Perfect Picture Book Friday

Title: Wonderful Words: Poems about Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening

Author/Illustrator: Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins/Karen Barbour

Publisher/Date: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/2004

Genre/Audience: Poetry/Ages 6+

Themes: poetry, language arts

Opening:
This collection begins with an Emily Dickinson poem:

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A word is dead
When it is said,
Some say.

I say it just
Begins to live
That day.

Synopsis: From Book Jacket: "Whether we are sharing poems or secrets, acting onstage, or just telling jokes, the words we use are our best friends....  Works by Emily Dickinson, Eve Merriam, and Nikki Grimes make whispers, metaphors, and dreams come alive, while Karen Barbour's illustrations interpret the magic of language in vivid hues.  This is a collection sure to insprie wordsmiths of all ages, over and over.  And just maybe there's a poet who didn't know it in you!"

Why I Love This Book:
Poetry to celebrate words... My kind of book!  I wish I had found this book as a teacher.  It applies to all the English Language Arts standards (for New York State, at least).  And the selected poems are not necessarily children's poetry, but still highly accessible to kids.  This book is inspiring to me as a writer.  A few of these poems are going up on my "Inspiration" bulletin board!

Resources:
Choose a poet and research his/her work.  Here's a great resource: http://www.poets.org/

Create your own magnetic poetry at: http://magneticpoetry.com/kids-area/

Visit the website of the poet/poetry selector: http://www.leebennetthopkins.com/

For more links to Perfect Picture Books, a collection of bloggers who contribute at Susanna Leonard Hill’s site, click here.