Random Review No. 3: Poetry in the Dark

It only seems fitting
That random review no. 3
Celebrates National Poetry Month
So here’s a poem from me!

Poetry month is nearly over
I can’t believe it’s May.
The roses will be blooming
Just in time for Mother’s Day!

My Parents Think I’m Sleeping
I Can Read Book Series, Level 3
author: Jack Prelutsky, Children’s Poet Laureate
illustrated by: Yossi Abolafia
Publisher: HarperTrophy, reprint edition 2008

This collection of 14 poems let you laugh, remember, and enjoy those childhood moments that made an everyday event larger than life. The rhyming text and illustrations add to the fun, which inevitably will surface a giggle and some “fond” memories.

When you mention the words poem or poetry, the stereotypes kick in. That’s unfortunate. Kids love sing-song language and conjuring up images of the things that are relevant to them. Their fears of the dark, sneaking downstairs for an extra bedtime snack, gazing at the stars, and pulling one over on mom and dad are all things they understand (and enjoy). It’s just more fun to read about them when the words rhyme.

Kids love rhymes. The stories we read them as toddlers and preschoolers are filled with them. They make up words and learn to read by collecting or matching words that sound alike (cat, hat, mat). The author’s creativity masks the learning and the illustrations add the imagery early elementary readers want/need.
My six-year-old (rising first grader) and I read this book together, as partners. Each of us taking turns reading. Technically this book is beyond her reading level (she is not reading alone yet), but it certainly is not beyond her interest level. We had fun sharing these poems. The book is filled with the sight words that Kindergarteners and First graders “need to know,” and by the time we got about halfway through the book, my daughter was reading more confidently and pointing to words as we opened a page. The rhyming scheme also helped her with words she didn’t know … just because they sounded right and fit the context.

Go to The Reading Tub to read our full review. You can also read our review of What a Day It Was at School, also by Jack Prelutsky.

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