could a child of twelve possibly have done that people would remember him after he is               gone?

Read the poem aloud.  Have a brief discussion of what they have learned about Iqbal.  Talk about heroes and what makes someone a hero.  If they have difficulty with the concept, read them the three-stanza poem at the beginning of the book – “Give thanks to the he- and she- roes.”

Read the poem again.

Follow-up:

Have students choose a hero, do a little research, and write a poem.  This could be any format, but diamantes would lend themselves to this task.

"Iqbal Masih"
by C. Hickerson

Laborer

Worker, Child

Slaving, Starving, Yearning

International crusader for children

Searching, Fighting, Escaping

Slave, Dead
Iqbal