Author: Edited by Paul B. Janeczko
Illustrator: Chris Raschka
Peach’s Picks Rating:
Year of publication: 2005
City of publication: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Publisher: Candlewick Press
ISBN: 0-7636-0662-6
Author website: http://www.paulbjaneczko.com/
Illustrator website: No illustrator website. Information may be obtained from http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=2847 and http://nccil.org/experience/artists/raschkac/
Media used for illustrations: Watercolor, ink, and torn paper
Annotation: An illustrated compilation of twenty-nine poems; each poem represents a different poetic style by a different poet. Brief definitions are given for the styles of poetry included in the book.
Personal reaction to the book: This compilation of twenty-nine different poetic styles by various poets creates an engaging picturebook. It is excellent for use with students new to poetry, educators, and all those who enjoy poetry. The poems vary in length, but all are relatively short. One of the shortest is a couplet found on page one. It contains two lines and nine words. One of the longest is an ode found on pages 34-35. The book does not need to be read from beginning to end. Just dip in any place and enjoy a poem. A broad range of styles is covered: a limerick (page 20); a riddle (page 33); sonnets (pages 28 and 29); a somber poem of address (page 52-53); a spiritual aubade (pages 52-53), and more. At the bottom of the page where the poem is printed there is a brief explanation of the technique used. The style of poetry is named on the upper outside corner of the page where the poem is presented. Pictures accompany the style name offering visual clues. These clues help the reader understand the poetic form. One of my favorite poems is the riddle found on page 33. The reader is advised to look closely at the illustrations where they will find the answer to riddle. The poems are well chosen to keep a reader’s attention and lure them into ever increasing difficulties of technique. The illustrations delightfully complement the poetry. For example; a thoughtful Edgar Allan Poe is shown with a fork in his hand getting ready to chew some roe when writing gruesome poetry (page 19). Overall, the book is designed very well. The pages are not cluttered. The poems and illustrations are attractively placed against white backgrounds. There is an author’s introduction, table of contents, pagination, and back matter including “Notes on the Forms” and acknowledgements. However, two indices would be helpful; one listing the authors alphabetically by last name, the other listing the poems alphabetically by first line. Use in conjunction with A Poke in the I, also edited by Paul B. Janeczko.
General curricular connections:
- Poetry
- Creative writing
- National Poetry Month
Specific example of curricular connection matched to Standards:
Subject: Language Arts
Grade level: 5-6
Subject: Language Arts
Grade level: 5-6
Standards:
California State Standard:
Reading Standards for Literature K-5
10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 4–5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Common Core Standard:
Common core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, Appendix A: Research Supporting Key Elements of the Standards, Glossary of Key Terms
Narrative Writing
“Narrative writing conveys experience, either real or imaginary, and uses time as its deep structure. It can be used for many purposes, such as to inform, instruct, persuade, or entertain. In English language arts, students produce narratives that take the form of creative fictional stories, memoirs, anecdotes, and autobiographies. Over time, they learn to provide visual details of scenes, objects, or people; to depict specific actions (for example, movements, gestures, postures, and expressions); to use dialogue and interior monologue that that provide insight into the narrator’s and characters’ personalities and motives; and to manipulate pace to highlight the significance of events and create tension and suspense . . . (page 23).”
“The narrative category does not include all of the possible forms of creative writing, such as many types of poetry. The Standards leave the inclusion and evaluation of other such forms to teacher discretion (page 23).”
Recommended grade levels:
School Library Journal recommends this book for use with grades 3-9
Booklist recommends this book for use with grades 4-6
Peach’s Picks recommends this book for use with grades 3 and up
Awards/Recognitions:
Booklist starred review
Horn Book starred review
School Library Journal starred review
ALA Notable Children’s Books, Middle Readers, 2006
Rhyme: Page 10-11; A rhyming couplet
Rhyme: Page 12; A rhyming tercet
Rhyme: Pages 26-27; A triolet with the rhyme scheme abaaabab
Rhythm: Page 20; the rhythm of the limerick by Edward Lear
Simile: Page 35; “He wants to dirty like his shoes”
Repetition: Page 30-32; “villain in your villanelle”
Alliteration: Page 44; “Neatly stacked in separate piles, we wait for the shape of a stencil – the press of a pencil the snip, snip, snip, of silver scissors. We wait to become lacy snowflakes, fat santas, pointy Christmas trees”
Sophisticated language: Page 28; “Sonnet Number Twelve” by William Shakespeare
Book cover picture retrieved from http://www.paulbjaneczko.com/books/kick.htm
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