Archive for poetry Friday
May 12, 2007 at 3:11 pm
· Filed under Book Reviews, book reviews--preschool, poetry Friday, preschoolers, school age kids
Diamond Life by Charles R. Smith, Jr.
It’s baseball season, and this book of spirited poems captures the excitement of the sport and even gives young readers some advice for and insight into the game. Listen, Kid tells readers to “Keep your eye on the ball./Swing for the fences./No matter how many time you strike out, keep swingin’.” A poem called What’s My Name ends “it’s been a real pleasure/meeting you from the mound,/but now you have to go/’cause strike three means sit down”. The text itself gets into the game, often reflecting some aspect of baseball, with To The Moon echoing the shape of a ball, and There It Goes tracing the arc of a ball from pitchers hand to home run fence. The illustrations are colorful photographs of young baseball players, and perfectly reflect the energy of the text. Although there are some lengthy poems, they are easily skipped in favor of shorter poems containing lines like “The catcher smells so bad that he made me strike out” (Excuses, Excuses). Baseball lovers should definitely check this one out!
–Miss Tracey
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May 4, 2007 at 6:34 pm
· Filed under Book Reviews, book reviews--preschool, poetry Friday
Lily Brown’s Paintings by Angela Johnson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis
Not your more typical poetry with rhyming verse, this picture book is still very much filled with poetry, with lyrical free form verses describing how the everyday places that Lily’s paintings take her to, from the ocean to the big city to the park, become magical through art (“In Lily Brown’s paintings/the path to the park becomes/a wild-animal living room”). Lily’s joy as she paints becomes the reader’s joy, as “the sunlight turns to stars/and Lily begins flying”. Yet all of this whimsy is surrounded by a sturdy reality, especially by Lily’s love of her family, “her mama’s smile,/her daddy’s eyes,/and the way her baby brother/holds her hand before he goes to sleep”. The watercolor illustrations are dynamic and vibrant, and alternate between Lily’s lush real world and bright, child-like artwork meant to be Lily’s. This is a satisfying read for parent and child together, and hopefully will serve as poetic inspiration to you both to pick up a paintbrush or even visit a museum. Check this one out!
–Miss Tracey
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April 6, 2007 at 3:46 pm
· Filed under Book Reviews, book reviews--preschool, book reviews--toddlers, poetry Friday
Go! Poetry in Motion by Dee Lillegard
Pickup trucks, trains, school buses, airplanes, motorcyles and more whizz through this collection of very short poems, making this book perfect for the youngest reader, especially those fascinated by transportation. The simple, mostly four line poems evoke the familiar, from garbage trucks (“gobbling trash, anything tossable”) to merry-go-rounds (spins lions, zebras, many a horse), bringing poetry into the everyday experience of a young reader. The illustrations are similar to those of Richard Scarry, with many small and enthusiastic animals in action on each page. The muted colors don’t distract from the busy feel of animals and transportation in motion.
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March 30, 2007 at 2:24 pm
· Filed under Book Reviews, book reviews--preschool, book reviews--toddlers, poetry Friday
Animals, Animals by Eric Carle
This diverse collection of animal poems is brought to life by Eric Carle’s vivid torn paper collage illustrations. Seals, butterflies, purcupines, pelicans, yaks, birds, horses–you name it and the animal has probably found a place in this book. Distinguished poets like Lewis Carroll, Ogden Nash, Jack Prelutsky, and more are featured, along with Japanese haiku, Pawnee Indian proverbs, and biblical verses. This is a great book for adults and kids to share, and all readers will enjoy the plethora of animal poetry and fanciful illustrations in this volume.
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February 20, 2007 at 3:12 pm
· Filed under Book Reviews, book reviews--preschool, poetry Friday
Dear Bunny: A Bunny Love Story by Michaela Morgan
Valentino (Tino) and Valenteeny (Teeny) are two bunnies that, despite their names, need a little help reaching their “hoppily ever after”. Although they each think that the other is “lovely”, they are too shy to talk to each other. So, they decide to write letters, which they leave in a hollow log for the other to find. However, these letters are ill-fated–a family of mice shred the letters to use in their nest. When the bunnies begin to cry, the mice realize what they have done and decide to play cupid. They take the best parts of the letters and put them together into a masterpiece of sweet romance, which the bunnies read and realize that they were indeed meant for each other. Awww… The story makes for a wonderful read-aloud, with fun dialogue and vocabulary, and the illustrations are adorable. Be sure to check this one out!
–Miss Tracey
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February 9, 2007 at 9:05 pm
· Filed under book reviews--preschool, book reviews--toddlers, poetry Friday
It’s Friday!
Handsprings by Douglas Florian
These poems are all about spring, so what a perfect choice for these long winter months. And these poems are short and simple, with lots of rhymes, which makes them a perfect poetry readaloud for the younger set. The illustrations are small, and in subdued colors, but provide a nice, light touch of humor. All the tradional aspects of spring are covered here, from baseball, rainy days, spring cleaning, to playing in the mud, bugs, flowers, and more, and in ways that even younger readers will be able to relate to. So, if you and your child “love leaves, and flowers, and daydreaming for hours,” this is a great book for your poetry Friday.
–Miss Tracey
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January 26, 2007 at 5:42 pm
· Filed under book reviews--preschool, book reviews--toddlers, poetry Friday
What I Like! Poems for the Very Young
With short poems in simple language and on familiar topics (hamburgers and hot dogs, pets, counting, nature), this book begs to be read out loud. The reader and listener will quickly get into the rhythm of the poems, and will be drawn in even further by the brightly colored cartoon-style illustrations. This book succeeds in making poetry fun for even the youngest of readers.
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January 12, 2007 at 10:59 pm
· Filed under poetry Friday
For some poetry laughs, try Dinosaur Dinner (with a Slice of Alligator Pie) by Dennis Lee, selected by the children’s poetry master himself, Jack Prelutsky. Fun rhymes like “Mrs. Mitchell’s underwear is dancing on the line; Mrs. Mitchel’s underwear has never looked so fine” are guaranteed to get a laugh from both adult and child. The illustrations are simple and comical. Give it a try!
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November 18, 2006 at 4:30 pm
· Filed under poetry Friday
The Goodnight Train by June Sobel
Cheerful yet soothing rhymes take kids to dreamland, as they jump on the Goodnight Train. The Goodnight Train leaves at sunset and rolls through the darkness, the kids aboard the train tucked in with their jammies on and their teddies in arms. The train finally pulls into home, lulling kids with a “hush-a, hush-a, hush-a, hush-a-sleeeeeeeeep” and everyone aboard heads off to dreamland.
The illustrations are sweetly cartoony, and done in soft blues and muted colors to help convince kids that it’s time for sleeping. There is much to look at here, with funny signs and lots of animals getting ready for bed in unexpected ways.
A fun book for train lovers, and a great book for bedtime, as well.
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November 10, 2006 at 3:29 pm
· Filed under poetry Friday
Yummy! Eating Through the Day selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins
A delicious group of humerous poems about all kinds of food, this anthology will take kids from breakfast to bedtime snack, with all kinds of food in between. Distinguished poet Lee Bennett Hopkins has selected short poems ranging from “Ketchup” and “Jell-o Cups” to “Peas” and “Macaroni and Cheese”. While the actual words may be over the head of most young readers, the sound of the poems coming off the tongue will mesmerize them, and they will love the extremely bright illustrations, done in vivid, contrasting colors and showing food and kitchenware with faces. Kids and their adults should savor this delectable meal of a book together.
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