A Brief Hiatus...

You may have noticed I haven't posted a review in the past week. I'm taking a brief break from book blogging to catch up on my reading and work on my program plans for summer reading. But I'll be back in a few weeks with reviews and some #FlannelFriday posts.

Until then, happy reading to all my readers!

I've Lost My Hippopotamus by Jack Prelutsky

Animals abound in this new collection from the 1st Children's Poet Laureate. Some are real. You might even have seen them in a zoo. Others live in the poet's imagination like the crabacus and the boomerangutan.

What I thought: I'm never disappointed in Prelutsky's poetry. It's funny. At times, it's downright absurd. That's why it works...it's fun! Kids (and adults) don't want to read dull poetry. The illustrations are great. Black line drawings can pack quite a punch. The made-up animals reminded me of Prelutsky's other collection Scranimals. My favorite poems are "Shopping at the Dragon Store," "I Planted a Whistle," "The Hopalotamus," "I Laugh at My Hyena," "The Elegant Bowtiger," and "It's Noisy in My Garden."

(Illus. Jackie Urbanovic. Greenwillow, 2012)

Step Gently Out by Helen Frost

Photographs by Rick Lieder.

Frost's lyrical poem celebrates nature--what you'll see if you just "step gently out." Lieder's photographs complement it perfectly.

What I thought: Oh, how I wish I had had this book for my Bugs Family Story Time in March. It's lovely. The line breaks/page breaks are perfectly situated for reflecting and pondering before you turn the page. Lieder's photos are extraordinary. My favorites are the cricket, the moth, and the firefly. Step Gently Out is an unexpected gem!

(Candlewick, 2012)

In the Sea by David Elliott

In his latest poetry collection, David Elliott leaves the wild and farms behind and dives into the deep. His poetry and Holly Meade's woodblock print illustrations celebrate life beneath the waves.

What I thought: Another hit from Elliott and Meade! I've grown so fond of their poetry collections, I ordered a copy of In the Sea for all my library branches. This is poetry for young children at its best. My favorite poems are "The Sea Horse," "The Starfish," and "The Puffer Fish." Holly's woodblock prints are great. I love the bold black lines and the colors are perfect. My favorite illustrations are the starfish, coral, anemone, and clown fish. I can't wait to use In the Sea during story time.

My reviews of Elliott and Meade's Other Collections:
On the Farm
In the Wild

(Illus. Holly Meade. Candlewick, 2012)

UnBEElievables: Honeybee Poems & Paintings by Douglas Florian

Florian goes bee crazy in his new collection. In 14 poems, he explores every aspect of the honeybee's life. Extra facts make the poems even better because the reader discovers that the poems are based on fact.

What I thought: I'm a serious Florian fan! What I like most about this collection is the factoids. I recently used his Insectlopedia in a family story time and the kids wanted to know more about the insects the poems were about. The format he uses in UnBEElievables is perfect. Florian's collections would pair well with Joyce Sidman's nature poetry collections. As usual, I love the illustrations. They have definite kid appeal. I especially like the colors on the poem pages--very eye catching. My favorite poems are "Summer Hummer," "Waggle Dance," and "Bees Buzz."

(Beach Lane Books, 2012)

Poetry Month Programs

I know this is a little late, but I wanted to share all the fun programs I've done this month at my libraries that celebrate National Poetry Month.

It's Raining Cats & Dogs Story Time
This program is for preschoolers and early elementary school age children. Everything I read was poetry about cats and dogs.

Teen Book Spine Poetry Program
I don't think I need to introduce this idea, but I had great fun with it. I also did a tween program, Edible Crafts & Book Spine Poetry, this month.

Poetry Outreach Story Time
Every month, I visit a local elementary school where I read to students in Pre-K, kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades. I have one agenda for Pre-K and Kindergarten and another for 1st and 2nd graders. I shared animal poems with Pre-K and Kindergarten. I shared riddle poems with the 1st and 2nd graders.

Poetry Introduction
Each month, 1st-3rd graders from a small private school visit the library for "library lessons" as their school doesn't have library. We talked about poetry, they played poetry tag (thanks, Sylvia Vardell!), and learned how to write an acrostic poem using their names.

I hope everyone enjoys my ideas. Only 5 more days left in 2012's National Poetry Month!

Lemonade & Other Poems Squeezed from One Word by Bob Raczka

Summary from Dust Jacket: Part anagram, part rebus, part riddle--these poems capture a scene from a child's daily life and present a puzzle to solve. Sometimes sweet and sometimes funny, but always clever, these poems are fun to read and even more fun for kids to write. Bob Raczka is a fresh, new voice in children's poetry who knows that fun and games can turn a poetry lesson into lemonade!

What I thought: This is such a great idea for a poetic form. I remember getting worksheets in elementary school where we had to make words out of the letters in a phrase like "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Valentine's Day." The only catch was we couldn't use the letter more times than they appeared in the phrase. Raczka allows the double and even triple use of letters. I'm itching to try this new form myself. I think the hardest part is choosing a word. My favorite poems are "Moonlight," "Constellation," "Halloween," and "Spaghetti." I notice that most of the words Raczka uses have more than one syllable. Perhaps that's where I should start.


(Illus. Nancy Doniger. Roaring Brook Press, 2011)