zoo’s who

Bibliography

Florian, Douglas. 2005. zoo’s who. New York: Harcourt. ISBN 0152046399.

Review

Florian’s witty wordplays and simple rhymes combined with his artistic illustrations will make this a favorite among elementary students. Though some of the poems are informative, most are just fun and showcase the attributes of each animal with which children will be most familiar. Florian has also used poetic license with some poems such as “The Slugs” where he spaces each word out dramatically to emphasize the slow pace of a slug. These poems create visual effects much like concrete poetry which will appeal to children. Even though the poems are short and easy to understand there are also many vocabulary building words such as wallow, muck, and gravity that make these poems entertaining as well as educational. Florian has included a table of contents, so readers can quickly turn to a poem about their favorite animal.

Florian’s mixed-media illustrations will draw as much attention as the poems. Each animal is created in a collage using a variety of mediums including tin foil, candy wrappers, and watercolor. The name of each animal is stamped across the page using rubber stamps. Though some of the wordplay may be tricky for younger readers, children of all ages will enjoy this witty and artistic book.

Classroom/Library Connection

Recommended audience: upper elementary students (grades 3-5)

A brave and creative teacher could share these poems as an introduction to an art lesson using collage. The poems also lend themselves to be used in English lessons. The poem “Eagle” would be a great way to encourage students to be more descriptive.

Before Reading: Create a word wall in the library using butcher paper. Label it “adjectives”.

During Reading:  First, read the poem aloud to students.

The Eagle

I’m not a seagull.

I’m royal.

I’m regal.

All birds are not

Created eagle.

Read the poem a second time. This time ask students to try to identify adjectives they see in the poem.

After Reading: Allow students to tell you the adjectives royal and regal. Discuss what these two adjectives and then place them on the word wall. Allow students to talk to their neighbors about their favorite animals and brainstorm adjectives that would describe that animal. Give them notecards to write down their adjectives to add to the word wall.

Yum! MmMm! Que rico!

Bibliography

Mora, Pat. 2007. Yum! MmMm! Que rico! Ill. by Rafael Lopez. New York: Lee and Low Books. ISBN 978-1584302711.

Review

Pat Mora has created a delicious serving of haiku poetry where every page is a fiesta celebrating the foods indigenous to the Americas. In addition to the haiku, each page includes brief informational text about the celebrated food. The facts tell where the food is grown and how it is prepared to eat. The multi-cultural theme is conveyed through Spanish words used to describe the foods and brightly-colored acrylic illustrations by Pura Belpre Illustrator Award winner, Rafael Lopez. Students will enjoy this popular topic, and the imagery created will have their mouths watering as they read lines such as “brown magic melts on your tongue” from the poem “Chocolate”. Teachers will enjoy exposing students to one of the less popular forms of poetry through this highly engaging, tasty collection.

Classroom/Library Connection

Recommended audience: elementary students

Each poem in this book begs to be shared with students while sampling the delicious treats! Use “Papaya” to introduce students to a fruit they may not have ever been exposed to.

Before reading:  Read the informational facts about papayas, and pass around an unopened fruit for the students to feel the outside skin.

During reading: As you read the poem aloud, allow students to taste the papaya.

Papaya

Chewing your perfume,

we taste your leafy jungle

Yum! Juicy tropics.

After reading: Have students brainstorm some of their favorite foods. Work together as a class to write a delicious haiku!

Monumental Verses

Bibliography

Lewis, J. Patrick. 2005. Monumental Verses. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. ISBN 978-0792271352.

Review

Monumental Verses is a creative and informative collection of poems by the 2011 Winner of the NCTE Excellence in Children’s Poetry Award, J. Patrick Lewis. The book celebrates famous monuments constructed throughout history. Some of the monuments include Stonehenge, the Statue of Liberty, and the Great Wall of China. Each monument is paired with an appropriate poetic form whether it is free verse, acrostic, or concrete poetry such as the “Great Pyramid of Cheops” written to form a pyramid shaped poem. Many of the poems follow an aba or abab rhyme scheme which will appeal to students. Dramatic photographs span the two page layout of each poem and create an authenticity that students will appreciate.

The brief facts presented in an introduction as well as in the poem themselves will encourage further research on the structures and appeal to teacher and students alike. The descriptive language highlights the beauty and wonderment of these manmade designs and encourages readers to appreciate the architetural art created by each monument. Lewis concludes the book with an epilogue to encourage readers to write their own poetry about a favorite monument as well as some more quick facts about the monuments represented.

Classroom/Library Connection

Recommended audience: elementary aged students

“Golden Gate Bridge” is an acrostic poem focusing on the color chosen for the bridge. Acrostic poetry is a non-intimidating way to introduce students to writing poetry.

Before reading: Type the poem to display on an interactive whiteboard or write it on chart paper, so students can see the words “international orange” spelled out.

During reading: Read the poem aloud to students.

Golden Gate Bridge

J. Patrick Lewis

If I had to choose a

Nifty color

To cover a whole bridge with,

Especially one that

Reminded me of a sunset

Neighborhood in a sunshine country

And made people think, Oh

That’s span-tastic, just right,

I wouldn’t choose black and white

Or yellow stripes—

Not polka dots either!—

Although such colors do look

Lovely on zebras, tigers, and Dalmatians.

Once I had stirred ten truckloads of

Red raspberries, I’d

Add a couple of tons of squeezed California

Nectarines, and hefty barrels of golden

Grape juice in the sweetest coat that

Ever bedazzled a bridge over a bay.  

After reading: Have students choose a crayon out of a large box of crayons and try to think of something that color that could be the subject of an acrostic poem. They can write their poems on chart paper to display throughout the library.