LEMONADE by Bob Raczka

Poetry Tag continues with a book review of a new book of poetry connected to yesterday's book review.

Today’s tagline: Works that focus on poetic form

Guest Reviewer: Stacy Ann Lambert

Featured Book: Raczka, Bob. 2011. Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word. Ill. by Nancy Doniger. Roaring Brook. ISBN: 978-1-59643-541-4
 


Stacy writes: This little diddy of poems is a thinking book filled with anagrams and rebus word puzzles. I chose this book because of the main title containing the word "lemonade" and the thoughts and feeling that come to mind when this word comes to mind: summertime, play-time, free-time, cool drink on a hot day, those things I did as a child growing up. And this does not disapoint as many of the themes are childlike in nature.

However, this book is a thinking book, and one must first solve the word patterns in order to enjoy the simplistic nature of the idea conveyed. Once the reader solves the puzzle patterns, you find that you reread the poems and a smile begins to appear on your face. This might be due to the fact that you solved the riddled pattern or perhaps you find yourself relating to the theme and the words that describe the themed singled word. A return to simple and easier times in life; childhood. Here’s one poem example

"Chocolate"
by Bob Raczka


Chocolate

h at

co at

h o t

c oco a



Connections
This series of poems takes quite a bit of "thinking" and "imagination." After showing it to our Gifted and Talented teacher, she is quite eager to get her hands on this book to present to her 5th graders as these students spend a unit on poetry. We were brainstorming ideas of an activity, and the best way to present this styling of poetry would be to explain how and what anagrams, rebus word puzzles are and look like. Start out with the more simple poems to check for understanding. Give each student a section of the book to look over (not showing them the "answers” on the following page) and discuss with a partner how the poem is constructed. Discuss as a group their poem. Then if there is a struggle, show the students the "correct" poem construction. Next students will construct a poem anagram of their own (or with a partner). But before having them disperse, discuss themes they could write about.

Tomorrow’s tagline: Another twist on poetic form

[And don’t forget to get your own copy of PoetryTagTime, an e-book with 30 poems, all connected, by 30 poets, and downloadable right now at Amazon for your Kindle or Kindle app for your computer, iPad or phone. Just 99 cents. Spread the word.]

Image credit: PoetryTagTime; RoaringBrook

Posting (not poem) by Sylvia M. Vardell and students © 2011. All rights reserved.

BOOKSPEAK! by Laura Purdie Salas

Poetry Tag continues with a book review of a new book of poetry connected to yesterday's book review.

Today’s tagline: More poems about books

Guest Reviewer: Kendra Duckworth

Featured Book: Salas, Laura Purdie. 2011. BookSpeak!. Ill. by Josee Bisaillon. Clarion.


Kendra writes: In lieu of a traditional review, I am including a book trailer as an advertisement for this new and exciting poetry book. The rhyme, rhythm, voice of each poem, from the point of view of the book, makes this a must read! Hopefully, not only will this inspire children to read this book, but it will inspire them to read!



Connections
"Calling All Readers" would be a great introduction into a story time! What a fabulous way to demonstrate the wonderful things that can be found in a book (time travel, adventure, a friend!). This leading poem can inspire people to read and to write about their own adventures in books. Have students select a book about an adventure or tell a story about an adventure. Make connections with this poem through other books shared. 


Calling All Readers


by Laura Purdie Salas

I'll tell you a story.

I'll spin you a rhyme.

I'll spill some ideas - 

and we'll travel through time.



Put down the controller.

Switch off the TV.

Abandon the mouse and

just hang out with me.



I promise adventure.

Come on, take a look!

On a day like today,

there's no friend like a book.



Another poem in this book, "I've Got This Covered," talks about the appeal of the book jacket and how it is the first attraction to a book. Have students make a new jacket to a book they love and want other students to be attracted to.
The ideas are boundless to share poem and book and get students enthralled in reading.

Tomorrow’s tagline: This book has an acrostic poem, among many others. Let’s look at other works that focus on poetic form next.

[And don’t forget to get your own copy of PoetryTagTime, 30 poems by 30 poets, all connected and downloadable right now at Amazon for your Kindle or Kindle app for your computer, iPad or phone. Just 99 cents. Spread the word.]

