It’s Raining Pigs & Noodles by Jack Prelutsky, pictures by James Stevenson
The poem that I chose from this book was titled “Zigzag.” The rhythm of this poem reinforces and creates the meaning of the poem because it zigzags back and forth from verse to verse. The rhythm is reinforced by the shape of the poem as well as the commas and periods used to show pauses and separation of verses. The rhymes sound natural, such as “back” and “knack” as well as “admit” and “it” (Prelutsky, 2000). The sound of the poem adds to its meaning because when reading it aloud it is difficult to read the lines that are backwards since it is in a zigzag formation. This shows the meaning because it demonstrates how doing something in a new direction can be challenging but it is still possible with practice. The poem uses repetition, such as the repetition of the word “zigzag” throughout the poem. There is not much in the poem that would spark a child’s imagination, but the poem does make children see reading and writing in a new light by using backwards text in a zigzag formation. This shows children that reading and writing do not always have to include text in straight lines all facing the usual way. The tone of the poem is lighthearted and does not talk down to children, in fact, it tries to connect with children. It is written in a zigzag formation with some lines typed backwards, and towards the end it mentions that “with just a little practice, you soon will zigzag too” to motivate children to be creative in their writing (Prelutsky, 2000). This poem is appropriate for children and it will appeal to them. Children will have fun reading this poem as it zigzags back and forth from line to line. The shape of the poem contributes to the meaning because it is in a zigzag formation and the poem is all about zigzagging back and forth. The purpose of this poem is to amuse, and I think that the poet has achieved this purpose well.
The poem that I chose from this book was titled “Zigzag.” The rhythm of this poem reinforces and creates the meaning of the poem because it zigzags back and forth from verse to verse. The rhythm is reinforced by the shape of the poem as well as the commas and periods used to show pauses and separation of verses. The rhymes sound natural, such as “back” and “knack” as well as “admit” and “it” (Prelutsky, 2000). The sound of the poem adds to its meaning because when reading it aloud it is difficult to read the lines that are backwards since it is in a zigzag formation. This shows the meaning because it demonstrates how doing something in a new direction can be challenging but it is still possible with practice. The poem uses repetition, such as the repetition of the word “zigzag” throughout the poem. There is not much in the poem that would spark a child’s imagination, but the poem does make children see reading and writing in a new light by using backwards text in a zigzag formation. This shows children that reading and writing do not always have to include text in straight lines all facing the usual way. The tone of the poem is lighthearted and does not talk down to children, in fact, it tries to connect with children. It is written in a zigzag formation with some lines typed backwards, and towards the end it mentions that “with just a little practice, you soon will zigzag too” to motivate children to be creative in their writing (Prelutsky, 2000). This poem is appropriate for children and it will appeal to them. Children will have fun reading this poem as it zigzags back and forth from line to line. The shape of the poem contributes to the meaning because it is in a zigzag formation and the poem is all about zigzagging back and forth. The purpose of this poem is to amuse, and I think that the poet has achieved this purpose well.
The Bill Martin Jr Big Book of Poetry with Michael Sampson
The poem that I chose from this book was titled “Word Builder” by Ann Whitford Paul. This poem does not have a rhyme, but it does create sensory images of sight. It talks about “pil[ing] words like blocks” and “fram[ing] your sentences into paragraph villages,” which in the end leads to “a whole world of book” (Martin & Sampson, 2008). This helps children to imagine a vivid image of a world made up of these elements described in the poem. These images are not related to children’s delight in their particular senses, they are mainly just related to their imagination. The quality of imagination in this poem is high, because it takes writing books and gives the process a new spin by describing the process using construction terms. The sound of this poem adds to its meaning because the flow of the poem is similar to building a village or a world. When reading it out loud, the phrases and verses build upon one another until the end when there is a whole world made up of all of the parts included throughout the poem. The tone of the poem is upbeat, and it does not patronize children rather it inspires them. This poem is appropriate for children and it will appeal to them. They will like it because it lets them be creative and use their imaginations to build a world inside their minds. The shape of the poem contributes to the poem’s meaning because the verses are stacked one on top of the other like how a building is structured. The purpose of this poem is to describe the process of writing books in a fresh way.
The poem that I chose from this book was titled “Word Builder” by Ann Whitford Paul. This poem does not have a rhyme, but it does create sensory images of sight. It talks about “pil[ing] words like blocks” and “fram[ing] your sentences into paragraph villages,” which in the end leads to “a whole world of book” (Martin & Sampson, 2008). This helps children to imagine a vivid image of a world made up of these elements described in the poem. These images are not related to children’s delight in their particular senses, they are mainly just related to their imagination. The quality of imagination in this poem is high, because it takes writing books and gives the process a new spin by describing the process using construction terms. The sound of this poem adds to its meaning because the flow of the poem is similar to building a village or a world. When reading it out loud, the phrases and verses build upon one another until the end when there is a whole world made up of all of the parts included throughout the poem. The tone of the poem is upbeat, and it does not patronize children rather it inspires them. This poem is appropriate for children and it will appeal to them. They will like it because it lets them be creative and use their imaginations to build a world inside their minds. The shape of the poem contributes to the poem’s meaning because the verses are stacked one on top of the other like how a building is structured. The purpose of this poem is to describe the process of writing books in a fresh way.
References:
Martin, B., & Sampson, M. (2008). The Bill Martin Jr. big book of poetry. New York: Simon &
Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Prelutsky, J. (2000). It's Raining Pigs & Noodles. New York: HarperCollins Children's Books.
Martin, B., & Sampson, M. (2008). The Bill Martin Jr. big book of poetry. New York: Simon &
Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Prelutsky, J. (2000). It's Raining Pigs & Noodles. New York: HarperCollins Children's Books.