Wet Cement: A Mix of Concrete Poems

by Bob Raczka

Who says words need to be concrete? This collection shapes poems in surprising and delightful ways.

Concrete poetry is a perennially popular poetic form because they are fun to look at. But by using the arrangement of the words on the page to convey the meaning of the poem, concrete or shape poems are also easy to write! From the author of the incredibly inventive And Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word comes another clever collection that shows kids how to look at words and poetry in a whole new way.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Childrens, Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Humor, Juvenile

48 pages, Hardcover

First published March 8, 2016

Reviews

[Julie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Words are ever-present in my mind, so I write poetry as a way of keeping myself sane.

But, shapes? Shapes are never in my mind (ask my freshman geometry teacher, she will confirm this).

So, poets like Bob Raczka, who take the words from their minds and turn them into poetry and shapes intrigue me and capture my attention.

I wonder. . . how can one poet conjure so many images to form with his words?

This is a vibrant, creative and fun collection of concrete poems, and perfect for 2nd-6th graders.

My favorite:

Icicles (meant to look like an icicle, hanging from the eaves—get it?)

When the snow
begins to melt and gutters
start to d r i p ,
frozen water harvesters
begin to
lick their lips.
Mother nature's recipe
is simple
as you please:
Let the snowflakes t h a w ,
then cook
at 32 degrees.
Thaw and cook
repeatedly until stalac t i t e s
form.
Let them cool
overnight, then in the morning,
wa r m .
Careful not to
pick them 'til they're
long and clear and ripe.
Break one off and take a lick,
or if you're brave,
a bite!
Cold and smooth
and crunchy too, with just a
hint of sweet.
Mother Nature's
freeze pops,
the perfect winter t r e a t .

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raczka's poems in Wet Cement are concrete poems, or shape poems. The words are arranged in a way to create an image to illustrate the poem's meaning. These poems are clever with wonderful flow and provide mental stimulation. Sometimes the words are written backwards or upside down. Other times the poem itself is written in shape of the object it is describing like in "balloon" and "hanger." My personal favorite poem was "firefly."

These poems were a pleasure to read with my child. I highly recommend this book as a way to get children excited about poetry.

[Mary Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant concrete poetry. Every single one is as good as the one that came before, but the final poem, "Poetry," ...wow.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in love with this book! We need to revamp and refresh our whole Junior Poetry area and reading this has given me the much needed motivation to do it. It is really clever and I can imagine that some kids who think they don't like poetry, will get a kick out of it!

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most brilliant books of poetry I've ever seen.

It plays with words, and encourages kids to play with words. And the play is extremely clever, but it is also poetically sound.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Who says poetry has to be dull or boring. This collection of poems was beautiful and delightful to read. I love how the shape of the words represented the subject of the poem. It really makes the poems come alive in a way they would not have if they had been written in traditional lines.

[Rachel Stine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to complain, especially when we’re talking about a book intended for little readers but P.U. was this a stinker. I feel like the author was trying too hard to be clever rather than genuine. This book will not be used in my tween poetry class. Although the balloon one was kind of cute.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing play on words.

[Devyani · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's nice to see the things that we are used to see in a frame we never expected them to see in.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the most clever concrete poems I've read. Inspiring book to introduce this type of poetry to children.

[Elizabeth Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually recommend poetry books but my son (at 13) really enjoyed this book! It would be great for younger readers, too. children who enjoy spatial challenges will like this book.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains an entertaining collection of poems, using the words themselves for the poems as well as the illustrations. The morphing and bending of the words really add a sense of whimsy to the poems. I will certainly look for more of Mr. Raczka's books at our local library.

[Raven Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like any poetry, some liked and others didn't. For older children due to language,format and lack of traditional illustrations. Not easy, but interesting book. Would be good to teach forms of poetry even in high school or higher

[Anna Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the variation in poems. Some were heartfelt and deep, others were funny and made me laugh. Overall would recommend

[Samantha]

My kid brought this poetry book home from the library, I must document the occasion.

[Kelly Jahng · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great intro to concrete poems for kids. The poems are clever and utilize creative devices to communicate meaning. They take just enough thought to challenge young readers.

[Alex Ward · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really boring

[Jenny Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick introduction to concrete poems, which are shaped poems. Good way to get kids interested in poetry, or a good way to see what exactly concrete poetry is.

[Suzanne Dix · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun display of how playful our English language can be! Perfect for a stress-free approach to teaching poetry.

[E · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know this book is meant for kids, so I’m not at all in the age range of the intended audience.

That said, I enjoy reading poetry and was curious to check out what children’s poetry exists, so I picked up the book. (Also, the title really pulled me in.)

I was hoping this book would be so much more…I wanted there to be cleverness and wit. Instead, though, it felt like the author was trying to hard to be cutesy. It all felt really flat. It’s hard to know what a kid would feel about this book, but for me, there wasn’t anything to hang onto or anything that made me think beyond the words on the pages.

Two stars because it wasn’t the worst book, but I’m also not going to recommend this book to the little kiddos in my life.

[Chris Necka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never seen a book like this, but Raczka's poetry is SUPER interesting to just look at. The poems all are given titles applicable to the poem, but PHYSICALLY, the words make shapes. For example, the poem "Dominoes," has the words tipping like someone set up dominoes, or the poem "Hopscotch," is arranged like a game of hopscotch. I'd imagine this would be very fun for a young kid, 1-5 grade to read and make sense of, OR interesting for a middle schooler, who "hates poetry," who can read and see how fun poetry could be. I located this book while browsing the internet and noticed pretty quickly that it was a book deemed notable by NCTE, with promising reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly and more. I checked a copy out from my local library to read.

