A Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poems

A Poke in the I| Poetry | Paul B Janeczko | Notable Children's Books; Lee Bennett Hopkins Award; NCTE Award; Best Illustrated Children's Book | ages 6-9 |

A Poke in the I is a collection of concrete poems. Unlike other poems, concrete poems form pictures out of words. This selection by Paul Janeczko is spectacular, showing us what fun reading can be. We see words form a lightbulb, a cat, popsicle, and other things that align with the words. It's a playful visual students will love to read. 

This book is number one on my list to show my class because it shows how fun poems can be. It's different than your ordinary read, challenging readers, making them follow the words and have fun as they discover the path of the poem. I'd read this to grade levels second to fifth and have them create their own concrete poem. Examples can be describing the winter in the shape of a snowman, how dancing feels in the shape of a ballerina, etc.