Poetry

It is difficult for me to give this book a fair review as I'm already familiar the poem and the accompanying paintings from the short film belonging to the National Film Board of Canada. The book is a fair substitute.

Ted Harrison's paintings were done for the poem and show the story. The artwork is great to look at but I can't help but miss the narration of Max Ferguson (Canadian radio personality) in the film version. Ideally, this is a book to read and share aloud as a this poem feels much better to me recited rather than read. ( )

I remember reading this poem in middle school, like seventh or eighth grade, and everyone in my English class having a gross-out reaction to it. This poem is about a prospector in the Yukon Territory of Alaska during the late 19th/early 20th century gold rush and his friend, Sam McGee. The territory is so inhospitable that Sam McGee asks his friend to cremate him when he dies because his body couldn't stand to be buried in the cold ground. The prospector ultimately makes good on his promise and cremate Sam McGee in a makeshift crematorium. This poem is morbid but has a comical moment at the end when the prospector opens the crematorium door to check on Sam and find him smiling in the furnace asking him to close the door because this is the first time he's felt warm. So I think it was the gallows humor that threw everyone in my class off guard. I would totally recommend this for students in upper elementary school or middle grades. The poem itself has a great rhyme scheme and has a linear narrative that is easier to follow than some of the more abstract poetry. The kids might also get a kick out of the sarcasm and dark humor. ( )

I would use this as an independent read for 4th grade. I would use this as an independent read for 4th grade because younger students may not understand it because of the sarcasm or language used throughout the text. ( )

Poetry: Picturebook
Service, Robert W. The Cremation of Sam McGee. Illust. by Ted Harrison. Greenwillow, 1986. Unp. Upper elementary and up
This famous narrative poem is about a Prospector and his friend, Sam McGee, in the time of the Gold Rush. He promises Sam to cremate him when he dies but when it happens he can’t figure out how until he comes to Lake Lebarge in the Yukon Territory. The humorous poem is told in the first person view and has a friendship theme.
AK: Gold Rush, Northern climate, dog sled
Activity: Ask students if they liked the book-both the poem and the illustrations. Ask them which parts they liked the best. Did it seem funny or scary? ( )