When my son was young, there was one poetry book we read together more often than any other – A Poke In The I. The poems were selected by Paul. B. Janeczko, the well-known poet and educator who has edited many poetry anthologies for children. A Poke In The I is a collection of concrete poems so they don’t translate too well without Chris Raschka’s energetic and whimsical illustrations, but the one we loved the most is perfect to recite during the U.S. Open:
Tennis Anyone? by Monica Kulling
Tennis is a
game I could watch
for hours but my
neck won’t let me
Again, it loses something here, but you read the poem moving your neck back and forth as you would watching a tennis volley. My son thought it was delightful – and so did I. Now that my son is in high school, I share this playful book with the students at Inly, and it continues to make everyone smile. Get a copy of the book and check out page 9…very funny!
Paul Janesczko is visiting Inly in the spring, and I can’t wait to introduce him to our students.
Check out Paul’s website: www.paulbjanezko.com for more information on all of his books.
