Poetry Book Review, THE WATCHER. Written by: Grimes, Nikki.Illustrated by Collier Bryan

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Grimes, Nikki. 2017. THE WATCHER. Ill. By Collier Bryan. Michigan. Eerdmans Book for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0-8028-5445-2

PLOT SUMMARY

A shy boy who is afraid of a girl bully can not see themselves being friends as Jordan is afraid of the continuous bullying by Tanya. Each has an internal conflict that is resolved by the advice of family members who advise them to have faith in the lord. They are both guided by the lord who helps them to have compassion for one another as Tanya tries to work on herself and Jordan who, despite his fear of Tanya, chooses to be kind to both her and the new student who becomes a mutual friend to both. The poetic story based on Psalm 121 shows their journey is guided by faith and results in a friendship shared over dinner and for a long time to come. 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This poetic story is made up of “golden shovel” style poems based on Psalm 121. The note on “golden shovel” at the back of the book gives background to this style of poetry. The reference aid for Psalm 121 is included at the beginning ahead of reading the poems. We see the theme of bullying, friendship and compassion throughout the poems which is age appropriate and appeals to the school age audience. The arrangement of lines follows the “golden shovel” style which uses words from the existing Psalm and puts them at the end of a sentence, then places words in front of them to create a sentence that will fit the words and give meaning to the poem. The appealing part of the story is the attention to the end of the lines, which is where you find the line of the psalm from top to bottom on each poem, this adds to the collective effect of carefully choosing words to create the narrative for both the boy and girl. 

Jordan faces a moral dilemma in which he’s debating whether to return the wallet of the stingy landlord and we see a great arrangement of the words (foot and slip) “ …eye sees what my hand holds, where my foot /steps. Better give the wallet back before I slip.”, from the psalm embedded within the line and down the golden shovel technique giving them a very meaningful place in the poem. Personification, in the line /my stupid stomach screams hungry./ shows Tanya starving at lunch and worried for dinnertime. Jordan notices her struggle and kindly leaves her half his sandwich which evokes emotion of compassion. Her guilt is personified in the line / shame gnaws at me all day./ Compassion, kindness and friendship are felt throughout the story and reflected in the illustrations of paint and collage which uniquely feature students from Marlboro and Balmville elementary. 

REVIEW/EXCERPT(S)/AWARDS

*Booklist starred, 11/15/17

*Catholic LIbrary World, 12/01/17

*Horn Book Guide, 04/01/18

*Kirkus Reviews starred, 09/15/17

*Publishers Weekly Starred, 09/11/17

*School Library Journal, 10/01/17

Booklist starred (November 15, 2017 (Vol. 114, No.6)): “Childhood concerns, some common, some not, are elevated by the infusion of God into this wholly (and holy) original mix.” 

Kirkus Reviews Starred (September 15, 2017): “...Grimes delivers a compact yet powerful message of hope and encouragement based on Psalm 121.”

School Library Journal (October 1, 2017): “The text is also a valuable study in perspective, offering insight into the character’s motivations and fears.”

CONNECTIONS

-The golden shovel approach was so interesting to me. The explanation of the approach was so beneficial as well as the psalm at the beginning. I referred to both several times. 

-Having an adult take the lead to read this style of poetry would be beneficial to the students. Also, prefacing the story with the example at the back of the book for the golden shovel style will help students understand the placement of the bolded words on each page. 

-In a religious school setting this would be a great story to read and make a connection for Social Emotional Learning and religious studies. 

-Students can be encouraged to make their own poem using the “golden shovel” style as it is easy to set up with a starter poem or psalm, yet challenging to place words accurately to fit words and make it meaningful to a poem. 

Other books about friendship, bullying, feelings and emotions:

Latham, Irene. CAN I TOUCH YOUR HAIR?: POEMS OF RACE, MISTAKES, AND FRIENDSHIP. ISBN 978-1-51240-442-5

Florian, Douglas. FRIENDS AND FOES: POEMS ABOUT US ALL. ISBN 978-1-44248-795-6