Poem Stew

Poem Stew

Poems selected by: William Cole
Illustrated by: Karen Ann Weinhaus
Genre: Poetry
Grades: 2-5
Awards: None

This book is a collection of over 50 poems by various writers that include X.J. Kennedy, Dennis Lee, Ogden Nash, and more. All of these funny poems are all about food, ranging from breakfast to dessert. One of the poems I enjoyed reading in this book is "A Generous Man" by William Cole. This poem explains that a kind man will generously serve you the finest of foods. These foods include quail eggs, lobster, caviar, champagne, filet mignon, and more, but only if you pay him. This clearly indicates that this generous man is a waiter at a restaurant that will gladly serve you these top dishes, but it will come out of your pocket.

In "A Cucumber's Pickle," by William Cole, he explains the transformation of a cucumber to a pickle. A cucumber was yanked from it's luscious, leafy green bed in the field and thrown into a mixture of brine. The cucumber felt itself changing into a gloomy form and his attitude became mean and sour. Now, he is a pickle to be eaten by a "butcher or plumber." 

I would love to have this book in my classroom. These collection of poems are short, sweet, and funny for students to enjoy. This book would be great for second to fifth grade. A way to use this book in class is to have the students create their own poem about their favorite food. This will have the students easily involved as food is always easy to talk about with everyone.