Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts

Thursday, March 15, 2012

* School Supplies     Lee Bennett Hopkins    1996


   These are fun and great poems for children learning what school supplies are and how to respect them.  This is perfect for very young children, like pre-k through 2nd grade, because it introduces the different supplies and what they do.  There are fun children friendly illustrations that give personification to the school supplies and make them come alive.
* Alphabetthoughts    Lee Bennett Hopkins   2003

This is a fantastic compliation of poems for young school aged children.  It is perfect for introducing the alphabet , alliteration, rhyming and introduction of new words.  The illustrations are beautiful and very child orientated, they are light and airy and fun.  This is great for pre k, k up to 2nd grade.  It uses different than ordinary words for the letters in the alphabet, like orthodontist for o and elevator for e, words that begins with letters but are not common examples of the words. 
* How Now, Brown Cow?   Alice Schertle  1994


This picture poem book is perfect for young elementary aged children.  It has repetition of words, alliteration, rhyme scheme and are fun poems told in the point of view of a farmer, and his cows.  It is hilarious, entertaining, and children would love this!  It also hints on the old saying that brown cows make chocolate milk and it is so clever and funny.  The illustrations are water color art and are absolutely gorgeous.  This is a must for all teachers introducing alliteration, poetry, and rhyming. 
* Earth Shake  Poems from the ground up      Lisa Westberg Peters   2003


These are fantastic poems about traveling and the wonderful world we live in.   These poems talk about the earth, what comes from it, what created it, the elements and everything in between.  Plus the illustrations on each page are incredible and so descriptive.   These are fabulous for young elementary aged children, 1st through 5th.  These poems can be incorporated into any lesson plan because they are so versatile.  Science, social studies, literature, art, anything is possible with these poems, they will make learning about the earth and elements fun and engaging. 
* Wonderful Words    Lee Bennett Hopkins   1996


    These are such uplifting and spectacular poems.  These are a compliation of some of the most celebrated poets such as Emily Dickinson, in a picture book with fantastic illustations.  These are great for upper elementary aged students for the content and underline meanings.  These poems have fantastic language and descriptions.  The poems are meant to open your mind, and to engage the reader. 
* City I love   Lee Bennett Hopkins    2009

      This is a compliation of poems about different cities and cultures from all around the world.  This is great for older students who understand culture and enjoy learning about diversity.  These poems would be great in social studies lessons to incorporate the different places around the world.  The amazing illustartions also help to set the atmosphere of the poems, and helps to show what other cultures look like and the places that they are discussing.  Upper elementary students will love these poems. 
* Halloween Hoots and Howls             Joan Horton     1999


    This is by far my favorite poetry book of all time. I absolutely love Halloween and everything that associates with it!  This is a great poetry book for older children for the simple fact that some of the descriptions could scare younger children.  The words indicate the spooky, creepy things that are normally associated with Halloween.  These poems depict the exact things that Halloween represents and the clever, creepy illustrations add to the atmosphere of Halloween.   Great read for Halloween and Autumn time. 
* A pocketful of poems       Nikki Grimes   2001



This is an amazing picture poetry book.  It is best suited for elementary school children, any grade would be entertained by these poems.   The clever illustrations add to the poetry, and are created with different types of media.  The book begins with Tiana, the young girl who is illustrating and creating the poems in the picture book.  The poems are all about everyday life, the seasons, and what they represent and the things that represent them.  It is cheery and children will love the story line.  The words are so descriptive and paint pictures that everyone can relate to. 
A Bad Case of The Giggles       Bruce Lansky   1994


This book of poems is absolutely wonderful!  These poems are clever, funny and highly entertaining.  These are suited for any age group, but young elementary school children will especially love these poems.  They are about growing up, trying to fit in, and family.  These are absolutely hilarious and the clever illustrutations add so much to the poetry.  This was pure entertainment and really did not have any deeper meanings, were simple and child friendly.   Great for any time and will make you giggle really bad!  Hence the name of the poetry book!
* A Jar of Tiny Stars   Poems by NCTE Award-Winning Poets              Bernice E. Cullinan   1996


   This book of poetry is written by award winning poets, and that should be enough to encourage anyone to read these.  They are fantastic poems about everything!!  My favorite two poems are by Eve Marriam, and they are clever, hilarious and simply enjoyable to read.  These are great for any age, they deal with so many different aspects of life. Children will love the easy and fun words, and will easily understand the poems.  Adults will find humor and cleverness in the poems meanings.  These are centered around children, so elementary aged school children will love these poems.  2nd grade all the way through 5th grade will love these, and then middle school aged children will also love them for their meanings and witt.
* Candy Corn      James Stevenson   1999
  

These are great poems about everyday life.  These poems are easy to read and understand.  They are fun, and use everyday life.  These poems include poems about spring, abandoned buildings {like so many of us see daily in our communities} and soft words that are whimsy and very descriptive.  My favorite poem in this book is about hats and finding the right one to fit your own head.  I recommend these poems to anyone who enjoys soft, whimsical words.  These poems are great for any age, and they are descriptive enough for anyone to understand.  There may be hidden meanings and messages inside the poems, but even young children would enjoy these poems without any of the possible meanings.  I suggest middle school aged children just for the purpose of interpreting the poems in a more meaningful, deeper way. 
Bone Poems  by Jeff Moss     1997

This is a great book of poems that deal with dinosaurs and anthropology.  It is highly entertaining and children who enjoy dinosaurs and dinosaur names will think this book of poetry is great.  It has fun and creative illustrations to go with the poems, along with fun rhymes and goofy names.  This would be great for any age children, as long as it was being read to them because some of the words are extremely long and difficult, if not reading orally then based on language and jargon the poems are for older children, or young adults simply because of the long difficult words. The illustrations are great for any age, and they add to the fun aspect of these poems.  It would be great to use in science when discussing dinosaurs or even in history when discussing prehistoric times. 
* Cool Salsa    Lori M. Carlson  1994


Cool Salsa is a compilation of great Spanish and English integrated poems.  Each poem discusses the author's life and ties of growing up Latino in an American city.  Each poem represents something that has happened in her life and how it has impacted her Latin heritage.  This compilation of poems is geared toward older students, middle school and above because of the language and the content.  I thoroughly enjoyed these poems because of my Spanish Language knowledge and general love of the heritage and language.  The poems are available in both the Spanish and English language.  It was a great read, but it was under the adult poetry in the library, although on the companion website for 3200 it is listed as juvenile poetry, so that it an indicater it is a bit mature for some students.