R is for Rhyme: A Poetry Alphabet

by Judy Young, Victor Juhasz (illustrator)

Bring the magic of poetry to life with R is for A Poetry Alphabet. From acrostics and ballads to meter and metaphor, author and poet Judy Young has written a delightful collection of poems to illustrate poetic tools, terms and techniques. Each term or technique is demonstrated in an accompanying poem so readers can see the method at work. Whether haiku or rap, sonnets or cinquain, budding writers of all ages will be inspired to put their imaginations to work crafting their own poems.Judy Young remembers showing one of her poems to her grandmother when she was about 10 years old, and she has been in love with writing poetry ever since. Judy is the author of another Sleeping Bear Press book, S is for Show A Missouri Alphabet. Judy lives with her family near Springfield, Missouri. Victor Juhasz's humorous illustrations and caricatures have been commissioned by such clients as Time, Newsweek, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. He is also the illustrator of the popular D is for A Citizen's Alphabet. Victor lives and works in Stephentown, New York.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Childrens, Nonfiction

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 30, 2006

About the author

Judy Young is the author of 30 children's fiction, nonfiction and poetry books. Her books range for all ages of childrens, from board books, picture books as well as middle grade novels. Her books include the Digger and Daisy early reader series and The Wild World of Buck Bray middle grade novel series.
Judy's books have received numerous awards and accolades, including the Mom's Choice Gold Award for "R is for Rhyme, A Poetry Alphabet" and LaVar Burton's reading of "A Pet for Miss Wright" for Reading Rainbow Video.
When not writing, Judy is usually outdoors—hiking, camping, fishing, and snowshoeing in the mountains of Idaho where she resides with her husband and three dogs.
Judy offers exciting virtual author visits for elementary and middle schools. For more info, visit her website.

Reviews

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! I've always loved poetry, and have taught an "intro to poetry" lesson for student teachers. This book, however, introduced me to the kyrielle, which I had never heard of. The author did a great job of writing poems to accompany the different poetic forms and terms she alphabetizing. My favorite was a wonderful balled, "Ballad of the Butterfly and the Rose" that reminded me of the picture book story Peach and Blue by Sarah Kilborne. I also loved "Two Chains" and the perfect illustration that accompanied it. I must have a copy of this book for myself! Highly recommended!!

[Kayla Brecheen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a poetry book, R is for Rhyme: A Poetry Alphabet is a great book for 6-10 years old kids and won many award; Featured book of Albuquerque Public Schools’ Words and Images ARTS Program 10 2006/2007 and 2008 Mom's Choice Award Gold Recipient and Educators' Choice in 2008. It goes through alphabet and for each letter they have a different style of alphabet poem like A is an acrostic, D is for Dublet, E is for end Rhyme, N is for Narrative and so on. When I look at Under ‘B is for Ballad’, from ballads of the butterfly and rose, the story line is kind of sad because summer passed, rose start to fade and butterfly stayed, they both die together. Each alphabet has a unique story line and the accessible twenty-six sidebar lessons on poetry like a children’s encyclopedia. Especially, each chapter looks like magic of poetry with this delightful collection, and different poetic tools, terms and techniques that are explained in easy to comprehend language in the accompanying text, making the book not only enjoyable for all ages, but educational as well. Also, detailed, and colorful illustration made me enjoy reading this book. That’s why rated 5 stars. This book has beauty, humor, and wit to make an academic subject memorable.

[Mattison Churchwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting book to use and teach students about poetry. The book goes through each letter of the alphabet and it corresponds with a term in poetry. For example, "H" is haiku and "L" is for a limerick. While some of these terms are more advanced for younger grades, there are poems with each letter that can be read to any grade. Each letter goes into an in-depth description of the term and could be used to teach students a lot about poetry. However, for younger children, this book could be used to just read the poems out of and introduce them to poetry without getting into too many technical terms like sonnet and villanelle. The poems are not difficult to understand which makes this a great resource for poems in a classroom.

[Stacy H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. While the poetry in this book in and of itself is not the best, it does contain some cute works. Each poem is dedicated to a poetic form or element (listed alphbetically) and accompanied illustrations. Beyond the rhymes, the detailed sidebars offer insightful explanations, making this book an excellent resource for readers who want to further delve into the art of poetry. I also love that under many of the descriptions, the author mentions poets and/or poems that use the technique mentioned as well as prompts to further inspire children.

[Rosaly Truman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has so many pieces to it: definitions, history, poetry and illustrations, what more can you ask for in a book. It left me fulfilled and with some knowledge about poetry. You can not leave the store without this little book of knowledge. The book received the Mom's Choice Gold Award and has received other accolades.

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to read when introducing poetry to children! Each letter of the alphabet corresponds to a type of poetry, with a brief description and then a poem featuring that type. Definitely a great resource to use and start discussions with.

[Emily Biamont · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this concept for a poetry book, I have never seen anything like it before. Not only was it cute to read but it was super informational and It taught me a ton of words I had never read before. It definitely would be more suitable for older children with a wider vocabulary.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous resource for poetry!

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I use for poetry with 2nd grade and "H is for Hiaku"

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

With accessible poems for young readers and helpful sidebars explaining poetry forms, this book is a teacher's dream: both fun and informative.

[Sam Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's useful

[Faith Mhondo · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's really good it is helping me a lot because now I know more about poems than just rhyming.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this for introducing different poetry forms!

[Blair Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for ABC's and rhyming!

