U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis has a couple of new books that I just read, and today I’m sharing a poem from one of them, Edgar Allan Poe’s Pie: Math Puzzlers in Classic Poems (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012). Each poem is a remake or spoof of a classic poem by a well-known poet, like Langston Hughes, Emily Dickinson, and, of course, Edgar Allan Poe. Aaaaaand, each poem contains a word problem! Is that a fantastic concept, or what?
Kids tired of trying to decipher the “meaning” of a poem will be happy to?find concrete answers here. Just solve the math problem contained in each one. It’s sure to distract your English teacher:>) And the answers are given after each poem, not within it. How fun it would be to come into math class, read the poem, and try to solve the problem.
I think the book will have even more appeal to secondary teachers who want to share classic poems and contemporary updates of them. And then want to set their kids loose to spoof a classic poem of their own.
Here’s one of my favorites from the collection, and here’s the original John Ciardi poem it’s based on. And illustrator Michael Slack (did I mention how fun the art is?) shares the spread containing this poem here.
John Ciardi’s Shark Dentist
Inspired by “About the Teeth of Sharks” by John Ciardi
The thing about a shark is–teeth,
Said shark expert my brother Keith.To study sharks, he happily
Set sail to greet them out at sea.Keith counted the first pointed row–
Eight hundred twelve! Four rows to go.If each of those had half as many.
How many teeth would equal plenty?Before Keith finished adding, he
Was swallowed by shark dentistry.–J. Patrick Lewis, all rights reserved
Irene Latham at Live Your Poem (whose beautiful novel Leaving Gee’s Bend I finally read) has the Poetry Friday Roundup today!
This seems like a really fun book. My fourth graders have loved, loved, loved FORGIVE ME, I MEANT TO DO IT and have totally surprised me with their takeoffs of William Carlos Williams. It seems like this one might offer similar possibilities. Thanks!
That’s on my list to feature soon, too:>) Rhymed poems are harder to spoof, since good rhymed poems are harder for kids to write. But there are free verse options here, too. Have your fourth graders give it a try!
This seems like a really fun book. My fourth graders have loved, loved, loved FORGIVE ME, I MEANT TO DO IT and have totally surprised me with their takeoffs of William Carlos Williams. It seems like this one might offer similar possibilities. Thanks!
That’s on my list to feature soon, too:>) Rhymed poems are harder to spoof, since good rhymed poems are harder for kids to write. But there are free verse options here, too. Have your fourth graders give it a try!
This looks like such fun! I really appreciate the peek inside as I am making a list to build our kids’ poetry library — and of course I keep fretting over every title. Wish I could have them all!
(I just finished Irene’s novel, too – how lovely was that??)
I always love seeing an inside spread, and I always appreciate bloggers and artists who share them. (I never do–don’t know where they find the time and energy to get the permissions, but I’m glad they do:>)
This looks like such fun! I really appreciate the peek inside as I am making a list to build our kids’ poetry library — and of course I keep fretting over every title. Wish I could have them all!
(I just finished Irene’s novel, too – how lovely was that??)
I always love seeing an inside spread, and I always appreciate bloggers and artists who share them. (I never do–don’t know where they find the time and energy to get the permissions, but I’m glad they do:>)
I’m sure many different classes would enjoy this, poems with a bonus problem embedded. Very fun to see what they could do with it. Pure integration of poetry and math! Thanks for sharing Laura. I haven’t heard about this one.
Check it out–I’ll be interested to see what you think and what you do with it…:>)
I’m sure many different classes would enjoy this, poems with a bonus problem embedded. Very fun to see what they could do with it. Pure integration of poetry and math! Thanks for sharing Laura. I haven’t heard about this one.
Check it out–I’ll be interested to see what you think and what you do with it…:>)
Wow. What a great concept for a book. And this would be such a great cross-curricular exercise for Poetry Month.
Isn’t it a terrific idea?
Wow. What a great concept for a book. And this would be such a great cross-curricular exercise for Poetry Month.
Isn’t it a terrific idea?
Fun…except for Keith, of course!
Hehe!
Fun…except for Keith, of course!
Hehe!
Poor Keith. What a fun collection this must be! Thanks to both of you for sharing. Just yesterday, I just listened to the Ciardi poem read by the poet on the CD for POETRY SPEAKS TO CHILDREN … a great way to pass a long car trip.
I love POETRY SPEAKS! I’m going to have to go listen to Ciardi now:>)
Poor Keith. What a fun collection this must be! Thanks to both of you for sharing. Just yesterday, I just listened to the Ciardi poem read by the poet on the CD for POETRY SPEAKS TO CHILDREN … a great way to pass a long car trip.
I love POETRY SPEAKS! I’m going to have to go listen to Ciardi now:>)
Open wide! CHOMP!!!!
Awwwww….that makes me a little sad for Keith:>)
Open wide! CHOMP!!!!
Awwwww….that makes me a little sad for Keith:>)
Great concept to blend poetry with a math puzzle. Fun poem, poor Keith . . .
Hehehe!
Great concept to blend poetry with a math puzzle. Fun poem, poor Keith . . .
Hehehe!
Another beautiful blending of math and verse! Trust a poet to come up with the most ingenious concepts ever. Would definitely look for this book, thank you for sharing this Laura. 🙂
I know! And for poets trying to sell manuscripts to publishers, concept is definitely king right now. This one is pure genius. I so wish I had thought of it first:>)
Another beautiful blending of math and verse! Trust a poet to come up with the most ingenious concepts ever. Would definitely look for this book, thank you for sharing this Laura. 🙂
I know! And for poets trying to sell manuscripts to publishers, concept is definitely king right now. This one is pure genius. I so wish I had thought of it first:>)
Great collection! Gotta have!!
:>)
Great collection! Gotta have!!
:>)
This looks fabulous! Thanks for the review.
This looks fabulous! Thanks for the review.
Oh that is NOT how one wants to encounter shark dentistry! Fun poem. Thanks for sharing, Laura!
:>) When I was at a family game night at my sil’s house last night, I saw a new, huge, terrifying shark poster on my 6yo niece’s wall, right over her bed. Just a nice, comforting bedtime image:>) It looked like, but wasn’t, the Jaws movie poster, kind of. Yikes!
Oh that is NOT how one wants to encounter shark dentistry! Fun poem. Thanks for sharing, Laura!
:>) When I was at a family game night at my sil’s house last night, I saw a new, huge, terrifying shark poster on my 6yo niece’s wall, right over her bed. Just a nice, comforting bedtime image:>) It looked like, but wasn’t, the Jaws movie poster, kind of. Yikes!
Love this concept. I’ll have to pass it along to a couple of teacher friends.
Isn’t it wonderful? I can think of about 10 different ways teachers could approach this book in the classroom.
Love this concept. I’ll have to pass it along to a couple of teacher friends.
Isn’t it wonderful? I can think of about 10 different ways teachers could approach this book in the classroom.
That looks a great book. I love how curriculum friendly it is. Genius on so many levels.
It really is…
That looks a great book. I love how curriculum friendly it is. Genius on so many levels.
It really is…