From the simplest couplet to the mind-boggling pantoum, the award-winning team behind A POKE IN THE I shows us the many fascinating ways poetic forms take shape.


Please
Open this book for something
Extraordinary.
Twenty-nine different poetic forms await you
Inside these pages. How many
Can you master?

From sonnets to double dactyls,
Odes to limericks—
Raschka and Janeczko (and a frisky mule)
Make learning the rules of poetry
So much fun!

In this splendid and playful volume, acclaimed poetry anthologist Paul B. Janeczko and Caldecott Honor illustrator Chris Raschka present lively examples of twenty-nine poetic forms, demonstrating not only the (sometimes bendable) rules of poetry, but also the spirit that brings these forms so wonderfully to life. Featuring formal poems, some familiar and some never before published, from the likes of Eleanor Farjeon (aubade), X. J. Kennedy (elegy), Ogden Nash (couplet), Liz Rosenberg (pantoum), and William Shakespeare, the sonnet king himself, A KICK IN THE HEAD perfectly illustrates Robert Frost's maxim that poetry without rules is like a tennis match without a net.

Bailey, who is usually so nice, Bailey, my neighbor, my friend, my buddy, my pal for my whole life, knowing me better than anybody, that Bailey, that Bailey I am so mad at right now, that Bailey, I hate him today.

Twelve-year-old Rosie and her best friend, Bailey, don't always get along, that's true. But Granny Torrelli seems to know just how to make things right again with her interesting stories and family recipes. It's easier to remember what's important about love, life, and friendship while Granny Torrelli makes soup.

Fifty years after its first publication in book form, Dylan Thomas's timeless prose poem is echoed by the rolling, evocative images of Caldecott Honor artist Chris Raschka — a beautiful gift for book lovers.

Bring out the tall tales now that we told by the fire as the gaslight bubbled like a diver. . . .

There are always Uncles at Christmas. And Aunts, of course, who might sing a little loudly after dinner. There are the neighborhood cats 'sleek and long as jaguars and horrible-whiskered,' the carols to sing at eerie houses, the Useful Presents and the Useless Presents, and the endless snow 'shawling out of the ground.' First published in HARPER'S BAZAAR some fifty years ago, A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN WALES showcases Dylan Thomas's genius for language and remains the poet's most popular prose work in the United States. Chris Raschka's fluid torn-paper illustrations honor the poet's words, evoking their musical cadences and bringing us a fresh appreciation for this most lyric work.

'Finally, here's a picture book that helps young children move beyond rote recitation of the Pledge to find meaning in its language. This is the book parents and teachers have been waiting for.' — BOOKLIST (starred review)

'I led a pigeon to the flag' . . . 'and to the wee puppet' . . . 'one
nation, and a vegetable' . . . What was that again? Children in the United States have been reciting the Pledge of Allegiance since 1892 — and for about that long, they've found its big words confusing. Now, beloved children's book author Bill Martin Jr (BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE?), fellow literacy expert Michael Sampson, and Caldecott Honor-­winning artist Chris Raschka give America's children a hand, and explain this patriotic poem once and for all. A new paperback edition offers notes and suggested activities to help parents and teachers make this book even more interesting to and fun for children.

Introduces the famous saxophonist and his style of jazz known as bebop

Early in the blue-black morning, a father and son slip out of the house with their fishing poles and a can of worms. But this is no ordinary fishing trip. With their lines and bobbers, they cast high into the air to catch the breeze, the sky, the sun, and best of all -- some wonderful memories.

In her first picture book, Sharon Creech, author of the Newbery Medal winner Walk Two Moons, teams up with Caldecott Honor artist Chris Raschka to create a beautifully lyrical and richly imagined tale about the powerful bond between a father and son.

Bailey, who is usually so nice, Bailey, my neighbor, my friend, my buddy, my pal for my whole life, knowing me better than anybody, that Bailey, that Bailey I am so mad at right now, that Bailey, I hate him today.

Twelve-year-old Rosie and her best friend, Bailey, don't always get along, that's true. But Granny Torrelli seems to know just how to make things right again with her warm words and family recipes. She understands from experience that life's twists and turns can't rattle the unique bond between two lifelong pals.

Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech cooks up a delightfully tender novel, filled with homemade dishes and secret recipes. It's easy to remember what's important about love, life, and friendship while Granny Torrelli makes soup.

You may be surprised

at the tricky music

a box,

a snowflake,

some raindrops,

and a kitten

can make.

Right before your eyes.

And on the pages

of this book.

There is someone

backstage

watching, encouraging

our performers

but keeping them

under control.

Why not

listen along?

With simple, straightforward language and playfully quirky illustrations, a team of celebrated children's book creators takes a look at each word of the Pledge of Allegiance - and explains what it means.

'I led a pigeon to the flag' . . . 'and to the wee puppet' . . . 'one nation, and a vegetable' . . . What was that again? Children in the United States of America have been reciting the Pledge of Allegiance since 1892 - and for about that long, they've found its big words confusing. Now, beloved children's book author Bill Martin Jr (BROWN BEAR, BROWN BEAR, WHAT DO YOU SEE?), fellow literacy expert Michael Sampson, and Caldecott Honor-winning artist Chris Raschka give America's children a hand, and explain this patriotic poem once and for all.

Written especially for children, the Pledge of Allegiance was first recited on October 12, 1892, by 12 million children across the country and has been memorized by generations of children ever since. Isn't it time they understood the meaning behind its words?

Even kids who don't know they like poetry will love this playful, visually accessible collection of thirty concrete poems—illustrated by a Caldecott Honor artist!

Concrete poems startle and delight the eye and mind. The size and arrangement of words—or even just letters on the page can add or alter meaning, and poems can take the shape of crows and fly off the page. Or become a balloon filled with rhyme drifting away from outstretched hands. Or fourteen exuberant lines can become 'Joy Sonnet in a Random Universe.' Here in a single extraordinary volume are thirty poems from some of the world's finest visual poets, including John Hollander, Emmett Williams, Maureen W. Armour, and Douglas Florian—a spirited 'poke in the I' brought to you by the very talented Paul B. Janeczko and Chris Raschka.

The Important thing
about being One
is that life
has just begun.

In a playful voice that is uniquely Margaret Wise Brown's comes this delightful picture book about just what it means to be six, five, four, three, one, two and 'most importantly' you. Caldecott Honor Medalist Chris Raschka's innovative illustrations burst with energy and literally dance along with Brown's whimsical verses of discovery. A sturdy mirror fixed to the last page allows readers to literally become a part of the story.

Another Important Book is the never-before-published companion to one of the most beloved children's books of all time, The Important Book, originally published in 1949, by Margaret Wise Brown, with illustrations by Leonard Weisgard. It's an invitation to celebrate toddlerhood. Turn the pages to find out exactly what's so important about some of the most important ages of a child's life.

Introduces the famous saxophonist and his style of jazz known as bebop

Matches the tones of the diatonic scale to the values of the color wheel in presenting a portrait of the work of the Afro-American jazz musician and composer of 'Mysterioso'

Two lonely characters, one black and one white, meet on the street and become friends

Introduces the famous saxophonist and his style of jazz known as bebop