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Score!: 50 Poems to Motivate and Inspire
A great inspirational gift for graduation, National Poetry Month, and all year long
Bestselling children’s poet Charles “Father Goose” Ghigna has crafted fifty energizing poems for children, parents, teachers, and coaches filled with fun metaphors and reassuring rhymes. Score! is a unique collection that encourages children to reach for their dreams and stay on the path to success. Young athletes will read these poems and be motivated, students studying for a test will be energized, and any young person who is working toward a goal or trying to leap over one of life’s many hurdles will be galvanized.
Exuberant illustrations by Julia Gorton translate these wise words into scenes on the playground, lessons in the classroom, and soothing images in nature so that children will feel hopeful and self-assured when life throws them a curveball.
Achievements often come when we
Forget our fears and try;
For that’s when we accomplish what
We’re most remembered by.
Bestselling children’s poet Charles “Father Goose” Ghigna has crafted fifty energizing poems for children, parents, teachers, and coaches filled with fun metaphors and reassuring rhymes. Score! is a unique collection that encourages children to reach for their dreams and stay on the path to success. Young athletes will read these poems and be motivated, students studying for a test will be energized, and any young person who is working toward a goal or trying to leap over one of life’s many hurdles will be galvanized.
Exuberant illustrations by Julia Gorton translate these wise words into scenes on the playground, lessons in the classroom, and soothing images in nature so that children will feel hopeful and self-assured when life throws them a curveball.
Achievements often come when we
Forget our fears and try;
For that’s when we accomplish what
We’re most remembered by.
56 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2008
7 people want to read
About the author
Charles Ghigna
154 books48 followersCharles Ghigna - Father Goose® lives in a treehouse in the middle of Alabama. He is the author of more than 100 books from Random House, Disney, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, Time Inc. and other publishers. He has written more than 5,000 poems for children and adults that have appeared in anthologies, newspapers and magazines ranging from The New Yorker and Harper’s to Highlights and Cricket magazines. He served as poet-in-residence and chair of creative writing at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, instructor of creative writing at Samford University, poetry editor of English Journal for the National Council of Teachers of English, and as a nationally syndicated poetry feature writer for Tribune Media Services. He speaks at schools, conferences, libraries, and literary events throughout the U.S. and overseas, and has read his poems at The Library of Congress, The John F. Kennedy Center, American Library in Paris, American School in Paris, and the International Schools of South America. For more information, visit his website at FatherGoose.com
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 11, 2017
Score! by Charles Ghigna is an outstanding book full of 50 poems to motivate and inspire others. I would use this text primarily in third or fourth grade; however, I think it would also be appropriate to use in fifth grade as well. This picture book is set up with one poem for about every page and has lovely illustrations and creative fonts that correlate with the poem's topic. With each poem having a theme around reaching your goals, inspiration, character, and success, they are meant to provide motivation for students in particular. Most of the poems are short and rhyme which makes them easy to read, enjoyable, and relatable to anyone and everyone. I had a hard time putting this book down and loved the messages and layout of each poem the book had in it!
One way I could use this text in my classroom and other educators could use it in theirs is by having this be a classroom book that starts off each morning. Since each poem in the book is meant to motivate and/or inspire, I think it would be a fantastic idea to read one poem each morning and discuss how the poem can have an impact on their learning and attitude for that day. This will foster a love of poetry for the students and allow them to have discussions around it and apply it to their lives and their attitudes towards learning and school. As a teacher, I would start by reading the first poem the first day, and then choose a different student to read the poem of the day each day after. Another way this text could be used is to have students read the poems and choose their favorite. After they choose which one they like the most, they could create an original illustration to go with it as well as write a paragraph connecting the poem to their life and detailing how it will impact their work habits and/or attitude. Finally, at the end of reading all the poems I think it would be fun for students to write their own motivational poem with an illustration. I would laminate them and create a class book of poems out of them for my students to look back and refer to for inspiration and motivation. All of these activities would be teaching them about poetry while increasing their motivation and creativity, possibly sparking a passion for what they want their future to look like.
Score! by Charles Ghigna was a wow book for me because all of the poems were simple yet the messages behind them were so powerful. The illustrations were fantastic and complemented each poem perfectly. I really enjoyed reading each of the poems and think students would really be able to make connections and change their outlook on life in many ways. Especially with the plethora of ways this text can be used in the classroom, it was one that really stood out to me. I simply love the life skills and messages that can be taken from it, which is why it was definitely a wow book for me!
