Rainbow Soup: Adventures in Poetry [Hardcover]

Brian P. Cleary (Author), Neal Layton (Illustrator)

Book Description

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

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(tm) series, this playful poetry collection includes limericks, puns, palindromes, and more. Short annotations explain the various forms and terms of poetry used.

Editorial Reviews

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
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Carolrhoda Books (January 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157505597X
• ISBN-13: 978-1575055978
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,159,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brian P. Cleary is the creator of the best-selling Words Are CATegorical® series, now a 16-volume set with more than 2.4 million copies in print. He is also the author of the Math Is CATegorical® series and several single titles including The Laugh Stand: Adventures in Humor and Rainbow Soup: Adventures in Poetry.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Teacher's Best Friend, September 24, 2005

By 

AllAboutWords (Queens, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rainbow Soup: Adventures in Poetry (Hardcover)

This book is PERFECT for the teacher who enjoys poetry, but has a hard time coming up with usable lesson plans for her third through sixth graders. My 10 year-old son doesn't even know he's learning. He just loves the funny silly, Silverstein-like poems and fun, wobbly illustrations. With footnotes to explain what type of poem (like macaronic verse, limerick, concrete poem, haiku, villanelle, lantern) or poetic term (like feminine rhyme, couplet, stanza), Rainbow Soup is this teacher's - and this Mom's - best friend!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars verse loving mom of five, October 25, 2004

By 

A. Foster "mother of five" (avon lake, ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rainbow Soup: Adventures in Poetry (Hardcover)

Does it get any better than this? In this creative collection of verses that even my thirteen year old son and his friends were laughing over, Cleary not only manages to offer a very readable, fun assortment of clever poetry that kids can enjoy reading themselves...or listening to...he's also added simple but informative footnotes aimed at younger readers that would make any English teacher add this book to their list of required reading. RAINBOW SOUP contains lots of laugh-out-loud humor that both my husband and I AND our 6 year old daughter can enjoy...but at the same time, it shows memorable examples clearly illustrating what a limerick is ~ or a pun, a haiku, palindromes, internal rhyme, parody, couplets, etc., etc. I only wish I'd had this book when I struggled through American Poetry in college! One of my children's favorites (which they've all committed to memory) is a piece Cleary says is "the shortest known poem in the world" called, "What I'd Do If A Burglar Broke Into My House." It goes like this: "I'd hide." There's even a poem meant to teach the villanelle form (something I was never taught) which includes the refrain: "We're going to the villa, Nell." I've purchased three copies (in addition to my own) for 2 friends and 1 relative, all school teachers. They all agree this book lives up to it's subtitle, "Adventures in Poetry." One of my favorites, which exemplifies Cleary's strengths as both teacher and humorist, is the ode to e.e. cummings (no capital letters of course) which ends: "thank you for undreary theory/ style, wit, and grace./your books are always on my shelf/tucked in my lower case." Kid tested, Mother approved - a solid five stars for Rainbow Soup.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Whimsy & Instruction, April 6, 2011

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VReviews (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Rainbow Soup: Adventures in Poetry (Hardcover)

Cleary is probably best known for his "Words are CATegorical" grammar instructional series. This time around he has delved into the world of poetry instruction, and it's a winner. Different formats, such as haiku, rebus, and concrete to name just a few, are accompanied by fun whimsical poems that give students engaging examples of each style. Scattered throughout you'll find definitions of language devices such as alliteration, personification, and parody that give further insight it the wondrous world of descriptive language choice. Perfect for any age.