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A Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poems Paperback – March 3, 2005

by Paul B. Janeczko (Editor), Chris Raschka (Illustrator)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 50 ratings
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"These aren't poems to read aloud, but to look at and laugh at together, with young children and especially older readers, who will enjoy the surprise of what words look like and what can be done with them." — Booklist (starred review)

Concrete poems startle and delight the eye and mind. The size and arrangement of words and letters can add or alter meaning — forming a poem that takes the shape of crows that fly off the page or becoming a balloon filled with rhyme, drifting away from outstretched hands. Here, in a single extraordinary volume, are thirty poems from some of the world's finest visual poets, including John Hollander, Emmett Williams, Maureen W. Armour, and Douglas Florian. Tucked inside the front cover are tips, guidelines, and inspiration for writing your own concrete poems.
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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    6 - 9 years
  2. Print length
    48 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    1 - 4
  5. Lexile measure
    NP
  6. Dimensions
    9.88 x 0.21 x 9.88 inches
  7. Publisher
    Candlewick
  8. Publication date
    March 3, 2005
  9. ISBN-10
    0763623768
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0763623760
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Raschka's restrained collages of calligraphic watercolor lines and torn paper leave most everything to the poems. He and Janeczko provide an uncluttered, meditative space for the picturesque language.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

This book's playful vision that 'the arrangement of letters or words on the page, the typefaces chosen, and the way space is used, add meaning to the poem beyond that contained in the actual words' never wavers.
—The Horn Book (starred review)

These aren't poems to read aloud, but to look at and laugh at together, with young children and especially with older readers, who will enjoy the surprise of what words look like and what can be done with them.
—Booklist (starred review)

Every one of these poems is a winner, and each stimulates a kind of mental acrobatics that is as exhilarating as the exuberant art, and as refreshing and fun as the poems themselves. Truly a tour de force.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

. . . kids will have little trouble figuring out what they are all about, or trying out their own. Beautiful and playful, this title should find use in storytimes, in the classroom, and just for pleasure anywhere.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

About the Author

 

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Candlewick; Reprint edition (March 3, 2005)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 48 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0763623768
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0763623760
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 6 - 9 years
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ NP
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 1 - 4
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.88 x 0.21 x 9.88 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 50 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Paul B. Janeczko

    Paul B. Janeczko

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  2. Chris Raschka

    Chris Raschka

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    Chris Raschka is the Caldecott Award-winning illustrator of A BALL FOR DAISY and THE HELLO, GOODBYE WINDOW. He is also the illustrator of YO! YES? (which won a Caldecott Honor), SOURPUSS AND SWEETIE PIE, CHARLIE PARKER PLAYED BE BOP, and FARMY FARM. He lives with his wife and son in New York City.

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
50 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Nikki
5.0 out of 5 stars Love!
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2021
Verified Purchase
Great book for teaching poetry! Shape poems are so much fun to do with my 2nd graders!
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Tamie Hasty
5.0 out of 5 stars The book came in good condition!
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2016
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Thanks! The book came in good condition!
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N. Nelson
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2015
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A fun and quirky poetry book for adults and children.
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Kay Effron
5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2013
Super cute book!! Perfect for third graders for learning how poems work.
My students really enjoyed it. Great read! Michelle
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NK
4.0 out of 5 stars Charming Poems
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2018
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This is a nice collection of poems for children, but some are pretty esoteric. Very different from a Robert Louis Stevenson book, for example.
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Chess Heart
5.0 out of 5 stars playing with poetry and form!
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2002
Concrete poems are different from other poems, as the editor Mr. Janeczko notes at the beginning of "A Poke in the I". In many cases, the poems type font or the way it is laid out on the page determines the poem. Many of the poems take a specific shape in the way they're laid out on the page. For example, a beautiful poem called "Eskimo Pie" is in the shape of that frozen desert, with the words themselves forming the arched top and "stick". Some poems rotate around in spirals or take the shape of animals. Some poems leap around the page and it is the words themselves that show the action of the poem.
While many poems could stand alone by themselves, Mr. Raschka has given them all additional illustrations. His illustration style of broad lines, bright colors and bold patterns in the manner of Eric Carle augments each poem beautifully whether it's about rain softly falling, a danelion blowing in the wind or two people watching a train go by.
It is, of course, singularly difficult to review a book of this type because it's impossible to duplicate the exact layout of these poems which stretch, splish and splash across the pages. To put the poems into single lines stacked on top of one another in word-processor format would be to ruin them and take all the fun out of this splendid work. You therefore have to see them in all their glory on the page with Mr. Raschka's illustrations.
I've used this book a few times in my own classroom to inspire students who are less than enthusiastic about writing poetry. Making concrete poetry (or "form poetry" as I called it in school) offers readers and students a different perspective on what is often considered a mundane form of writing. A lot of fun and highly recommended!
15 people found this helpful
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Erin Proctor Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars Buyers should beware of reader criticisms
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2002
Readers who state that concrete poetry is too advanced for children are unaware of how stilted that thinking is. If the children were writing the criticisms, you would surely get a different view.

Poetry does not exist to be "gotten" (or understood) by it's readers, or pigeon-holed into one interpretation. Do not underestimate the capacity of a child to comprehend a poet's message. This book is a wonderful opportunity for children to learn to love and appreciate poetry. Children learn to write by using a combination of writing and drawing (driting). So this book is the perfect segue into a genre that many children never learn to appreciate, because it is force-fed to them from the beginning as something that has one purpose. They are led to believe the goal of reading poetry is to discover "the meaning," and in the process the joy is taken away. Maybe that is why so many adults cannot appreciate poetry. They do not know how. This thinking is not a way to promote literacy.

If you want poems that are dumbed-down to meet what you think a child can appreciate about poetry at an early age, then do not buy this book.

Otherwise, do your child an incredible favor and allow them to explore, at their own pace, this book and this genre.
25 people found this helpful
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Barbara Bell
5.0 out of 5 stars Hold onto your imagination...it may just run away from you!
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2002
Concrete poems force you to dance, shimmy, and shake when read. These are not poems that tiptoe around a subject. They stomp! They laugh out loud...and this laughter is contagious! I find myself going back to the book time and time again...just one more peek, I tell myself for the 37th time.
This collection of poems is a language lover's dream! It is a juggler throwing words up in the air just to see how they come down again, only to be caught, and returned to the air.
This is a book that will not allow you to sit still. Children will catch the excitement of poetry as well. May they run with it and have a blast!
12 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

RE
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in India on January 7, 2020
Verified Purchase
A very good collection of poems.
These are structural (?) Poems.
Poems enjoyed by how the word is write and presented to us.
Beautiful illustration and presentation.
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