And it includes an amazing rhythmic
poem that
describes the birth of Earth's Children and plays its own role in the
narrative of The Shelters of Stone.
Written in accessible, short free - verse
poems, Hà's immediate
narrative describes her mistakes — both humorous and heartbreaking — with grammar, customs, and dress (she wears a flannel nightgown to school, for example); and readers will be moved by Hà's sorrow as they recognize the anguish of being the outcast who spends lunchtime hiding in the bathroom.