Jessica Fenex/1508/Poerty Part 1
Great reviews! 103/105
Silverstein, Shel.
Where the Sidewalk Ends.
New York: HaperCollins Publishers, 1974.
Summary:
This book is a classic collection of poems written by Shel Silverstein, who also wrote The Giving Tree . This book is a great book to introduce children to poetry because it is full of funny, silly poems. Some of the poems are just silly for silly’s sake and others have a moral to them. They deal with all kinds of silly things such as a king that only eats peanut butter, a boy who becomes a TV set, and a reindeer asking Santa what’s in it for him to fly around the world. The poems are written easily enough for children of all ages to read. Some poems are long and others are just a few lines. It’s a great book for children and adults because adults can even laugh at the silliness of the poetry.
Selected Poems:
Captain Hook-List Poem
Early Bird-Free Verse
Peanut Butter Sandwich-Narrative Verse
Where the Sidewalk Ends-Free Verse
Point of View-Narrative Verse
Evaluation:
This selection of poems show the funny side of life. They are silly and made to be giggled at. However, they can catch a child’s interest and the children can relate to the subjects. In Peanut Butter Sandwich , the king only eats peanut butter sandwiches. He eats so much that his mouth get stuck together and the king’s helpers go through everything to get his mouth unstuck. Once they get it unstuck, the king asks for another peanut butter sandwich. This is very relatable to a child because what child doesn’t have that favorite food that they would eat everyday if they could. Plus, most kids love peanut butter sandwiches, so they can easily relate. They language is easy for a child to read because they mostly rhyme and you can easily sat the lines. These poems help kids to see the other side of life and wonder about other’s lives, like
Captain Hook. This book is a classic for a reason and that reason is these poems are a great way for kids to be introduced to poetry.
Personal Reaction:
I personally love this book. I remember reading it over and over in elementary school. This book was the first poetry book I remember reading as a kid and it started me on my road to reading. The pictures were funny and entertaining and it helped me look at the world through a different view. The poems are fun to read and to say out loud. Even now as an adult, I still love the poems and the pictures. It takes me back to a part of my childhood that I really enjoyed: sitting by myself in my room, reading books that took me to another world. I know I’m not the only person that, as a child, was inspired by this

book. It’s also great because, after so many years, it’s still relatable to kids today and is still relevant.
Moss, Jeff.
Bone Poems.
New York: Workman Publishing, 1997.
Summary:
This book is poems written by Jeff Moss about dinosaurs. This book introduces kids to dinosaurs and educates kids about the different dinosaurs and their bones.
However, the poems are written in a fun way that it grips young children. The poems give children facts about dinosaurs with illustrations that are funny. Some poems talk about the size a dinosaurs brains, how long ago they live and what archeologist have discovered over the years. Some poems are long and informational while other poems are short and silly. Any child that loves dinosaurs should have this book.
Selected Poems:
Anatotitan-Limerick
A (Mostly) Dinosaur Alphabet-list poem
The Jellyfish and The Clam-Limerick
Bye-Bye, Brontosaurus-Free Verse
Lucy in the Museum-Narrative Verse
Evaluation:
These five poems are some of the best poems in the book. They capture a child’s imagination and gets them to think about dinosaurs in a new way. A (Mostly) Dinosaur
Alphabet is a little hard to read because it has the scientific name of the dinosaurs and that can be a bit off putting to children. However, poems like The Jellyfish and The Clam and Anatotitan are fun to read and the child learns something about each one. The poems are fun to read and makes a child think about dinosaurs in a more fun light. The illustrations are simple and don’t take away from the poems meanings and still let the child’s imagination take charge. Most of the poems are limericks and rhyme, which makes the poems more easier to read the harder words if you know they rhyme with more familiar words. This book definitely makes learning about dinosaurs fun and entertaining.
Personal Reaction:
Oh man, where was this book when I was a kid? I loved dinosaurs when I was a kid, thanks to Jurassic Park. The book is good even for adults who like to learn things the easy way. I love children’s books that are educational, but are fun for the child to read.
This book would be an excellent book for teachers to use to help teach kids about dinosaurs. I was really impressed by this book and wish more children’s books were like this one.

