A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms is a fascinating and strikingly illustrated poetry book that will appeal to children nine and older as well as teens and adults. Poet and teacher Paul B. Janeczko provides an excellent introduction to 29 different poetic forms. Artist Chris Raschka’s exuberant mixed media collages accompany each of the poems along with a one or two sentence definition of the poetic form used.
The Poetic Forms: Clues and Explanations
In his introduction, Janeczko talks about why there are rules for different poetic forms and gives advice to the reader on how to use the book. Some of the poetic forms, like the couplet, haiku, sonnet, and limerick, may be familiar to you and your children. I was surprised by how many poetic forms I was not familiar with, including the tanka, clerihew, and aubade.
In addition to his large, colorful collages, Chris Raschka provides a small blue pictorial clue for each of the 29 poetic forms. Have fun figuring out how each of the clues relates to, and what it reveals about, the poetic forms. At the end of the book, there is a four-page section with further explanations of each of the forms. Throughout the book, the definitions and explanations provided are concise and easy to understand.
The Poetry
The poems vary greatly. Some are light hearted and/or humorous. Others are more somber and dramatic in tone. The poets include Ogden Nash, William Blake, Kristine O'Connell George, Edward Lear, Alice Schertle, William Shakespeare, Eleanor Farjeon, and`Rebecca Kai Dotlich, among others. There are also several poems by Paul B. Janeczko.
Paul B. Janeczko and Chris Raschka
In addition to A Kick in the Head, Paul B. Janeczko and Chris Raschka collaborated on A Poke in the Eye: A Book of Concrete Poems. Janeczko has also edited numerous other poetry anthologies, including Looking for your Name, and Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Writers.
Chris Raschka has illustrated more than 20 children's books, including Yo! Yes?, which was designated a Caldecott Honor Book for the quality of its illustrations. Other books he's illustrated include I Pledge Allegiance and A Child's Christmas in Wales.
My Recommendation
A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms
is an excellent book for upper elementary, middle school, and high school students. I particularly recommend it for young writers who want to experiment with different poetic forms as they write their own poetry. I also recommend A Kick in the Head for adults. I bought myself a copy for four reasons: I love Chris Raschka’s artwork; I enjoy poetry of all kinds; I was anxious to learn more about the poetic forms, and I wanted to share the book with some of the teachers and students I know. (Candlewick Press, 2005. ISBN: 0763606626)
