Read a Rhyme, Write a Rhyme [Library Binding]

Jack Prelutsky (Compiler), Meilo So (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

When Jack Prelutksy posted the first couplet of a funny poem on a Web site and invited children to finish it, he expected about 100 responses. He got thousands. Now he has come up with an anthology of poems on 10 popular subjects by well-known poets and combined it with his own “poemstarts.” Included with each poemstart are suggestions for various ways the reader might continue the poem. With large type and a big red stop sign, it is made abundantly clear that the reader get a pencil and paper to complete the poem. Jack Prelutsky has been credited with making poetry fun for children to read. Now he is making poetry fun for children to write!


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4–Prelutsky designed this collection to jumpstart children's creative juices. Three short poems were chosen for each theme: dogs, food, birthdays, bugs, cows, friends, snow, turtles, rain, and self. He also includes a poemstart: an unfinished verse, along with advice and lists of rhyming words, so that readers can complete the poem on their own. The compiler displays a fine sense for lighthearted, kid-friendly poetry; highlights include Alice Schertle's Moo, Myra Cohn Livingston's Birthday, and Karla Kuskin's Running Away. Readers will be drawn to the book's attractive design; So's watercolor-and-ink illustrations add playfully jumbled perspectives. This title is aimed at a younger audience than most poetry/creative writing guides; Janet S. Wong's You Have to Write (S & S, 2002) is for older primary-grade students. Both books are notable for their direct, practical approach and will be valued by teachers and young writers.–Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. Poetry becomes interactive in this attractive picture-book anthology, put together by the popular Prelutsky. The oversize format allows room for several poems on each spread, with each group of poems centered on a particular theme: snow, bugs, birthdays, different animals. The poems, from a variety of writers, are short and pithy, and they pave the way for the "poemstart" on each spread: Prelutsky starts a poem on the topic and invites readers to finish it. Accompanying each poemstart are some suggestions for writing poetry or a biographical anecdote. The watercolor artwork that enlivens each spread is deliciously varied: big and small dogs; a giant foot in a sneaker scattering bugs out of the way; a snowball fight, part of a whirling, snowy scene. This is a well-conceived package that will be especially useful in classrooms. A thoughtful introductory note beginning "READ THIS NOW!" reminds kids not to write in the book. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (October 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375922865
• ISBN-13: 978-0375922862
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,562,854 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for Reluctant Poets, July 30, 2006

By 

Melissa M. Hunteman (Richmond, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Read a Rhyme, Write a Rhyme (Hardcover)

As a teacher for third and fourth grade students, it is sometimes difficult to convince them that they can be master poets. This innovative book by Prelutsky helps them to rise to the challenge. By getting to read an amusing poem first,then guided through writing a creative one for themselves, Jack Prelutsky has allowed kids to tinker with the idea of poetry without having to follow a certain set of rules. The kids love his work, and his ideas and poem starters set them off on the "write" track. It has become one of the most borrowed books from my personal library.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poemstarts, October 7, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Read a Rhyme, Write a Rhyme (Hardcover)

How do you encourage young poets to get started? One way is through the method advocated in Read a Rhyme, Write a Rhyme: by creating a 'poemstart' which offers a beginning structure and tells the young poet to follow along. The purpose is to provide enough encouragement and direction to allow kids to continue the effort: pictures by Meilo So add excitement and energy to the beginner's 'poemstarts' featured here.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Just okay, March 3, 2009

By 

Poet's grandma (LA, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Read a Rhyme, Write a Rhyme (Paperback)

This book is fun but teaches little about poetry other than how to end sentences in rhyming words. It gives kids a head start, but with a poem that the author (a poet laureate) mostly wrote, that isn't much of a feeling of accomplishment.