"Words with Wings" by Nikki Grimes (LS 5663)

Grimes, Nikki. 2013. Words with Wings. Honsdale, PA: WordSong.

ISBN: 978-1-59078-985-8

Cover image
www.nikkigrimes.com

Nikki Grimes' verse novel Words with Wings follows Gabby over the course of several months in the wake of her parents' divorce.  The focus of the novel, however, does not lie in the immediate effects of the divorce, but in Gabby's rich imagination, and how she renders her mental imagery into words.  For Gabby, words aren't mere vehicles for basic communication, they give shape to her daydreams, which also often get her into trouble with her teacher and mother, who view Gabby as inattentive.  Words also serve as a refuge for Gabby, who uses them to shield herself from her parents' arguments and the inevitable teasing she receives at school.

There are two types of poems in this novel: the ones that create the narrative structure of the plot and the ones that demonstrate how Gabby's imagination takes flight when she hears certain words.  Grimes depicts the difference between theses two types of poems by a change in font.  Grimes also signals a switch in the type of poem by having Gabby engage the reader in a conversation.  Gabby says, "Say 'dragon' / and I raise my shield" or "Say 'roller coaster', / and I squeeze my eyes tight" at the beginning of each poem where she speaks about how the words inspire her (Grimes 2013, 60, 51).    It's a convention that Grimes employs for each and every inspirational poem, so even if the font were the same, it would be a clear signal to the reader that these poems have a different purpose than the narrative ones.  The publisher even used the different fonts in the table of contents, as well as offsetting one type from the other, so while it might not be immediately apparent why theses poems have been labelled differently,  it signals to the reader that there is something different about them.

Grimes utilizes several figurative language strategies in Words with Wings like personification, simile, and even something as simple as choosing specific adjectives to create the best picture possible.  Metaphor occurs with much less frequency, but Grimes (2013) uses it effectively in “Waterfall” in order to recreate the sound a waterfall makes as is cascades over the edge of a cliff, calling it “liquid thunder” (30).  Grimes also uses personification occasionally in the poems.  She uses it with good effect in “Camp Dreams” to illustrate how much Gabby’s mother’s refusal to consider sending her to summer camp stings.  Grimes (2013) writes that the word, “’No’ smacks me / in the ear”, which makes me wince just reading it (61).  Any kind of blow to the ear hurts.  A lot.  So for Grimes to choose that particular figurative language conveys to the reader how much it hurts Gabby.  Grimes is also adept at choosing exactly the right adjective.  While using the phrase “winter white” seems to be a no-brainer in a poem titled “Snowflake”, it helps establish an image of sparkling, crystalline snow that couldn’t be possible with any other qualifier (Grimes 2013, 29).   Simile is the most prominent figurative language strategy used by Grimes in Words with Wings.  She uses phrases like, “silent as a sunrise”, “blue as the ribbon of sky”, “jumpy as a cat”, and “the dark wraps around us / like Saturn’s rings” (Grimes 2013, 11, 18, 26, 63).  One could make the argument that Grimes uses simile so much in the poems because it’s much easier to grasp the concept, as opposed to other more abstract forms of figurative language.  Grimes allows the reader to directly compare two concrete objects.  This could help a younger or less sophisticated reader access the figurative language in the poetry. 

Grimes’ use of figurative language not only helps paint the pictures in Gabby’s mind, but the give the reader a glimpse of the emotional life of a sensitive, observant, and highly imaginative young lady.  When Gabby first uses the words that crowd her mind to block the noise of her parents’ arguments, Grimes deftly gives the reader a glimpse into how Gabby manages to learn to cope with her parents’ crumbling marriage.  She also uses the language to demonstrate how her classmates’ diffidence to the “Shy Girl / Who Lives /Inside Her Head” affect Gabby and how liberating it feels someone finally ‘gets’ her.  Students can also get inside the head of a quieter student, one they might overlook in a classroom situation.  If there’s a moral to the story, it’s that everybody has a different way of viewing the world.  Gabby divides the world into two different camps: “Dad is a dreamer / and Mom is a maker. / I’ve been thinking, / maybe / I can be / both” (Grimes 2013, 27).  The structure of the poem, by placing the word ‘maybe’ on its own line gives it an air of cautious hope that one doesn’t have to be a maker or a dreamer. 

The poems are appealing to a wide variety of readers.  Younger and older readers alike can appreciate the development of Gabby as she learns to harness her imagination and use it less as a refuge and more as a creative method of expression.  The poems are able to relate how Gabby savors words and how she views the world.  Mundane objects become something otherworldly in Gabby’s eyes and imaginative hands.  Grimes’ poetry is universally consistent from poem to poem.  Some poems stand out as having more emotional impact, but none stand out for having a lesser quality than others.  While the poems run the gamut from wistful and somber to content and hopeful and none descend into blatant over-sentimentality.  Grimes gives the reader an intimate view into Gabby’s life, and I found myself thinking of other verse novels, and wishing they had taken Grimes’ approach and focused on small group of characters, rather than a 1950s Hollywood cast of thousands.  I would highly recommend that any school or public library add this book to their collection.

Grimes received the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children.  Words with Wings received a Coretta Scott King honor award in 2014 and was named one of 2014's Notable Children's Books, Middle Readers by the ALSC.  

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Spotlight on...

"Setting the Table"

I grab place mats
blue as the ribbon of sky
beyond my window
where pigeons invite me
outside to play.
But I've got a job to do,
so I shake my head no
and lay down
two knives and two forks.
When I fling a pair of napkins
toward the table,
one sails on the air
like a kite,
and I take off running
across the park,
chasing my crimson high flier
as it cuts across the blue
and -- Mom asks me why
it's taking so long
to set the table.
"Gabby! Snap out of it!" she says.
"I see you forgot the glasses.
Again." (Grimes 2013, 18)

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Grimes' poetry is rich with figurative language, so it makes a perfect vehicle to teach students about using figurative language.  After reading the poem a few times and displaying the text to the class, I would then ask them to pick out phrases that create pictures in their minds or describe everyday objects in a way that makes them more vivid that usual.  The class could then either draw the simile, metaphor, or other figurative language.  The artwork itself is not important, so students could choose to draw or use use old magazines or catalogs to cut out pictures and create a collage that illustrates the figurative language.

In the case of a simile, students would draw both parts of the simile on either side of an equal sign.  One one side of an equal sign, they could draw the blue place mats on the kitchen table, and on the other side, they would draw a close up of the window with its ribbon of blue sky.  Only after they learned to equate both objects in the simile, would the students learn to apply the term and the relevant structure.  They could then create their own similes and add them to a class bulletin board or blog/wikispace.

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Works Cited:

Grimes, Nikki. 2013. Words with Wings. Honsdale, PA: WordSong.