Module 5: Sidman Poetry - Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night

Bibliographic Information

Sidman, Joyce. Ills. by Rick Allen. DARK EMPEROR & OTHER POEMS OF THE NIGHT. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 9780547152288.

Summary and Analysis

Sidman begins this collection with Welcome to the Night which puts the reader in the mood of both the secrecy of night, but the adventure that comes with the creatures of night. In between the rhyming poems are short paragraphs about the animal, which is a great mix to keep the reader's interest from page to page. All narrate a portion of night or animal that lives in the night. When focusing on these nocturnal animals, Sidman gives both a information education into these animals' characteristics as well as creative assumptions from the insect or animal's perspective by writing in first person. Poems share the same focus of night life in the woods and flow from page to page. The topics will appeal to young children even if they do not love insects, but the personification of these insects will help any reader feel a connection. Some are simple insights into the nightly life, while others seem to offer deeper meaning, such as the highlighted poem, Night-Spider's Advice.

Allen's illustrations are both dark and whimsical with the focus of night being portrayed in shadows or an evening glow. The focus sometimes is on the topic the animal is mentioning and other times the brightest image in the illustration, the night moon for example. Some illustrations are more camouflaged than others which really helps the reader imagine different parts of the night and the different animals that come out at certain times. The perspective changes from an above view for some insects and a below view for others which is interesting and whimsical, sort of an Alice in Wonderland view of the garden after she shrinks.

Highlighted Poem


Night-Spider's Advice

Build a frame
and stick to it,
I always say.
Life's a circle.
Just keep going around.
Do your work, then
sit back and see
what falls in your lap.
Eat your triumphs,
eat your mistakes:
that you your belly
will always be full.
Use what you have.
Rest when you need to.
Dawn will come soon enough.
Someone has to remake
the world each night.
It might as well be you.


Connections
Poetry is often a difficult subject to get kids excited about. Whether due to inexperience with poetry or the challenges of interpretation, many children and adults seem to shy away from this genre. This book shows how poetry can be found in any subject matter and acts as a great example of how to introduce poetry from another subject. In this case, the link is between nonfiction and poetry. Many children prefer nonfiction, stereotypically boys prefer nonfiction over fiction and it would be a great link for a teacher or librarian to focus on subjects being expressed through poetry. Other subjects are also shown in poetry, such as biographies, science, and math. This brings together not only two forms of expression, but also the two sides of the brain, and perhaps will introduce a child to a writing style he or she has not experienced before. A great exercise would be to allow children to find a subject matter they love, such as dinosaurs, trains, or history and then encourage them to write about their favorite aspect in a poem.