Poetry Palooza 4: 5 Boisterous, Amusing, and Entertaining Poetry Picture Books

Welcome to part 4 of our Poetry Palooza!  Throughout this month of April, we want to share with you some of our favorite poetry books (there are SO many good ones!) and some practical strategies for sharing poetry with your class that have been classroom tested and student approved!

Just joining us?  Check out the previous posts in the series:

• Part 1: Five Science and Nature Poetry Picture Books
• Part 2: Five Classics, Fairy Tales, and Character-Building Poetry Picture Books
• Part 3: Five Content Area Poetry Picture Books

Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary.

~Khalil Gibran

As we wrap up this series of poetry posts, we have to include some of our absolute favorite titles that didn’t really fit into any other categories. The selections you’re about to see are just plain fun. Of course, they have all the benefits of poetry for practicing vocabulary and reading strategies, but they are also incredibly boisterous, amusing, and entertaining (translation – we just really like them!). If you and your students weren’t hooked by any of the previous poetry suggestions, these are sure to please!

Shivery Shades of Halloween: A Spooky Book of Colors by Mary McKenna Siddals:

Have we already reviewed this book? Yes (here).  But I absolutely adore it.  Yes, it is about Halloween – somewhat, but think of how it can be extended.  If you’re reading this now, in April, can your class create the Hopping Hues of Spring?  If they do, please make sure to share the results with us!

 

 

Beastly Feasts! A Mischievous Menagerie in Rhyme by Robert L. Forbes:

Seriously, reread the title!  And now, check out Lottie the Hottie (one of the poems in the book)!  This book had me smiling all the way through.  The rhymes are fun and contagious, and the pictures by Ronald Searle are just as humorous as the poems.  I am a big fan of reading all the serious poems too, but sometimes we just need to read a poem to giggle.  Take some time and explore the author’s website as well (here), you can watch a video of him reading his poems, see his other books, check out educator resources, and more.

Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band by Kwame Alexander:

Yes, I know, we’ve reviewed this one too.  I had to add this to this list, because, well, it’s just fun.  Not to mention I’ve been stalking following Kwame Alexander ever since I read Crossover.  I’m not musical, I won’t even fake it for the sake of this blog post, but this book is great for a music teacher/classroom teacher collaboration.  It references famous musicians and is all about putting a band together for the love of music, in rhyme of course.  See our blog post with teaching integration ideas here.

Silly Tilly by Eileen Spinelli

This one is, just as the title suggests, silly.  In this rhyming story, Tilly is a silly goose.  She does ridiculous things like wearing a pancake for a hat, sitting on Rooster’s birthday cake, and taking naps in scarecrow’s pants.  The other barnyard animals become frustrated with her antics and shame her into stopping.  Then of course, she is missed and becomes her old self again.  While, I hardly think this book will condone this absolutely silly behavior as others have cautioned, I do think it’s a good time to bring up accepting others, being yourself, and enjoying the present.  It’s silly fun in the end…take it for what it’s worth.

Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl:

Admittedly this will NOT be for everyone!  Those who know me know I adore Roald Dahl.  He made me a reader and I will reread his books every year.  I turned two of my three boys in to huge Roald Dahl fans and continue to work on the third.  So, yes, I have fond memories of reading these Revolting Rhymes as a child.  They’re not all “school clean” and his humor might not be condoned by all, so pre-read before bringing into your classroom.  When I taught my fairy tale unit, I included the matching rhyme from this book with the story we were reading.  I have to tell you, in the end, it is what the students remembered most.  Enjoy!