Newer Book Poetry Choice

Prelutsky, Jack.  Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry: How to Write a Poem.  Harper Collins, New York, NY. 2008.

While browsing the poetry section of my local public library, I ran across this book. The title was interesting and it met the date requirements for my current assignment, so I checked it out.  I am thrilled that this book was there waiting for me to come along. It is a true gem and I am so thankful I found it, checked it out and took the time to read it.

I've read some of Jack Prelutsky's work and have enjoyed it, I've even incorporated a poem or two into  a lesson or Language Arts assignment for my students. After reading this book, Pizza, Pigs. and Poetry: How to Write a Poem, I will be a loyal fan of Jack Prelutsky for the rest of my life.

In this book Prelutsky both encourages and supports kids, or anyone reading the book, to write poetry. He makes it sound  fun, exciting and "doable", and I feel that many people will take a stab at writing a poem after reading this book.

The book is written in small segments and each segment includes a narrative about an event in Prelutsky's life then how he used that event to write a poem, then the poem he wrote. He gives wonderful advice for writing and repeats over and over the importance of keeping notebooks and writing down ideas, then going back to those ideas for future poetry. 

The format Prelutsky uses for this book makes it an easy read, it also makes you laugh out loud as well as feel nostalgic about various events that have happened in your own life.  I think this book would be a great one to use in a classroom setting, not only for poetry but for any form of writing. 

After reading the personal experiences in Jack Prelutsky's life his poems take on a whole new persona. When reading one of his poems and thinking back on what you've learned about the poet that wrote them, you feel a strong connection to the poems and want to start keeping your own notebook right away.

This book is a must have! I think every library should have multiple copies and create a display of Jack Prelutsky's work. I feel confident this book will single-handedly create many poets in the near future.

A few other books by Jack Prelutsky: