Locomotion

Jacqueline Woodson’s Locomotion is written for students in grades 4^th-6^th.  I would rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

            Locomotion tells a story of a young boy named Lonnie Collins Motion (nicknamed Locomotion) through a poetry notebook he wrote for class.  His parents died in a fire while he and his sister were away on a trip to the zoo and he discusses the loss of them frequently in the book.  Since being put in a foster home with Miss Edna, Locomotion has found a comfortable place to belong.  His younger sister, Lili, lives in a more upper-class home with a mother who judges Lonnie constantly.  During the story, Lili prompts Lonnie to “find God” and gives him her copy of the Bible.  He wants to find God to get closer to Lili, but ends up finding God all around his life through the simple pleasures he enjoys.  The book mainly discusses his struggle with accepting his place of belonging and finding faith in his life.  Lonnie has experienced some horrible things, but does not broadcast it to his peers at school, which makes this book of poetry a great outlet for him.



            This book is a fabulous find to incorporate into any classroom.  It has so many unique themes that are covered and although it is not the easiest to relate personally to, the feelings Lonnie expresses are common to all people.  The theme of belonging surfaces a lot in Locomotion.  Even in the beginning of the book (p. 5-6), Lonnie recalls a memory where his mother refers to his younger sister as “her baby”.  Lonnie asks her if he was ever her baby and she tells him that he still is.  This sense of belonging to his mother sets up his future quest for the same comfort.  Then on page 33, he has a poem titled “List Poem” in which he lists everything he owns (which amounts to some clothing and parts of his body).  He writes these things out to give himself solace in the idea that he has things that belong to him in this world where nothing seems good.  On page 83, he says “Rodney’s voice sounds like it should always been in this house.” This is significant because this is Miss Edna’s older son who views Lonnie as a younger brother.  Having him move back into Miss Edna’s house means a lot to Lonnie and brings happiness to him and Miss Edna.  The voice of Rodney belongs in the house according to Lonnie, as if it is something that fits into the scene like a puzzle piece that he has been missing for years.  He needs this small detail to feel completely right in his life.  Lonnie’s teacher, Ms. Marcus, told Lonnie he had a poet’s heart (p. 87).  He goes on to say, “That’s good.  A good thing to have.  And I’m the one who has it.” This accomplishment, in Lonnie’s eyes, has brought him happiness as well as something to contribute to the world.  He was searching for a way to be good at something and since he found he had this heart inside him, he felt a wave of happiness wash over him. 



Jacqueline Woodson



            Locomotion is a book that can be taken in many different ways.  It is simple in language and writing style, but if you peel back the words to discover the character’s motivation and emotion, it is not hard to see that this book can be the source of great discussions in the classroom.  Students can open up about many things that are discussed in the book: adoption/foster care, having a friend who is sick, growing up in a low-income area, the loss of one’s parents at a young age, having your first crush, and many other interesting dynamics that are presented.  Teachers can really dig deep and make the book connect to their students, no matter what identity they hold. 

Here is a website to hear and see Jacqueline Woodson discuss her books: http://www.teachingbooks.net/spec_athr.cgi?pid=3460&a=1 and here are some teaching guides to accompany her books!

Scholastic also has this great discussion guide for Locomotion.  There is also an extension activity.