April-Poetry Month-Great Reading

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a kidlit meme hosted by Jen and Kellee at TEACH.MENTOR.TEXTS.  Visit to find posts about terrific books!  Plus, there is a terrific meme hosted by Sheila at BOOK JOURNEYS that offers more reviews of all kinds of books, adult and children.  

          Don't forget the hashtag #IMWAYR

      "A Poem Begins With A Lump In The Throat."  Robert Frost

           It’s Poetry Month, and here at Teacher Dance on Mondays each week, I share the books I’ve read in the past week.  This month, I’ll also share some poetry anthologies for children that I’ve loved, I’ve used, and some recently published ones you should add to your own collections.

     If you’d like to see more of the spectacular happenings occurring in April, check out Jama Rattigan’s blog, Jama’s Alphabet Soup.  I think she’ll be adding to the list as she finds out more, so keep checking in.

       To the right of this page lists the writers for Irene Latham's progressive poem during the month at Live Your Poem.  You can read the lively and interesting poem that was created last year here.   

        And, if you’ve followed along with the March Madness Poetry competition, it is coming to an end.  Soon, you can vote for your favorite poem of the Finals!  Here’s a link to the site..

POETRY BOOKS:

Plum  by Tony Mitton, illustrated by Mary Grand Pre

             I discovered this beautiful poetry book, published in 1998, in my school library.  It is filled with quirky poems, several story poems, and some clever food poems. The opening, title poem, Plum, had such lines as “Don’t be glum/plum” and “Don’t feel beaten, you were made to be eaten.” Because Tony is British, there are a number of British traditional tales told in rhyme that I didn’t know, like “The Histon Boulder”. that tells a story of a giant of a man  named Moses Carter (perhaps he really was a giant)  who moved a boulder for the village.  This is based on a real person who really did move one, and who is buried in the local cemetery.  It’s a wonderfully written book, with whimsically pastel-rendered illustrations.

Step Gently Out By Helen Frost, illustrated by Rick Lieder

              I've wanted to read this for a long while, and finally I got it from the library. I am very glad I did.  This is quite a beautiful book of less than fifty words, showing, in poetry, the small insects that inhabit our world.  Here's one example: A spider spins a silken thread/ and steps across the air."   It's a beautiful book to add to a poetry collection.

            

PICTURE BOOKS:

My Garden by Kevin Henkes

           This is a delightful book to welcome spring with young children.  A young girl helps her mother in their garden, but instead of carrots, she plants jellybeans, imagines flowers that can change color and pattern, that grow back right after one is picked, and bunnies that are chocolate instead of lettuce-eaters.  The illustrations fill the page with Henkes’ bold outlined illustrations.  It’s such a happy book to see, and will be fun to read with a young child to see what else can be imagined!

CHAPTER BOOKS:

Bomb by Steve Sheinkin 

           I reviewed this book earlier in the week.  It is terrific! You can find the review here.

NEXT:  I'm still waiting to read The False Prince, plus I'm teaching another book group, this time for Rules, by Cynthia Lord.