Fly with Poetry

by Avis Harley

Poetry has been and always will be part of us. Events in everyday life have been recited, chanted, and sung since the beginnings of language. In ballad or rap, sonnet or blues, poetry is the imaginative expression that illuminates something within us. But many children, and adults, shy away from poetry, thinking it's too complicated, remote, obscure--the baffling cousin to prose. Fly with Poetry, a witty, insightful collection of original poems, introduces a rich variety of poetic forms and techniques--some handed down through the centuries, others comparatively new--and all presented in a clear, reader-friendly format. Through poetry with its myriad of forms there is no limit to the imagination. This fresh collection will inspire beginning poets of all ages to explore and discover the delight and excitement of words and language structure, and perhaps even create new forms of their own.

Genres: Poetry, Childrens, Picture Books

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Avis Harley has written several books of poetry for children, including THE MONARCH'S PROGRESS: POEMS WITH WINGS. She lives in Vancouver.

Reviews

[Corri Moran]

This book includes examples of different types of poems-26 of them! It also describes what each kind of poem is, so we can read the poem and learn more about poetry at the same time!

I think this is a great poetry book for kids because it provides information about each type of poem, and includes so many different ones. It can be used with children of all ages and can be read for fun or to support a poetry lesson! Every classroom should have this book.

This can be used with any other poetry books.

This book would be an excellent mentor text when writing poetry because of the explanation and example of each type of poem. It will truly help students understand the type of poem and write their own!

[Mickayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grade range: 4-6
Genre: Poetry
I like this book for the poetry, not necessarily as an ABC book. One of my favorite parts of this book is at the end of each page it gives a little definition, or helpful hint on what the different types of poetry are. I think this book would be best used in a poetry unit, maybe even an exploratory poetry unit. But this is overall quite well written!

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an alphabetically listed collection of different poetic forms. It begins with an abecdarian. (a poem that uses the letters of the alphabet in their proper order for each new line). Each one is presented in a poem with a description of this format at the bottom of the page. An illustration references the content of the verse.

[Peggy Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of poems that are examples of different kinds of poetry. Definition at the bottom of the pages with additional poetic forms at the back of the book. Good resource, or just for reading.

[Morgan Guarino · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for beginning learners about poetry. This book gives several examples of the different type of poetry with examples attached to each one.

[Mackenzie Navarrete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Date: 10/10/23
Genre: Poetry
Level: K-1st
Review:

[Emily V]

"Fly with Poetry, An ABC of Poetry" is a collection of poems that are sorted by their form or technique. This collection gives readers examples of many different types of poems; the types range from acrostic to haiku, and metaphor to zoophabet ( A-Z ). Each poem is displayed with a picture so connect the student to their poem.

The format of this book allows the reader to use it in a very systematic way; if the teacher or students want to find a specific type of poem they would easily find it using the index or following the types alphabetically. Another positive about this book is that the definition of the technique or form of the poem is located on the bottom of that page, which can help readers if they cannot determine it themselves. Overall the poems in the book are good examples for students, some could have stronger connections to the type of poem or be more transparent in their delivery.

This book could be used to start a poetry study. It would show students the many types of poetry in a comfortable format and give them examples to be referenced. This could be used by students while writing poetry in the classroom.

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book a little over 17 years ago at a conference. It continues to delight me over and over again each time I read it.

April 20, 2019: Each time I read this book, I love it more!!!

September 23, 2018: Every time I read this book, I enjoy it more. I just ordered another ABC poetry book by this author. :)


August 27, 2018 DELIGHTFUL book!!! I had heard once that we ought to read a poem each day. Poems for children are some of the most fun to read. :) This book is definitely a favorite--for children AND adults!

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW! What an incredible book about poetry! Avis Harley combines the alphabet with poems and formatting to create a truly informative, yet fun book. I would recommend this to teachers who are doing lessons on poetry and writing.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good guide for teaching poetic forms with great, kid-friendly examples.