POETRY
A JAR OF TINY STARS: POEMS SELECTED BY NCTE AWARD-WINNING POETS
Cullinan, Bernice E. ed. 1996. A JAR OF TINY STARS: POEMS BY NCTE AWARD-WINNING
POETS. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press. ISBN: 1563970872.
Everyone is sure to find a favorite among these National Council of Teachers of
English (NCTE) award-winning poets including David McCord, Aileen Fisher, Karla Kuskin, Myra Cohn Livingston, Eve Merriam,
John Ciardi, Lillian Moore, Arnold Adoff, Valerie Worth and Barbara Esbensen. The NCTE recognized these poets for their significant
lifetime contribution to children's poetry. A small sampling of each poets work has been selected by children across the country
to be included in this collection.
Each section of this book begins with a black and white portrait of the poet followed
by a direct quote about their source of inspiration or their ideals of what poetry should be. A small biography for each poet
is also provided at the end of the book. Andi MacLeod's whimsical pen-and-ink drawings enhance that sense of wonder and delight
that can accompany the childhood moments captured in this book. The appeal of these poems is not only their pleasant rhythm
or funny rhymes but also the subject matter. Children will identify with climbing a tree and skinning a knee (David McCord)
or dealing with winter clothes so bundled that "I must not fall because I can't get up at all" (Karla Kuskin) and finding
pebbles that "belong to no one until you pick them up - then they are yours"(Valerie Worth). No matter the age of the writer,
these moments come from the heart of a child.
IF YOU'RE NOT HERE, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND: POEMS ABOUT SCHOOL
Dakos, Kalli. 1990. IF YOU'RE NOT HERE, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND: POEMS ABOUT SCHOOL.
illus. by G. Brian Karas. New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 0027255816.
The experiences
of elementary school take a humorous twist in this charming book of poetry. Kalli
Dakos captures the playful essence of childhood imagination with subjects like substitute teachers, math troubles, messy desks
and poor manners while she also addresses childhood fears such as crying in school and being overweight with a positive
tone. A poignant moment in this largely lighthearted collection is the poem,
J.T. Never Will Be Ten, which explores a child's touching view of a classmates death, one of the most difficult childhood
issues. These timeless poems read beautifully aloud and would make a great addition
to any classroom.
INSECTLOPEDIA
Florian, Douglas. 1998. INSECTLOPEDIA. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company.
ISBN: 0152013067.
The best way to
get the heebie jeebies is to learn about creepy crawlies with Douglas Florian. The
wordplay in his poems is inventive and entertaining as in The Caterpillar (She eats eight leaves at least to fill her,
which leaves her like a fatterpillar...) and his poems reveal true facts about 21 different insects with a touch of wry humor. Florian also uses rhythm to support the mood of the poems as heard in the marching
beat of The Army Ants poem (Left, Right, Left, Right, We're army ants. We swarm, We fight...) and the bouncy poem The Treehoppers
(They're hip. They hop On top Of trees, They skip On tips Of twigs With ease...). The
Inchworm and The Whirligig Beetles are concrete poems that take the form of their subject. The watercolor paintings of each
insect include collage and are painted on brown paper bags providing a unique and offbeat look to the artwork, which suits
the style of the book. This would be a great addition to the science class or
just to have on hand to read aloud.
SOMETHING BIG HAS BEEN HERE
Prelutsky, Jack. 1990. SOMETHING BIG HAS BEEN HERE. illus. by James Stevenson.
New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN:0688064345.
This big book of quirky children's poems is fun and creative, containing a large amount of nonsense
verse that is fun to read aloud. There are no subtle messages or deeper underlying meanings to discuss or from
which to learn, but a lot of great rhymes and rhythms to entertain children and the young at heart. The simple silliness
of these poems are sure to bring a giggle as with the poem As Soon as Fred Gets Out of Bed (As soon as Fred gets out of bed,
his underwear goes on his head...). The nonsense poems such as Today I'm Going Yesterday and Try Never to Tickle the
Twickles will be read again and again as children explore the wordplay. Simple black and white cartoon drawings accent
the poems without overpowering the page, allowing children to expand on them in their imagination. This book offers
a fun introduction into poetry and can help children expand their reading for understanding with twists on phrases and
unexpected endings that require a little closer inspection.
