Customer Reviews

I AM PHOENIX LB

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The poems in this book are meant to be read aloud by two different people. Each person reads one of the two columns aloud and lines written on the same line are said simultaneously. This volume contains poems about birds.

My 9 year old son, who doesn't like to read out loud, loves to say these poems with me. It takes a couple of readings to get the cadence right, so this becomes a wonderful way to work on diction while having a tremendous amount of fun.

My son is not a great reader even though his dad and I have read to him every night since birth. His eyes would glaze over after I read a while and he couldn't read fast enough to suit me so I was delighted when his teacher suggested this book. The interaction is great: each reading "our" side...then changing sides...then reading all of it in unison. When your child is listening, watching and reading at the same time, it's just more enjoyable. The poems themselves are fun but the format of two voices...priceless.

We are a homeschool family with two students fourth grade and kindergarten-and-a-half. I ordered this and the author's other for two voices to promote an appreciation for poetry in all of us, but also to make reading look more appealing than it does to my younger student. It's working! I'm lazy. When I read poetry, I skip reading aloud for enjoyment, because it takes more time. Believing myself to be very busy, a conceit --since my days have as many hours as everyone else's, I also frequently fall into the trap of having only 'necessary' conversation with my children. Reading and rehearsing (yes, it takes a bit to learn to read them correctly) these poems engages us all socially. My oldest daughter and I are beginning music students, so I'm hoping this will help 'wire' our brains for ensemble performance. (But enough about us!) We've also enjoyed the content of both books--both words and pictures. Hope that helps.

"I Am Phoenix" is a great poem, as is "The Last Passenger Pigeon" and "The Common Egret". This book is so much fun to read aloud. Reciting a poem with a partner isn't as easy as it looks, but it's fun trying. My students enjoy the poems and we are able to discern the different voices of the birds ... prideful, sorrowful, joyful, etc. Get this book and the other poem for two voices about bugs -- when you get that one, enjoy "Cricket".

These poems are music. Only the talented score-reader will be able to fully conjure up the sound of them read aloud. Still, the solo reader will have the birds themselves beautifully imagined through the pictures and words. Though there is some humor in these poems, there is also a full range of emotions. I don't think this book was intended for children in particular. Like any true poetry or music, there is no age limit on enjoyment.