From Booklist
Bauer introduces her idea of a poetry break, in which someone appears unannounced before a school class or other group, announces "Poetry break!" and recites or reads a short poem to the group, and then moves on. She discusses the benefits of the idea, possible audiences, volunteer presenters, choosing the poems, and methods of presentation. Most of the book is an anthology of short poems that lend themselves to poetry breaks, along with Bauer's comments, suggestions for related activities, and short lists of other books and poems that tie in with a given theme. Rounding out the volume are annotated bibliographies that list poetry resources for teachers and poetry books for children, as well as a general index and author, title, first-line, and subject indexes to the poems. Upbeat and down-to-earth, this book could be a useful guide for teachers and librarians looking for ways to kindle children's enthusiasm for poetry. Carolyn Phelan
