Pizza, Pigs, & Poetry by Jack Prelutsky

Prelutsky, Jack. Pizza, Pigs, & Poetry: How to Write a Poem. New York: Greenwillow, 2008.

In this charmingly hilarious book, the Children's Poet Laureate Jack Prelutsky, reminisces and shares both writing tips and examples of his poems with young poets. Always carry a notebook and few pens (just in case you kill one), make lists, write about what you know, and embrace rewriting as a fact. While Prelutsky is adamant that this is not a book about poetic form, he does share a few terms with readers including scansion, poetic license, and voice. Though he himself enjoys a good rhyme, Prelutsky does not think they are always necessary. Write a haiku instead.

What I thought: If you can't tell from my effusive summary of the book, I really liked this book. It's definitely a great resource to use with kids. With National Poetry Month coming up in April, I'm glad I read this book. It makes me want to write. If nothing else, I need to find the prefect notebook to carry with me. Off to the stationery store!