Book Review – R is for Rhyming
What better way to celebrate National Poetry Month than with a book about poetry?
I love reading poetry but I haven’t always understood the reason and rhyme behind it. When I ran across R is for Rhyming by Judy Young I fell in love. This seemingly simple alphabet book is a book for everyone in the family. There’s even a Cowboy Rap for dad and some others I’m sure.
I found the pictures to be bright and appealing with original poems that even the smallest child will enjoy. Parents, teachers, homeschoolers, and writers alike will enjoy attempting to write as Judy did using her explanations. For those of us who want to understand more about an iambic meter, haiku, cinquain, sonnets, and quatrains this seemingly simple little picture book is filled with explanations of beats per line, syllables, rhyme schemes, and lines per stanza. Didn’t I make that sound intimidating? Not at all when Judy Young explains each style on its own page. She even tells us how to construct a jingle. Now that might earn us a few prize-winning dollars.
You don’t feel like writing a sonnet today? Maybe you’d rather try a ghazal. Yeah, I never heard of it either. It’s an ancient Persian poem. Or maybe you’d rather a trip to France today. Then try writing a kyrielle. Young children love imaginary places. Let them write a Xanadu.
Ms. Young also lets us know who is famous for writing in the different styles. Shakespeare wrote sonnets. Robert Frost, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Edna St. Vincent Millay wrote end rhymes. George Herbert wrote picture or shaped poetry in the 1600s but the one considered the father of shaped poetry is Guillaume Apollinaire in the 1900s. Last but not least is the poet who wrote Zany words. Can you guess who? Why Dr. Seuss! Of course, there were others. Maybe you can write Zany word poems too. Try it! Let’s see what you can do.
Blessings, Gail Cartee
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