Author: Bob Raczka
Illustrator: Nancy Doniger
Peach’s Picks Rating:
Year of publication: 2011
City of publication: New York
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
ISBN: 978-1-59643-541-4
Author website: http://www.bobraczka.com/
Illustrator website: http://www.donigerillustration.com/
Media used for illustrations: Ink and brush with watercolor
Annotation: A playful assortment of poems created using one word. The poems relate to children’s everyday experiences. The cleverly designed poems are puzzles as well as a unique poetry form.
Personal reaction to the book: This slim collection of poems, each created using one word, is lots of fun to read. Initially, the reader might be puzzled by the style. Read the first poem and then turn the page where the poem is more directly presented. Now the reader will comprehend the clever wordplay and device. The poem is printed twice to help the reader understand this style. First, the poem is printed in a clever manner written using an old fashioned typewriter-like font. The title is at the top with the words falling down the page. The letters from a single word are arranged into an anagram-like poem, reflecting the title. The poems reminded me of the wordplay used by puzzle master, Will Shortz, on his NPR program. One of my favorites is found on page 9, “vacation”. I smiled in recognition of a family traveling in a minivan. The author provides an introduction explaining that his inspiration came from the work of Andrew Russ. The book’s design is very appealing. It has a bright red jacket with a drawing of a pitcher filled with lemonade. Sparse, child-like drawings using bold lines in red, black, and gray are shown against a white background. They are playful and do not distract from the poetry, but rather give clues to decoding the text. The book has a table of contents and is paginated for easy reference. This volume is best enjoyed with a small group where everyone will be able to see the illustrations and decode the poems. After reading this book children may be inspired to create their own poems using one word.
General curricular connections:
- Poetry
- Creative writing
- Reading for pleasure
- Study of poets
- May be used in conjunction with Technically, It’s Not My Fault: Concrete Poems by John Grandits; Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems by John Gradits; Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys by Bob Raczka
Recommended grade levels:
School Library Journal recommends this book for use with grades 3-8
Booklist recommends this book for use with grades 2-5
Peach’s Pick’s recommends this book for grades 4-8
Awards/Recognitions:
Horn Book starred review
Booklist starred review
Note: This book applies to the assignment criteria - books published in 2010-2011
Repetition: The white squiggle arrow found on each red page inviting the reader to turn the page and reread the poem
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