Image credit

Posting (not poem) by Sylvia M. Vardell and students © 2011. All rights reserved.

I AM THE BOOK by Lee Bennett Hopkins

Last year, I launched a game of Poetry Tag in celebration of National Poetry Month (where poets shared original poems, tagged another poet who shared a poem connected with the previous poem, and on and on). It was so much fun it has spawned a whole book of poetry tag for kids—which I’m promoting like a wild woman here, at PoetryTagTime, and at the PoetryTagTime blog. And I’m sticking with my “tag” theme this year, too, as we pause to promote poetry far and wide. However, this time, I’m featuring reviews of poetry books out this year (2011), connected in that same “tag” fashion, from one to another. Plus, I’ve involved my students enrolled in my graduate course in poetry for children as guest reviewers. Some of them even tried creating digital trailers for their selected books. So, here we go: one review a day for the next 30 days, your mini intro to the latest poetry for young people.

Guest Reviewer: Nancy Molina

Featured Book: Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 2011. I Am the Book. Ill. by Yayo. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 9780823421190.

Nancy writes: Hopkins assembles a collection of thirteen poems written by various poets all on the subject of books that celebrate reading. All of the poems are by well-known poets like Naomi Shihab Nye, Beverly McLoughland, and Kristine O’Connell George to name a few. Hopkins includes a table of contents that lists the poem title and poet which is extremely helpful in finding a particular poem. Also, in the back is an “About the Poets” section that gives brief yet interesting information about each poet that contributed to this anthology. While most of the text of the poems is in a bold black font, the titles along with the table of contents and headers of the “About the Poets” section alternate in various classic colors like red, blue, and green. All of these text features makes the collection easy to read and easy to navigate.

Likewise, the illustrations are in bright basic colors inviting the reader to carefully peruse each detail. Using colorful acrylics, Yayo elaborates on each poem to not only add to the meaning, but to prompt wondering as well. It is a fascinating combination. For example, the illustration for the poem entitled, “A Poem Is,” Yayo creates an amusement park out of musical instruments. It is a clever illustration for the poem in that the poem uses the simile “like bumper cars/at a fair” and the metaphor “an orchestra/of sounds.” The reader will find it entertaining to try to name the various instruments and what they represent in the amusement park.

All the poems are simple enough for young children to understand yet meaningful enough for older children to explore. In the poem, “Quiet Morning” by Karen B. Winnick, young children can enjoy the simplicity of a boy, a book, and a dog having something to do on a rainy day, whereas, older children can speculate on why the boy and the dog are in the book. This is just one example of how the poems and illustrations work perfectly together. Some of the poems rhyme while others are free verse, and all can be used for one literary element study or another, such as, alliteration, onomatopoeia, simile, metaphor, etc. “Poetry Time” by Lee Bennett Hopkins uses onomatopoeia to craft an amusing rhythmic rhyme, “It’s poem o’clock/Time for a rhyme- /tick-tock/ding-dong/bing-bong/or/chime.” Children will love reading this one out loud. Below is a sample poem from this collection.

Quiet Morning
by Karen B. Winnick

Early in the morning
dog, book and me
spend quiet moments
just we three.
Snuggled by the window,
chin on my knee
close to the raindrops,
dog, book and me.

Connections
To introduce the poem, ask the children to share what kind of things they like to do on a rainy day. Then ask them how many of those things they could do if their electricity goes out on a rainy day. Display the poem so all the children can see it as the teacher/librarian reads it. Then, have the children read it out loud in chorus. Next, divide the children into two groups and have one group read the first stanza, and the other group read the second stanza. As a follow-up activity, have the children draw pictures of their rainy day activities.

More news: Check out Lee Bennett Hopkins's new web site, an excellent resource on his life, books, awards, and more.

Tomorrow’s tagline: More poems about books

[And don’t forget to get your own copy of PoetryTagTime, an e-book with 30 poems, all connected, by 30 poets, and downloadable right now at Amazon for your Kindle or Kindle app for your computer, iPad or phone. Just 99 cents. Spread the word.]

Image credit: Holiday House; Rich Arnold

Posting (not poem) by Sylvia M. Vardell and students © 2011. All rights reserved.