[JordanD · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this amazing poetry book at the Geneva Public Library. This creatively illustrated and written poetry book introduces children to what concrete poems are. As students read through the pages they will notice how concrete poems are written, the placement of the words helps to depict what the poem is about. The words on each page make an illustration of their own. Your students will be excited to try this type of poem when they are done reading it. This book is best suited for grades 1-4 and could be used to introduce the specific type of concrete poems. Students could then create their own concrete poem with the words playing into the illustration of their poem.

[Mmsilve1asu.Edu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wet cement is a book that utilizes different shapes and sizes in order to portray and bring to life poems on the page more. This book has words running around, along and within the page in order to present the poetry in a more fun and creative way to the readers. Action words, for example, are put on the page based on what the action means. There are even instances where this book directly speaks about a ball and writes the word "ball" across the page in a way that a ball would bounce. Normally words should speak for themselves in a more traditional sense but this book truly adds something extra to captivate more so what it is trying to say with each poem. Showing the meaning of the poem through the words and how they are put on the page makes it easier to write about and also easier to understand.
This book gives children the opportunity to view poetry in a more fun but less traditional way that can help them actually become more interested in poetry. This book is not just easy to read because of how the poems are placed on the page, but is a good tool to spark someone's interest more so in poetry if it hasn't been sparked already. This book would function both as a great learning tool for just a regular writing class and would also work great with a poetry or general creative writing class. This book seems like it would be the most helpful as an introductory reading for any of these classes in order to help transition and guide students into the world of poetry. As a learning lesson, a teacher could invite students to create their own miniature book of concrete poems that are presented on the page in similar ways to how they are in this book. It is important for kids to realize that poetry can also be fun in many ways, and can come off as more exciting than traditional poetry on occasions if they want more of a visual work such as that which they can find in this book and throughout concrete poetry. Making words come to life with how they are structured on a page can help bridge the difference between someone liking and not liking poetry. Concrete poetry and creating their own poems similar to this book will help students better understand the many different ways there are to writing poetry and how much freedom they really can have with it.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who knows me well also knows that I adore concrete poetry for many reasons. I love the way the creator of a concrete poem relies on shape, size or form to deliver a message, and I adore the creativity that goes into writing such a form. It takes quite a bit of thought and a flair for word play to do wo well. Bob Raczka, author of Lemonade: And Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word, an earlier collection of concrete poems, has simply outdone himself with cleverness with these 21 concrete poems. I love how he has played with the idea that nothing, including poetry, must be set in stone, and that letters can be fluid and move in order to get a message across. Even the book cover is a concrete poem with a (not so subtle) message for readers as is the table of contents--a literal table complete with a table top, legs, and even a sturdy base for the table. The poet relies on blacks and whites and no illustrations, apparently preferring to allow his words to speak for themselves. My favorites include "Firefly," "Lightning," and "Icicles" with its lines literally hanging from the top of two pages in the same way that icicles do during winter months. Clearly, this man has carefully considered every move as he plays with words and concocts an appealing mix. This collection is sure to inspire budding poets who never thought they could write a poetic line to try their hands at this sort of thing. For some, it's a lot harder than it looks while others may find the form quite liberating to their creative souls. I'm certainly delighted to add it to my own classroom collection to share with my students.

[Margaret]

It's hard to believe the 20th anniversary celebration of National Poetry Month has nearly come to a close. It's been twenty-nine days of showcasing poetry, reading and writing poems, creating spine poetry thanks to promoter teacher librarian Travis Jonker, blogger at 100 Scope Notes, and the true-blue fun of Poem in Your Pocket Day. Although any day of the year is a great day for poetry, this month's focus wins more readers and writers to this literary form.

It's a time to direct attention to beloved favorite poems, classic collections and spotlight wonderful new titles. On March 8, 2016 three books were released. The first of these, Wet Cement: A Mix Of Concrete Poems (Roaring Brook Press) is written by Bob Raczka.

In the introduction Raczka explains concrete poetry to readers with an emphasis on using words to literally paint a picture on a page. The words in a concrete poem form the item being described in the poem. In this collection he takes it further by using the letters in the poem's title to depict that word.

My full recommendation: http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2...

[Oak Lawn Public Library - Youth Services · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Wet Cement: A Mix of Concrete Poems
Author: Bob Raczka
Pages: 48 pages
Lexile level: 580L
5 out of 5 stars
Recommendations & Comments:
In Wet Cement’s introduction, Raczka refers to poems as word painting because a “poet uses words like colors to paint pictures inside your head.” But, Raczka successfully takes this thinking a step further, manipulating the form and structure of his words to produce a picture not only in the reader’s head, but on the printed page in order to further “emphasize the poem’s meaning.” With each of his poems, author Raczka deliberately groups his words in shapes and patterns that represent the poem’s primary concept. For example, a poem about a mouse tracking the scent of cheese in a maze is structured so that the words form a maze. The words in a poem about the lightening are arranged in slopping, jagged direction. The result is a fun and clever read that adds a layer of depth, creating a near tactile experience.

Reviewed by Mr. Roger

[J Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

The visual element to Raczka's poems is appealing, however the gimmick often interferes with the ability to read the poems themselves, which often have no rhythm or cadence. Wet Cement is a decent introduction to poetic forms and verse, but I would prefer something lyrical and energetic.

[Boni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how accessible and fun Raczka makes poetry. Loved Lemonade, love this one too.

[Jeimy · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with most collections, this contains some gems and some duds.

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

For being a book of concrete poems, this is surprisingly good! Perfect for anyone wanting to update their poetry collection or looking to inspire young poets.