Marjory Wentworth

This book is a collection of poetry, talking about things from basketball to dancing and all the in-between. I think that this book could be good for elementary students because it could help teach them about poetry, if you have an assignment where poetry is used.

What a terrific book. Thought provoking, inspiring... the authors say it best..."Enjoy the poems. We hope to use them as stepping-stones to wonder, leading you to write, to read the works of the poets celebrated in this book, to seek out more about their lives and their work, or to simply read and explore more poetry."

The illustrations are really the standout element of this book. They are absolutely gorgeous and complement the poems well. The introductory segments talking about poetry and poets are useful, and Alexander's poetry is vivid. The other two poets seem to me not always to measure up to the task of honoring the poets they are commemorating. I would be more likely to introduce students to poems by the original authors rather than to these tributes, but it was a nice idea.

Another picture book I'd use if I was still teaching English and poetry--really great poems written in the style of iconic poets throughout time. Would be cool to read these homage poems in conjunction with the original poets' work, then read poems by Alexander and his compatriots and have students try their hand at homage poems. Inception poetry! But truly, I loved these poems--several of them gave me hope on a day I was feeling hopeless.