Confetti: Poems for Children by Pat Mora

• Title: Confetti: Poems for Children
• Author: Pat Mora 
• Publishing: Lee & Low Books. May 1st, 2006.
• Synopsis: This book is a colorful collection of poems that revolve around the culture and natural beauty of the Southwestern region of North America. There are a collection of free verse poems written from the perspective of a young Mexican American girl, and imbedded in each poem there are Spanish words. In carrying out the theme of the title, there is a piece of confetti on each page, making reading the book into a celebration. The book covers many topics that are interesting to children such as sun rises, the desert, dancing and many more. 
• The illustrations in this book are bright and colorful and embody the spirit and culture of the SouthWest, which really adds meaning and complements the poems nicely. This book is also written in free verse and uses two different languages throughout, which makes it unique from other books. 
• I really enjoyed this book and thought it was perfect for adding a multicultural aspect to learning. This book gives the unique perspective of a Mexican American girl who has different views then a lot of the children I will be having in my future class room. Due to the fact that there will undoubtedly be Mexican American students in my classroom, it is important to address and make these children feel included in lessons and in the classroom. This book does a great job of showing a different perspective which is important for young students and also shows a different culture. For that reason, this is an excellent book and an important one to use in the classroom. 
• This book could be used for multiple multicultural purposes in the classroom. This book could be used as an introduction to a unit on the South West portion of the United States and the influence having a border with Mexico has made. I can use this book to open up a lesson on what it is like to be a Mexican immigrant in the United States. I could also use this book to simply introduce a unit on Mexico and teach some new spanish words to my students. 
• In creating a lesson plan, I would use this book as an introduction to a unit on Mexico. I would then introduce a research project in which I would assign a different aspect of Mexico (food, clothing, religion, geography) to different groups and then have those groups each present their findings to the class. This lesson would help children to learn about a different culture from their own and the book Confetti would be an excellent introduction. 
• In addition, the author also has a wonderful website with a section entitled "kid fun" in which kids can play games and take quizzes related to Mora's works. Her website can be found here: http://www.patmora.com
  

It's Raining Pigs and Noodles by Jack Prelutsky

• Title: It's Raining Pigs and Noodles
• Author: Jack Prelutsky
• Publishing: Greenwillow Books. December 26, 2012.
• Synopsis: This book is a collection of poems geared towards children. This collection is full of hilarious poems that will entertain even the most reluctant of readers. Most of his poems contain puns and plays on words that will have you laughing the whole way through. In this book there are over 100 poems that include puns, shape play, word play, and many jokes. 
• The language in this book contains many puns and plays on words that makes it standout from other books. In addition, this book has many poems written in verse, as well as words stretched out into shapes. The illustrations in this book by James Stevenson are done in lighter colors and look as if they were shaded in by hand. This makes the book feel more like a children's book. 
• I found this book to be hilarious and I know that any child would be laughing there sox off at this book. In particular I enjoyed all of the puns and plays on words that the author used so cleverly and so well. I really feel that this book would get students to grasp onto the very important concept that poetry can be a fun way to be silly and creative. This book would make children fall in love with poetry, and therefore it is an amazing book. 
• There are many different ways that I could use this book in my teaching. I could use this book to help teach puns. I could read a few of the poems to the students and then have a class discussion about what a pun is. I could then write a few examples given by student volunteers to solidify the concept. I then could have the students work in partners to find puns in poetry. I would print out different poems from the story and have the students circle the puns. Then They would have to draw a picture to represent the pun and show it to the class. Then I would bind all of the pictures of the puns together to create a classroom "Punny Pictures" book. 
• I could also talk with my students about how poetry can be funny and exciting. I could then show the students this video I found of the author discussing how he got into poetry and why he loves it. I think it would be very powerful to show the author expressing his love of poetry, especially after the children have already enjoyed his poems. The link to the video is here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP4jKsaTjFo 
• In addition, when stumbling upon the author's website, I noticed that he posts poems by kids on his website. So for a class project, I would have my students work on poems, edit them and then submit them with hopes of getting some published on the website. In addition. Jack Prelutsky also has a writing activities, puzzles and games located on his website that would be awesome to use in the classroom as well. His website is located here: http://jackprelutsky.com
  
  

