A Pocketful of Poems Review

 A Pocketful of Poems















BIBLIOGRAPHY

Grimes, N. (2001). A Pocketful of Poems. (J. Steptoe, Illus.)Clarion Books. 

ISBN: 0-395-93868-6


PLOT SUMMARY

A Pocketful of Poems is both free verse and haiku poetry told from the point of view of Tiana. It begins with her name, then morning and night, then seasons through the year. The haikus are placed within the illustrations which take the shape of the object the free verse and haiku poems are about. The book ends with Tiana opening a Christmas present of the reader’s name. 


CRITICAL ANALYSIS

A Pocketful of Poems is a poem picture book. It is a great introduction to free verse and haiku poetry. Although the typical Haiku is 3 lines with 5-7-5 syllables, the rhythm of this poetry book features 5-7-5 and various other multisyllabic lines. The images are related to Harlem where Nikki Grimes grew up. The illustrations are cut paper and found-object collage then photographed. They are multi-layered and keep you entertained like I-Spy. The words are carefully chosen and say how the word is involved in Tiana’s life. The subjects are personified on each page. “Pigeons masquerade as wildlife. They can’t fool me. We’re all city folk.” Some of the words also become sensory verbs which playfully describe the way she interacts with the word. The emotion is natural with Tiana describing the world beginning with the pride of her name to sharing a gift of words with the reader. At the end of the book Nikki Grimes defines haiku and explains why she wanted to transform Japanese haiku into contemporary images with poetry. This book is recommended for Kindergarten to 4th grade.


REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Horn Book Guide (Fall, 2001)

"Mama's window box-- / purple flowers shout the news. / Finally--it's spring!" Celebrating a young girl's urban life throughout the year, a haiku and a simple free-verse poem are paired on each double-page spread. Both verses are inspired by the same word (e.g., spring, pigeon, hot, pumpkin). Steptoe's lively found-object collage illustrations, though sometimes a little cluttered, provide a rich visual experience.


CONNECTIONS

Students can create their haikus using the words provided in the book

Make a haiku word wall where students can write words on it to inspire others to use for their haikus.

Similar books:

Clements, A. Dogku. ISBN: 978-0689858239

Michaelidi, S. A Sunny Morning - Haiku Alphabet Book: Learn my ABCs through Kids Poetry. ISBN: 979-8354748174


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