All the Small Poems and Fourteen More

All the Small Poems and Fourteen More is a book of poems for intermediate readers, written by Valerie Worth and illustrated by Natalie Babbit. The book is comprised of short poems which describe objects, animals, insects and spaces in an imaginative and lyrical way. It is very interesting how Worth manages to make even the commonest thing sound interesting. Any student would relate to this book because it describes the world that surrounds us. Reading it would help students see the world with a more attentive eye, teach them to observe details and enable them to find beauty in ordinary things.

 



          

I definitely feel that this is a book which is more appropriate for intermediate students. Although Worth employs some beautiful images, and her style is very simple, it is a deadpan, not playful  style, which I do not think very young children could appreciate. I feel that her poetry sits somewhere between children's and adults' poetry, therefore it would be more suitable for intermediate readers. The illustrations, too, are not colorful . They are black and white and look like charcoal paintings.

 



 

Clearly this book must be classified in the poetry/verse genre. The poems are written in free verse. Before reading this book with my students, we would discuss some of the different poetry types and structures and I would ask them about their favorite poetry type. I would also provide them with some information about the most common and simple poetic devices, such as the metaphor. I would  ask the students to read aloud some of the poems. Then I would pose the following questions:

1)Which of these poems did you prefer and why?

2)Do you enjoy free verse poetry or do you prefer  rhymes?

3)Do you prefer prose or poetry? Why?

 

 

 

As a motivational activity I would ask my students to write a poem about an object, animal or plant that fascinates them. Another motivational activity would be to have each student do a presentation on their favorite type of poetry. Finally, I could ask the students to draw one of the objects or animals which are depicted in the poems, but using colors, not in black and white.

 

Valerie Worth's book would be an ideal book for teaching poetry, not only due to the quality of the poems, but because through itsbeautiful,simple descriptions it might encourage students to experiment with poetry themselves. Valerie Worth is an acclaimed poet, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1991 she was honored with the Poetry Award for Excellence in Poetry for Childen by the National Council of Teachers of English. Other works include:

 

Crone's Book of Words (1998)

 

Peacock and Other Poems ( 2002)

 

Pug and Other Animal Poems (2013)

 

References:

 

Worth, Valerie (1996). All the Small Poems and Fourteen More. Square Fish.

 

Galda, C. &. (2011). Literature and the Child Seventh Edition . Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing .