Fold Me a Poem: A Luminous Picture Book About Origami Creatures and Spirited Poetry for Kids (Ages 6-9) - Hardcover

George, Kristine O'Connell

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152025014 ISBN 13: 9780152025014

Publisher: Clarion Books, 2005

Synopsis

Join a young boy as he creates a world filled with origami creatures of all shapes and sizes out of an array of brightly colored paper. From roosters waking up and buffalo pawing the tablecloth to cheetahs racing lions and moths that yearn for butterfly colors, here is a glimpse into the vibrant imagination of a child.

Award-winning author Kristine O'Connell George's thirty-two spirited poems combine seamlessly with celebrated artist Lauren Stringer's luminous illustrations to create a poetry collection that is truly like no other.

Features an illustrator's note and an extensive listing of origami-related books and websites.

About this title

About the Authors

Kristine O'Connell George is an acclaimed poet who conducts poetry workshops for children and teachers. She is the author of several books of poetry for young people, including Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems and The Great Frog Race, winner of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award. She lives with her family in Southern California. Visit her online at kristinegeorge.com and on Twitter at @Kristine_George. 

LAUREN STRINGER is the award-winning author and illustrator of Winter is the Warmest Season and the illustrator of many other picture books. She lives with her family in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Visit her at www.laurenstringer.com

Reviews

Kindergarten-Grade 2–George's 32 brief poems focus on a boy as he folds a series of origami animals and imagines their thoughts and possible activities. Some of the selections exhibit a creative spark, while others tend to take their meaning from the illustrations, which are the real strength of the presentation. The vividly colored acrylics depict the boy actively engaged in play with his creations, and the details that Stringer provides infuse the verses with both energy and humor. Her illustrator's note offers insight into her own efforts to master the art of origami. No patterns or instructions are included, although a useful bibliography is appended to guide those wishing to learn the craft themselves.–Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

Gr. 1-3. From morning until night, a boy spends his day folding squares of colored paper into animals. The opening poem, "Origami," follows the five-seven-five-syllable haiku form while defining the magic of the paper-folding art: "Square sheet of paper-- / folded, suddenly wakes up. / Good morning, Rooster." While many of the other poems have the terseness of haiku, they follow their own syllabic patterns. Each appears on a single page or a double-page spread along with a large-scale painting of the boy making his animals, playing with them, observing them, or, in one case, repairing them after a cat attack. In "Hungry" he comes to a realization: "All afternoon / the paper cows / have been eyeing / the green paper. Oh. / Grass!" Warm in colors and often large in scale, Stringer's acrylic paintings capture the world of the boy's imaginative play as well as the intricately folded paper figures that inspire and inhabit it. Unusual, handsome, and good for reading aloud. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0152025014
• ISBN 13: 9780152025014
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Stringer Lauren
• Number of pages: 56