Poetry Review #1- BROWN GIRL DREAMING

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Woodson, Jacqueline. Brown Girl Dreaming. New York: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2014.

ISBN 978-0-399-25251-8

2.     PLOT SUMMARY

In Brown Girl Dreaming, acclaimed author Jacqueline Woodson movingly shares the story of her childhood and the dreams that she has of becoming a writer.  Woodson’s memoir offers readers a captivating life story written in poetry that is a reflection of her life starting from birth. She writes about the joys and challenges of being raised first in the South and then in Brooklyn during the Civil Rights era. The story is about the difficulty of the relationships that mattered to her most including the connections she had to her mother, grandparents, siblings, and friends.

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

 Brown Girl Dreaming gives us a look into the childhood of Jacqueline Woodson and shows us her writing journey. She begins the book with family stories of her birth. The assortment of stories is part of the magic of this book. She admits that people’s memories and stories aren’t necessarily fact, but they are still their stories.  One of my favorite lines in the book is “I want to catch words one day. I want to hold them then blow gently, watch them float right out of my hands.”  Along with her dreams of being a writer, she also shares stories that reflect the culture around her as she experiences life in the south and the north. She chronicles her life by telling stories of the people and events of those times including Martin Luther King Jr. planning his march on Washington, Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X just to name a few.  Poetry is not for everyone, but this book reads more like a story than poetry so it is a very easy read, even for middle schoolers.

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Claudia Lewis Award - 2015

Coretta Scott King Author Award - 2015

Newberry Honor Winner - 2015

School Library Journal Best Non-Fiction Book – 2014

ALA Notable Children’s Books, Middle Readers Category – 2015

From School Library Journal: “Her perspective on the volatile era in which she grew up is thoughtfully expressed in powerfully effective verse.”

From Publisher’s Weekly: “Written in verse, Woodson’s collection of childhood memories provides insight into the Newbery Honor author’s perspective of America.”

5. CONNECTIONS

Gather other Coretta Scott King books to read such as:

Williams-Garcia, Rita, P.S be eleven, ISBN: 978-0-061-93862-7

Pinkney, Andrea Davis, Hand in Hand, ISBN: 978-1-423-14257-7

Nelson, Kadir, Heart and Soul, ISBN:  978-0-061-73079-5

Gather other Jacqueline Woodson books to read such as:

Locomotion, ISBN:  978-0-142-41552-8

Feathers, ISBN:  978-0-399-23989-2

In the beginning of Brown Girl Dreaming, the author depicts her family tree and its roots in slavery.  Give students the opportunity to trace their own ancestry and create a family tree and then discuss what they have learned in the process.

Using the narrative of Brown Girl Dreaming, create a map of Jacqueline’s travels as a child. Where was Jackie born, where did she live with her grandparents, and where did her family eventually move?