School People

by Lee Bennett Hopkins, Ellen Shi (Illustrator)

Fifteen poems selected by acclaimed poet and anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins celebrate all of the grown-ups that children encounter during the course of a school day.

Welcome to school, a building of brick "full of soul and heart," eager for students and staff to fill its halls with sounds. This anthology of fifteen poems celebrates the grown-up people that children encounter throughout the course of their school the school bus driver with her morning smile, the teacher who inspires imagination, the rarely seen, yet caring custodian, and the nurse who heals hurts, big and small. There's even a poem about the school building. Award-winning poet and anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins has compiled this marvelous collection featuring a variety of brand-new works by well-known poets and beautifully imaginative artwork by illustrator Ellen Shi.

Genres: Poetry, School, Picture Books, Back To School, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published February 13, 2018

About the author

Lee Bennett Hopkins was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2017. He holds a Guinness Book of Records citation for compiling the most anthologies for children. He has also received the Christopher Award, the Regina Medal, and the National Council of Teachers of English Excellence in Poetry for Children Award. He lives in Florida.

For more information, please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Ben...

Reviews

[Michele Knott]

Beautiful compilation about the people who make up a school. Love the number of poets who contributed.

[Jenny]

I enjoyed this collection of poems about all the people who make up a school. And I love the poem about teachers, written by Joan Bransfield Graham.

Teacher
You have so many talents.
You do everything with flair.
Any minute I'm expecting...
you will rise up in the air.
You stretch my world much wider.
Your stories lift me high.
They spark imagination-
I feel I, too, can fly.

(I sure hope that's the kind of teacher I am!)

Along with the poems, the illustrations are wonderful!

[Miss Pippi the Librarian]

A selection of fourteen poems, plus a reprise of the first poem. I selected to use the first poem (and the reprise) called "School's Story" to gegin and end storytime.

Reviewed from a library copy.

2018 storytime theme: Back to School

[Edward Sullivan]

Poems celebrating school employees, including bus drivers, lunch ladies, librarians, nurses, custodians, and subject area teachers. A great back-to-school book.

[Paul Hankins]

So nice to be able to review the finished copy of SCHOOL PEOPLE.

Even nicer to be able to tag a book that is a celebration of schools and teachers. And then tag it again because it is a new collection of poems brought together by Dear One, Lee Bennett Hopkins and they are all about the people we see each day at school.

Fifteen new poems feature poetic looks at school, the bus driver, the crossing guard, the principal, the lunch lady, the custodian, and a host of teachers that make each school come alive: the Spanish teacher, the art teacher, the music teacher, the theater teacher. The librarian The coach. The nurse. They are all here in accessible verse that introduces the person and his, her, or their work within a school.

Celebrated poets we have come to look for within a Hopkins curation are here: Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Matt Forrest Esenwine, J. Patrick Lewis, Alma Flor Ada, Charles Ghigna, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, and, of course, the Dear One himself.

Ellen Shi's illustrations are the perfect compliment to the verse within this collection. If you are already a fan of Dear One's collections, you will not want to miss this one. And, if you have a teacher friend and you are looking for a gift book. . .this one is it (but don't worry about me; I have mine already).

[Linda]

Ellen Shi’s illustrations make the poets’ voices shine with happiness in this poetry collection by Lee Bennett Hopkins. The school, in Rebecca Kai Dotlich’s voice, says “I am waiting--come on in!” and the other adults who also wait are inside, welcoming, giving an experience for children that makes good memories. Starting with Matt Forrest Esenwine’s friendly bus driver with a “good morning smile” to the teacher who, in Joan Bransfield Graham’s sweet words, “spark imagination--so the students “feel I, too, can fly” it’s a happy celebration of school. Other words to celebrate: “The Lunch Lady” who says: “Here you go, Honey. . .handing each of us a full plate.” by Robyn Hood Black, “Art Teacher” who helps kids explore and “In her room/I am an artist.”, where Irene Latham writes about a “Music Teacher”: “She walks in music, like morning rain”, Renee La Tulippe shows off the “Theater Teacher” with “With him we are anything/we want to be”, and Amy Ludwig Vanderwater shows the kindness from a “Nurse”: “heals our hurts/big and small.” Children count on the friends who are already grown to keep their time at school delightful places to learn.

[Danielle Beisiegel]

School People by Lee Bennett Hopkins is the perfect book to introduce children to poetry, while also describing the many adults at a school!

I love School People for a few reasons, including the descriptive language utilized and the vivid illustrations.

Lee Bennett Hopkins uses detailed language to help the reader gain a deeper understanding of each school worker's job. For example, students don't understand how early the lunch lady gets to school each day to help prepare lunch. However, Lee Bennett Hopkins perfectly describes the role of the lunch lady and how she stacks trays into towers while preparing lunch. This description is just one of the many within School People that is accurate, but often overlooked by most students.

The illustrations also directly correspond to the language being used, which is beneficial for the reader to get a more vivid image of the school people and their corresponding jobs.

In conclusion, I think School People by Lee Bennett Hopkins is a phenomenal book to utilize within the classroom to teach students poetry or simply introduce the school workers. School People is most appropriate for early elementary students (K-2), but can be read by any grade! As a future educator, I plan to read School People at the beginning of the school year to help educate my students on the workers within our school.

[Jane]

Lee Bennett Hopkins is a master at collecting poetry for children. His latest collection School People is no exception. As you can guess from the title, the theme of this collection is schools. He includes poems about various people who work at schools – from teachers and principals to custodians and crossing guards. I can’t think of anyone who was left out. (If, after reading the book for yourself, you find someone is missing – please comment below and let me know.)

