LS 5663 Module 3: Poetic Form

A Poke in the I

Janeczko, Paul B. 2001. A POKE IN THE I. Illustrated by Chris Raschka. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. ISBN 0763606628.



Review:

A POKE IN THE I is a collection of thirty concrete poems by various poets, including Douglas Florian and Robert Froman. Even the books illustrator, Chris Raschka, gets his hand in the act with his poem "Cat Chair". 

Concrete poems are different from other forms of poetry. In many cases, the font and placement of the page determines the poem. Due to the uniqueness of concrete poems, they each have a rhythm all their own. Readers new to concrete poems may encounter difficulties at first, but with practice, these poems become easier to read. Due to the unusual shapes of concrete poems, one must pay attention to the flow and direction of the words.

Chris Raschka used watercolor, ink, and torn paper to create illustrations that not only enhances each poem, in some cases, the illustration becomes the poem. 

One of the most interesting poems is Monica Kulling's "Tennis Anyone?". Using a full two-page spread, this poem forces the reader's eyes to shift from page to page much like an actual tennis match. 


Highlighted Poem:


Crickets by Aram Saroyan


crickets
crickess
cricksss
cricssss
crisssss
crssssss
csssssss
ssssssss
ssssssts
sssssets
sssskets
sssckets
ssickets
srickets
crickets


Possible Uses:


The format used for the poem "Crickets" could be used in any subject area. Teachers could have students choose an animal or insect to create their own concrete poem. Students would then illustrate their poem using torn paper as Chris Raschka did in this book.