World Poetry Day – Poetry Comics
Each year World Poetry Day is celebrated on the 21st March. It’s a great day to start the habit of reading A Poem a Day. You can find out more here and I’d urge you to give it a go. Recently, I received an amazing new book – Poetry Comics to review from Chronicles Kids. If you’re looking for something to springboard your World Poetry Day from this is the book for you. Read on to find out why.
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Incredible Poetry Comics
Woah! That was my first response when I began to get my head around what Poetry Comics actually meant. How could it be that my two loves, both very distinct and separate loves, could colloid together in one space? It couldn’t possibly work…could it? Poetry and graphic novel intertwined. Well prepare to have your mind blown, like I did, it’s possible. Grant Snider has done it and it’s INCREDIBLE!
I truly don’t think I can put into words how much I love the concept and actuality of Poetry Comics. This is your must read book of the year! Published on 28th March 2024.
Have I used WOW yet? I don’t think I have, WOW! This book is WOW. Firstly, the book is split into the four seasons and each poem is seasonal or of an everyday relatable experience. It’s just so accessible.
Do Poetry Comics Work?
There’s a patter and a pace to poetry and when I first discovered what the book would contain I was worried that having the comic strip style images (which very much have their own flow) would affect the flow of the poetry. I need not have worried; Snider is a master. Both words and images are in complete harmony. There’s a gentle simplicity in both that brings about a richer more complex experience for the reader by having both. I love that lots of the poems leave you smiling or laughing.
I can’t possibly choose a favourite. In poetry collections I’m happy if I love a few of the poems and like more than 50%. I adore this whole book. Each poem spun me into a memory…magical!
Love Endpaper Detail
The endpapers are like a story in themselves and I love the double endpapers at the front of the book. They very much emulate how we can often feel, not sure what to draw or write or where to start. However, this book gives you oodles of creativity and leaves you bursting with thoughts as the endpapers depict.
A Poetry Comics Starting Point
How could you use this book to explore World Poetry Day? Through the book there are several poems about How to write poems… This book would make a wonderful poetry starter book for teaching poetry. One of my top picks would be How to Write a Poem #2. It begins – ‘Set out NOT to write a poem.’ It then says about getting outside in nature, wandering, noticing and let a poem find you.
I love that with this book it encourages you that you can write or draw your poem first. For children who find discovering words difficult they could draw their poem first. You could ask others to come and add words that their pictures conjure up in their minds.
Children could then use this peer generated word bank to help them write a poem. It could be just a word or a caption, whatever they feel comfortable writing. If at home then you could add the words to a word bank for them or maybe explore a thesaurus together to find synonyms to a smaller word bank.
UK/ American Publishing
If you’re UK based like us don’t fret about Fall/ Autumn or the omission of the odd ‘u’ here and there and of course the substitution of ‘z’ for ‘s’. Kids are more than capable of coping with American texts – have you seen the dinosaur names they can learn!
My final thought…it’s a must read! Not just for kids but for you too.
Buy Poetry Comics
