If You're Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand: Poems About School

by Kalli Dakos, G. Brian Karas (Illustrator)

For every student who’s ever worried about spending a lifetime in the third grade and for every teacher who’s faced a class where nobody remembered to bring milk money, these thirty-eight poems capture the excitement, challenge, heartbreak, and wonder of life in elementary school. Through her fresh, lively word pictures, Dakos manages to find surprises in every corner of the school.

Genres: Poetry, Childrens, Picture Books, Humor, Family, Friendship, Nonfiction

64 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1990

Reviews

[Irene · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even though these poems center around an elementary school setting, I thought there could be some funny, inspirational, or profound messages. Not so much. While a few of the poems stood out, most seemed like they were written by elementary school students rather than for them.

The poems touted in the book jacket were nothing special. Teacher Mr. Culp may have “The Mighty Eye”, but the poem is just free verse written with cliched language. I also don’t believe that any teacher with a mighty eye would give a child eleven chances to talk before using his scary powerful eye.

Since this book was inspired by experiences between the teacher and her students, the poems probably have more meaning for them. For the average reader looking for poems to share with children, I’d keep looking.

[Dawn Feicht · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children in the fourth and fifth grade will enjoy these poems. The author has poetry that relate to school which children will find fun and engaging. The illustrator does a wonderful job connecting illustrations to the poems which brings them to life.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A silly book of poetry about school. I loved this collection so much I had to buy it. When kids say they hate poetry this book will come in handy. The poems are silly and fun. This book is a good way to introduce poetry into the classroom because they are easy to understand subjects that will make the kids feel comfortable.

[Shacoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a cute little children's book of poems. It's obviously written for elementary school aged children. I particularly like the poems "The Wind Is Calling Me Away" and "Math Is Brewing And I'm In Trouble." I definitely prefer the rhyming poems to the non-rhyming ones, as I feel that rhyming poetry is more appropriate for small children.

[Anjanabiswa]

By Kalli Dakos, Illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Summary: This book has thirty-eight poems that capture the excitement, challenge, heartbreak, and wonder of life in elementary school
Evaluation of Illustrations/Text: The text has two to three poems per page with the title of the poem before the poem to separate the poems. There are few illustrations, but the illustrations present are pencil draw in detail.
Strategies for Use in the Classroom:
Monitor understanding - As the teacher make sure the students understand the literature and what is being expressed in the poems.
Anchor Book: This books is great for school because it is about school. The poems talk about experiences in school and how students, teachers, and the such feel in school. The students can relate to the poems.

[Jasmine Hariri · Rating 5 out of 5]

If You´re Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand by Kalli Dakos is a GREAT book and I recommend it if you are in class and you are learning about poetry like me! Every poem is so easy to relate to and I can easily learn about poetry faster this way. The poetry anthology uses lots of the devices in poetry like, rhyming, rhythm, repetition, and more. For example, words like day, away, fall, and all rhyme and create a beat. This book reminds of Where The Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstien because the poems are easy and I understand them.

[Allenhuss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute little book of poems. Skip "J.T. Will Never Be Ten" and "The Cry Guy" unless you need a good cry 😭😭😭

Favorites (in no particular order):

1. "A Day In School"
This poem reminded me of a page in Poison For Breakfast where Snickett talks about our minds be yanked from one place to another in school.

2. "You Can Do Better"
Every teacher should have this printed and taped to their desks. Your best will change from day to day, and that's ok. ❤

3. "Teacher, Could You?"
Haha. No. No I could not sit next to my friend and not speak to them.

[Noah K]

If You're Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand By G. Brian Karas is poems about a kid who feels kinda lost in school. My favorite poem in this book is If You're Not Here Please Raise Your Hand its about a kid is lost in his mind and said if your not here please raise your hand. I recommend this book for people who like funny poems and school.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Masquerades as a simple school read. I was surprised at the depth of several poems slipped among less serious ones.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was darling! Oh to be a kid again!

[Evony Dobbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

[JL Salty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read over the course of two weeks to curate collection for 7th grade poetry project.

[Egbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute short poetry reminiscent of grade school joys an woes. A handful of the poems I really loved, they were funny and really reminded me of days at school I had or friends had.

[Marcia Van Camp]

Eldest read

[Cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

J.T Will Never Be Ten almost made me cry as a kid lol.

[Caitlin Harmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If You're Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand is comprised of 38 poems that capture the reality of classroom life. Kalli Dakos wrote each poem based on the perspective of students and makes the reader feel as though it is a true telling of what many students face from day to day. Subjects of the poems range from the joys, wonders, and challenges that characterize school, to the disappointments, woes, and stress of classroom life. I believe this book is a great read-aloud and a wonderful choice to be used in a poetry and/or writing unit.

Many poems in the book have a chorus where students can chime in while reading these sections (If You're Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand, But I Brought a Worm, Go to the Bahamas, and A Lifetime in Third Grade). A few poems have been written as mini-plays where students can perform them for their classmates (There's a Cobra in the Bathroom, Budging Line-ups, and It's Inside My Sister's Lunch).

As a teacher you could tell your students about your own school experiences - your friends, your teachers, your triumphs, your failures, and other special stories. Then have students interview their parents, their grandparents, teachers, principles, secretaries, custodians, librarians, and other students about their school experiences and transform their interviews into poems.

As a teacher you could also use these book to share different poetic features with your students such as poetic shape (Call the Periods Call the Commas), free verse (You Can Do Better, J.T. Never Will Be Ten, and If We Had Lunch at the White House), repetition (Happy Hiccup to You and I Won the Prize), and rhyme schemes.

