Footprints on the Roof

Celebrating the wonders and beauty of our world ~~

Inspiring and stunning ~~
          visual images of
          seas and oceans-      
          deserts and dunes--

Read and See our beautiful planet

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Singer, Marilyn ; illustrated by Meilo So. FootPrints on the Roof: poems about the earth. New York: Knopf Books for Young, 2002.

ISBN 0375810943

PLOT SUMMARY:

An exhilarating and discerning collection of poems ranging from rabbits and worms to space and wind and everything in between. Even Go-Betweens are discussed, trees -- "Trees are go-betweens listening to the stories of both earth and sky the conversations of vireos and star-nosed moles..."  As imagery takes over, the reader is swept up into the high branches of the trees, the Go-Between who can listen to the conversations "of eagles and worms Trees know the soft secrets of clouds the dark siftings of soil..." Through Marilyn Singer's  words, a diverse and lavish representation of our environment is mentally created.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

Footprints on the Roof celebrates and memorializes the allurement and wonders of our celestial body -- Earth. Marilyn Singer's usage of free verse and idyll lyrics is filled with visual representation. Her poems touch on topics from mud and ice to islands and deserts; always utilizing prose that do not limit but allow the reader to find the fluid boundary of our universe. Environmentally based, Singer uses metaophr and personfication throughtout the book Footprints on the Roof --
                 "Dormant Dragons /Volcanoes there are that sleep/ 
                   the sleep of dragons/ with cool head
                   and hot bellies/they crouch/solid and still..."
                 "Go-Betweens /Trees...listening to stories/of both
                    earth and sky..."  
Comparing dormant volcanoes to sleeping dragons is a great use of metaphor. Singer also demonstrates her knowledge and use of personification when she has the trees listening to stories from the earth and sky.

The illustrations provided by Meilo So are analogous with Singer's poems -- they are simple yet complex, basic and primary. The artwork gives compassion and conviction to each poem.

REVIEW EXCERPT:

Publishers Weekly: "Sometimes I'm in the mood for mud When my toes have tasted too many sidewalks. In the park or by the rive I choose ooze," writes Marilyn Singer in "Mud," one of several environmentally-themed offerings in Footprints on the Roof.

CONNECTIONS:

* Choose a poem and draw a picture representing the poem and/or the feelings/images you had
* Use in conjunction with a social studies lesson and/or science lesson regarding our planet
* Create your own poem using other matter,items, things in nature