DIAMOND WILLOW, by Helen Frost

Bibliography

Frost, Helen. 2008.  New York: Farrar Straus and Giroux.  ISBN 978-0-312-60383-0

Plot Summary

Diamond Willow is the story of a half-Athabascan girl growing up in a remote Alaskan town who is more comfortable tending to her family’s sled dogs than her peers and even sometimes her family.  But an accident on her first unaccompanied dog sled trip to visit her grandparents reveals family secrets that eventually lead to a greater understanding of herself.

Critical Analysis

Written in free verse, Diamond Willow is a beautiful story that takes the reader through one girl’s experience following her first solo dog sled excursion.  Twelve-year-old Willow expresses feelings to which many preteen children can relate.  Frost’s poems reveal a complex, well-developed protagonist who wrestles with shyness because, as she says, she is not one of the “sparkly people.”  Willow is struggling for balance between many opposing forces in her life.  She identifies more with the Athabascan values of her mother’s family which leads to some strain on her relationship with her father.  She is more drawn to the old ways than to the demands of contemporary life.  She also struggles with the transition from childhood to adulthood; she wants her parents to trust her and her abilities despite the fact that she lives in a fairly harsh environment.   In a truly imaginative turn, Frost draws attention to these underlying themes by highlighting in bold certain words within the text of her diamond-shaped poems to reveal unstated truths about Willow and her feelings.   For example, in a poem in which Willow laments her parents’ overprotectiveness, the words in bold reveal that she also acknowledges that their concerns may be justified.  These hidden messages often expose things to the reader that Willow doesn’t want to admit to herself.  In her author’s note, Frost explains her inspiration for her creative visual arrangement of the poems that are Willow’s story from her point of view.  The diamond shapes that occur in the bark of the diamond willow tree are indicative of past scarring; as the story progresses, the reader realizes the dramatic significance of these scars.  

Frost’s free verse is easy to read and would make a wonderful introduction to the story-in-verse genre of children’s poetry.  The rhythm of her word choice and structure of individual poems encourages fluidity to the story as profound events move through Willow’s life.  Frost also integrates the culture of native Alaska into the story.  Willow’s mother is Athabascan, and Willow’s maternal grandparents have a considerable influence on her.  The free verse is interrupted at times by the thoughts and reflections of ancestral spirits that inhabit various native animals that Willow encounters along her journey.  These prose selections are brief and offer information to the reader that even Willow does not know about.  The ethereal nature and smooth transition of these interruptions does not upset the gracefulness of the poetic portions of the story which make up the vast majority of the book. 

Awards and Review Excerpts

• School Library Journal: "This complex and elegant novel will resonate with readers who savor powerful drama and multifaceted characters."
• Booklist: Tthis story in easy-to-read verse blends exciting survival adventure with a contemporary girl’s discovery of family roots and secrets."
• Bulletin for Center for Children’s Books: "An elegant and moving story of a young girl's deepening understanding of the relationships she shares with those around her."

Connections

• Have students research diamond willow sticks.  Have them consider how the look and shape of the treated branches are important to the meaning of the story.
• Have students read this book during a science or geography lesson on cold weather climates.  Show video clips of how people get around in such cold, snowy areas: snowshoes, snow mobiles, dog sleds, etc.  Have students write a short story incorporating their favorite mode of cold climate travel.
• Have each student pick a shape that is somehow meaningful in his/her life and write a poem in that shape.  The topic of the poem should reflect the idea behind why that shape is meaningful to him/her.

Personal Reflections

This was my first venture into this genre of children’s literature.  I was skeptical at first, worried that it would be difficult to follow a story written in such a creative way.  But I was pleasantly surprised!  In fact because I knew my seven year old daughter would enjoy certain elements of the story (she’s a big dog lover), I read it aloud to the whole family over the weekend.  We all really enjoyed it!  I think hearing the poetry read aloud made for a better experience too, and the length of the book is such that it could easily be done in a classroom setting with students taking turns reading out loud.