Poems That Speak

I love how certain poems speak to people. This morning for announcements, two third graders recited Joyce Sidman's "Dodge Ball Kings" from THIS IS JUST TO SAY. They were beaming after they finished. Ogden Nash's poems are hugely popular with the third graders. Second graders love Douglas Florian. I read aloud from Kristine O'Connell George's TOASTING MARSHMALLOWS, and one non-verbal student giggled when hearing "Mosquito Song". I read quieter things from Caroline Kennedy's A FAMILY OF POEMS: MY FAVORITE POEMS FOR CHILDREN to my teaching partner on the solitude of our office. We are living in a poetry-rich library these days.