A Poke in the I by by Paul B Janeczko

• Title: A Poke in the I
• Author: Paul B. Janeczko
• Publishing: Candlewick. March 3, 2005.
• Synopsis: A Poke in the I is a collection of concrete poetry. These poems are those that are written in about some it is also in the shape of. This book is a collection of this type of poetry including 30 poems by different authors. In addition, in the book there is also tips and guidelines on how to write your own poem. 
• The style of this book is different from most in that not only is the language written in a poetic verse, but it also takes the physical shape of the topic of the poem. In addition to the interesting visual aesthetic of the written words, the pictures are also bold and vivid, giving the look of cut out magazine clipping that make this book unique.
• I was particularly drawn to this book because I love these types of poems. I love that not only are they just words but they take a physical shape. I think this is an excellent book because it shows children a unique type of poetry that breaks away from the typical image that they probably had of poetry and puts it in a new and exciting light. 
• I would obviously use this book to teach a poetry lesson to my students and to introduce the concept of concrete poetry. I would start the lesson by introducing the concept of concrete poetry and by showing them the poems in this book. I would then let then read the poems (from a separate sheet of paper) while they look at the visual display of the picture of words. I would then have my students brainstorm to create a concept of their own idea of a concrete poem. I would then have them draw create it on a sheet of paper, illustrate it, sign it like a true poet, and then I would combine them all to create a classroom concrete book of poetry similar to A Poke in the I. 
• In looking up the concept of concrete poetry, I also found an awesome website that creates concrete poems for you. You have a group of shapes to choose from, and then they give word lists from which you can choose words to add to your poem, or you can add your own words. I think this would be an awesome tool to give to your students when learning about concrete poetry especially for an activity that they can complete at home. The website can be found here: http://www.wild-about-woods.org.uk/elearning/concretepoetry/
• The author A Poke in the I has a website that can be located here: http://www.paulbjaneczko.com 
  

Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl

• Title: Revolting Rhymes
• Author: Roald Dahl
• Publishing: Puffin Books, Reprint Edition. September 3rd, 2009. 
• Synopsis: The book Revolting Rhymes by Roal Dahl is a collection of six traditional stories including  Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and The Three Little Pigs. However, these stories have been given a funny re-interpretation and have been put into verse by the author. 
• The book is written in poetic style with verse and rhyme that gives the story a song like quality that makes it flow. In addition, the drawings used in the book by Quentin Blake have the appearance of being drawn in by colored pencils, which makes the artwork unique and memorable. 
• In reading this book, I thoroughly enjoyed the comedic twist in each retelling of the traditional classic and thought that using these stories in the classroom would have children laughing and excited about poetry which makes this book a great book for classroom use. My one criticism of the book would be the graphicness of the repeated line about taking a gun out of knickers and using it to shoot others. For this reason, I would have to be careful about using this book in my future classroom and would only be able to use this story in the older grades, having addressed the line with my students. 
• While reading this book, an obvious lesson idea that jumped out to me was to read the traditional fairy tales as well as the re-written ones in this book, and have my students compare and contrast the plot and writing styles of the two stories. I also thought it would make an interesting lesson to have the students do a reader's theatre day where they formed groups to retell the stories in a play for their classmates and they would create their own props and perform them on a makeshift stage at the front of the classroom. 
• In exploring the internet for more lesson ideas and activity supplements from Roald Dahl's website. On there you can find audio clips from Roald Dahl himself giving writing tips as well as pictures from the Roald Dahl museum. Both of which would be good ways to get students intersted in writing and the author. His website can be found here: http://www.roalddahl.com/home 
• I also found some good story reading on YouTube that include picture that may be a nice change of pace to the usual story reading format. Here is a link to one of the six read stories online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5DS2DnsJ04
  
  

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

• Title: Where the Sidewalk Ends 
• Author: Shel Silverstein
• Publishing: HarperCollins. February 18, 2014.
• Synopsis: This book is a collection of children's poems and drawings written by Shel Silverstein. In this collection of over 35 poems, there are silly comedic poems, make believe poems, scary poems, poems that teach lessons as well as scary poems. 
• This book is interesting in that the illustrations are all in black and white, letting the writing speak for itself. The book is a book of poetry so each separate story in the book is written in the format of a poem adding creativity to each story. 
• I personally grew up with this book and the poems inside on it's pages. In particular, I really loved the poem Sick which was on the wall at my doctor's office growing up. I would read it each time I went in for a checkup and it is my favorite poem in the book. What makes this book so amazing is the versatility of it. This collection of poetry has something for every different type of person and is sure to have poems that you will enjoy. I love the fact that Shel Silverstein's poetry in Where The Sidewalk Ends can make you laugh while teaching you a lesson and getting you excited about poetry. This book also does a wonderful job of transporting you into each story and taking you away to a magical world of poetry, which makes it an outstanding book. 
• There are so many different activities and lessons that you can incorporate with this story. You could use these poems as a building block or source of inspiration into getting your students to write their own poems. You could teach lessons on imagery, smilies, metaphors, personification all while using this one book. You could take each story from this book and easily create a creative writing prompt for your students as well. Although I can think of a million different ways to use this book in your teaching, I also found a website on lessonplanet.com that also has many ideas for creating lesson plans based on this Shel Silverstein book: http://www.lessonplanet.com/lesson-plans/where-the-sidewalk-ends/all
• Shel Silverstein also has an amazing website that has free games and activities that can be used in the classroom as well as learning resources such as lesson plans, event kits, and drawing booklets that are perfect for classroom use. His website can be found below: http://www.shelsilverstein.com