LS 5623 Advanced Literature for Young Adults

Lewis, J. Patrick. 2009. COUNTDOWN TO SUMMER: A POEM FOR EVERY DAY OF THE SCHOOL YEAR. Ill. by Ethan Long. New York: Little Brown and Co. ISBN 9780316020893


Review:

Countdown to Summer, as the subtitle says, has a poem for every day of the school year. There are poems of seemingly every type of rhyme and meter included: haiku, clever couplets, limericks, sonnets, concrete, tongue twisters, songs, and even a one word poem. Not all of the poems are lighthearted fun. Included in the collection is a poem titled "The Ninth Ward" which is about a hurricane Katrina victim waiting for help to come, but "her miracle went to a passerby." As a resident of Louisiana, and an evacuee of Hurricane Rita, this poem made a particular impact on me.

The poems in this collection cover quite a diverse range of topics. Some could be used to augment a lesson in class, such as "When is Its It's?" But mostly the poems seem to just be for fun. Each poem is accompanied by an simple black and white illustration that captures the setting, character, or subject of the poem. I particularly enjoyed the illustration from poem 154 where the lion gives the mouse a Cheerio wedding ring. I found some of the lengthier poems, such as "The Reasons for Rainbows," a bit much to read. Part of that I think is because so many of the poems in this book are so short that my mind began to be conditioned to read each poem with a quick rhythm that doesn't work for the long poems. This is something to consider when handing this book to a student, but it is still a good recommendation for anyone.



Awards/Reviews:
School Library Journal: "The selections feature a range of topics, including food, pets, school and teachers, and the natural world."

Connections:

Janeczko, Paul B.  A Foot in the Mouth: Poems to Speak, Sing and Shout. ISBN 9780763606633
Janeczko, Paul B. A Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poems. ISBN 9780763623760



Image credit: www.childrenslit.com