TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS: CAMPING POEMS

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
George, Kristine O’Connell. 2001. TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS: CAMPING POEMS. Ill. by Kate Kiesler. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 061804597X

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Award winning author and poet, Kristine O’Connell George, centers this memorizing compilation of her poems around the joy of camping and the magical mystique of the outdoors. The poems are focused through the eyes of a young girl. George’s first poem is tent-shaped and it is about, of course, setting up a tent. From here the world opens up to the animals: a timid doe with ears of velvet, a chipmunk “in a flash of furry,” a “mosqueeeeeeeeeeeeeo,” an unmindful moose “with a bit too much of everything,” an owl “pleating the night,” and finally a spider spinning “looping silky lines.”

The camping experience does not stop here. Sprinkled in between the descriptions of the animals are warm campfires, marshmallows toasting slowly to perfection, night noises, and an eavesdropping moon. There is fishing at dawn, rowing with mom, stepping silently across the forest floor, and, too soon, hiding special rocks to look for upon their return after “pulling up stakes.” Home once again; our young camper hides her soft flannel shirt, smelling of pine and campfire and forest moss in her bottom drawer, where scents hold special memories, until her next cherished camping trip.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
I have gone camping in my youth, and this poem brought back poignant memories of campfires and s’mores. But, even if I had never experienced hammering stakes into the ground to set up a tent at the lake, I could imagine what it would be like through George’s poems. Some poems have rhythm, others have rhyme, and some are narrative. But all encompass language that brings to life the quiet thrill of a family camping trip. Each one has perfect lines of text, carefully placed on the page, determined by the tone and mood desired by the author. Getting dressed in a sleeping bag is fun and funny. “By Myself ,” with its repetitive text coaxes the reader to reflect, the illustration of the child, her back against a tree, “silent as stone.” The poem from which this book of poems is titled, TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS, rhymes and begs to be read out loud; but not as loudly as “Two Voices in a Tent at Night;” a poem written for choral reading.

The acrylic illustrations are realistic, yet somehow dreamlike, drawing the reader’s eyes to every detail: the glow of a campfire shining on sleepy faces, a crooked path through a field of heavy grass, choppy waves flopping ashore as the campers run for cover, and a rowing boat, “pulling an island across a lake.” Each painting is unique to its poem. Each poem unique to its illustration.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Kirkus Reviews - Altogether, an engaging trip.
Horn Book Review - The pleasure and surprise of going camping are conveyed in …brief poems. . . .Richly colored paintings enhance the verses.
Children's Literature - One can almost see the starlit night, taste the marshmallows, and hear the buzzing insects as words and illustrations combine in this unique collaboration.
School Library Journal - Starred Review - Whether playful or profound, the exquisitely crafted poems reverberate with eloquent yet effortless language, while the radiant acrylic artwork hints at the awe-inspiring mysteries of nature. A child-focused sense of wonder...the poems are varied and inventive, replete with marvelous images and universal truths...…A terrific idyll for summertime sharing, even for confirmed couch potatoes.
Booklist Starred Review - Infused with the wonder and thrill of living outdoors, these are direct, satisfying poems that will engage kids at school, across the curriculum, or at home…The painterly art is a pleasure to look at. It’s almost photographic reality gives children the feeling of being right in the picture. A good introduction for children who have never been camping and a nice remembrance for those who have.
Publisher's Weekly Starred Review, "...This volume by George and Kiesler is as delicious as a roasted marshmallow treat. George's poems shine, the images clear and startling. A "panther cloud crosses the sky"; after a storm, "confetti of birds"...dance another rain shower." A concrete poem in the shape of a waning moon is exquisite: "Tipping/ a slender/ silver ear,/ Moon tries/ to pretend/ she isn't listening/ to our/ secrets." Readers definitely want S-mores."

Awards
2002 – Myra Cohn Livingston Poetry Award CLCSC for Excellence in Children's Poetry
NCTE Notable Children’s Book in Language Arts
Book Links: A Lasting Connection
2002 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children
Nominated for the Texas Bluebonnet Master List, Kentucky Blue Grass award, and the Indiana's Young Hoosier's award.
2002 Children’s Literature Choice

5. CONNECTIONS
Most children love being outdoors. Teachers can find books similar to TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS: CAMPING POEMS, and take them there in a book. Kristine O’Connell George has a teacher friendly award winning website that offers companion books from her selection such as HUMMINGBIRD NEST, with additional support such as:
Read more about her award winning poem book,
Learn More About Hummingbirds, Read a poem from HUMMINGBIRD’S NEST,
A Teacher’s Guide to Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of poems,
A review of the book
The Table of Contents.

An additional book from Georges’ collection that would make an excellent companion book is THE OLD ELM TREE SPEAKS: TREE POEMS. This portion of her website offers all of the above including a link to celebrating Arbor Day (ideas, more links, and resources).

Another paired selection to read along with TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS; CAMPING POEMS might include WHEN WE GO CAMPING, by Margriet Ruurs and illustrated by Andrew Kiss. In addition, S IS FOR S'MORES, by Helen Foster James, illustrated by Lita Judge, is a delightful companion text that tells, "where to go (camping) and what to do when you get there."

There is nothing more inspiring than to just walk the children (of any age) outdoors and let them experience for themselves the wonder of nature and the beauty of the Earth in the simplest of places. Encourage them to use all their senses: listen for birds and bees and the sounds of nature, watch the grass lean sideways in a field, touch the bark of a tree, smell the scent of wildflowers, and make paths of their own in silence.