M is for Monster: A Fantastic Creatures Alphabet
Author: J. Patrick Lewis
Illustrator: Gerald Kelley
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
ISBN: 9781585368181
Main Characters: Baba Yaga, Frankenstein,
mummies, werewolves, zombies, and more!
Plot: Creatures of popular legends and mythology come to life in this Alphabetic romp with poetry.
Genre/Theme/Style: The book combines both historical and cultural origins of the creatures and poetry.
5 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁
Critical Analysis: J. Patrick Lewis is a former U.S. Children's Poet Laureate, the author of more than 70 books for children, and shows off his poetry skills in this book.
- Imagery - Scary, playful, and factual collide in this unique combination of imagery.
- Emotions - The author attempts to provide plenty of information, humor, fear, and a bit of the unknown,
- Rhythm, Rhyme & Sound-
"An elf I am,
gentle as a lamb,
but in days gone by,
horrid was I."
The poetry
rhymes, but the information given alongside the poetry does not attempt any rhythm or rhyming.
Why 5 Roars? I think this
book would be great for so many things. Discovering poetry, historical
information on cultural mythologies, a few newer creatures to consider from
modern children's literature, and most importantly a good scare.
It would be
great for middle school readers who love creatures, a good Halloween book, or a
way to open up a discussion on a new topic.
Illustrations: The
illustrations are a perfect addition to the poetry.
Gerald Kelley wrote and illustrated the picture book, Please Please the Bees. His book won the 2017 Frances and Wesley Bock Award for Children's Literature.
Background Information on Poet/Poetry: J. Patrick Lewis is a member of the Society of Children's Book
Writers and Illustrators, National Council of Teachers of English, and International Reading Association.
J. Patrick Lewis reading
Connections:
Poetry Foundation
Poetry Foundation
No comments:
Post a Comment