Laura Purdie Salas

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You are here: Home / Poems for Kids / Poetry Friday: Chicken Scratches (George Shannon)

Poetry Friday: Chicken Scratches (George Shannon)

September 9, 2010 By Laura

It’s been a good poetry reading week for me. I finished Borrowed Names (Henry Holt, 2010), Jeannine Atkins‘ beautiful poetry/biography collection I blogged about last week. I didn’t expect it, but I loved the Marie/Irene Curie section even more than the Laura/Rose Wilder one. Such a satisfying book!

And I read Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs (Candlewick, 2010), a fantastic novel in verse by Ron Koertge. Strong poems, interesting characters–with a teen boy main character, and a good story. What more could you want?

I also read Chicken Scratches: Poultry Poems and Rooster Rhymes (Chronicle, 2010), by George Shannon and Lynn Brunelle, illustrated by Scott Menchin. I saw this one at ALA this summer and had to check it out.

Silly poems often don’t attract me, and I’ll admit a few poems in this book fell flat for me. But overall, this is a clever, dark collection that had me cackling! Here are two of my favorites:

Sick Day

The day the rooster had the flu
he could not cock-a-doodle-do.
He could not walk. He could not talk.
No one was sure just what to do.
They called a doctor to the coop,
who brought a bowl of chicken soup.
"Drink up," he said. "It’s good for you.
I promise it’s no one you know."

–George Shannon and Lynn Brunelle

This second poem is unlike any of the other poems in the book, and I love its mix of fact and poetry and how it makes me view chickens in a whole new light.

Time Traveler

We chickens are a time trip,
we’re visions from the past–
we’re living, breathing relatives
of creatures long, long past.

My feathers, wings, and scaly feet
have ancient tales to tell
of Stegosaurus, Allosaurus,
locked inside each cell.

See the Archaeopteryx
emerging as I soar?
Listen to my cluck and hear
Tyrannosaurus roar!

Supersaurus, Hadrosaur,
Agilosaurus, too.
Velociraptor, Troodon,
the whole Jurassic crew.

All that dino DNA
lives in my family tree.
Want to see a dinosaur?
Just take a look at me!

–George Shannon and Lynn Brunelle

The prolific Anastasia Suen has the Poetry Friday roundup today. Go enjoy!

Tagged With: poems, poetry books, Poetry Friday

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MAY NEWS

All 3 of my 2023 books are out now! Thank you to everyone who's celebrated with me, shared the books, or read/reviewed them. <3

Right now, I'm recovering from National Poetry Month! I'm also working on 2 tricky picture book revisions, and I'm preparing for a bunch of speaking events and storytimes! Join Yvonne Pearson and I for two loon-themed outdoor storytimes on June 6 and August 1. And on July 14, I'll be storying up a storm at Robert Trail Library! Hope to see you there!

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