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This collection of poems takes readers through an entire experience of camping out in the woods. Beginning with the opening concrete poem, titled �Tent�, which features a quick description of setting up a tent, readers will experience the wonders of camping through the contents of the book. The illustrations are right on target with the content of each adjacent poem. Illustrator Janet Pederson has created very impressive paintings using acrylic paints, and although the paintings are simple in detail, they add a lot to the experience. A favorite poem might be that which bears the title of the book. It is funny to see how differently two people can toast a marshmallow. The narrator |
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describes how she does it, and then how her brother does it. �I am a careful marshmallow toaster, a patient marshmallow roaster....My brother grabs �em with grubby hands/shoves �em on the stick/burns �em to a crisp/cools �em off/flicks soot/eats quick.� It is enjoyable to read how the girl is �still turning my stick. He�s already eaten six.� The entire book has poems which simply make readers want to go camping, or if they have never been, makes them feel as though they have. Concrete poems add even more appeal to the book. One titled, �Eavesdropping� describes the moon as a �slender silver ear,� and bears the shape of the moon. One readers might really enjoy is titled, �Two voices in a Tent at Night� and it is basically a conversation between two people. They are talking about noises they hear outside their tent, and how they both hope it is nothing but the dog. Other topics in the book include going fishing, rowing a boat, campfires, sleeping bags, and walks in the forest. A very memorable line in one poem (�Sleeping Outside�), talks about how small the narrator feels in the vast openness of the world, �Small me, still wide awake/under a wide starred sky, almost�almost�feeling the earth turning.�
The collection of poems comes to a closing with the family picking up the tent and heading for home, and the last poem shows us the narrator back at home, putting her flannel shirt away in a bottom drawer �where no one will find it and wash away my memories.� In this way, the author gives readers a sense of closure to the entire trip the book takes us on. Overall, this collection of camping poems makes a fantastic addition to any collection, whether the person is a fan of poetry or not. Young readers will find the experience enjoyable due to the fact that her poems are presented from a child�s perspective. Her poems vary from playful to inspiring, and the different topics keeps readers entertained. According to the book description, �Toasting Marshmallows will leave readers with wonderful memories of a camping trip�even if they�ve never been on one!� Publishers Weekly praises the book saying that �Readers will definitely want S-mores.� I personally found the entire collection quite enjoyable and am eager to share it with my students.
George, Kristine O. 2001. Toasting Marshmallows. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN
061804597X. |
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