I went on WTNH this weekend to talk about poetry (as you can see)! Since the segment is short and I can never get to all the books I bring to the show, I’m including below some supplemental information on great books that are either poetry books or novels written in poetry.
But first, a thank you to Ashley Bryan who showed me that poetry could be FUN.
I’m a huge Doug Florian fan. He is crazy clever and if you’re not big into poetry, he’s the one to go to because he’ll make you a convert like he did me.
Patricia Thomas has a few books with poetry and explained to me what makes each book a little different, and interesting from a poetic standpoint.
Her book Red Sled contains rhyming word pairs, and is done in a unique structure. It’s explained on the last page of the book.
Nature’s Paintbox: semi-rhymed free verse that describes the seasons as four different kinds of art media (well…actually five; there’s a little punch at the end that brings the year full circle).
Firefly Mountain: not a biggie, but won the Patterson Prize for best book, pre-K – 3rd grade (I think) for 2008; Significance is that it was from the Poetry Center at Passaic College, so it was really a poetry award.
Elsa Marston has a book of poems that are comprehensible and appealing to both kids and adults: SONGS OF ANCIENT JOURNEYS: ANIMALS IN ROCK ART (Braziller 2005). They are short, evocative of the animal’s way of moving. If you are interested in this book, contact
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