What do you think?
Rate this book
Small Poems
Describes in verse common objects in a child's life, such as a porch, chair, dog, pie, and grass.
- GenresPoetry
48 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1972
23 people want to read
About the author
Valerie Worth
23 books14 followers(October 29, 1933 - July 31, 1994)
Acclaimed poet Valerie Worth Bahlke was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in nearby Swarthmore, where her father taught biology at Swarthmore College. The family then moved to Tampa, Florida, and Bangalore, India, where they lived for one year. Valerie returned to Swarthmore to attend college, graduating with an English degree and High Honors. Shortly thereafter she married George Bahlke, a fellow Swarthmore graduate. After settling in Clinton, NY, Valerie met Natalie Babbitt at Kirkland College, and Natalie began to illustrate Valerie's work, starting with Small Poems in 1972. Three more volumes followed: More Small Poems (1976); Still More Small Poems (1978); and Small Poems Again (1986). All four volumes were issued in a single paperback, All the Small Poems (1987), and seven years later, All the Small Poems and Fourteen More was released and was then followed by a paperback edition in 1996. In 2002, FSG posthumously published Peacock and Other Poems by Valerie Worth, with pictures by Natalie Babbitt, a collection of 27 poems which Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, said "heralds the joy of words." School Library Journal, in a starred review, declared that "[Valerie Worth's] work gives children something to admire and aim for."
Valerie Worth was honored by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in 1991 with its Poetry Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, which acknowledges a body of work.
Acclaimed poet Valerie Worth Bahlke was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in nearby Swarthmore, where her father taught biology at Swarthmore College. The family then moved to Tampa, Florida, and Bangalore, India, where they lived for one year. Valerie returned to Swarthmore to attend college, graduating with an English degree and High Honors. Shortly thereafter she married George Bahlke, a fellow Swarthmore graduate. After settling in Clinton, NY, Valerie met Natalie Babbitt at Kirkland College, and Natalie began to illustrate Valerie's work, starting with Small Poems in 1972. Three more volumes followed: More Small Poems (1976); Still More Small Poems (1978); and Small Poems Again (1986). All four volumes were issued in a single paperback, All the Small Poems (1987), and seven years later, All the Small Poems and Fourteen More was released and was then followed by a paperback edition in 1996. In 2002, FSG posthumously published Peacock and Other Poems by Valerie Worth, with pictures by Natalie Babbitt, a collection of 27 poems which Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, said "heralds the joy of words." School Library Journal, in a starred review, declared that "[Valerie Worth's] work gives children something to admire and aim for."
Valerie Worth was honored by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) in 1991 with its Poetry Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, which acknowledges a body of work.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 29, 2024
Love this little gem: poems, book size, illustrations…
May 12, 2019
Small Poems and Still More Small Poems have been a favorite during poetry tea time. Perfect short poems bringing color to the simple joys of life. And a great introduction to non-rhyming poetry for little and not-so little kids.
November 7, 2023
A poem from this collection ("dog") is referenced in Sharon Creech, Love That Dog, and both are part of Wit & Wisdom 4th grade.
Read
November 7, 2016Title: Small Poems
Author: Valerie Worth
Illustrator: Natalie Babbitt
Genre: Poetry anthology or collection of poems for children or chapter book written in verse
Theme(s): short poems, object, imagery
Opening line/sentence: “Porches: On the front porch Chairs sit still;”
Brief Book Summary: Worth writes short poems about objects and uses great similes to describe them. Each poem is only about one object; for example, the poem is titled “daisies” or “pie” or “pig.”
