Patrick J. Lewis's "Skywriting: Poems to Fly"

1.   BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lewis, Patrick J. 2010. Skywriting: Poems to Fly. Ill. by Laszlo Kubinyi. Mankato, MN. Creative Editions. ISBN 978-1-56846-203-5

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

In his book of poetry, J. Patrick Lewis wrote with intricate detail and eloquent vocabulary, with the poems being thematically linked through the topic of flight. The book is filled with allusions to historical figures that were pioneers in the invention and journey of flying, and the people who built machines across the world to make the dream of flying a reality! The flight poems are extraordinarily well written with rich vocabulary and breathtaking illustrations. The poems are very captivating and descriptive, the illustrations align and help tell the story of each poem. One of the poems is a concrete poem, it offers a creative visual style that makes it even more alluring to the reader.

3.  CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The poems written by Lewis are displayed elegantly in a unison font, the only change for certain poems is the size, color of the font depending on the background or illustrations surrounding the poem, the exception being the shape for the concrete poem. Reading the thirteen poems about the innovation and pursuit of flying was extraordinarily insightful. The illustrations done by Laszlo Kubinyi epically and beautifully displayed the theme in a realistic manner.

The manner in which the book is put together is impressively and artistically well done. The book commences with the table of content, followed with the first poem that can be referenced as the founding father of the flight poems “The Flight of Icarus” followed by eleven more poems ending with the “Space Shuttle Columbia STS109” then the Endnotes which provide historical background in the information, and lastly the Timeline of Human Inventions. The poems are written with exceptional vocabulary and tell the individual flight stories that captivate the readers’ attention, along with illustrations that are artistically mystical.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Learning Magazine starred review: “Ever since people have walked, they have dreamed of flying. This book applauds the history of humankind’s attempts to realize that dream, from the ancient story of Icarus to the modern age of space travel. The poems memorialize different forms of flight throughout the years.”

Booklist starred review: “In this picture-book anthology of 13 poems, Lewis celebrates the dramatic adventure of flight, from the ancient Greek of Icarus to the Wright brothers’ story…”

5. CONNECTIONS

The thematic poetry book about flight can be very engaging and students can choose a certain flight invention as inspiration to further develop their own poems. Have students write a poem and illustrations with it and display it in a bulletin board to show their created works.

*Other engaging books sharing the same theme:

Brown, Margaret Wise. Away in My Airplane. ASIN B0147EZYNS eBook

Kent, Mariah. Superpowers: More Poems About Flying. ISBN 978-0615777245