One Book I Love: Lunch Money and Other Poems About School

It’s the second day of school, and I’m continuing to share some of my favorite school-based poetry collections. This one, Lunch Money and Other Poems About School, is by Carol Diggory Shields. It’s more than 10 years old and is one of the first children’s poetry collections I fell in love with. In fact, I used this collection as a kind of mentor text while working on a very early version of a poetry collection on a different topic. She uses many different approaches, topics, moods, and meters, and it’s a great example of a well put together collection.

Here’s one of the (many) poems in here that makes me laugh:

Amanda

I think Amanda likes me.
I think Amanda cares.
Today she kicked my lunch box
Halfway down the stairs.

I think Amanda likes me.
I think it’s really true.
At the hallway fountain,
She spit water on my shoe.

I think Amanda likes me.
I knew it when she said
She thinks I’m gross, disgusting,
And a total cootie-head.

Now there’s a boy who understands girls! And Shields understands kids in general. This collection will take you right back to third grade, I swear!