Tag Archives: poetry

The Undefeated

Posted on September 19, 2019 by AnEducationInBooks

This picture book, The Undefeated, by Kwame Alexander and Kadir Nelson, is profoundly beautiful. My library has it categorized under poetry, and it is that, too. Every word hits home, powerfully, meaningfully, the cadence spot on with the page turn. … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography, Love that art, Love that prose, Picture books, Poetry, Voice, Word choice | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Poet’s Dog

Posted on November 22, 2016 by AnEducationInBooks

Narrated by a dog who can understand humans and be understood by poets and children, The Poet’s Dog is a beautifully written story about love, loss and understanding. The dog finds a boy and a girl during a snow storm … Continue reading →

Posted in Chapter Books, Voice | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Wet Cement: A Mix of Concrete Poems

Posted on May 15, 2016 by AnEducationInBooks

This collection of poems is as fun as it looks, full of clever word play and concrete poetry. Even typography works to make the poems fun, with just the half-circle of the e showing in “Sunset” and one of the … Continue reading →

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Every Day Birds

Posted on April 20, 2016 by AnEducationInBooks

Twenty common North American birds each get their own page with a line about their habits and a gorgeous paper cut illustration by Dylan Metrano. Amy Ludwig VanDerwater‘s poem is repeated in a double page spread at the end, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Picture books, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

My Chinatown: One Year in Poems

Posted on March 3, 2015 by AnEducationInBooks

My Chinatown: One Year in Poems tells a child’s story of Chinatown in New York, and missing his Hong Kong home. Each spread shows one poem and one illustration, both by Kam Mak. The journey this child makes begins in winter, … Continue reading →

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Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems

Posted on January 23, 2015 by AnEducationInBooks

Michigan is in the midst of winter, but I want to read about spring and summer. Enter Firefly July, a picture book of poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Each poem is very short, some only three … Continue reading →

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The Lightning Dreamer

Posted on January 2, 2015 by AnEducationInBooks

Margarita Engle‘s biographical and historical novel-in-verse (it is a fictionalized account of the young Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda) dives into the heart and soul of a young poet who is not allowed to read books because “girls who read too much are unladylike”. Tula … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's novels, Poetry, Voice | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Brown Girl Dreaming

Posted on September 23, 2014 by AnEducationInBooks

Jacqueline Woodson‘s autobiography-in-verse looks like a novel with its silhouette in front of a sunrise (I know it’s a sunrise because she wasn’t allowed outside at sunset time) and reads beautifully. Starting from birth, Jacqueline tells her story of living … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography, Nonfiction | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me

Posted on April 18, 2014 by AnEducationInBooks

Knock Knock by Daniel Beaty and illustrated by Bryan Collier is both beautiful and sad. A young boy plays a daily game of Knock Knock, Who’s There? with his father until the day his father is gone. The rest of the book … Continue reading →

Posted in Books with social studies links, Love that art, Love that prose, Picture books, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Truckery Rhymes

Posted on August 12, 2013 by AnEducationInBooks

“Metal and stuff and everything tough–That’s what trucks are made of.” Jon Scieszka has turned all of our classic rhymes into Trucktown verse and then commandeered three fabulous illustrators:  David Shannon, Loren Long and David Gordon. Fun and spot on meter … Continue reading →

Posted in Picture books, Poetry | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment