Showing posts with label Use in the classroom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Use in the classroom. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Picture Book - A Poem in Your Pocket by Margaret McNamara

Illustrated by G. Brian Karas
2015 Schwartz & Wade Books
HC $16.99
32 pgs.
Goodreads rating:  3.94 - 355 ratings
My rating:  5, It's a terrific book
Endpapers:  Deinm blue with denim pockets with slips of papers (with words) sticking out of each
  
1st line/s:  "Mr. Tiffin's class had never had an author visit them before."

My comments: This is a terrific book, telling both the story of a teacher and his class and the cool way he teaches them about poetry - including similes, metaphor, concrete poetry,  acrostic poetry, and haiku.  And, so importantly, that poetry doesn't have to rhyme!  There's a bit of a theme about not trying to be perfect, as one of the clever kids in the class never writes a poem because she doesn't think it's good enough.  (Funny that no one's ever written a book about kids writing really bad poems...)

Goodreads:  Usher in National Poetry Month with Mr. Tiffin and his students, stars of the hugely popular How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? and The Apple Orchard Riddle
          Once again, Margaret McNamara sets her playful, child-friendly story in the classroom, and this time, poetry—from metaphors to acrostics to haiku—is the name of the game. The focus here is on Elinor, whose confidence falters as she tries to write something "perfect" for Poem in Your Pocket Day and impress a visiting poet. G. Brian Karas's accessible, adorable illustrations add to the fun.
          Includes a list of Mr. Tiffin's tips for celebrating Poem in Your Pocket Day.
          "A nimble introduction to poetry as well as a sensitive look at the perils of perfectionism." —The New York Times
          "Pair this book with the works of Shel Silverstein, Paul B. Janeczko, Jack Prelutsky, Douglas Florian, or Robert Louis Stevenson." —School Library Journal, Starred

Friday, June 27, 2014

PICTURE BOOK - If.... - Sarah Perry

Illustrated by the author
1995, J. Paul Getty Museum
HC $16.95
44 pages
Goodreads rating: 4.34
My rating: 4.5
Endpapers: Bright yellow with a trail of ants
Title Page: Simply the words, black on white, with one ant

My comments: Twenty "if" statements accompanied by 20 imaginative paintings - I can think of a dozen ways to use this in a classroom! Check 'em out:


          If cats could fly...
          If mice were hair...
          If worms had wheels...
          If frogs ate rainbows
          If dogs were mountains...
          If zebras had stars and stripes...
          If music could be held...
          If ugly were beautiful...
          If toes were teeth...
          If caterpillars were toothpaste...
          If whales lived in outer space...
          If leaves were fish...
          If clouds were spirits...
          If butterflies were clothes...
          If lightning made rhinos...
          If ants could count...
          If the moon were square...
          If kids had tails...
          If spiders could read braille...
          If hummingbirds told secrets...
          
Goodreads:  A diving board to creative wordplay, the fascinating picture book If...offers a surrealistic view of the natural world. The two-page spreads present artful watercolors paired with such strange possibilities as "If zebras had stars and stripes...," "If the moon were square...," and "If worms had wheels...." Although some of the ideas and pictures are whimsical to the point of being downright creepy ("If caterpillars were toothpaste, if spiders could read braille..."If toes were teeth..."), the hypotheticals will surely inspire flights of fancy for readers of all ages. What could be more appealing for a 5-year-old than imagining the silliest suppositions and seeing them come to life in realistic paintings?       
          Sculptor Sarah Perry creates a world to make us stop and think. One of her best illustrations depicts a large, hairy warthog with a sparkling crown and the text, "If ugly were beautiful...." With every if idea, the author encourages the kind of mental double take that comes naturally for children. (Ages 4 to 7, and adults, too) --Emilie Coulter