A Lucky Thing [Hardcover]

Alice Schertle (Author), Wendell Minor (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Is it hard to write poetry? In an old barn, a girl sits at a table and writes poems. She notices the rooster and the weather vane and how, in unexpected ways, they have much in common. She writes about writing poetry. It’s not easy! Finally, in the late-night silence, “a small gray verse runs squeaking down one of the rafters/just as the moon floats in through the double barn door.” Discover fourteen extraordinary poems about the world around us—and the world within our imaginations—exquisitely illustrated with dreamlike images by a master painter.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 6A book thats filled with both rhyming and free verse to inspire childrens senses of observation. The 13 selections are loosely connected by the first and last poems written in the voice of the poet as she sits in her barn and observes the sounds and smells and movements of the world around her. She begins, Right here/on this/clean/white page/Ill scatter some words,/watch them grow./Ill plant/a meadow. Poems celebrating the natural life of the farm tell of the barn that rode the storm and the sheep that look like old tombstones/sunk down shoulder deep. The poignant title poem reflects on a robin and some chickens who consider it a lucky thing to be the other. Several poems are sure to be favorites of those who celebrate the creative process. Poem about Rabbit is A pink-eyed poem/that watches/from the/edges/of the page,/that nibbles/at the/corners/of my mind. Head Full of Turtle gives new meaning to writers block. Minors bright watercolor paintings fill the pages with warmth and humor. Children will love looking for symbols of writing in each of the pictures. A terrific choice for reading aloud to younger children and for encouraging upper-elementary graders to write about their worlds.Joan Zaleski, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

The Barn
Calling The Sun
From A Distance
Head Full Of Turtle
Invitation From A Mole
A Lucky Thing
One
Poem About Rabbit
Pond
Right Here
Scarecrow
Showing The Wind
A Traditional Frog's Curse
Writing Past Midnight
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (April 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152005412
• ISBN-13: 978-0152005412
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,771,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lucky Thing is wonderful to explore with a child., April 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: A Lucky Thing (Hardcover)

A Lucky Thing is a wonderful book to share with your favorite elementary children. The crisp and seemingly 3-dimensional pictures will reel these children in and hold them long enough to discover the gentle, thought-provoking poems. The 14 poems use a clear voice to share with the reader common sights on a farm. The poems are often funny without being silly. What do chickens think when they see birds flying by? What could frogs be trying to say when sitting on a lily pad croaking all day? These poems will give you some answers.

When I beckoned my 9 year old to explore this book with me, he complained, "No, please not poetry"! Then he couldn't help but touch sharpened pencil and feather quill on the opening pages. They were so clear, so sharp, they seemed to be real. Ha... he was caught. We were soon reading together and aloud! We went back and forth in the book looking at the details in the pictures and trying to decide which poems were our favorite. Later I caught him reading it again, on his own. The magic in this book had worked. He had put down the video game and read a book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Love this Book!, December 4, 2005

By 

Laura (San Dimas, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Lucky Thing (Hardcover)

I found this book in a Scholastic catalogue when I was teaching third grade. I bought it so that I could expose my students to different poems and poets, and I found it to be truly fabulous! The poems are imaginative, clever, and beautiful. And the illustrations are simply amazing. The poems and artwork delicately capture the harmony and magic of both the natural world, and the world of writing itself. Many of my students, especially my lower readers, bought this book when the following month's catalogue came out. I was surprised just how many kids were inspired and entertained by it. It has become one of my favorite children's poetry books, and I highly recommend it!