Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings

Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings

Written & illustrated by: Douglas Florian

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2009

56 pages

Picture Book – Poetry

I chose this book because I love dinosaurs and I’ve never seen a book that mixed dinosaurs with poetry. I was interested to see what this book was about. This book has several small poems about different types of dinosaurs. This book is full of facts about dinosaurs spoken in poetic language. The poems are light and easy to read and understand.

The author and illustrator of this book, Douglas Florian, uses collage as his medium. The illustrations are abstract and he uses watercolors within the collages. He also uses what looks like crayons. Some of the dinosaurs look real, but others look very abstract and strange. The abstract art keeps the book lighthearted and fun.

This book is appropriate for grades 1-5. I would read this book to introduce a science lesson about dinosaurs to a 5^th grade class. These poems give specific names and facts about dinosaurs. The 5^th graders would really enjoy the illustrations in this book. I would use the poem, “Barosaurus” for a 4^th grade math lesson. The poem talks about the dimensions (in feet) of the Barosaurus. The teacher could teach the students how to scale down the size then measure out how big the dinosaur would be. The students could draw and color the dinosaur. The poem, “The Age of Dinosaurs” would be a great poem to read to 5^th grade students as well. This could be read to prompt 5^th grade students to do creative writing. This poem talks about how dinosaurs are only in museums now and how they slowly died off. I would prompt my students with, “What do you think happened to the dinosaurs? Why do we only see them in museums and movies?”

Peaceful Pieces

Peaceful Pieces

Written & illustrated by: Anna Grossnickle Hines

Henry Holt and Company, 2011

32 pages

Picture Book – Poetry

I chose this book because the illustrations are absolutely exquisite. The title of the book, Peaceful Pieces really intrigued me. This is collection of poems about quilts and peace. Tolerance, friendship, and understanding are other themes in this book. Reading the book, the reader feels extremely peaceful. The pictures of the quilts are comforting and make me think of pleasant memories.

The illustrator and author of this book, Anna Grossnickle Hines, used handmade quilts as illustrations and they were reproduced in full color. The original quilts are the same size as printed. The author wrote the story, made the quilts, and used the quilts as illustrations. These quilts are intricate and absolutely breathtaking. Quilts often have a calming effect, especially in this book. The reader feels a sense of peace as they read the poems and reflect on the beauty of the quilts.

This book is appropriate for preschoolers and grades K-3. I believe everyone could benefit from this book. I would use this book for a 3^rd grade history lesson. The poem called, “Big Shoes” talks about the people in history who strived for peace. There are pictures of some of these peoples’ faces in the quilt. I would discuss this poem with my students and talk about influential leaders who promoted peace.  I could also use this book in the 1^st grade. The poem called, “Weightless” talks about forgiveness. This would be a great character education lesson for first graders. The poem, “Dominoes” could be read to 2^nd graders before a math lesson. Students could use dominoes for addition and subtraction. Reading “Dominoes” to the students would be a great way to introduce the lesson.

Silly Street

Silly Street

Written by: Jeff Foxworthy

Illustrated by: Steve Bjorkman

HarperCollins, 2009

32 pages

Poetry

            I chose this book because I love Jeff Foxworthy. I loved watching the show “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader,” and I was curious to see how Jeff Foxworthy would be as an author. This book is full of silly poems that children will adore. Being a dad, Jeff Foxworthy has a great insight on children and their interests. This book takes the reader on a visual walk through Silly Street. On your journey down Silly Street, you will find “Daffy Dave’s Diner,” “Bubble Gum Tree,” “Daily Parade,” “Boo Boo McGrew,” “Perpetual Puddle,” and “The Biggest Tree House.” Silly Street keeps the little boy in the book entertained with all the whimsical characters and settings. 

            Silly Street was illustrated by Steve Bjorkman. Steve’s artistic medium for this book is watercolor. First, Steve sketched out the drawings in pencil. Then, he outlined the pictures with a pen. Finally, he went back over the pictures with bright vivid water colors. The whimsical characters are drawn with much expression. The bright vivid colors go along with the book’s light hearted, silly theme. Bjorkman’s drawings may seem messy because his lines are not even or symmetrical. I personally prefer drawings that appear neater and have cleaner lines. 

