Read a Rhyme, Write a Rhyme - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0375822860 ISBN 13: 9780375822865

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2005

Synopsis

When Jack Prelutksy posted the first couplet of a funny poem on a Web site and invited children to finish it, he expected about 100 responses. He got thousands. Now he has come up with an anthology of poems on 10 popular subjects by well-known poets and combined it with his own “poemstarts.” Included with each poemstart are suggestions for various ways the reader might continue the poem. With large type and a big red stop sign, it is made abundantly clear that the reader get a pencil and paper to complete the poem. Jack Prelutsky has been credited with making poetry fun for children to read. Now he is making poetry fun for children to write!

About this title

About the Author

Jack Prelutsky is America’s #1children’s poet with books such as The New Kid on the Block and If Not for the Cat, favorites of both kids and their teachers. His anthologies of poetry also reflect his deep understanding of what children like and feel. He lives in Mercer Island, Washington.

Meilo So has illustrated many award-winning picture books and collections of poetry, including Jack Prelutsky’s bestselling anthology The 20th-Century Children’s Poetry Treasury. She lives in the Shetland Islands, Scotland.

Reviews

Grade 2-4–Prelutsky designed this collection to jumpstart children's creative juices. Three short poems were chosen for each theme: dogs, food, birthdays, bugs, cows, friends, snow, turtles, rain, and self. He also includes a poemstart: an unfinished verse, along with advice and lists of rhyming words, so that readers can complete the poem on their own. The compiler displays a fine sense for lighthearted, kid-friendly poetry; highlights include Alice Schertle's Moo, Myra Cohn Livingston's Birthday, and Karla Kuskin's Running Away. Readers will be drawn to the book's attractive design; So's watercolor-and-ink illustrations add playfully jumbled perspectives. This title is aimed at a younger audience than most poetry/creative writing guides; Janet S. Wong's You Have to Write (S & S, 2002) is for older primary-grade students. Both books are notable for their direct, practical approach and will be valued by teachers and young writers.–Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA
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Gr. 3-5. Poetry becomes interactive in this attractive picture-book anthology, put together by the popular Prelutsky. The oversize format allows room for several poems on each spread, with each group of poems centered on a particular theme: snow, bugs, birthdays, different animals. The poems, from a variety of writers, are short and pithy, and they pave the way for the "poemstart" on each spread: Prelutsky starts a poem on the topic and invites readers to finish it. Accompanying each poemstart are some suggestions for writing poetry or a biographical anecdote. The watercolor artwork that enlivens each spread is deliciously varied: big and small dogs; a giant foot in a sneaker scattering bugs out of the way; a snowball fight, part of a whirling, snowy scene. This is a well-conceived package that will be especially useful in classrooms. A thoughtful introductory note beginning "READ THIS NOW!" reminds kids not to write in the book. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0375822860
• ISBN 13: 9780375822865
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: So Meilo
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32