Poetry Matters

March 1, 2002
Throw out the formidable rhythm and rhyme schemes: Ralph Fletcher's Poetry Matters: Writing a Poem from the Inside Out laughs in the face of formality. Organized into two sections "Lighting the Spark" and "Nurturing the Flame" and peppered with interviews with published poets, Fletcher's accessible volume teaches kids to write poetry from the heart.

February 1, 2002
Gr 5-9-A concise, nuts-and-bolts guide to creating poetry. The book begins by defining poems as "emotional X-rays" that seek to delve into a person's inner being. Chapters deal with images; creating "music," or sounds and rhythms; how to generate ideas for poems; the construction of the words on the page; and more. Tips on fine-tuning are also given, from experimenting with wordplay to finding a voice and narrowing the focus of a piece. Major poetic forms are defined, including haiku, ode, and free verse, and there is a section on ways to share your work. Interspersed are Fletcher's personal insights and interviews with three poets-Kristine O'Connell George, Janet S. Wong, and J. Patrick Lewis-who discuss what inspires them and how they go about creating their work. The many examples of poetry throughout embody the author's advice by showing how writing techniques actually function in poems. Since this thought-provoking book covers more of the internal, less-tangible aspects of poetry, it may be more suited for readers who have some experience with the genre.-Kristen Oravec, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Strongsville, OH

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2002
Gr. 4-7. Chatty, but never condescending, and encouraging about how to get started and how to keep going, this informal paperback guide packs in a wealth of information without a word of jargon. It's also an introduction to the fun of reading poetry. In short chapters Fletcher talks about feelings, images, music, and wordplay, and he explains what these are with lots of immediate quotes to turn kids on. He warns against message, against the "fake sentiment in a greeting card," and against pushing for rhyme, and he encourages young poets to find a personal voice. There's a brief chapter about form (haiku, free verse, etc.), but Fletcher's emphasis is on crafting the poem to describe something "as if we're seeing it for the first time." Brief, accessible interviews with three children's poets reinforce this view of the joy and hard work of creation. There's a lengthy annotated bibliography, and the cheerful, open, paperback format makes the book an excellent choice for classrooms and writing groups as well as individuals.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)