One way I could use this text in my classroom and other educators could use it in theirs is by having this be a classroom book that starts off each morning. Since each poem in the book is meant to motivate and/or inspire, I think it would be a fantastic idea to read one poem each morning and discuss how the poem can have an impact on their learning and attitude for that day. This will foster a love of poetry for the students and allow them to have discussions around it and apply it to their lives and their attitudes towards learning and school. As a teacher, I would start by reading the first poem the first day, and then choose a different student to read the poem of the day each day after. Another way this text could be used is to have students read the poems and choose their favorite. After they choose which one they like the most, they could create an original illustration to go with it as well as write a paragraph connecting the poem to their life and detailing how it will impact their work habits and/or attitude. Finally, at the end of reading all the poems I think it would be fun for students to write their own motivational poem with an illustration. I would laminate them and create a class book of poems out of them for my students to look back and refer to for inspiration and motivation. All of these activities would be teaching them about poetry while increasing their motivation and creativity, possibly sparking a passion for what they want their future to look like.
Score! by Charles Ghigna was a wow book for me because all of the poems were simple yet the messages behind them were so powerful. The illustrations were fantastic and complemented each poem perfectly. I really enjoyed reading each of the poems and think students would really be able to make connections and change their outlook on life in many ways. Especially with the plethora of ways this text can be used in the classroom, it was one that really stood out to me. I simply love the life skills and messages that can be taken from it, which is why it was definitely a wow book for me!
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August 7, 2016Title: Score! 50 Poems to Motivate and Inspire
Author: Charles Ghigna
Illustrator: Julia Gorton
Genre: Poetry
Theme(s): Goals, determination, motivation, attitude, success
Opening line/sentence:
Success begins the moment that
Brief Book Summary:
A collection of poems to help motivate, keep a positive attitude, build character, and try for one’s goals. The poems apply to sports, school, activities and hobbies, and life.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Kirkus Review:
This collection of 50 motivational poems about ambition, persistence, attitude, self-respect and integrity will find plenty of fans among parents, teachers, leaders and coaches who are working on character development, goal-setting and cooperative classrooms. It will probably find as many among the jaded lit-elite to dismiss it as platitudinous and banal: Perhaps it’s not for them. It’s for those who are energized by the very sight of the words “truth,” “kindness” and “responsibility” among the inspirational words that emblazon the endpapers; for those who are looking for the sorts of mission statements that may forge disparate students into a cohesive cohort of kids; for those who need a school/class, team or family motto. Is it pure poetry? No. Is there an occasional awkward turn of phrase? Yes. There’s even (gasp!) a split infinitive. But these maxims, accompanied by Gorton’s lively, crisp, colorful digital cartoon illustrations and dynamic typeface selections have undeniable appeal—and they are homey, honest and blessedly brief.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Children’s Book Council:
Bestselling children’s poet Charles “Father Goose” Ghigna has crafted fifty energizing poems for children, parents, teachers, and coaches filled with fun metaphors and reassuring rhymes. Score! is a unique collection that encourages children to reach for their dreams and stay on the path to success. Young athletes will read these poems and be motivated, students studying for a test will be energized, and any young person who is working toward a goal or trying to leap over one of life’s many hurdles will be galvanized. Exuberant illustrations by Julia Gorton translate these wise words into scenes on the playground, lessons in the classroom, and soothing images in nature so that children will feel hopeful and self-assured when life throws
Response to Two Professional Reviews:
Both reviews explain how the poems can reach all different types of children from athletes to students to anyone on path to success. The first review brought up some interesting points that the poems may not be for everyone and some poems are “pure poetry.” However, these were merely observations; both review reacted to the positively to the book. They also reacted positively to the illustrations.
Evaluation of Literary Elements:
All of the poems are rhyming poems, many of which have their own titles. Some of the text of the poems are organized in different ways, but they are all the same type of poem; the book is not a collection of the diverse types of poems. The illustrations are bright and colorful, which creates a cheerful mood. The poems are short so they can be easily memorized. The rhymes also help to make the poems memorable.
Consideration of Instructional Application:
Since the poems within the book can be applied to anyone, I think it would be neat to read one poem from the book at the beginning of each day starting from the first day of school. Fifty poems will last ten weeks or about three months. Each poem could be blown up onto a large sheet of paper for whole group instruction at the beginning of the day. The teacher can choose a poem that fitting for the specific day or week depending on what is going on in the classroom. Matching the poem to the lessons can help to motivate students more specifically.