Prelutsky, Jack.
It’s Raining Pigs and Noodles.
New York: HarperCollins Publisher, 1993.
Summary:
This book of poems is about just about everything. They are mostly silly and are easy to read and speak. Any kids, especially young kids, will love this book because it helps spark the imagination. There are poems about animals, people, and other silly things. The poems are straight forward and don’t require a lot of thinking about the meaning behind them. They are mostly silly for silliness sake.
Selected Poems:
I Chased a Dragon Through the Woods-Narrative
My First Best Friend-List poem
My Parents Have the Flu Today-List poem
My Sister Shrieked, Astonished-Shaped Poetry
Never Never Disagree-Limerick
Evaluation:
This book of poems is a great way to get kids into reading in general. The poems are easy to read and speak and show that poems aren’t always about serious things. None of the poems in the book were too hard for a preschooler to read. The illustrations in the book are perfect. They are simple enough to give an image to the poems; however, they aren’t so detailed and big that they take away from using the imagination. Jack Prelutsky obviously knows how to spark a child’s imagination and shows that he knows how they think. Listing all of your first best friends, all of which you know you had in your lifetime, is a good example that he knows how kids think. This book would be excellent for kids that don’t like to read because the poems are short and the words are simple.
Personal Reaction:
Honestly, I couldn’t get through this book all the way through. I really do think this a great book for kids because this is stuff that they could laugh and giggle at. For me, however, it was just a bit too silly, which says a lot because I am the most silly person I know. Overall, not my favorite kids book and I wish that I would have picked a different book from the library. However, being that it was Holbrook, AZ library, my choices were limited.
Jessica Fenex/1508/Poetry Part 2
Silverstein, Shel.
Where the Sidewalk Ends.
New York: HarperCollins Publisher, 1974.

“Snowman”
‘Twas the first day of the springtime,
And the snowman stood alone
As the winter snows were melting,
And the pine trees seemed to groan,
“Ah, you poor sad smiling snowman,
You’ll be melting by and by.”
Said the snowman, “What a pity,
For I’d like to see July.
Yes, I’d like to see July, and please don’t ask me why.
But I’d like to, yes I’d like to, oh I’d like to see july.”
Chirped a robin, just arriving,
“Seasons come and seasons go,
And the greatest ice must crumble
When it it’s a flowers’ time to grow.
And as one thing is beginning
So another must die,
And there’s never been a snowman
Who has ever seen July.
No, they never see July, no matter how they try.
No, the never ever, never ever, never see July.”
But the snowman sniffed his carrot nose
And said, “at least I’ll try,”
And he bravely smiled his frosty smile,
And blinked his coal-black eye.
And there he stood and faced the sun
A blazin’ from the sky-
And I really cannot tell you
If he ever saw July.
Did he ever see July? You can guess as well as I
If he ever, if he never, if he ever saw July.
1.
Why won’t the snowman see July?
2.
Do you think he ever saw July? Why or Why not?
3.
Why do you think the snowman wants to see July?
4.
How would you help the snowman to make sure he saw July?
5.
Can you name all of the seasons and what the weather’s like in each one?

Moss, Jeff.
Bone Poems.
New York: Workman Publishing, 1997.
“Cold Enough”
Nobody knows for sure what happened to the dinosaurs,
But some people think that about seventy million years ago
The weather got a bit colder all over the earth.
Not that cold,
But cold enough
So that lots and lots of trees died.
Not freezing cold,
But cold enough
So that the plant-eating dinosaurs died
Because there weren’t enough trees left for them to eat.
Not an ice age or anything,
But still cold enough
So that the meat-eating dinosaurs died
Because there were no plant-eating dinosaurs left for them to feed on.
So…
It is possible that
After one hundred fifty million years of ruling the earth,
Dinosaurs vanished and became extinct
Because the weather got just enough colder.
So next time your mom tells you
To wear your warm hat and gloves,
Pay attention.
1.
How did all the plants dieing affect the dinosaurs?
2.
What do you think cold enough is?
3.
Why should you pay attention when your mom tells you to wear your warm hat and gloves?
4.
What could the dinosaurs have done to prevent it from getting cold?
5.
What would you do if you were a dinosaur and it started to get cold?

Prelutsky, Jack.
It’s Raining Pigs and Noodles.
New York: HarperCollins Publisher, 1993.
“Grungy Grace”
I am extremely devious, my name is Grungy Grace.
I hardly ever brush my teeth or wash my hands and face.
“It’s time to wash,” my father says, but since I’m no dope,
I simply turn the water on and wet the towel and soap.
“Brush your teeth,” my mother says,
I never even blink.
I squeeze out gobs of toothpaste,
And I brush the bathroom sink.
I’m very good at fooling them, my brain’s extremely keen, but I’ve got lots of rashes, and my teeth are turning green.
1.
Why are Grungy Grace’s teeth green and why does she have lots of rashes?
2.
Why is good hygiene important?
3.
Do you think Grungy Grace was really smart? Yes/no -1
4.
Do you ever trick your parents?
Yes/no -1
5.
What is going to happen to Grungy Grace’s teeth?