Here's a Little Poem

Title: Here's a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry   
Collected By: Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters   
Illustrator: Polly Dunbar
Publisher: Candlewick Press 
Publication Date: February 2007 
Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Poetry 
GoodReads Summary: Sit back and savor a superb collection of more than sixty poems by a wide range of talented writers, from Margaret Wise Brown to Gertrude Stein, Langston Hughes to A. A. Milne. Greeting the morning, enjoying the adventures of the day, cuddling up to a cozy bedtime — these are poems that highlight the moments of a toddler’s world from dawn to dusk. Carefully gathered by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters and delightfully illustrated by Polly Dunbar, HERE'S A LITTLE POEM offers a comprehensive introduction to some remarkable poets, even as it captures a very young child’s intense delight in the experiences and rituals of every new day. 
What I Think: It’s really hard to judge a collection of poems because there are bound to be some poems that I don’t like as well as others. I do have to say that the majority of these poems I really enjoyed. I kind of like this kind of anthology because there are different authors included instead of the same author writing many poems. There seems to be more variance in the poems even though they are grouped into similar topics.

I’m starting to realize more and more the impact the illustrations have on my perception of a book. This book is warm and welcoming from the beginning. The colors are bright but muted at the same time. There is so much color in this book but a kind of color that I want to curl up in. It might have as much to do with the colors as the cover image. The image of the sun on the cover radiates the mood of the book.

I really enjoy poems for children that are about common things that children can relate to. Things like birthday parties and rain and going to sleep. These poems were fun to read a loud and share with my own kids. I love how the words slipped off my tongue and sounded musical. Obviously, a poem should have some kind of rhythm to it and most of these poems really do demonstrate that. There are so many great poems to grab from this collection to share with kids and to use as mentor texts. I love Silverly for it’s use of personification and even to look closely at adverbs. This book contains a wealth of mentor texts!

Read Together: Grades Pre-K - 5 
Read Alone: Grades K - 5 
Read With: BookSpeak by Laura Purdie Salis, Julie Andrews' Collection of Poems, Songs and Lullabies selected by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton 
Snatch of Text:   

Soggy Greens

John Cunliffe

"Oh, soggy greens, I hate you,

I hate your sloppy slush;

And if my mum would let me,

I'd throw you in a bush.

Oh, apple pie, I love you,

I love your crunchy crust;

And if my mum would let me,

I'd eat you till I bust."

Candles

Wendy Cope

"Three little candles

On a birthday cake.

Count them very carefully

So there's no mistake.

We counted three and there's no doubt -

Now it's time to blow them out."

Silverly

Dennis Lee

"Silverly,

Silverly,

Over the

Trees,

The moon drifts

By on a

Runaway

Breeze.

Dozily,

Dozily,

Deep in her

Bed,

A little girl

Dreams with the

Moon in her

Head."

Reading Strategies to Practice: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Visualizing, Predicting  
Writing Strategies to Practice: Descriptive Writing, Onomatopoeia, Alliteration, Imagery, Rhyme, Personification, Parts of Speech   
Writing Prompts: Use the parts of speech pattern from "Silverly" to write your own poem that mimics Dennis Lee's style.  
Topics Covered: Childhood, Milestones, Life