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
School Library Journal
Grade 2-6 The poet's ability to capture the essence of ordinary things in a few words is no better exemplified than in Worth's short poems, three volumes of which have been published previously (Farrar). Children will marvel at Worth's ability to examine familiar animals and everyday objects with not a wasted word. Particularly enchanting are ``The tiger /Has swallowed /A black sun. . . /Black flames /Flicker through /His fur'' or ``Library'': ``No need even /To take out /A book: only /Go inside /And savor /The heady /Dry breath of /Ink and paper, /Or stand and /Listen to the /Silent twitter /Of a billion / Tiny busy /Black words.'' The other 23 poems are equally perceptive and examine anteaters, giraffes, jacks, flies and coat hangers, among others. As in Worth's earlier poetry books, Babbit adds a perfectly complementary understated pen-and-ink drawing to each poem. A rare delight. Barbara McGinn, Oak Hill Elementary School, Severna Park, Md.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Publishers Weekly
In her fourth volume of small poems, Worth presents us with 25 polished gems that reflect the world in all its particularities. Both the lyrics and Babbitt's black-and-white drawings are understated but astonishingly vivid. The poet focuses on homely things coat hangers, fleas, a starfish, a dandelion and makes us see what we carelessly miss. The tiger has "swallowed/ A black sun" and "carries it still:/ Black flames/ Flicker through/ His fur." A skunk walks by, "half vapor, half/ Shade, diffusing/ The night's uncanny/ Essence and atmosphere." The mantis bows "such lean and monklike/ Shoulders" and the poet asks if he is "Wholly/ Holy Pretending/ To pray/ While intending/ To prey." Each image of these spare poems startles, and each verse reveals the sensibilities in a poet who respects her audience.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: I agree with both of these reviews, especially how she “captures the essence of ordinary things in a few words.” I also like how review talks about the lyrics and understated drawings being “astonishingly vivid” because at first they seem so simple, yet they’re so complex and extraordinary.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: Worth uses a lot of similes and metaphors to describe these objects to the reader. The way she breaks her poems into lines makes the poems flow and easy to read. She also includes a small picture (sketch) per poem in pen to help with imagery of what she’s writing. She also titles each poem with a single word (the object) and does not capitalize or punctuate them.
Consideration of Instructional Application: This book would be great to read-aloud in any elementary classroom. Students could easily write their own poems about a single object of their choosing. Students could practice using similes and metaphors in their poems and adding imagery to really describe the object to a reader. For practice, they could have another student guess what object they’re writing about.
Author: Valerie Worth
Illustrator: Natalie Babbitt
Genre: Poetry anthology or collection of poems for children or chapter book written in verse
Theme(s): short poems, object, imagery
Opening line/sentence: “Porches: On the front porch Chairs sit still;”
Brief Book Summary: Worth writes short poems about objects and uses great similes to describe them. Each poem is only about one object; for example, the poem is titled “daisies” or “pie” or “pig.”
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
School Library Journal
Grade 2-6 The poet's ability to capture the essence of ordinary things in a few words is no better exemplified than in Worth's short poems, three volumes of which have been published previously (Farrar). Children will marvel at Worth's ability to examine familiar animals and everyday objects with not a wasted word. Particularly enchanting are ``The tiger /Has swallowed /A black sun. . . /Black flames /Flicker through /His fur'' or ``Library'': ``No need even /To take out /A book: only /Go inside /And savor /The heady /Dry breath of /Ink and paper, /Or stand and /Listen to the /Silent twitter /Of a billion / Tiny busy /Black words.'' The other 23 poems are equally perceptive and examine anteaters, giraffes, jacks, flies and coat hangers, among others. As in Worth's earlier poetry books, Babbit adds a perfectly complementary understated pen-and-ink drawing to each poem. A rare delight. Barbara McGinn, Oak Hill Elementary School, Severna Park, Md.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Publishers Weekly
In her fourth volume of small poems, Worth presents us with 25 polished gems that reflect the world in all its particularities. Both the lyrics and Babbitt's black-and-white drawings are understated but astonishingly vivid. The poet focuses on homely things coat hangers, fleas, a starfish, a dandelion and makes us see what we carelessly miss. The tiger has "swallowed/ A black sun" and "carries it still:/ Black flames/ Flicker through/ His fur." A skunk walks by, "half vapor, half/ Shade, diffusing/ The night's uncanny/ Essence and atmosphere." The mantis bows "such lean and monklike/ Shoulders" and the poet asks if he is "Wholly/ Holy Pretending/ To pray/ While intending/ To prey." Each image of these spare poems startles, and each verse reveals the sensibilities in a poet who respects her audience.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: I agree with both of these reviews, especially how she “captures the essence of ordinary things in a few words.” I also like how review talks about the lyrics and understated drawings being “astonishingly vivid” because at first they seem so simple, yet they’re so complex and extraordinary.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: Worth uses a lot of similes and metaphors to describe these objects to the reader. The way she breaks her poems into lines makes the poems flow and easy to read. She also includes a small picture (sketch) per poem in pen to help with imagery of what she’s writing. She also titles each poem with a single word (the object) and does not capitalize or punctuate them.
