2018 School Spending Survey Report
A Poem in Your Pocket
illus. by G. Brian Karas. 40p. ebook available. Random/Schwartz & Wade Bks. Jan. 2015. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780307979476; lib. ed. $19.99. ISBN 9780307979483. LC 2014005745.
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Gr 1–3—Elinor is a perfectionist. She loves school and takes her assignments very seriously. For Poetry Month, Mr. Tiffin teaches his class about different kinds of poetry, similes, and metaphors. Anticipating an upcoming author visit by a real poet, students are asked to write a poem and put it in their pocket. Elinor plans to wear her jeans with many pockets so she can have one in every pocket, but her obsession with perfection impedes her creativity. On the day of the visit, the child has not created anything that she considers good enough to share. When the guest asks her to read her poem, Elinor reveals that she "has a poem in the pocket of her mind." When she recites it, her words flow beautifully. This is a great book to share during National Poetry Month. Brief explanations are given for the more common poetry forms and the idea of a "Poem in Your Pocket Day" is inspiring. Pair this book with the works of Shel Silverstein, Paul B. Janeczko, Jack Prelutsky, Douglas Florian, or Robert Louis Stevenson, among others, to make a persuasive unit on the delights of the genre. Colorful illustrations of a busy classroom filled with enthusiastic students and a determined child keep the subject light and humorous. This title shines a light on a subject worthy of discussion.—Mary Hazelton, formerly at Warren & Waldoboro Elementary Schools, ME
Mr. Tiffin's students (How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?) are
preparing for a famous poet's visit. Initially confident in her own
abilities, Elinor grows worried when her poetry knowledge doesn't
translate into being able to write poetry herself. The kids' poetry
may inspire young readers to attempt their own, especially since
the diverse group of classmates look like they're having fun in
Karas's gouache, acrylic, and pencil pictures.
The author/artist team behind How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? revisit Mr. Tiffin's warm, supportive classroom, where this time his students are learning about poetry. As the class prepares for a famous poet's visit, Elinor has complete confidence in her own poem-writing abilities: "I'm going to wear my jeans with six pockets that day...I'm going to have a different poem in each one." Unfortunately for Elinor, her firm grasp of similes and metaphors and knowing a haiku from a concrete poem does not translate into actually being able to write poetry herself, so while the rest of the class delights in what they are learning, she gets more and more worried. McNamara slyly works in a lot of information while keeping the focus on Elinor's dilemma. Examples of poetry the kids come up with ("Buds are like tiny red firecrackers...waiting to explode into flowers"; "Sadness is a cracked sidewalk") may inspire young readers to attempt their own writing, especially since Karas's gouache, acrylic, and pencil pictures make the diverse group of classmates look like they are having fun. A final page of "Mr. Tiffin's Pointers" talks about Poem in Your Pocket Day but neglects to mention the poem that started it all, Beatrice Schenk de Regniers's "Keep a Poem in Your Pocket." susan dove lempke
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