A Pocketful of Poems by Nikki Grimes is a fun, energetic, selection of poems all written by Ms. Grimes. The poems cover a variety of topics, the first is about the name "Tiana" and the book continues with the feel that "Tiana" is writing the rest of the poems. Each poem is short, some have rhyming words, but not all do.
Each poem has its own strength and contributes to the collection and the overall book in a positive way. A variety of moods and feelings are elicited from the poems, some are silly, funny, some are just about things everyone experiences, like being "Hot" and needing a drink of water in the night. Other poems are about miscillaneous things such as pigeons and pumpkins. One clever tough to the collection is that each poem has a "sub-poem" either on the page or the page next to the actual poem. These bonus poems add a little extra to the poem and make the reader ponder both a little longer.
The illustrations by Javaka Steptoe are in a 3-D type form, and compliment each poem. The illustrations are "busy" and have quite a bit to each one, but they are a good match for the whimsical theme of the poems.
I feel this poetry book would be a great addition to any library, public or school. It is lively and fun and demonstrates how poems can be written by by taking a word and putting "life" into it. This book could be used for a writing lesson or just for the fun of reading it out loud.
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