Having Fun with Poems. A Light in the Attic

A Light in the Attic

The other day, we borrowed this book from the library. It is called A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein. We started reading it at the library and since we had fun reading the poems and there were hundreds of them and we barely gotten started, we decided to continue reading at home.

Shel Silverstein is an author-artist of many prose and poetry books. I was not familiar with him before, but yep, thanks to this book, I now have new resources to use with my little learners. His website, www.shelsilverstein.com also has many downloadable resources that could be used in the classroom or homeschool.

Silverstein also illustrated the drawings accompanying his poems. They bring the poems to life, adding layers of meaning and humor that enrich the over-all reading experience. I could say that his writing knows no age as it captivated us all-- myself and my three kids. His distinctive writing style is playful, filled with clever wordplay, unexpected twists, and a sense of wonder for both children and adults.

Flipping Pages

We read the poems randomly. We just flipped through the pages and read whatever we thought was interesting, or what I thought the kids would like.

One poem we liked was Unscratchable Itch. Not even reading the poem yet, the illustration had us already. See, who would not relate to that man in the drawing's predicament? Haven't we all been in the same exact situation not once, but a lot of times before?!

Then the poem itself was indeed a joy to read. Rhyme, imagery, and humor for the win!

Felt a churn in the stomach.

Another poem we liked was titled, Fancy Dive. I was just a short poem (like most of the poems in the book) yet it left a very vivid imagery in our heads. Silverstein successfully depicted a vivid picture of the diver's movements, capturing the grace and precision of the dive in just a few lines, and yes, the rest was left for our imagination.

Bear in There was another one we liked. It talked about a bear that lived in a fridge and having a great time in there. We all laughed while reading the poem, because how could a bear possibly have gotten inside the fridge?

The poem indeed sparked the imagination and started a lively discussion amongst the kids!

There are still more poems to read in this book and I think that it is a great icebreaker during our study time. Not only are they fun to read, but they also foster creativity and imagination. I hope that by reading more poems, I can further develop my kids' love and appreciation for words and language.

How about you, what's on your reading list?

Thanks, Hive Book Club!