Poems are more friendly to read than the densely filled pages of chapter books--less intimidating visually, and once you've read a poem, you have clearly accomplished something. Florian's poems in particular, I think, are great for the reluctant reader. They are funny. They are informative. They have a fairly straightforward vocabulary. And I like his whimsically varied illustrations.
Here are a few poems that struck my fancy:
The Cheetah (from bow wow meow meow it's rhyming cats and dogs, 2003, Harcourt)
The cheetah is fleet.
The cheetah is fast.
Its four furry feet
Have already passed.
The Dachshund (also from bow wow meow meow)
Short up front
And short behind
But so long in-between.
The fleas all ride
Upon my side
In my s t r e t c h limousine.
The Diamondback Rattlesnake (from lizards, frogs, and polliwogs, 2001, Harcourt)
Fork in front,
Rattle behind.
The lump in the middle?
Don't pay any mind.
Scales up high,
Scales down low.
The lump in the middle?
You don't want to know.
Diamonds above,
Diamonds below.
The lump in the middle?
A rabbit too slow.
All three of these are pretty easy, quick, and funny to read--great confidence boosters.
My son also decided to bring home from the library Shel Silverstein's Falling Up --apparently the boy who is the Alpha Reader in my son's class has been reading it (having finished Eragon Harry Potter Cornelia Funke etc). Silverstein's poems, thought, aren't as uniformly easy readerish as Florian's; likewise Jack Prelutsky.
Any recommendations for other poets or books we could look for that still unfluent reader who likes science might be able to read easily?
And as a total aside, Shel Silverstein has a new edition of an old out of print book coming out this March-- Don't Bump the Glump which looks rather interesting.
The Poetry Friday round up is at Karen Edmisten's place today!
Well, more Douglas Florian comes to mind: Handsprings and Autumnblings are about seasons; Comets, Stars, the Moon and Mars is about the solar system (and is made of awesome).
ReplyDeleteAlso to try: Got Geography! edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins; Joyce Sidman's books Song of the Water Boatman and Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow (he'll probably need help with some of those, though). An excellent Prelutsky recommendation for young nature buffs is If Not for the Cat, which is a series of haiku about animals (with great illustrations). Also fantastic with a capital FANTASTIC? Animal Poems by Valerie Worth, illustrated by Steve Jenkins.
Great stuff -- thanks!
ReplyDeleteCharlotte,
ReplyDeleteHarper Trophy publishes a series of I Can Read poetry books that were popular with my students.
My favorite Florian book is INSECTLOPEDIA. I really like his books LIZARDS, FROGS, AND POLLIWOGS, MAMMALABILIA, and IN THE SWIM, too. He has a series of books about the seasons that includes WINTER EYES and SUMMERSAULTS.
Here are a few more recommendations:
- ANTARCTIC ANTICS: A BOOK OF PENGUIN POEMS by Judy Sierra. Kids really love this book!
- TOAD BY THE ROAD: A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF THESE AMAZING AMPHIBIANS by Joanne Ryder
- ODDHOPPER OPERA: A BUG'S GARDEN OF VERSES and HOTEL DEEP: LIGHT VERSE FROM DARK WATER--both written and illustrated by Kurt Cyrus
- POLAR BEAR, ARCTIC HARE: POEMS OF THE FROZEN NORTH by Eileen Spinelli
- SONG OF THE WATER BOATMAN by Joyce Sidman
- A BOOK OF FLIES REAL OR OTHERWISE by Richard Michelson
- HEY THERE, STINK BUG! by Leslie Bulion
Thanks for the great suggestions, Kelly and Elaine! I'll look for them.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. There are so many benefits to sharing poetry with children. And these are some wonderful choices!
ReplyDelete