This book could also be used to discuss a variety of subjects such as friendship (J.T. Never Will Be Ten), getting in trouble (Don't You Remember How Sick You Are?), good-byes (The cry Guy), feelings (Hiding in the Bathroom), and love (Dancing on a Rainbow).

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

1. This book would fall under the category of a junior book, poetry.
2. This book is an anthology of poems based on common occurrences in school life. The poems vary in topic, but all would be applicable to students in elementary school settings.
3. critique
a. The poems in this book would be classified as “verse” according to the definition that Horning provides.
b. According to Horning, the difference between poetry and verse is the ability to stray from the predictable pattern. The selections all follow a predictable pattern and force the author to pick particular words or names to continue with the pattern – leading to extremely dull poems.
c. An example of the forced word choice is in “Budging Line-ups” (pg. 30). “Then Jennifer cried that Joe budged in, To stand near his friend, Benjamin.” The names were clearly chosen because they rhymed with the desired words. Then, “Sally shoved with all her might, To get to walk near Darlene Brite.” This is extremely boring poetry.
4. a curriculum connection
The poems contained in this book would be great for recreational reading. I cannot fathom introducing them in the classroom as works to study. There are some interesting mathematical problems contained in the verses, so perhaps certain poems could be introduced to assist them with word problems.

[Casey Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great compilation of poetry! There's many different, hilarious poems, but they are all dedicated to school. It goes through the typical struggles of: losing your homework, other people cutting you in line, people not listening to each other, having to do lots of math problems, turning in assignments late, being sick at school, and many other experiences we can all relate to. This small compilation is only 60 pages, but I believe all 60 pages could be put to great use in the classroom! One of the poems I really enjoyed reading is, Dancing on a Rainbow because it would be a great poem to read when students are first transitioning into their special education classes. This will make them feel loved and help them understand the importance of them going to the reading class. Another one of my favorite poems was, A Lifetime in Third Grade. I thought this poem was hilarious and would be fun to read to the class when they are feeling down and exhausted, possibly one of the days prior to Spring Break.

[Zoe Lampman · Rating 4 out of 5]

If You're Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand: Poems About School, by Kalli Dakos is a funny book of both rhyming and free verse poems about experiences children have in school ranging from wishing they could go outside instead of learning inside, struggling with math, forgetting lunch money, having substitutes, to having an exhausted teacher that says things like "If you're not here, please raise your hand."

Any elementary school student or teacher could relate to these poems. It is appropriate for first through fifth grades. I think it would be great to read a poem aloud everyday to get students interested in poetry. If a teacher was doing a poetry lesson they could suggest the students write one about an experience they had in school. Using this book is a great way to engage students with poetry, which is often considered a boring or outdated form of writing.

[Children's Literature Project · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book consists of 38 poems centered around the good and bad of elementary school. "They Don't Do Math in Texas" and "I Brought a Worm are very funny". I would recommend reading the poems prior to reading them to a class. A couple of poems, J.T. Never Will Be Ten and The Cry Guy, deal with death so I would be thoughtful about when or if to read them.

Classroom Uses:
- Beginning of the school year
- Enjoyment
- To teach poetry
- To help with fluency
- Use as writing prompts or visualization

DRA: Unable to locate

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful collection of poems about school. Some are funny, some are sad; many rhyme, but several do not. The various perspectives are refreshing, from teachers to students to parents/ It's a terrific book to read aloud with children and we read it slowly, savoring the poems and talking about what we thought about each one. We borrowed this book because April is National Poetry Month and I'm very glad that we did.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a good book if you like to read cute and funny short stories. These stories are about little kids in elementary school and how they think, act, and be themselves in school. Some of the stories are funny ones and fun to read, but others aren't. For an example when a kid was talking about his friend that passed away in elementary school. The story talks about all the fun and games he had with his friend. So, if you like to read these kinds of books a really recommend this one.

[Roos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dancing on a Rainbow

When my reading teacher
comes to get me
For my special reading class
I feel like
Dancing on a rainbow

To me she is
a light in the darkness
the twinkle of a star
soft as a cottonball
a true friend

When my reading teacher
comes to get me
for my special reading class
I know what it is like
To dance on a rainbow

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book has lots of poemes in it. but my favorite 3 are She Shoould Have Listened me, Shakespears gone, and Don't you rember how sickyou are? The reason I like you shoule have listened to me because I tell alot of people alot of things and I wish they would have listend to me. It;s abbout a girl who jump ropes all

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If you're not here, please raise your hand..." Your students will laugh at the quirky poems in this book, but there are also some really deep, emotional poems to help children express their feelings of grief or low self-esteem. I thought this would be a great book to break the ice at the beginning of the year, especially with the older grades.

[Rigoberto Gamez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of poems attempts to display elementary school life. They do a pretty good job at showing the good and the bad things. They use some really nice illustrations.

Students might not be too interested in poetry, I know I wasn't. With the stories being so easy to relate to it could help them become a little more interested in both reading, and writing poetry.

[Molly Toomey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of poems that cover just about every topic within a classroom or school. Each poem can relate to one or multiple students and can be used within tons of ways. Students can write their own poem about school or take a few poems and compare and contrast them. A great collection of poems that should be within every classroom.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is poems about school some of them are funny and some of them are boring. It is a fast read I borrowed it from Mrs. B a while ago and I for got about it and I started reading it in supervised study and finished it then. I think this is great and fun.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book for over 15 years, it it is starting to fall apart. Sometimes I will read one of the poems to my class, and sometimes just to myself, it always provides comic relief. I had the second book by this author but it was stolen. I LOVE THIS BOOK!

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a unique poem book about going to school. The poems are written from both the teacher's and students' perspective.
One of my favorites was the poem about the student being in gym class and thinking he is going to die.