Guyku*
By Bob Raczka and Peter Reynolds
ISBN: 978-0547240039
Even the title is appealing and clever! These haiku poems are constructed with great voice. This short book is divided into the four seasons, and the authors do a great job of describing the interaction of a young boy with the characteristics of the seasons. Although written for younger readers, anyone can identify with topics such as trying to calculate how much snow equals a snow day from school and the deflating feeling when one realizes that summer concluded ("who shut off all the crickets?") . Prediction...Girlku has to be forthcoming!
Stella, Unleased*
by Linda Ashman
Illustrated by Paul Meisel
ISBN:1402739877
Charming! This 29 poem collection unfolds into the life of Stella, a mutt from the pound, and her adoptive family. Told from Stella's point of view, you can't help but gain more adoration for your pet. You follow Stella's story from her choice of which family to adopt (Meet my Family) to discovering puppy love (Someone for Each of Us) to the humility of buying silly puppy outfits (Bow Wow Boutique).
More to expore... just for you!
I admit it, I do love the sing-songiness (yeah that's a word...in the dictionary of Sorlie) of poetry. The rhythm of poetry adds an extra dimension to the mood of the piece. Language is rich and expressive, and I love metaphors and similes.
I also love the challenge of creating poetry. Working with formatted poetry forms such as haiku really puts my brain in gear. I have to have a thesaurus handy!
The most impacting reason why I enjoy poetry is that I associate it with music in my mind. I see it as a vehicle to express feeling during formal times and light-hearted ones too. Just think about funerals... and then think about that 40th Birthday card you've purchased. Poetry is the stitching in our fabric of our lives.
The Monsterologist: A Memoir in Rhyme*
by Bobbi Katz
Illustrated by Adam McCauley
ISBN: 9781402744174
This engaging book is a compilation of quirky and entertaining poems about a myriad of monsters. Some of the monsters are classic, like Dracula, Loch Ness, and Frankenstein, and others are original...like the Sockeater (lives in the washing machine) and the Verbivore that "starts a story and eats the action." The text structure of the book is designed like a scrapbook, which adds to the feel of being a personal memoir. This book is marketed for younger students, but there are tidbits of gore that you should be aware of..."Take a half of Dozen Dozing Danes, split their skulls, pull out their brains, tear off their arms, tear off their legs..." The editor chose to include it in the middle elementary level due to the mild graphic language.
Mirror Mirror*
by Marilyn Singer
Illustrated by Josée Masse
ISBN: 978-0-525-47901-7
You can't help but fall in love with this concept in verse! The author contrasts two characters of a well-known fairy tale, and she tells their stories by first sharing the traditional tale, and then she inverts the words in an reverse order to share the point-of-view of the other character of the story!
So when Red Riding Hood is searching for berries - it reads "picking berries to eat, juicy and sweet, what a treat, but a girl, mustn't dawdle, after all - Grandma's waiting. Now.. the wolf's perspective:
"After all, Grandma's waiting, mustn't dawdle ... But a girl! What a treat, juicy and sweet, picking berries to eat..." Clever!
The Tighty Whitey Spider and More Wacky Animal Poems I Totally Made Up*
by Ken Nesbitt
ISBN: 978-1402238338
This book is sure to engage young boys and girls with its quirky light-hearted word play. Enough raunchy humor to engage little boys (a wedgie and the reason why rocks make better pets than dogs...they don't pee on the carpet!), this poetry book could engage the most reluctant and developing readers. In addition, some poems can be sung to traditional tunes. For instance, The Tighty Whitey Spider can be read to the tune of The Itsy Bitsy Spider. Although written for intermediate elementary aged students, middle school aged students get a bang out of it, too!
Think Again*
by JonArno Lawson
Illustrated by Julie Morstad
ISBN: 978-1-55453-423-4
This book of poem addresses the messiest things about being an adolescent but in a light-hearted tone. Enjoy reading and rereading the sixty-four brief poems that can speak to either gender during the tumultuous teenage years. My favorite? Sit Still, because I am the unexploded bomb.
Hip Hop Speaks to Children
edited by Nikki Giovanni
Illustrated by Kristen Balouch, Michele Noiset, Jeremy Tugeau, Alicia Vergel DeBois, and Damian Ward
ISBN: 978-1402210488
This 80 page book/CD combination highlights the work of famous artists spanning decades of time. Enjoy the beat from classic writers such as Langston Hughes and W.E.B. DuBois as well as contemporary artists such as Kanye West and Queen Latifa.
More Than Friends: Poems from Him and Her
by Sara E Holbrook and Allan Wolf
ISBN: 978-1590785874
Written in alternating girl/boy narration, this book explores the evolving relationship between childhood friends that eventually turns into a teenage romance. While enjoying the bliss from new exciting love, the two struggle with the stress of their parent's and friend's meddling. Enjoy the highest highs and the lowest lows of one's first love experience.
Take a look at a book trailer for HIP HOP DOG, a poetry book from author Chris Raschka and illustrator by Vladimir Radunsky!