Poetry Book Review #2 - Poetry Collection

Hopkins, Lee Bennett, ed 1988. Side by Side. Illus. by Hilary Knight. Simon & Schuster, New York.

This anthology of poems includes a nostalgic collection of poems selected to be read aloud from well-loved authors including; Lewis Carroll, Robert Louis Stevenson, Gwendolyn Brooks and Robert Frost. There is a wonderful introduction to the delightful collection and ageless poems. Poems by contemporary authors as well as new voices are included in the anthology. All of the poems in this collection are skillfully grouped according to subjects. There is a poem about seasons of the year, "Spring Again" by Karla Kuskin. In the poem, "The Pickety Fence" by David Mc Cord, you see a little boy tapping along the fence with a stick. If you listen carefully you can almost hear the tapping on the fence. The watercolor illustrations by Hilary Knight are splendid and capture the essence of each and every poem. In the back of the book an index has cleverly been compiled by titles, authors or the first lines of the poems. Not only will you enjoy reading these poems with students, you can sit side-by-side with anyone who enjoys poetry and have fun!

Poetry Break #1 - Poem About Books

Introduction
Children glow, beam, gleam, and radiate when they think about dinosaurs. Read a favorite dinosaur poem and witness the joy of poetry.

WHAT IF...
by Isabel Joshlin Glaser

What if...
You opened a book
About dinosaurs
And one stumbled out
And another and another
And more and more pour
Until the whole place
is bumbling and rumbling
And groaning and moaning
And snoring and roaring
And dinosauring?

What if...
You tried to push them
Back inside
But they kept tromping
Off the pages instead?
Would you close the covers?

GOOD BOOKS, GOOD TIMES, Harper and Row Publishers, 1990

Extension
This poem is excellent for role playing. Begin by asking students to name their favorite dinosaur. Make sure to have plenty of dinosaur books, toys, and posters. Copy the poem on chart paper or transparency. As you read the poem students can vocalize the verbs in the poem. I am sure they will have fun with it.