A Poem in Your Pocket (Mr. Tiffin's Classroom Series)

November 17, 2014
Last seen in The Apple Orchard Riddle, Mr. Tiffin and his class are back to celebrate Poem in Your Pocket Day, which includes the chance to recite their poetry in an assembly starring a poet named Emmy Crane. Almost everyone embraces his or her muse, practicing figures of speech (“Math is like a knot” observes one student) and forms that range from haiku to concrete and light verse. But quiet Elinor can’t find her poetry groove, and when the big day arrives, she admits, “I have nothing in my pocket. Nothing at all.” Emmy Crane proves as empathic and effective a teacher as Mr. Tiffin, and Elinor finds her unexpectedly eloquent voice on stage. If the story occasionally strains credulity in its idealized portrait of contemporary school dynamics, its emotional foundation is sound, and teachers will find this an excellent road map for poetry-related activities. The amiable pictures and calm, compassionate narration should persuade even the most timorous readers that they, too, can have a poet’s eyes. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Faith Hamlin, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. Illustrator’s agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

Starred review from November 1, 2014
Mr. Tiffin is back, just in time for National Poetry Month at school. The third in what's becoming a series about life in Mr. Tiffin's class (The Apple Orchard Riddle, 2013, etc.) celebrates both a poet's school visit and Poem in Your Pocket Day. By the time poet Emmy Crane visits, the children have learned all about metaphor, simile, concrete poetry, haiku and acrostic verse, as well as using a "poet's eye." Almost all the children are excited and ready for the big day, heads full of words and pockets full of poems. Elinor, who is thought to be the best poet in the class, has struggled with an epic case of writer's block and arrives at school with no poem at all. As each child shares a poem with the famous poet, Elinor's misery grows until she finally speaks with the kind writer. Karas' gouache, acrylic and pencil illustrations sensitively extend the story, showing both the enthusiasm in the classroom and Elinor's frustration in trying to compose the perfect poem. Sprinkling circular spot illustrations with double-page spreads of the friendly classroom, Karas shows each child joyfully looking, creating, sharing and writing. Gray and yellow are used to reflect Elinor's moods. Gentle and subtle, this sensitive story teaches a lot about poetry, perfectionism, and the power of a teacher and a poet. (Picture book. 4-10)

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Starred review from December 1, 2014

Gr 1-3-Elinor is a perfectionist. She loves school and takes her assignments very seriously. For Poetry Month, Mr. Tiffin teaches his class about different kinds of poetry, similes, and metaphors. Anticipating an upcoming author visit by a real poet, students are asked to write a poem and put it in their pocket. Elinor plans to wear her jeans with many pockets so she can have one in every pocket, but her obsession with perfection impedes her creativity. On the day of the visit, the child has not created anything that she considers good enough to share. When the guest asks her to read her poem, Elinor reveals that she "has a poem in the pocket of her mind." When she recites it, her words flow beautifully. This is a great book to share during National Poetry Month. Brief explanations are given for the more common poetry forms and the idea of a "Poem in Your Pocket Day" is inspiring. Pair this book with the works of Shel Silverstein, Paul B. Janeczko, Jack Prelutsky, Douglas Florian, or Robert Louis Stevenson, among others, to make a persuasive unit on the delights of the genre. Colorful illustrations of a busy classroom filled with enthusiastic students and a determined child keep the subject light and humorous. This title shines a light on a subject worthy of discussion.-Mary Hazelton, formerly at Warren & Waldoboro Elementary Schools, ME

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2015
Grades 1-3 Creative educator Mr. Tiffin is back, this time celebrating Poetry Month. His plan: introduce poetic devices and forms, and then have students write their own pieces. The culminating celebration: a visit from a poet on Poem in Your Pocket Day. High-achiever Elinor declares that she will write so many poems, she will need six pockets to hold them! As Mr. Tiffin introduces the children to similes and metaphors, they joyfully chime in with their own examplesexcept Elinor. The class reads examples and shares their own haiku, acrostic, and concrete poemsexcept Elinor. McNamara and Karas offer a wealth of information while staying solidly focused on a common stumbling block: Elinor, stuck on perfection, is stymied. Elinor begins to droop, and Karas' palette changes from lemon yellows to blues and grays, mirroring Elinor's worry. Poem in Your Pocket Day dawns rainy, and Elinor has no poem to shareor does she? The poet offers Elinor affirmation and adviceencouragement many aspiring writers will take to heart. A valuable lesson (and lesson plan for classrooms).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2015
The author/artist team behind How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? revisit Mr. Tiffin's warm, supportive classroom, where this time his students are learning about poetry. As the class prepares for a famous poet's visit, Elinor has complete confidence in her own poem-writing abilities: "I'm going to wear my jeans with six pockets that day...I'm going to have a different poem in each one." Unfortunately for Elinor, her firm grasp of similes and metaphors and knowing a haiku from a concrete poem does not translate into actually being able to write poetry herself, so while the rest of the class delights in what they are learning, she gets more and more worried. McNamara slyly works in a lot of information while keeping the focus on Elinor's dilemma. Examples of poetry the kids come up with ("Buds are like tiny red firecrackers...waiting to explode into flowers"; "Sadness is a cracked sidewalk") may inspire young readers to attempt their own writing, especially since Karas's gouache, acrylic, and pencil pictures make the diverse group of classmates look like they are having fun. A final page of "Mr. Tiffin's Pointers" talks about Poem in Your Pocket Day but neglects to mention the poem that started it all, Beatrice Schenk de Regniers's "Keep a Poem in Your Pocket." susan dove lempke

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)