Poetry: Night Garden: Poems from the World of Dreams by Janet S. Wong, illustrated by Julie Paschkis

Wong, Janet S. 2000. NIGHT GARDEN. Illustrated by Julie Paschkis. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon and Shuster). ISBN 0-689-82617-6.

Critical Analysis: Night Garden is a lavishly illustrated journey into the world of dreams. Wong taps into the psyche of children by including poems about their basic feelings, fears, and desires. This fifteen poem collection explores topics such as identity, death, friendship, fear, conflict, loss, and hope. An example is “Old Friend”:

I had forgotten you, friend
Is that why you came
into my dream?
I had forgotten you.
When I fall asleep again
will you leave your address
on my pillow?

The majority of the poems do not rhyme yet have a unique rhythm such as “Gently Down the Stream” in which each line contains either six, seven or eight syllables, thus creating an ideal vehicle for a unison reading activity. The children will enjoy the predictable rhythms and could even create a six, seven, or eight syllable line of their own to add to the poem.

Imagery is particularly strong in these poems such as in “Night Garden” (deep in the earth, a tangle of roots, green shoots, dandelion weeds, alive with seeds) and “Turnip Cake” (orange shrimp, red sausage, soggy mouth watering, crisp to the teeth, soft to the tongue). Strong emotions such as betrayal and terror are also present as in “Even in my Sleep” (You monster, how can I ever forgive you), and “Flying” (I think I would be terrified).

The illustrations by Julie Paschkis can only be described as perfect and masterfully complement the poems, and in some cases, encourage new interpretations that the poems alone would not support. The illustrations reflect Asian influences and often have a psychedelic-like quality that dovetails nicely with the books’ topic: dreams. Night Garden is a wonderful addition to a child’s book collection where it will quickly become a bedtime reading classic.

Reviews:

Publishers Weekly: "Paschkis's swirling imagery and Wong's quiet yet haunting words skillfully simulate the reveries they recount.”

School Library Journal: “This is a particularly fine collection for libraries in which young writers and painters are encouraged.”

Booklist: “Wong, an accomplished and versatile poet, finds dream images that children will know…the illustrations are magnificent.”

Kirkus Reviews: “…a collection of 15 soulful poems that commands attention and keeps until the end, with a canny, singular take on the familiar imagery of dreamtime.”

Connections:

Incorporate other books by Wong such as “A Suitcase of Seaweed” or “Good Luck Gold”.
Find other books illustrated by Paschkis such as “Knock on Wood” (poems by Wong), or “Twist” (a collection of poems about yoga).

Read the poem, Nightmare. Lead a discussion about nightmares and what the children are afraid of (the dark, bugs, falling) and – depending on the age of the group – brainstorm what abstractions these represent. It will help to introduce simile, __________ is like ___________ to create a concrete model. Guide the discussion as the children speculate that a fear of falling may represent a fear that no one will be there to catch them (loss of parent), a fear of the dark might represent a fear of death, etc. This discussion must be carefully crafted and adapted based on the age of the children and may take time to perfect but with practice and consistent exposure to abstractions, the children will learn to see that something concrete may represent an abstract concept, an idea, a fear, love, etc. This will prepare them well for the higher level thinking required in middle and high school.

Pairing Poetry: Combine Leonardo and the Flying Boy by Laurence Anholt (36 pages, ages 4-8) with the poem "Flying". Sylvia Vardell states “If you regularly read a picture book out loud, try following up with a poem that has a similar subject or theme” (Children’s Literature in Action, 134).

The use of Magnetic Poetry would work well here. Although there is a commercial product (various words with magnets), an adaptation of this concept would be to have words typed on cardstock and laminated. Distribute the words (8-10 per child) and have them create their own poem about any of the topics in the book including friendship, flying, falling, dreams, dogs or a topic of their choosing. Younger children can create illustrations.

NOTE: The librarian must be sensitive to cultural beliefs about dreams. Many cultures emphasize the importance of analyzing dreams but may come to different conclusions. Be sure that a discussion of dreams does not go against the cultural norms of the audience. The age of the children will also determine how far to take these activities.

This book would be a great resource in working with older children, even those studying Psychology in High School. Reading a few of these poems and generating a class discussion would make a great segway to the study of Carl Jung or Joseph Campbell. In English, these poems might be analyzed and interpreted from the perspective of various cultural, ethnic, or racial groups.