Author: Charles Ghigna
Illustrator: Julia Gorton
Genre: Poetry
Theme(s): Goals, determination, motivation, attitude, success
Opening line/sentence:
Success begins the moment that
Brief Book Summary:
A collection of poems to help motivate, keep a positive attitude, build character, and try for one’s goals. The poems apply to sports, school, activities and hobbies, and life.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Kirkus Review:
This collection of 50 motivational poems about ambition, persistence, attitude, self-respect and integrity will find plenty of fans among parents, teachers, leaders and coaches who are working on character development, goal-setting and cooperative classrooms. It will probably find as many among the jaded lit-elite to dismiss it as platitudinous and banal: Perhaps it’s not for them. It’s for those who are energized by the very sight of the words “truth,” “kindness” and “responsibility” among the inspirational words that emblazon the endpapers; for those who are looking for the sorts of mission statements that may forge disparate students into a cohesive cohort of kids; for those who need a school/class, team or family motto. Is it pure poetry? No. Is there an occasional awkward turn of phrase? Yes. There’s even (gasp!) a split infinitive. But these maxims, accompanied by Gorton’s lively, crisp, colorful digital cartoon illustrations and dynamic typeface selections have undeniable appeal—and they are homey, honest and blessedly brief.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Children’s Book Council:
Bestselling children’s poet Charles “Father Goose” Ghigna has crafted fifty energizing poems for children, parents, teachers, and coaches filled with fun metaphors and reassuring rhymes. Score! is a unique collection that encourages children to reach for their dreams and stay on the path to success. Young athletes will read these poems and be motivated, students studying for a test will be energized, and any young person who is working toward a goal or trying to leap over one of life’s many hurdles will be galvanized. Exuberant illustrations by Julia Gorton translate these wise words into scenes on the playground, lessons in the classroom, and soothing images in nature so that children will feel hopeful and self-assured when life throws
Response to Two Professional Reviews:
Both reviews explain how the poems can reach all different types of children from athletes to students to anyone on path to success. The first review brought up some interesting points that the poems may not be for everyone and some poems are “pure poetry.” However, these were merely observations; both review reacted to the positively to the book. They also reacted positively to the illustrations.
Evaluation of Literary Elements:
All of the poems are rhyming poems, many of which have their own titles. Some of the text of the poems are organized in different ways, but they are all the same type of poem; the book is not a collection of the diverse types of poems. The illustrations are bright and colorful, which creates a cheerful mood. The poems are short so they can be easily memorized. The rhymes also help to make the poems memorable.
Consideration of Instructional Application:
Since the poems within the book can be applied to anyone, I think it would be neat to read one poem from the book at the beginning of each day starting from the first day of school. Fifty poems will last ten weeks or about three months. Each poem could be blown up onto a large sheet of paper for whole group instruction at the beginning of the day. The teacher can choose a poem that fitting for the specific day or week depending on what is going on in the classroom. Matching the poem to the lessons can help to motivate students more specifically.
March 17, 2014
I really enjoyed this book, and I think it would be a great addition to any elementary classroom. Throughout the book there are 50 different poems that are meant to motivate an inspire as the title says. I thought that they did just that. Each poem is short, but sweet. I think the length of each poem is just enough to get the point across and keep the young readers attention. The poems are all about encouraging students to reach their dreams and their highest potential. It talks about success and failure and the importance of each. It talks about working hard to gain success, and about moving past and learning from your failures. It talks about good character and doing the right thing. The book also contains great illustrations that also grab the students attention.
This is a great book of poems that I hope to one day add to my own classroom library. It would not be a very difficult book for students to use, so I would use it both as independent reading and a read aloud. For a read aloud I would probably not read it all at one time. I think it loses its true potential that way. It would be a good read aloud at the beginning of the year, or at times when students seem to be down, or struggling. It would also be something good to recommend to specific students throughout the year that may need a little pick me up.
This is a great book of poems that I hope to one day add to my own classroom library. It would not be a very difficult book for students to use, so I would use it both as independent reading and a read aloud. For a read aloud I would probably not read it all at one time. I think it loses its true potential that way. It would be a good read aloud at the beginning of the year, or at times when students seem to be down, or struggling. It would also be something good to recommend to specific students throughout the year that may need a little pick me up.
April 22, 2013
Great book to get boys interested and reading poetry!
April 17, 2009
I just bought this book for my soon-to-be 5-year-old son who enjoys rhymes and sports, so this is a winning combination. The poems are about perseverence in life, so it's a sneaky way to get those character-building lessons in early.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews