LS 5623 Advanced Literature for Young Adults

Singer, Marilyn. 2005. CENTRAL HEATING: POEMS ABOUT FIRE AND WARMTH. Ill. by Meilo So. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0375829121

Review:

This collection of nineteen poems by Marilyn Singer each deals with the topic of fire and warmth. The first poem in the collection, "Contradiction," really sums up what the rest of the poems exemplify: which is that fire can be both comforting and terrifying.

The tone of the poems vary from playful, such as the "Dragon" who is the central heating in his cave, to darker tones in poems like "Prairie Fire" and "Desert Day." The poems flow easily and are not terribly complex, making this a great book to give to students who may find poetry intimidating. The illustrations for this work are done in only red ink, which adds to the feelings of fire and warmth the reader gets from the poem. The diversity of subjects relating to fire covered by the poems would make this a great book to pull poems from to introduce other topics, such as: holidays, the solar system, deserts, and forests.



Awards/Reviews
American Library Association Notable Books for Children (WON AWARD) 2006
Publisher's Weekly: "So's illustrations...set the scenes ablaze with energy and vitality."
School Library Journal: "The complicated nature of fire is explored in Singer's energetic short poems."
Booklist: "Use this across the curriculum, in science and history as well as language arts classes."

Connections:
Use some of these poems to introduce topics in science and history classes; such as "Center of the Earth" for a lesson on the Earth's core, or "The Fire-Bringers" when talking about early man.
*Other books by Marilyn Singer that talk about the elements.
Singer, Marilyn. Footprints on the Roof: Poems About the Earth. ISBN 9780375810947
Singer, Marilyn. How to Cross a Pond: Poems About Water. ISBN 9780375823763

Image Credit: www.kidscorner.org