[Jennifer Weiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this was a very fun and creative way to teach and introduce poetry or teach the different types of poetry. I think the different types of poetry are very confusing. There was even an example of each type of poem and then a column on the side explaining each type of poem. Some of the pages ask the reader to give it a try, for the Haiku page, it tells the reader to try writing their own Haiku. It is a very interactive book, which is neat. Many lessons could be done with this book. The teacher could focus on one page a day (ie. one type of poem) and then have the students write their own poems, or even have the class write one as a group, for example, a Ballot would be a good class activity. The only thing that I did not really like was the illustrations. I thought that they were strange looking. I did like however, that the entire page was colored. Overall this was a pretty good book, as a reader you could either read this book for the poems or for knowledge on the types of poems. I thought that this was a very creative book though and that there could be a lot done with it.

[Relyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our very wonderful school librarian loaned this to me out of her personal collection when I told her about my poetry unit. It is a marvelous tool. I especially love the poem about metaphor. It's a wonderful tool.

Lesson Connections
Each February we have a big poetry unit in my classroom. One of the things we do is a Poetry Scavenger Hunt. We have at least 50 poetry books on display in the room and I begin the unit by book talking each book briefly. This takes me at least a week because I read a poem from each book. Then, the kids choose what appeals to them. They can read anything they want in any fashion they wish. The only rule is to read and enjoy poetry. Eventually, I begin each session with a mini-lesson on rhythm, rhyme, alliteration, etc. Then, the students begin choosing poems with examples of each poetry topic we have covered. At the end of each session students can share a poem that they love and have rehearsed reading aloud. This is just a short review of all we do, but it is a powerful, powerful time in our classroom.

[Bianca Arias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Growing up all children enjoy to explore new things and what better way than to encourage them to love and explore new types of literature. In the book, “R is for Rhyme: A Poetry Alphabet”, by Judy Young, the story involves the poems that are all together that engage the young readers to certain terminology they may have not yet been exposed to and are also encouraged with this book to seek out the techniques that are were used to create the book. Each technique is demonstrated with an accompanying poem and illustration, this is effective for multiple reasons. This tool makes it easier for readers to understand the definition of each term. The tone and style brought a friendly atmosphere to the words and was easy for children of all ages to connect to the text without trying. The rhyming text created a fun and entertaining read that all children will enjoy. The colorful illustrations were very enjoyable and fun to look at. I thought this balance was brilliantly used. Overall I absolutely recommend this rhyming book for all kids.

[Brandy Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up all children love to read books and explore new kinds of poems. In the book, “R is for Rhyme: A Poetry Alphabet”, by Judy Young, there is a collection of poems that expose young readers to different terms and techniques. Each technique is demonstrated with an accompanying poem and illustration. This tool makes it easier for readers to understand the definition of each term. I absolutely loved this book from the very beginning. The tone and style brought a friendly atmosphere to the words. The rhyming text created a fun and entertaining read that all children will enjoy. Another element I liked were the colorful pictures and illustrations on each page. The illustrations really helped convey the story, seeing as the text was limited to small stanzas. I thought this balance was brilliantly used. Overall I absolutely recommend this rhyming book for all kids.

[Janet Squires]

The title leaves no doubt as to what will be found between the covers. Young's work measures up to the challenge that begins with "A is for Acrostic" and delivers extra content as well.

Each poem is accompanied by a sidebar that adds interesting facts and additional depth, poses questions to be pondered, and supplies topics for discussion. "B is for ballads" offers up a history of this form, cites Longfellow's "The Village Blacksmith and includes a discussion of meter. "D is for doublet" demonstrates how the form is built on a word ladder. E is for end rhyme" provides examples of rhyming patterns and so on.

Juhasz indulges his well-documented talent for caricatures in the bold illustrations.

[Christy Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a neat book. The pictures are vibrant. Each page has an example of the poem it's letter begins with. On the sides are descriptions of the type of poem as well as historical context and a question that relates to the poem for kids to answer like for one about rain ' have you ever been outside when rain changed to snow?' that gets kids to think, interact with and relate to the poem. I learned about styles of poetry I didn't even know existed like tanka, ubi sunt, villanelle, kyrielle and ghazal

[Krista Mcdowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book defines each type of poetry on the side panel. It is an ABC poetry book. The illustrations are a little abstract and elaborate, but go along with each poem. It was a fun book to read. I would probably read this to third grade and up because as a teacher you can start to introduce poems to them and since this book defines all the poems, you could read one, and then have the kids right their own.

[Kristin Forman · Rating 4 out of 5]

R is for Rhyme is a poetry alphabet book written and illustrated by Judy Young. Each letter provides an example of a type of poem. This is a collection of poems that makes learning entertaining. My favorite poem were the jingles about jelly beans. Each poem is easy to understand and explains the term and technique. Children will enjoy viewing the colorful pictures.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

29 months - I was surprised O really enjoyed this book. She has asked to read it many times. Really a book above and beyond her years but the poems are fun. We will have to revisit this book when she learns about different poetry styles in school.

[Jennifer Cunningham]

Genre: poetry

This book is an asset when teaching poetry! It not only gives explanations of different types of poems, it gives an example. The illustrations are kind of weird but my students love them!

[Melina Kinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I got to learn about all sorts of different poems and the examples are great. I like the descriptions of each type of poem and the history that goes along with it. Great read

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

r is for rhyme: a poetry alphabet by judy young
a great instructional book for poetry, showing the traits and words and details of all the forms of poetry, with examples and pictures to help support learning . great for whole group learning, and instructional teaching

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to use this book not only for student reference, but for my own reference to remind myself of different types of poems. The illustrations in this book are great!

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely descriptions and examples of many types of poems. I will definitely use this in my summer writing class and if I taught a creative writing course, for any grade, this would be handy!

[Jarm Boccio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful and insightful...a painless way to learn the elements of poetry around the world!

[Terry]

Read. Not reviewed.