2 books

This book of poetry contained all concrete poems. The collection of poems do not have one type of subject overall, but has different types object. The objects range from people to animals to sports objects. Some of the poems contained elements of rhyme. For example, "the earth is mud, but don't let anything stop you, Bud!" Other parts of the poetry collection contained imagery such as "softly sweeping".

I understand the poems are concrete and take shape of the item that is being written about, but I found these poems very hard to read. Some of them were not in a distinct order, so I didn't really know where to go while reading some of the poems. The illustrations were interesting and unique. ( )

In my opinion, this is a good book. The writing is engaging and organized. Each poem is unique because each is written in specific shape based on the poems subject. For example, there is a poem called “Dachshund” that is about a lady walking a dog that looks like “a sausage on a string”. This poem is written in brown letters in the shape of a dachshund. Another example is the poem called “giraffe” which describes a “tree-tall giraffe up to his neck in brown and yellow patchwork quilts”. This poem is written in yellow and orange letters in the shape of a giraffe. The way these poems are written makes readers follow the words in a specific shape in order to give them a sense of what the animal looks like. Another reason I think this is a good book is because the illustrations enhance the story. The poem called “weeping willow” says, “In a far field of sadness stands the wee widow weeping”. The illustration that corresponds to this text shows a woman wearing all black who is covering her face with her hands. This illustration makes me feel the sadness the woman is feeling because her appearance and body language expresses her dull emotions. The big idea of this story is to show readers how to powerfully use form in poetry. The author used shapes, bold colors, and detailed illustrations in order to give her poetry an intriguing form. This shows readers the impact form has on poetry. ( )

This book is very cute for all ages to read. The topic of the poems are the images in which the poem fills. ( )

I would use this in a first or second grade classroom, because the poems take the shape of the subject. This can make it easier for students to understand the poem, and it may get them interested in poetry at a younger age. I would also use this in third, fourth, or maybe even fifth grade, because it is a good introduction to form. Form is what really makes a poem a poem, and concrete poems are very obvious examples of that. ( )