Poem in My Pocket by Chris Tougas

        POEM IN MY POCKET by Chris Tougas illustrated by Josée Bisaillon is on the 2022 2x2 Reading List. This means many children ages 2 through 2nd grade will be exposed to the wonderfully-creative, rhyming text that sets the imagination rolling. Words "slipping, sliding, dipping, diving" from a "whirling, twirling, swirling wind" are cast about creating jumbled words to unscramble and new combinations. Finally the storm and rain fling the poetic words into the mud planting them which "set my story free!" causing an especially perfect tree to grow. 

    Students will wholeheartedly enjoy unscrambling the letters and realizing the clever twists to the new word combinations after reading POEM IN MY POCKET published by Kids Can Press. Teachers will have endless material for poetry month such as Poem in Your Pocket Day, creating rhyming poems, tossing words about so students can gather so many to create a whole new poem. I know teachers will recreate the special tree at the end and allow students to use the leaves to create poetry. 

  

  In the library, my lesson using this book will follow along with the story. I will give my students a rhyming poem. We will then cut the words apart and watch them whirl and twirl from the "wind". Then, each child will choose the same amount of mixed-up words to create a different poem entirely.  I may wait until April, but my excitement may not let me hold on that long. Since this is on the 2x2 Reading List, I will not have to! Poetry should be celebrated every day, and this book is a great place to start. 

National Poem in Your Pocket Day 2023 will be celebrated April 27. Lobit Education Village will celebrate poetry in many ways that day. Mark your calendars! Read poetry all year! Choose your favorite to carry in your pocket that day, or even better...write your own!