Thursday, April 22, 2010

Pre-Poetry Friday or a Thursday Poem during Poetry Month



In honor of the Thursday before Poetry Friday I thought I would share a boy poem from a wonderful new book of poetry. The Wonder Book By Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrated by Paul Schmid is a fun collection of poems and drawings. As a read the book I marked a poem that I thought would be fun to share with students and to blog about. When I got to the end I realized that I had marked almost every page. So here are a few tidbits about some of the other delightful poems: In Delightful Day we find the many bedtime questions asked my kids worldwide. In Clarification Ms. Rosenthal gives important pointers in regards to what one should or should not run with. Finally in Stop That! Be Quiet! Please Sit Still Mr. Schmid’s illustrations capture the boys in my room.




A Rose by Any Other Name


In Spain it’s called pedo
In Hungary you’d pass a fing
In Dutch you’d say en wind laten
When your bottom sings

In Japan it’s called he onara
In Germany you’d pass der pup
In Italian you’d say peto
When that small sound erupts

In Russia it’s called a perdun
In Hindu you’d pass a pud
In Polish you’d say pierdzenic
For both loud or quiet duds

No matter where you come from
Or what language that you speak
It’s really really funny
To hear a tushy squeak.
Thanks Harper Collins for the book.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Born Yesterday the Diary of a Young Journalist


Yesterday I spent the afternoon in a fifth grade class. My colleague spent the afternoon with her student teacher planning the last unit. My student teacher taught my class, so I took a break from DRAII testing to spend time with students I had a few years ago. It was fun, but I am glad I don’t teach that age. I read them Born Yesterday The Diary of a Young Journalist by James Solheim. Last week I read it to my regular class. The story is about a little girl’s first year. It is told in journal from. It starts with her first entry written right before birth. She clearly states that had she know birth was so public she would have worn a tank top. The hilarious illustrations of Simon James capture the equally funny parts about older sisters and the importance of your reputation. Mr. James shows exactly what a baby looks like after it has bitten her ankle.


It is easy to fall in love with this story. It is amazing how a picture book with a baby on the cover can bring silence to a group of students. Off course the silence is filled with deep roars of laughter. I have learned over the years that this is the truest sign of a well loved story.