Module 5 - TWIST: YOGA POEMS by Janet S. Wong

Bibliography
Wong, Janet S. 2007. TWIST: YOGA POEMS. Ill. Julie Paschkis. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books. ISBN 10-0689873948

Plot Summary
A collection of sixteen short poems about different yoga poses written to help introduce the practice to children.  The poems are meant to introduce each pose and describe a little about how Wong believes they got their American names.  An author's note is included in the back to explain the process through which Wong travelled to write the poems.

Critical Analysis
Janet Wong, paired with friend and illustrator Julie Paschkis, to create a beautiful book of poems about Yoga.  Wong's writing gives a sense of the movements and feelings of each pose while the illustrations show what each pose should look like.  It would have been nice if Wong included the traditional names of each pose under the American name to show the connection to the culture in which they were created.  Julie Paschkis' watercolor illustrations are vibrant, colorful, and take on most of the representation of yoga's Middle Eastern and Asian culture.  The people showing each pose wear colorfully printed, flowing clothes with different headdresses, including wraps, hats, and headbands.  Their skin ranges from light to dark as does their hair color.  The pictures surrounding each poem and pose help to illustrate the content of the poem and the feeling behind each pose.  Weapons and soldiers surround WARRIOR, cats, cows, and grass surround CAT/COW. Many of the double-page layouts include some type of patterned border.  Wong and Paschkis come together to artfully express the wonder of yoga.

Review Excerpts
School Library Journal: "Wong's simple verses read almost like haiku, using imagery to get to the essence of the positions, rather than teaching how to perform them."

Booklist: "The best of the brief poems communicate yoga's philosophy and feeling in language and imagery that is immediately accessible..."

Connections
Wong, Janet S. 2002. APPLE PIE FOURTH OF JULY. Ill. Margaret Chodos-Irvine. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Inc. ISBN 10-015202543X
Power, Teresa. 2009. THE ABCS OF YOGA FOR KIDS. Ill. Kathleen Rietz. Stafford House. ISBN 10-0982258704