Lemonade: and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word

Raczka, B. (2011). Lemonade:
and other poems squeezed
from a single word. New
York: Roaring Books Press.

Lemonade: and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word

By Bob Raczka

Illustrated by Nancy Doniger

Roaring Books Press

New York, New York

2011

48 pages

This is a fantastic book with endless possibilities for classroom use. It consists of anagrams, rebus (uses pictures to represent words), and concrete poetry, making it a versatile, whimsical adventure. The books will enrapture all readers and inspire them to create poems of their own. The poems are simple enough that most readers third grade and up will understand them and be able to use them to create their own poems. Every poem is created off of just one word. For example: 

Moonlight

hot

night

thin

light

moth

in

motion

Each word's poem is written in two styles: one more concrete and one more traditional. (Buy the book here to check it out and see what I mean.) I had never heard of this book before and only came across it when I did a Google search for "great poetry books for kids" and this is one that came up. I checked it out from the local library and fell in love with it's simplicity and capacity to inspire. 

Questions, Suggestions, and Follow-Up Activities

The Big Book of Classroom Poems

Hollenbeck, K.M. (2004). The
big book of classroom poems.
New York: Scholastic

The Big Book of Classroom Poems
Kathleen M. Hollenbeck
Scholastic
New York, New York
2004
176 pages

In this big book of poems designed for classroom teachers, you'll find hundreds of poems to connect to classroom topics. These topics include the alphabet, word concepts, friendship, holidays, neighborhoods and communities, character education, and more. Because the book has such a wide variety of poems to choose from, you're sure to find one that works for your classroom for whatever topic you need! Every poem is entertaining and inspiring and offers students the chance to expand their experience with language. 

The content in this book is organized extremely well, making it easy to find exactly what you need. The poems are best suited for students in grades K-3, but you could certainly make them work for older kids as well. Purchase the book here. 

The Important Book

Brown, M. (1949). The
Important Book.
New York: HarperCollins.

The Important Book

By Margaret Wise Brown

Illustrated by Leonard Weisgard

HarperCollins

New York, New York

1949

24 pages

The Important Book is a beautiful book that can be appreciated by children young and old. In short, eloquent poems it describes what is so important about the sun and the moon and the wind and the rain and pencils and chairs - and more! What makes rain, rain? But, most importantly, what makes you, you? YOU are important, and that is the most important thing about you. 

            This book is perfect for a poetry mentor text lesson. The poems are predictable in that they all follow the same format, making them perfect for students to imitate. They provide concrete guidance for students to follow but the nature of the poems still allows for tons of student creativity. Students will love writing their own "important" poems with the help of this glorious book. 

The pictures in this collection are vivid and beautiful. According to one review, Weisgard's illustrations make us think about the essence of everyday things in new ways - he captures the "spoonness of spoons, the roundness of an apple, the motion of wind." Purchase the book here.

An excerpt: 

The important thing about rain is 

that it is wet. 

It falls out of the sky, 

and it sounds like rain, 

and makes things shiny, 

and does not taste like anything, 

and is the color of air.

But the important thing about rain is that it is wet. 

The Book of Pigericks: Pig Limericks

Lobel, A. (1983). The book of
pigericks: pig limericks. 
New York: Harper & Row.

The Book of Pigericks: Pig Limericks
By Arnold Lobel 
Harper & Row
New York, New York
1983
48 pages

A book full of limericks swine

It is oinkingly, probingly fine

The verses and art

will tickle your heart

Lobelicious - a treat - most divine! 

-review from Masato Nishikori on amazon.com

This book contains 38 original limericks, each with a subject matter of -  you guessed it - pigs! It is a great book to use to introduce your kiddos to limericks and to use in a poetry unit. I would recommend using it for upper elementary grades, but it could definitely be used in lower elementary grades with a little extra support. All of the limericks - or should I say pigericks? - are silly, fun, and clever. This collection definitely has a great giggle factor!

Purchase the book here. 

More on limericks

Lesson Plans & Worksheets

The Limerick Song

Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys

Raczka, B. (2010). Guyku: A year of
haiku for boys. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin Books for Children.

Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys
By Bob Raczka
Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Houghton Mifflin Books for Young Children
Boston, Mass.
2010
48 pages

Non-rhyming poetry can be tough for kids but Guyku is accessible  for any early poetry reader. The poems in this collection capture moments that boys (and many girls!) have while playing outdoors - each season is addressed for an entire "year" of haikus. 

The pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations are simple, mimicking the simplicity of each entry. They capture the boys' adventures and expressions and complement the collection of haikus fantastically. 

Keep in mind that even though the collection states it's a year of haikus for boys, girls can love it, too! Many reviews I have read from Amazon customers can attest to it's likability for little girls, too. 

Purchase the book (and read reviews) here. 

Visit the Guyku website to further explore the world of "guy haikus!" Learn "how to Guyku", join the Guyku club, browse the Guyku gallery, and more! There's even a section for TEACHER RESOURCES! (Linked)

Have fun introducing your kiddos to the wonderful world of poetry with this awesome collection.