Prelutsky, Jack. 1984. The new kid on the block. Ill. by James Stevenson. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

recommended ages: 3rd through 6th grade

An assortment of poems that engage the reader quickly, we meet all sorts of characters on the pages of this book. And best of all: each has a hook that inexorably pulls the reader on to read "just one more."

This is a great way for poetry haters to get back into the joy and pleasure of poetry: non-serious (though a few touches of honest truth appear strategically), laugh-out-loud funny at times, and always enjoyable. This is no analytical, heavy experience in rhyme that will turn students away from reading.

Prelutsky is the master children's poet, of course, as illustrated by his nomination as the first Children's Poet Laureate. Teachers and parents looking for a sure-fire way to engage students in poetry will be happy that, after over 20 years, this volume is still readily available and still very relevant to readers.

Key words: poetry, rhyme, school, family life

Greenfield, Eloise. 2006. The friendly four. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Recommended for: grades K - 3rd.

From the voice of Drum, we see the long, boring summer stretching out ahead with no relief in site and way too much attention given to the baby. But one by one friends appear on the scene, and summer turns into Good Summer. Through shared trials and trouble, the four young friends knit a cloth of friendship that will endure beyond the summer.

Written as a verse novel, the various verses and voices are skillfully crafted to tell the story of Drum and his friends. Each day's verse speaks clearly of the emotions and senses that the children experience. There is an occasional rhyme that steps out to catch the reader's attention and pleasure, but the free verse flows lyrically as well.

This will be a great volume to recommend to thoughtful elementary children who can identify with the long days of summer that are often enlivened by friends and companions.

Key words: friends, poetry, free verse

Creech, Sharon. 2001. Love that dog. New York: Joanna Colter Books.

recommended for: grades upper 3rd through 6

A very normal and poetry-resistant boy finds, through the course of a school year, that he does indeed have something to say and a way to express himself in poetry. Through journal-like entries, each of which are a form of the expressive genre of poetry, reveal to the read the metacognitive growth of Jack who not only develops his author's voice but also revisits, and heals from, a trauma in his past.

The only illustration for the book is on the front cover: the spare sketch of a dog drawn by William Steig. But unexpectedly, the text inside the volume is strongly visual with the formatting and white space that signify works of poetry. Creech presents a skillful melding of message and design that let us see Jack's growth as a poet and as a child who comes to understand himself. The give-and-take of a student's honest journal entries and the teacher's responses requiring the boy to extend himself (the teacher's name is Ms. Stretchberry) create a wonderful plotline, in the midst of the verse novel, that engages the reader and leads to a delightful ending.

I look forward to using this with my upper level boys who might share Jack's view of poetry: "only girls do that." Ths is an engaging book that will strike a chord in many readers (and one of the few that I have read in one sitting).

Key words: dogs, boys, poetry, writing