Animal Acrostics for Children

By Pamela Reponen 

Animal Acrostics is a new children's book written by David Hummon, a professor of sociology at Holy Cross. Created for children ages eight and older, the book showcases a unique variety of animals found in the five different habitats of the world. Following the format of an acrostic, Hummon has written a poem about each animal, using the letters of the animal's name to start each successive line of verse. These playful, humorous lyrics, enhanced by Michael Maydak's compelling illustrations, capture an aspect of the animal's physical appearance, behavior or environment. Educational as well as entertaining, Animal Acrostics gives children and their parents the opportunity to have fun with words, increase vocabulary and learn about the natural world. A band of text at the bottom of each page gives supplemental information about the animals, and a glossary at the end of the book defines the more difficult words used in the poems. The Afterward contains a description of acrostics, their history and variations, along with suggestions for creating one's own poems. 

Animal Acrostics is Professor Hummon's first children's book. In describing some of the reasons for his interest in this genre, he said, "Probably the most important factor was having children and loving to read to them." He remembers the time spent with his sons, Matt and Ben, as a very special part of the day. "I liked that activity," he said, "and from this, I rediscovered children's books and who was writing them." 

Hummon became interested in writing for children a decade ago. "Some people play golf. Some people watch television. I like to write poetry and stories for children. It's probably best described as a serious hobby." In conjunction with this, he also became interested in storytelling and volunteered at several libraries to tell the stories he had written. 

In formulating his idea for the book, Hummon decided to work with acrostics. "My children, and I think a lot of children, have fun with words - they like puns and homonyms and playing with language. They also like nonsense rhymes." He was attracted to acrostics because they accommodate word play and the creation of light, fanciful verse in a simple poetic form. 

Hummon chose animals as the subject, partly because of his own love of animals and their appeal to children, but also because they provide rich material for writing acrostics. "These are simple poems - simple pieces of word play - and for this reason, I was looking for something that has a distinct image. By selecting animals carefully, I could find features that would evoke a single dramatic image." 

Developing the ideas for the book and determining the thematic structure were an evolving process. According to Hummon, the writing and publication of Animal Acrostics took almost four years. Originally interested in writing an alphabet book, he composed 26 acrostics, one animal for each letter of the alphabet. Although he eventually decided against this approach, he continued to write poems about animals, creating 70-to-80 poems in a two-year period. During this time he conceived the idea of arranging the animals by habitiat. Once Hummon decided to add a short informational paragraph for each animal, the idea for the book came together. Toward the end of the process, he decided to write the Afterward, thinking that the background information and the tips for writing acrostics would encourage children to write their own poems. 

Hummon said that once the book was accepted for publication, the editing and layout took approximately one-and-a-half to two years to complete. During this time the editor selected the illustrator, Michael Maydak, to do the drawings for the book. According to Hummon, editors make this decision because they have a better feel for the process of matching words with pictures, and they work with artists routinely. He said that they would neither expect nor want writers to find their own illustrators. "I never met or talked to the illustrator. And that's quite typical." 

Several factors contributed to the length of time involved in the writing and publishing process. "The book has a fairly complex layout," Hummon said, "because it includes poems, illustrations and factual text." He also explained that his particular writing style contributes to the length of the process. "I am a college professor, and I teach and do research and serve on committees. I work on my creative projects in little snatches of time beyond my professional responsibilities." 

Hummon also observed that acrostics, while simple in form, take considerable time to write. Their length, however, is an advantage. "I can take an idea and work on it over a period of several weeks, spending time researching the idea and doing some background reading on a particular subject, all the while formulating and thinking about something interesting to say that is grounded in a real aspect of the animal." 

Animal Acrostics is a significant departure from Hummon's work in the area of academic writing. Accustomed to the rigor of scholarly research with its reliance on scientific method and adherence to a strict set of procedures, he enjoyed writing the children's book because it allowed him greater use of his creativity. "When I write for children," he said, "I use my imagination to draw on my own feelings and insights, and I relate them to something very specific in the world, in a way that is similar to an experience that a child might have." He also cited another advantage: "I get to be silly when writing for children, and there's a lot more room for personal self-expression and humor. This is an outlet for expressing simple delight and joy." 

Hummon does find one similarity in his approach to academic and creative endeavors: he treats the audiences for both types of writing with seriousness. "When I write a journal article," he said, "I consider my audience to be thoughtful, informed, interested in, and critical of what I write. In the same way, I really appreciate that the children reading my book are smart, inventive, creative and interested." 

For this reason, Hummon included some challenging words in his acrostics. Intent on using the most appropriate and precise words to capture his intended meaning, he faced the problem of choosing words that would match the age level of his audience. At the same time, he has found that children like big words, including scientific terms such as "symbiosis," both for their particular sound and their precision in conveying meaning. The illustrations, context clues and the glossary can help children learn the meaning of new words. 

In writing acrostics, Hummon said that it is sometimes difficult to find just the right word that starts with a letter found in the animal's name. Vowels, particularly the letter "u," are often challenging. "To some people, I'm sure, acrostics are not poems, but words - simply word play. I tend to see them as poetic in the sense that I work very hard to select the most appropriate words to express the feeling and mystery present in each image." 

Hummon hopes that children, after reading this book, will want to write their own acrostics. "I see activity as an important part of the book. I would be very pleased if children, after reading the acrostics, would want to try writing one about the family cat." He also hopes that readers will enjoy the playfulness of the book - that they will find it fun to explore each page, making connections between words and images and, hopefully, discover something beyond what the artist and the writer intended. 

When asked about advice he might give to prospective children's writers, Hummon recommended seeking out others who are working in this area and joining groups and associations that offer support to aspiring writers. Related to this, he has noted three Web sites for parents, teachers and writers who have interest in children's literature: The Children's Book Council; The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators; and The Children's Literature Web Guide. 

Hummon believes the best reasons for writing children's literature are the enjoyment derived from the activity and the satisfaction gained from self-expression. "People, including myself, underestimate the difficulties involved in writing a children's book. They think that, because it's for children, it's easier to write. This just isn't true - writing for children is a specialty and has its own difficulties. If a person's main reason for writing is to get published, the result may well be disappointment." 

Hummon plans to continue writing children's literature even though he knows that having one book published is no guarantee that he will get published again. "I write because I like the process. It's a form of creative activity that I enjoy in my leisure time." He is currently working on a collection of haiku poems about flowers. 

Originally from the Midwest, Hummon spent his childhood in Madison, Wis., and attended high school in Illinois. A graduate of Columbia College in New York City, he received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley. A member of the Holy Cross faculty since 1980, he has taught a course entitled "Childhood" six times since 1992. In this class, students briefly study the evolution of children's literature over the past 150-to-200 years to learn how it reflects the changing realities of children's lives and the attitudes of adults toward them. Hummon is married and the father of two sons. 

Animal Acrostics, which is published by Dawn Publications, is available through the Holy Cross Bookstore. The retail price is $7.95 for the paperback edition and $16.95 for hard cover, plus $5 shipping and handling (Massachusetts residents must add 5 percent for sales tax). 

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