Haley Jackson

Title: “Poems For The Very Young”  Genre: Poetry  Author: Michael Rosen (Selected)  Major Awards: None Age Group: 3 - 7 Year olds  Summary:  This book, “Poems For The Very Young” is a collection of poems written by a plethora of different authors. The poems range from silly, thought provoking, and even to real life events. All of the poems follow a little bit of a story of little boys and their days, it is extremely diverse and fun. The last poem in the book is about night time, sleeping, the stars, and the moon which is very appropriate for the book. It also has a picture of all of the characters that we've seen throughout the book sleeping all together in one bed.  I would like to use this book in my classroom, especially for early childhood grades. I would use it because of all of the fun pictures, rhyming words and sentences, and because of the real life events that occur throughout making it easy to follow along. I think that y...

Title: “Animal Poems”  Genre: Poetry  Author: John Hollander (Editor)  Major Awards: None Age Group: 10 - 14 Year olds  Summary: This book is an anthology and all of the poems have different writing styles. All of the poems have to do with either nature or animals and they are an array of serious and creatively worded pieces. The book starts with a beautiful haiku about the way birds and butterflies fly around trees. The next few poems are abou t different animals and they all portray their own writing style and message that lies within. As we continue throughout the book we see a plethora of poems about different animals and creatures that all stand out in their own ways and display their own meanings. The book ends with a poem about all of the animals resting and sleeping which I feel was a very appropriate ending to a book that expresses a series of different animals.  I think that I would use this book in a middle school or maybe e...

Title: “ Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening”  Genre: Poetry  Author: Robert Frost  Major Awards: None  Age Group: 10-16 Year olds  Summary:  Robert Frost's poem, “Stopping By Woods On A snowy evening” is simple upon first rea, it seems to be about a man who travels  into some woods and admires the snow as it falls from the sky. The man takes his time taking the scene in and contemplates staying longer but has to leave due to other responsibilities and the lengthy travel he still has ahead of him. The poem ends with the line, “And miles to go before I sleep” and repeats it twice. This is stating how far the man still has to travel before he can rest and sleep. This poem has been interpreted in many different ways and no one really seems to know the true meaning behind it, is it simple or is it maybe even dark?  While this book is quite interesting, I'm not really sure I would want to use it in my classroom. It is a bit ...

Title: “ Feathers for Lunch”  Genre: Poetry  Author: Lois Ehlert  Major Awards: IRA Teachers' Choice and NCTE Notable Children's Trade Book in the Language Arts Age Group: 3 - 8 year olds  Summary:  The poem, “Feathers for Lunch” is about a cat who sneaks out of his house and tries to fund something to eat. The cat finds a lot of birds who sure look tasty but he can't fly. Therefore, he can not catch them and all he catches to eat are the feathers of all the escaped birds.  I would most definitely use this poetry book in my classroom because of all of the labels and rhyming words in it. This book is very educational due to all of the labels of different birds, plants, and even sounds. I also love all of the rhyming words and catchiness of the book.  I feel that this poetry book is appropriate for grades pre- k through third grade. Pre-k and kindergarten students would love this book for all of the pictures and colors throu...

Title: “ Once Upon a Rhyme” Genre: Poetry  Author: Carol Hosking  Major Awards: N/A Age Group: 4- 6 years old Summary:  This book is a series of traditional nursery rhymes and tells readers the reasoning behind where they came from. The nursery rhymes range from things such as, “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, “Jack and Jill”, and a few other popular nursery rhymes in our society. After each rhyme there is a reasoning as to where it came from and how it became a nursery rhyme to begin with. The book ends with a poem called “Geese” about geese who used to serve as china's “watch dogs” to protect them and their stuff.  I would use this book in my lower grade, elementary classroom for sure. It has a few of the best known nursery rhymes and also gives the reasoning behind them which I feel would be very intriguing for students to learn about. It also has fun pictures to go along with the rhymes which i also believe would catch the attention of a y...