Daniel Finds a Poem

Daniel Finds a Poem | Poetry | Micha Archer | Ezra Jack Keats Award; Notable Children's Book; EJK Award | ages 5-8 |

What is poetry? The question arises when Daniel comes across a flyer that says "Poetry in the Park at Sunday." Daniel is curious to know what poetry is. He begins to ask the different creatures of the park and they all say something different yet the same in the sense that it's something they deeply love. Every day he asks someone new the same question until Sunday. In the end, he learns what poetry is and with everything he's learned in the last six days, he creates his own poem and shares at the park. He later stops by the pond and observes the sunset reflecting over the water and says "That looks like poetry to me" and a dragonfly replies "To me too."

A poem like no other that depicts a child on a mission to find out what poetry is. As I read this book, I also learned something new and that is that poems are unique to different people, but in the end the same. It's taking in the beautiful in the ordinary things of our lives. Something we enjoy and put into words. I would love to use this book in my class and give the children an early introduction to poems and have them see is more than rhyming words. The appropriate grade level for the book is kindergarten to second grade. I'd add this to my classroom by reading to my class, allowing them to see how Daniel's curiosity leads him to find his answer. A fun idea for older students is having them create a poem of their favorite things.