Kick In The Head: An Everyday Guide To Poetic Forms

Fun poems with manageable descriptions of what each type of poem includes. Great for the older child learning about poetry, or even adults who need to have a slight refresher course. But the poems themselves are great for all ages.

Paul B. Janeczko is a poet and teacher and has edited more than twenty award-winning poetry anthologies for young people, including STONE BENCH IN AN EMPTY PARK, LOOKING FOR YOUR NAME, SEEING THE BLUE BETWEEN, and A POKE IN THE I, which was an American Library Association Notable Book.

Chris Raschka is the illustrator of more than twenty highly praised books for children, including YO! YES?, a Caldecott Honor Book; CHARLIE PARKER PLAYED BE BOP; I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE; A CHILD'S CHRISTMAS IN WALES; and, of course, A POKE IN THE I, which was a NEW YORK TIMES Best Illustrated Book.

From the simplest couplet to the mind-boggling pantoum, the award-winning team behind A POKE IN THE I shows us the many fascinating ways poetic forms take shape.


In this splendid and playful volume — second of a trilogy — an acclaimed creative team presents examples of twenty-nine poetic forms, demonstrating not only the (sometimes bendable) rules of poetry, but also the spirit that brings these forms to life. Featuring poems from the likes of Eleanor Farjeon (aubade), X. J. Kennedy (elegy), Ogden Nash (couplet), Liz Rosenberg (pantoum), and William Shakespeare, the sonnet king himself, A Kick in the Head perfectly illustrates Robert Frost’s maxim that poetry without rules is like a tennis match without a net.

Publisher: Candlewick Press
Distributor: Random House, Inc.
Publication Date: 03-10-2009
Pages: 64
Measurements: 9.75in X 9.92in X .24in X .775lb