gandpsmommy
03-29-2008, 10:33 AM
The children's section had a special display of poetry books because April is National Poetry Month. I was delighted to find a book of poetry that my eighth grade literature teacher introduced to me, but I hadn't seen since. It is Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman. It is a really fun book to read out loud with a child because all of the poems are designed to be read by two people (hence the subtitle:001_smile:). It is sort of a choral reading effect. All of the poems in this volume are about insects. And there is some humor involved, as well.
My dd and I had a great time reading several of these poems together last night, at her request. This is the first time she has ever asked to read poetry together, and on a Friday night at that! It was one of those zen-like moments when things are just flowing, and learning is enjoying life.
This was a great redemptive act because I really messed things up when I introduced the poetry book earlier this week. At first it was rather challenging for dd to be able to read some of the lines with me simultaneously, especially if the line I was reading was slightly different from hers. She became very frustrated and I'm not sure I handled it well.:blush: When we gave up on the book that night, I figured it was just too challenging for her at this age. (It was an assignment for me in eighth grade, after all.) But I horribly underestimated my dd. She has a way of rising to challenges and catching on quickly. When she brought the book back to me last night, she had the concept of choral reading down--without practicing, just having a little while to mentally process the idea.
I'd love to hear anyone else's ideas for good poetry books. We own Favorite Poems Old and New and A Child's Garden of Verses, as well as a few lesser known books, but I'm looking for fresh, new ideas.
My dd and I had a great time reading several of these poems together last night, at her request. This is the first time she has ever asked to read poetry together, and on a Friday night at that! It was one of those zen-like moments when things are just flowing, and learning is enjoying life.
This was a great redemptive act because I really messed things up when I introduced the poetry book earlier this week. At first it was rather challenging for dd to be able to read some of the lines with me simultaneously, especially if the line I was reading was slightly different from hers. She became very frustrated and I'm not sure I handled it well.:blush: When we gave up on the book that night, I figured it was just too challenging for her at this age. (It was an assignment for me in eighth grade, after all.) But I horribly underestimated my dd. She has a way of rising to challenges and catching on quickly. When she brought the book back to me last night, she had the concept of choral reading down--without practicing, just having a little while to mentally process the idea.
I'd love to hear anyone else's ideas for good poetry books. We own Favorite Poems Old and New and A Child's Garden of Verses, as well as a few lesser known books, but I'm looking for fresh, new ideas.