Module 14

Module 14

A Kick in the Head

Summary
It is a poetry book that teaches the many kinds of poetry there is by giving examples.  Each type of poem is defined in small print and the example is in bigger font.  It is illustrated in a somewhat abstract way but colorful.

Citation
Janeczko, Paul B. (2005).  A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms. Candlewick Press: Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Impressions
This is the kind of poetry book I need.  It is relatively short, informative and entertaining.  For me, the illustrations were decorative but not very relevant.  They did not add much to the poetry, in my opinion.  I very much enjoyed seeing all of the different kinds of poems and seeing the examples.  Probably some of the forms are very rarely used but the examples were good.  It almost makes me think I could write some poetry. 

Review

Tillotson, Laura.(2006). Book Links , Vol. 15 (3), p32-33. Retrieved from Library & Information Science Source 7 Dec. 2013.

This marvelous follow-up to Janeczko and Raschka's

A Poke in the I

is an accessible look at a variety

of poetic forms, from the more
familiar sonnet and limerick to lesserknown
forms such as the clerihew (a
poem that makes fun of a celebrity)
and the aubade (a poem that "laments
or celebrates the coming ofthe
dawn"). With poems by both classic
poets (Shakespeare and Ogden Nash)
and contemporary writers (Kristine
O'Gonnell George and many more),
each page or two pages focuses on
one form, witb Raschkas stylistic
multimedia illustrations boldly splashing
across the white backgrounds.
Comparing the constraints of
poetic forms to rules in
sports ("Imagine how muchless intriguing the game would be if
there were no foul lines"), Janeczko
provides a brief explanation of each
form on the pages where the poems
appear, in addition to "Notes on the
Forms" at the end ofthe book. Perfect
for classroom use, this terrific picture
book will help students appreciate
poetry and become better poets

Uses
With a poety unit going on in English, this book could be a great tool and example of the different types of poems.  Could get more practice and put the poems up in the library.