A Foot in the Mouth

Janeczko, Paul B (Selector). 2009. Foot in the Mouth: Poems to Speak, Sing, and Shout.  Ill. by Chris Raschaka.  Somerville: Candlewick Press.  ISBN 9780763606633

(Image obtained from amazon.com)

Summary

Foot in the Mouth: Poems to Speak, Sing, and Shout is an anthology of poetry selected by Janeczko to showcase the different styles found within poetry.  The intended audience for this book is 3^rd-7^th grade. 

Quality and Appeal

The poetry found within Foot in the Mouth: Poems to Speak, Sing, and Shout is divided into poetic style and include poems for one voice, tongue twisters, poems for two voices, list poems, short poems, bilingual poems, and limericks.  The poetry selected by Janeczko is written by some authors we know well: Shakespeare, Whitman, Florian, Heard but also include some authors that aren’t so well known.  Even though some of the selector’s authors are not children’s writers, Janeczko managed to select poetry that was silly and would appeal to a younger audience.  The illustrations (watercolor, ink, and paper collage) were interesting and provide visual interest to the poetry which is often lengthy and written in a smaller, bold and black font. 

Personally, books with too many different styles are very distracting for me as a reader and aren’t something I enjoy all that much.  However, if you’re looking for a book that has a little bit of everything, then this is probably a good starting point.  Foot in the Mouth: Poems to Speak, Sing, and Shout has the ability to appeal to many different types of readers at once but also serves as a sufficient introductory tool when sharing poetry.   Since there are so many different types of poetry, it is likely that each child will be able to find one they like.  Adding this as a classroom reader is recommended but I don’t see it appealing to a self-selector, reluctant reader, or parent. 

Spotlight Poem

Innuendo by David McCord

You are French? Je suis.

You speak French? Mais oui.

I don’t speak French. Non?

I speak English. Bon!

The use of bilingual poetry could be an interesting and fascinating introduction to geography and multicultural subjects in the elementary classroom. 

Books like Foot in the Mouth: Poems to Speak, Sing, and Shout

A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms by Paul B. Janeczko

A Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poems by Paul B. Janeczko