I recently listened to an audiobook version of Helen Frost’s Diamond Willow. A wonderful choice for family listening for young tweens, it takes place in Alaska and has a moral center, a smart but flawed young heroine, animals, adventure, family, Native American beliefs and more, all in a very short form. (just 2 cds)
However, one thing you won’t notice from the audiobook is that the print version was written in a very unique poetic style. Each page is composed in blank verse diamond shape poems, with a bolded internal message in the middle of each diamond. In other words, the layout of the poem gives a secret message that isn’t “visible” when the poem is read aloud. You can see what I mean here.
The story was still a good, self-contained story, but in just listening, I would not call it poetry - there’s a good bit of dialog, and no rhyme or even meter. So what makes something poetry? Is it a misnomer to call it poetry just because it’s shaped like poetry? Or would a more careful listen make the language seem more poetic?
This is truly an example of while the plot and story work in both formats, it’s an exceptionally different experience whether you are reading or listening. I’d love to know young readers/listeners opinions on this!