Another Jar of Tiny Stars by Bernice Cullinan and Deborah Wooten

Cullinan, Bernice E and Deborah Wooten. 2009. ANOTHER JAR OF TINY STARS: POEMS BY NCTE AWARD-WINNING POETS. Pennsylvania: Wordsong.

Another Jar of Tiny Stars is an expanded edition from the original publication Jar of Tiny Stars (1996). Much like its predecessor, Another Jar of Tiny Stars features 15 poets that have received NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) honors. The NCTE evaluates a collection of work by a single author, and then about 4,000 children across the nation selected the top five poems by the poet. Those poems are then included in the book making a generous anthology of gifted poets.

Because the book lacks visual interest due to its plain black and white text and pencil drawings of each author, this book is more suited for professional use. With the absence of bright vivid illustrations, the appeal to children seems less likely. However, in the hands of a teacher or librarian this book would make a valuable resource. The poems are kid friendly and care free to be enjoyed by any age group or grade level. Many are excellent choices to read out loud and can facilitate discussions. The poem, Our Family Comes from Around the World by Mary Ann Hoberman is a wonderful example to use when talking to children about how people are different, and how we are the same. For older children it can be used in a lesson about tolerance.

An Excerpt:

Our family comes

From ‘round the world;

Our hair is straight,

Our hair is curled,

Our eyes are brown,

Our eyes are blue,

Our skins are different

Colors, too.

The poem ends

We laugh and cry,

We work and play,

We help each other

Every day.

The world’s a lovely

Place to be

Because we are a family.

Discussion would begin our lesson about things that are alike and how things are different. The discussion would be guided by the teacher/librarian to include people. Large pieces of chart paper could be used to complete the comparisons or each child could have a graphic organizer of their own to keep a list of the discussion

The poem in its entirety would be shared.

 Emphasis would be placed on the word family and discussion would occur emphasizing what a family is, as well as the types of families and how they function. Discussion would lead into students understanding how, as part of the school, they function as a family. Students can list ideas to help make sure their school is a lovely place to be (as mentioned in the poem).