A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk

A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk
By: Deborah Ruddell
Illustrated by: Joan Rankin
Genre: Poetry
Ages: 4-8

A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk is a collection of poems all about the forest. The authors use humor in their poetry to grab students attention. Not only are the poems humorous, but they are also full of facts about the forest animals. Students will love the humor as well as the colorful and fun images!


Theme:
The forest is full of animals. Each animal plays a different role in the life of the forest. Poetry can be very informational.


About the author:
Deborah Ruddell write poetry for children. She gets her inspiration from nature and the world around her. She has a twin sister that also writes children's poetry. Her name is Robin Leubs.


Pre reading activity:
Brainstorm animals that live in the forest. What do they look like? What role do they play in the forest?


Post reading activity:
Students create their own forest animals. Students write a description of their animal as well as create a visual of what their animal looks like.


Source used:
http://www.deborahruddell.com/

Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems



Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems
By: Joyce Sidman
Illustrated by: Beckie Prange
Genre: Poetry
Ages: 9-12

Songs of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems is a collection of poems that looks at animals, insects, and plants found in ponds. Each poem also gives alot of information about these living organisms. The author uses poetry to go through the different seasons of the pond as if you were the animals and plants themselves. Children will love the poetry aspect as well as learning all about the creatures of the pond!

Theme:
Poetry can be very informational. Poetry is not just about rhyming. We can teach and learn information by putting it in the form of a poem.

About the author:
Joyce Sidman has written over 100 books. Joyce Sidman has been writing since she was a little girl. She used to keep journals full of all her writings. She is known for writing about nature. She gets her ideas by taking long walks alone in the woods and by ponds. She likes to see the seasons change and she gets her ideas from her sights. She likes writing poetry because she feels it is a very powerful way to express your thoughts. She has received many awards, including a Caldecott Honor for Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems.

Pre reading activity:
Discuss how life is different for animals underwater. What do they eat? How do they
breathe? Have children draw a picture that shows what animals would need to live
under water.

Post reading activity:
Students write their own poems about an animal or plant mentioned in the book. Students use the information learned to help create their poem.

Source used:
http://www.joycesidman.com/

Fold Me A Poem

Fold Me A Poem
By: Kristine O'Connell George
Illustrated by: Lauren Stringer
Genre: Poetry
Ages: 4-8

Fold Me A Poem is about a boy who spends his whole day folding origami poems. The story is in the form of 32 short poems. For each poem there is an origami figure to go along. Children will love to see the origami figures as well as learn more about the Japanese culture.


Theme:
Origami is another way for the Japanese to express themselves. Haiku poetry originated in Japan. This poetry follows the 5-7-5 format.


About the author:
Kristine O'Connell George is famous for her children's poetry. She fell in love with poetry while taking a poetry class at UCLA taught by Myra Cohn Livingston . She studied with her until she died in 1996. Kristine now teaches poetry at UCLA as well as writes children's poetry.

Pre-reading activities:
Show students examples of origami. Discuss the background of origami in Japan. Students make their own origami to hold during the read aloud.


Post-reading activities:
Students write their own haiku poetry and share with the class during the "poetry reading."

Source used:
http://www.kristinegeorge.com/poetry_aloud.html

There's No Place Like School



There's No Place Like School
Poems selected by: Jack Prelutsky
Illustrated by: Jane Manning
Genre: Poetry
Ages: 5-8

There's No Place Like School  is a collection of poems all about life at school. The book is a collection of 18 poems written by 13 different writers. The themes of the poems range from cursive to the display of cafeteria food to the struggles kids face with the drinking fountain. Students will love the fun and light hearted themes these poems are about. The illustrations are fun and vibrant as well!

Theme:
School brings about many challenges and adventures. Everyone goes through the same obstacles at school.

About the author:
Jack Prelutsky has been writing poetry for children for many years. He is known for writing poetry that makes people laugh. He can relate to may children because when he was younger he hated poetry but once he gave it a chance he realized how fun it could be!

Pre reading activity:
Brainstorm with students themes they could write poetry about that have to do with school. Discuss with students what they would write about and how other people could relate to it.

Post reading activity:
Students write their own poem about a school related theme. Students draw a colorful illustration to go along and share their poetry with the class.

Source used:
http://www.jackprelutsky.com/

All the World

All the World
By: Liz Garton Scanton
Illustrated by: Marla Frazee
Genre: Poetry
Ages: 5-7

This poetry book uses poetry to tell a story. The story begins with two children digging on the beach. It then turns into a much larger world with different families and places. As the story goes on, the lives of all the people interchange with each other. In the end, the little girl realizes that "everything is you and us...all the world is all of us." This book is a great way to show students that poetry can not only tell stories but also teach us lessons.


Theme:
Our world is much bigger than our little world we live in. Even though it may seem like we live far away from people in different countries, we come into contact with different cultures daily. Our world is interconnected.


About the author:
Liz Garton Scanton loves to write children's books because she believes children bring out the best of her. Her own daughters also inspire her work. This book also received the 2010 Caldecott Honor.


Pre-reading activity:
Students take a picture walk and discuss with a partner what they think the book will be about based on the pictures.


Post-reading activity:
Students draw their own illustrations portraying an image of the world as "one." Images will be hung for all to see.

Source used:
http://www.lizgartonscanlon.com/about_me.html