A New Poetry Middle Grade Graphic Novel – Poetry Comics

April 23, 2024
goodreadswithronna
Ages 8-12, Children's Book Reviews, Comics & Graphic Novels, Emotions & Feelings, Graphic Novel, Holidays & Celebrations, Imagination & Play, Juvenile Fiction, MG Fiction, Middle Grade Book Review, Middle Grade Fiction, National Poetry Month, Poems, Reluctant Readers

APRIL IS NATIONAL POETRY MONTH SO …

IT’S TIME FOR

POETRY COMICS

Written and illustrated by Grant Snider

(Chronicle Kids; $18.99, Ages 8-12)

★ Starred Reviews – Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly

Reading a well-crafted poem always fills me with awe. I wonder how the poet made it look so easy. The words flow magically on the page yet I know the great skill involved in composing one. That describes my first impressions of this middle-grade graphic novel. Add to that the joyful comic-style artwork and you’ve got the winning Poetry Comics by Grant Snider, a celebration of seasons and so much more, beginning with spring.

Poetry Comics int1 sprinting through sprinkler. — Interior art by Grant Snider from Poetry Comics written and illustrated by Grant Snider, Chronicle Kids ©2024.

Snider’s book puts four seasons of poetry at children’s fingertips. He captures the everyday world from their perspective. Here’s a short one I love. “Joy is the feeling of sprinting through the first sprinkler of spring.” (See the art above.) It resonated with me even though I no longer partake in this warm weather ritual. Seeing the child’s delight in this activity, filled my heart and reminded me of when my kids were growing up.

Another in this section that will spark imaginations, is the impressive “Shape Story” where the mix of shapes and verse morph into a clever story about a girl flying a kite on a sunny but windy day as rain clouds roll in. (See the art below.)

Poetry Comics int2 Shape and Balloon poems — Interior art by Grant Snider from Poetry Comics written and illustrated by Grant Snider, Chronicle Kids ©2024.

Poems come in vibrant colors and various lengths. They feature end rhymes, subtle internal rhymes, assonance, consonance, and an uplifting lyrical quality that matches the cheerful illustrations. I found myself pausing frequently to admire this engaging approach. As I read I felt this book would have inspired me as a child to try my hand at composing a poem or two along with drawings or doodles. I think it’s going to do the same for young readers today. Teachers can embrace this book for its multiple entry points whether that be for comic and graphic novel fans, reluctant readers, or poetry lovers who want to stretch that creative muscle more.

Poetry_Comics_int3_summer_ferris_wheel Poetry Comics int3 summer ferris wheel — Interior art by Grant Snider from Poetry Comics written and illustrated by Grant Snider, Chronicle Kids ©2024.

I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed this unique poetry book but instead, I recommend you see for yourselves and let me know what you think.

Click here for another National Poetry Month review.

Great Poetry Books for Children

April 30, 2015
goodreadswithronna
Ages 3 and up, Children's Book Reviews, Juvenile Fiction, Juvenile Fiction - Nature & the Natural World, Poems & Poetry, The Seasons of the Year

We Say Good-bye to National Poetry Month

We kicked off National Poetry Month with a terrific poetry book and we’ll end the month the same way!

Let’s look at CHANGES: A Child’s First Poetry Collection by Charlotte Zolotow with illustrations by Tiphanie Beeke and an introduction by Zolotow’s daughter, writer Crescent Dragonwagon (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; $16.99, Ages 3 and up). The late, great, award-winning author and poet, Charlotte Zolotow, wrote many of the poems I learned as a child. Perhaps you recall some of them, too.

Now with this collection of her seasonal poetry gathered together for the first time, you can share the 28 poems and watch youngsters experience the same joy you did upon hearing them years ago. The selection of poems begins with spring and finishes in winter. The book closes with a touching poem called So Will I that might even bring a tear to your eye as it did to mine. In this poem a young narrator recounts hearing his grandfather’s beautiful memories of nature from his youthful days. This poem, like the others, as Dragonwagon so aptly points out, is “deceptively simple, transparent and refreshing as a glass of clean, clear, cold spring-water.” Drink up!

The opening poem, Change, with its subtle message, is one of my favorites. Here’s how it begins:

This summer
still hangs
heavy and sweet
with sunlight
as it did last year.

Interior artwork from Changes: A Child’s First Poetry Collection by Charlotte Zolotow with illustrations by Tiphanie Beeke and an introduction by Crescent Dragonwagon, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky ©2015.

In addition to Zolotow’s cyclical poems with evocative titles such as The Spring Wind, Crocus, By the Sea, Beetle, The Leaves and The First Snow, another treat of Changes: A Child’s First Poetry Collection is that it’s full of gorgeous illustrations. Beeke’s watercolor artwork is vibrant and cheerful, composed with a light touch and full heart. With each turn of the page, there’s something pleasing to look at whether it’s a small insect on a book in The Fly or a snowy woods teeming with life in Here.

In this centenary of Zolotow’s birth, it’s wonderful that we can celebrate her contribution to children’s literature, and recognize the brilliance of her poetry which continues to resonate today as strongly as it did when first written.

– Reviewed by Ronna Mandel