Ellen Shi created all of the illustrations in this picture book digitally. They are well-done and complement each poem well. No matter the length of the poem, each poem has a two-page spread giving plenty of room for illustrations.

School People is a Children’s Choice Award finalist. It would also make a great addition to your poetry collection. With poetry month just around the corner, you may want to consider adding School People to your poetry collection.

[Christine Turner]

School Library Journal recommends this book for grades 3-5.
Publishers Weekly recommends this book for ages 5 - 8.

I would recommend this book for upper preschool students through lower elementary.

Welcome to school, a building of brick "full of soul and heart," eager for students and staff to fill its halls with sounds. This anthology of fifteen poems celebrates the grown-up people that children encounter throughout the course of their school day: the school bus driver with her morning smile, the teacher who inspires imagination, the rarely seen, yet caring custodian, and the nurse who heals hurts, big and small. There's even a poem about the school building. Award-winning poet and anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins has compiled this marvelous collection featuring a variety of brand-new works by well-known poets and beautifully imaginative artwork by illustrator Ellen Shi.

[heidi]

I rated School People by Lee Bennett Hopkins a 5/5 stars because I think this is a fantastic book! This children's book is a heartwarming celebration of everyone who makes a school community work. Each poem is by a different poet and describes a different community member. In my opinion, I think this is a very important book for young students to read or listen to because they realize a school is more than just a classroom and teacher. It's take a whole village to run a school and it's essential that students learn that! I think this book fits into a variety of different age ranges and could be utilized in many elementary classrooms. It's a great book for building appreciation and respect; therefore, I'd definitely use it in my future classroom!

[Dani Jo]

I enjoyed School People for a few reasons. It captures the everyday experience of school life in a real and relatable way for young readers. A major theme in the book is community and the importance of the people who make up a school. It helps readers understand that a school is not just a building, but somewhere many people contribute to learning and support. I think this would help students recognize themselves or people they know in the poems. I would recommend this book for an early elementary classroom (K-3). I would use it during the beginning of the school year to help students think about classroom community and respect for all the different people in a school. I could also have students write their own poems about people in their school.

[Jana]

Fifteen wonderful poems celebrate the people that make school wonderful for so many children: teachers, principals, custodians, nurses, bus drivers, and so on. Each poem is written by a different author and all are beautifully illustrated. This would definitely make a terrific end-of-the-school year gift for the folks who work so hard in your school. This would also make a great book to have on the shelf and share with children during the beginning of the school year.

[Jennifer]

15 poems celebrate the people who make up the school, including the custodian, teacher, nurse, principal, etc. I would've liked to see some more gender and racial diversity in the illustration (does it always have to be a lunch LADY?!?), but overall a nice poetry collection to use at the beginning of the year.

[Lies]

Maybe it's the timing (start of school), but I love this picture book, especially that it features so many of the people who make a school hum. Not just "teachers" and "principal" but also lunch lady, custodian, art teacher, drama teacher, etc. Happy poems expertly curated by Lee Bennett Hopkins. Also love Ellen Shi's clear but rich pictures.

[Mariana Rizzo]

This book was a little different from most. The poems that made up the story were interesting. I enjoyed reading this book because it was different then what you would read on a daily basis. Being different is not always bad. I do not think poems should be a story line, it might be hard for younger children to follow, therefore, this is a 4/5 in my book.

[Sara Lackey]

This is a great book that can be used in a classroom to show students the importance of the people who work in their school. Many of the staff members such as the custodian or lunch lady may go unnoticed. Using this book in the classroom will help them notice these people. I love how this book describes everyone and outlines their important role in the school.

[Lynn]

The perfect book to add to everyone's back-to-school collections! Bright, fun and assuring, each poet celebrates a school employee. Bus Drivers, Lunch Ladies, Librarians, Custodians and various subject area teachers all get starring roles.

[Miriam Lin]

This is one of my poetry books. This collection of poems covers all aspects of school life - even the hardworking but invisible janitor has a poem devoted just to him. This is a helpful book to introduce new students to the world of elementary school.

[Sarah Threlkeld]

I’d love to share this with students and then have them write a poem about someone who works at our school.

[Shannon Bishop]

Fabulous book of poems describing all the people in a school.

[Laura Salas]

Delightful! A love letter to ALL the folks who work hard to make school a welcoming, safe, wonderful place for kids!

[Joanne Zienty]

Awww, poetry about all the wonderful people involved in making school a special place.

[Sheri]

I’ll be rereading and sharing these poems for years to come.

[Alice]

Great collection of poems.

[Wylaina]

Needs more diversity.

[Ann]

Poetry for the first week!!! Great collection of school poems by great poets!

[Kim]

Fun poems about different roles in a school.

[Viviane Elbee]

Book of poems about school staff.

[Angelica]

Genre: Poems/Picture Book

Copyright Date: 2018

This was a cute book about the different roles of people in a school. Beautiful illustrations. I think this is a good book for grades K-5 and could be used to connect the characters from the book to real people that students know who have the same roles in their lives.

[Villa Park Public Library]

This is a particularly vibrant and caring way to introduce students to school personnel. Through the use of selected poems children will get a rich and broad understanding of the role of school personnel. Find out how the bus driver sets a happy tone for the school day, how teachers inspire and how school librarians take you to magical places.

Different poems express the unlimited possibilities that school offers and the people who have helped create this amazing place of learning, caring, and inspiration. This would be a great read for anyone wanting to familiarize children with the amazing staff and opportunities that await them at school.

Check this book out at the Villa Park Public Library:
https://catalog.swanlibraries.net/client/en_US/vpd/search/detailnonmodal/ent:$002f$002fSD_ILS$002f0$002fSD_ILS:2658626/ada?qu=school+people&lm=VPD