Silly Street is appropriate for grades K-3. This book could be used many ways in these grades. The poem, “House of Clocks” could be read before a math lesson. This poem would be a great way to introduce a math lesson about telling time. This is a silly poem about a house of clocks. I would use this poem for a first grade math lesson about telling time. For a first grade science lesson, I would use the poem, “Butterflies.” This poem uses words to give the reader a visual image of butterflies flying. If a teacher read this poem with expression, she could really get her students to visualize butterflies flying. For a second grade creative writing lesson, a teacher could read the poem, “The Biggest Tree House.” This poem is about a tree house on the side of Silly Street. The poem talks about the fun things the children do in the tree house. This poem would be a great way to prompt second grade students to do some creative writing. A teacher could prompt her students with, “Write about what you would do in ‘The Biggest Tree House.’”

Tap Dancing on the Roof "Sijo" (Poems)

Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (Poems)

Written by: Linda Sue Park

Illustrated by: Istvan Banyai

Clarion Books, 2007

48 pages

Picture Book-Poem Collection

            I chose this book because I was interested to see what children’s sijo poems looked like. I wanted to blog about a poetry book that wasn’t the traditional rhyming poetry. A sijo is a Korean form of poetry. Sijos are similar to haikus because it is written using a syllabic structure. In English, sijos have three lines each with fourteen to sixteen syllables. The sijo collections in this book are light and humorous. The poems are easy to understand, and each ending line is cleverly witty. The sijos deal with every day things like “Breakfast,” “October,” “School Lunch,” and “Shower.”

            Istavan Banyai illustrated this book. Banyai’s illustrations were done digitally. There are very few colors other than white, black, gray, and pale blue. These colors give the book a dreary feeling. Some of the illustrations seem to be a little abstract. If the reader were to judge the book on illustrations alone, they would probably not expect this book to be light or humorous.

Tap Dancing on the Roof is appropriate for grades K-3. I would read the poem, “Long Division” as an introduction for a 3^rd grade math lesson on long division. This poem explains long division in a humorous way. I think this poem would really help the students understand long division. I would read the poem, “Word Watch” for a 2^nd grade vocabulary lesson. This poem discusses the words jittery, snuggle, abrupt, airy, and sesquipedalian. I could also use this book for a 2^nd grade science lesson as well. I would use the poem, “Botany Lesson” because it talks about plants and their growth. This book has won two awards. Tap Dancing on the Roof won The Lion and the Unicorn Prize for Excellence in North American Poetry in 2008 and the 2007 ABC Children's Booksellers Choice Award.

Aesop's Fables

Aesop’s Fables

Author unknown

Illustrated by: Charles Santore

JellyBean Press, 1988

52 pages

Picture Book – Traditional Literature

I chose this book because in my mind, Aesop’s Fables is one of the most basic forms of literature for children. We know that these stories have been passed down from generation to generation. Each time these stories are passed down, they pass along wisdom to the next generation. This book is comprised of several different fables. Lion fables, fox fables, and wolf fables are the different species that this book is categorized in. 

Although Aesop’s Fables does not have an author, it does have an illustrator. Charles Santore reinterpreted 24 of his favorite classic tales. His medium for his artwork is oil paint. His pictures are vibrant and eye catching. Each animal drawn could tell its own story just by the pictures. The warm, rich colors make the fables come to life.

This book is appropriate for children ages 5-8. Personally, I think Aesop’s Fables could be used to teach any age, even adults. Every fable in this book could be used for character education. In particular, “The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” would be a great fable to read to 2^nd grade students about being cautious and watching for things that might get them in trouble. “The Wolf and the Crane” could be read to a 5^th grade class during a math lesson. The teacher would read the story then talk about how the crane was manipulated into putting its head in the wolf’s mouth. The teacher could relate that story to math by saying that students can manipulate numbers, in problems, to get them to do what they want them to do. “The Old Lion and the Fox” would be a great way to introduce an investigative science lesson to 3^rd graders. The teacher could read this fable and challenge the students to investigate and find science facts. The teacher could have facts hidden at each station. The student would have to go to different stations around the room and investigate the subject.