Brian P. Cleary, "Rainbow Soup: Adventures in Poetry"

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Brian P. Cleary, "Rainbow Soup: Adventures in Poetry"

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Come romp with me amongst the words/Come play amongst the phrases/Swing and climb from pun to rhyme/And hop through versey mazes. Swim through rivers thick with thought/Rejoice from head to toe-etry. Beat your drums and shake your bums/And dance the dance of poetry. From the author of the best-selling Words Are CATegorical™ series, this playful poetry collection includes limericks, puns, palindromes, and more. Short annotations explain the various forms and terms of poetry used.

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6–Mixing a solid introduction to poetry with amusing examples, Cleary invites readers to "Come romp with me amongst the words./Come play amongst the phrases./Swing and climb from pun to rhyme/And hop through versey mazes." He tackles difficult concepts and defines terms and forms such as meter, iambic, personification, concrete poems, and parody. His short and simple explanations are included as footnotes at the bottom of the pages and are written in a tongue-in-cheek way that will engage young readers. The accompanying selections clearly illustrate the concepts, making for a concrete reinforcement of the message without the slightest hint of didacticism. The quality of the poems is a bit uneven and sometimes Cleary seems almost to be mocking what he is describing; however, this book is a great choice for getting children comfortable with poetry. Brightened up with splashes of color, Layton's quirky pen-and-ink pictures add to the fun. For a more in-depth take on poetic form and function, try Ralph J. Fletcher's Poetry Matters (HarperCollins, 2002).–Laura Reed, Kitchener Public Library, Ontario, Canada

From Booklist
Gr. 3-6. Scribbled, wobbly pictures on paper sprinkled with confetti dots are the perfect accompaniment to this lighthearted poetry collection. Cleary knows just what topics to put into verse: school ("Report Card," "Spanish Lessons"), food ("Ode to Peanut Butter and Jelly"), sports ("My Brother Joe"). In the mix are examples of limericks, haiku, concrete poetry, parody, alliteration, and even the villanelle, all of which Cleary explains in footnotes that also add other interesting bits about the poems. Cleary, to his credit, is not entirely tasteful, ensuring giggles and guffaws along with his information about verse form and function. GraceAnne DeCandido

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Brian P. Cleary, "Rainbow Soup: Adventures in Poetry"

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