A Lucky Thing

by Alice Schertle, Wendell Minor (Illustrator)

Is it hard to write poetry? In an old barn, a girl sits at a table and writes poems. She notices the rooster and the weather vane and how, in unexpected ways, they have much in common. She writes about writing poetry. It€™s not easy! Finally, in the late-night silence, €œa small gray verse runs squeaking down one of the rafters/just as the moon floats in through the double barn door.€ Discover fourteen extraordinary poems about the world around us€”and the world within our imaginations€”exquisitely illustrated with dreamlike images by a master painter.

Genres: Poetry, Animals, Childrens, Picture Books, Art

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Alice Schertle has written more than 40 books, mostly for children. A mother and former elementary school teacher, Ms. Schertle is a graduate of the University of Southern California. Many of her most famous works are poetic in nature, though she writes about a wide variety of topics.

Reviews

[GoldGato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple poetry from Alice Schertle and wonderful illustrations from Wendall Minor make this book a real treasure. It's an excellent way for parent and child to alternate readings and for the child to learn about the world on a farm by using verse.

My favorite poem was the one about the robin who envies the chickens being fed, while the same chickens envy the robin for his freedom. Cobwebs and mice and scarecrows and roosters make for an easy read, but one that will demand several read-throughs for the poems to become one with you.

He wakes the world so the world will know
How the sun comes running when a loud proud crow
Says a rooster's ready and the sun may rise
And gaze at itself in a rooster's eyes.


Book Season = Autumn

[Book2Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Jean Craighead George wrote poetry, this would come close to the result. This is a great book for 8+ who want to be writers, (including YA). The illustrations by Wendell Minor are superb, and look for the paper in each picture.
I think teens and adults can also enjoy this book (I did). The poems are not sing-song children's poems in picture books, although I wouldn't hesitate to read it to a child. The poetry does not talk down to you, and might inspire a would-be writer to start.
Animals and rural life are explored. I'd love to read more of her work.

[Megan Willome · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Lucky Thing Alice Schertle

If you have a child (or you are a child) who likes to write, then this book of poems is for you. It dramatizes the act of writing in a way that's hard to do. (Think of all the terrible movie scenes of someone frowning and typing or scribbling while music tries to convey that word-magic is happening.) Here instead we have a girl in an old barn, looking at the farm around her, and turning what she notices into poems. Look closely at each illustration by Wendell Minor for the hidden pages. To have a barn of one's own and a farm to describe, that is indeed a lucky thing.

[Kimberlee Gutterman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked how the poems and pictures included animals and things on a barn because this is very enjoyable for people of all ages, however, I would only recommend students who are at least 7 years old to read it but not any younger. Something I found to be very interesting was that the page number of every page was in all the illustrations. This made it less traditional and more interesting. The 13 selections are loosely connected by the first and last poems written in the voice of the poet as she sits in her barn and observes the sounds and smells and movements of the world around her. This book is filled with both rhyming and free verse to inspire childrens senses of observation.

[Susan Eubank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking for poems about luck for this month's storytime. Clever (sometimes just a little too clever) rhyming poetry cover subjects from from farm life and nature. The lucky poem has a twist which will work for story time. Wendell Minor's illustrations are, of course, beautiful.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 1999, I am thrilled to have found this book of poetry. If you need a mentor text for using metaphors and similes with the a theme (this time, writing) throughout the book, this is it. With Schertle's wonderfully clever poems, Minor shows well that there is poetry everywhere one looks. Or is it the other way round, with Minor painting, and Schertle writing? A young girl is shown through a window, at a table writing, mixing words and pictures as she writes the first poem, titled Right Here, in the book. Here is part of the poem: "I'll dig a pond right here./Dig down deep until/the water/and the words/run clear. Later, when Schertle writes Poem About Rabbit, she writes that she is "writing a poem/about//rabbit.//A pink-eyed poem/that watches/from the//edges/of the page, that nibbles/at the//corners/of my mind." It's a treasure of a poetry book, among others, of course, but I'm very glad I have read it.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poetry was very descriptive, without actually saying what it was describing (unless, of course, you looked at the title or the illustration).

I read "Scarecrow." I think that it might be fun to read some of these poems to children and see if they can figure out what is being described... and it can also help them to learn about descriptive writing.

[Jacquelin Devlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite of all her wonderful poetry books. These poems about barns, wind vanes, writing paper, turtles, rabbits and other farmy stuff are a step above the cute, silly poetry most kids are introduced to, a perfect beginning step to more complex work, yet still incredibly accessible to young readers. Beautiful illustrations. Wow!

[Nielson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poem: "From a Distance..." This poem describes sheep and it is wonderfully written. The whole book focuses on the fact that poetry is everywhere in the natural world. With each picture on every page, there is some allusion to poetry whether it be a piece of paper or a pen or pencil. Great book.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

i'm not familiar w/the poet, i checked this out because of Minor's art (which is fantastic! look for the poems floating in air, on the water and being munched on).
now i have a new poet to read, so Good.

[Emily Bernd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book of descriptive poems for comprehension lessons. Most of the poems are aimed for 3-5 grade but they could be used for younger grades depending on the class. The Rabbit poem worked great with visualizing with my first graders!

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

"From a Distance". I loved how the author described sheeps as tombstones; it was very interesting and intriguing.

[Danielle Miskin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poem: From a Distance...

I thought that it was very funny and creative how she described the sheep.

[Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the poem, "A Traditional Frog's Curse".

[Cindy Pardew]

A Lucky Thing

[Rachel]

I read "The Barn" in this book. The illustrations were really cute in this book. This poem was free verse and I don't really think it would appeal to kids.

[Hira · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is great for helping kids think of mental images!

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Its been a while since I've read this. It was ok.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of poems told by a girl in a barn loft was just so good. And the thing is, the words were great but the illustrations were even better than that. I really enjoyed this book.

[Shannon Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite poems from this book were:

Poem about rabbit
Writing past midnight

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful compilation of poems that would be an asset for instructing students about poetry. I would love to have this book in the classroom to help in modeling poetry for my students.

[Ashley Enlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This poetry book is full of fun, outdoorsy literature! I think this would be a great option for young children to read and become familiar with poetry.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poetry from the perspective of farm animals. Sweet, but my favorites of the book were the illustrations.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Growing up in a small town, it made me smile. Sometimes the simplest things are the most important.