Consideration of Instructional Application: This book would be great to read-aloud in any elementary classroom. Students could easily write their own poems about a single object of their choosing. Students could practice using similes and metaphors in their poems and adding imagery to really describe the object to a reader. For practice, they could have another student guess what object they’re writing about.
October 27, 2016
My Review:
1. No awards were given to this book.
2. The book as a whole is appropriate for 3rd-5th graders, but there are specific poems that are suitable for 1st or 2nd graders (but not all).
3. This book is a series of one page poems with a simple black and white drawing next to it that corresponds appropriately to the content. There are poems that are titled 'Crickets', 'Sun', 'Dog', 'Chair', and many more. The title for every poem in this book is always one worded.
4. I enjoy this book, however I feel as if there are certain poems in this book that elementary schoolers would find difficult understanding the content to it. There are some poems that are simpler than others, but there are also some that are a bit more complex. I enjoy how there are different levels of difficulty of comprehension in the book (for our advanced readers) as well as the table of contents in the beginning of the book making organization a bit easier.
5. This book has many in-class uses. Since there are many different poems in the book, a teacher could use that fact to their advantage. This book can be used to teach or further explain the concept of theme in a story. The teacher can read the poems out loud and see what the students believe the theme of each poem is since most of them already have an underlying message. Since there are many poems, there are many to choose from. A teacher may also have their students write in their journal which poem was their favorite from the book and ask them to write why. This could help asses their comprehension of the individual poems. Since the poems are generally short, for the younger age group, the teacher could have students copy down the poem in their journals so this way they can practice writing their words on a piece of paper.
1. No awards were given to this book.
2. The book as a whole is appropriate for 3rd-5th graders, but there are specific poems that are suitable for 1st or 2nd graders (but not all).
3. This book is a series of one page poems with a simple black and white drawing next to it that corresponds appropriately to the content. There are poems that are titled 'Crickets', 'Sun', 'Dog', 'Chair', and many more. The title for every poem in this book is always one worded.
4. I enjoy this book, however I feel as if there are certain poems in this book that elementary schoolers would find difficult understanding the content to it. There are some poems that are simpler than others, but there are also some that are a bit more complex. I enjoy how there are different levels of difficulty of comprehension in the book (for our advanced readers) as well as the table of contents in the beginning of the book making organization a bit easier.
5. This book has many in-class uses. Since there are many different poems in the book, a teacher could use that fact to their advantage. This book can be used to teach or further explain the concept of theme in a story. The teacher can read the poems out loud and see what the students believe the theme of each poem is since most of them already have an underlying message. Since there are many poems, there are many to choose from. A teacher may also have their students write in their journal which poem was their favorite from the book and ask them to write why. This could help asses their comprehension of the individual poems. Since the poems are generally short, for the younger age group, the teacher could have students copy down the poem in their journals so this way they can practice writing their words on a piece of paper.
March 6, 2017
This is a collection of short poems about random things: chairs, grass, carrots, dogs, etc., and I think they're just awesome! There is no rhyming, but Worth wrote such fun rhythms using lines and spacing.Its been a while since I've appreciated poetry and I feel like I might be getting back into it and this author might be my segue.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews