Yes, it is once again Poetry Friday! I am up to my eyebrows in classroom setup stuff, and want to share a favorite Eloise Greenfield poem this week:

 

BOOKS

By Eloise Greenfield

I’ve got

books on the bunk bed

books on the chair

books on the couch

And every old where

But I want more books

I just can’t get enough

I want more books about

All kinds of stuff, like

Jackie’s troubles, Raymond’s joys

Rabbits, kangaroos, girls and boys

Mountains, valleys,

Winter, spring

Campfires, vampires,

Every old thing,

I want to

lie down on my bunk bed,

lean back in

my chair,

curl up on the couch

and every old

where

and

read

more

Books!

This is a fabulous poem to share at the beginning of the year when getting kids pumped to read books, showing them the library, and talking about reading expectations. I have this poem available around the classroom, and we read it for shared reading. I found it a few years ago in a great anthology of children’s poems entitled:

From Goodreads:

Hip Hop Speaks to Children is a celebration of poetry with a beat.

Poetry can have both a rhyme and a rhythm. Sometimes it is obvious; sometimes it is hidden. But either way, make no mistake, poetry is as vibrant and exciting as it gets. And when you find yourself clapping your hands or tapping your feet, you know you’ve found poetry with a beat!

This amazing collection of poems for children is edited by Nikki Giovanni, and it is a brilliant, “must have” book for your classroom library! OK …. back to my books!