A POCKETFUL OF POEMS

1.  Bibliography

Grimes, Nikki. 2001. A Pocketful of Poems.  Ill. by Javaka Steptoe. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 9780395938683

2.  Plot Summary

A Pocketful of Poems is a collection of poems by Nikki Grimes which tells the story of a young girl who loves to have fun with words.  Tiana has a “pocketful of words” with which she plays and creates haiku poetry, a poem of just seventeen syllables.  She ponders words like “spring,” “caterpillar,” “pumpkin,” and “snow,” with clever thoughts and whimsical wonderings.  “Harlem” is a special word to Tiana, as is the word “Africa,” and these words are tucked together in her pocket with her daddy’s advice to hold them close. She views each season, holiday, and everyday happening as a poetic opportunity that will inspire children all year long.

 

3. Critical Analysis

Nikki Grimes has created interest and intrigue in Haiku poetry through her playful collection of poems.  Tiana is a loveable character bursting with positivity, curiosity, and energy.  Children will identify with her childlike whimsy and her creative view of the world.  Each time the page is turned a new pairing of free verse and haiku poetry is waiting to be discovered, inspiring countless children to create poetry of their own.  The poetry of simple, ordinary words woven into a “sort of painting in miniature” is mimicked in the collage style illustrations crafted from paper cutouts and ordinary objects like straws, paperclips, and aluminum pie plates.  Masterfully, Javaca Steptoe captures the essence of the poetry in picture form, drawing the reader into the page for a near tangible experience with the poetry.  Especially noteworthy are the gilded letters that are scattered throughout the book, giving the impression that poetry is always at one's fingertips. The Author's Note at the end of the book provides beautiful insight into Haiku poetry, describing it as "a poetry of brushstrokes."  Combining haiku poetry with contemporary images that [she] could relate to" makes A Pocketful of Poems a delightful book where poetry is fun and alive with possibility. 

4.  Review Excerpts

 "There's so much vibrant energy and freshness in this collaboration, the book will dance into the hearts of children right away. “ Booklist, starred review

 “Tiana's bubbling personality shines forth from each verse, and Steptoe...in an extraordinary feat, sculpts each of his character portraits from construction paper in a single, uninterrupted linear outline. ...Readers can only hope that this dynamic duo has many more pockets full of poems."  Publishers Weekly, starred review

5.  Connections

*Play some of the clips of Nikki Grimes’ reading of her books to intrigue children about the other books in her collection.  These audio clips are available on her website http://www.nikkigrimes.com/readings/readings.html.

*Teach children to play Nikki Grimes’ word game “The Golden Shovel,” in which she takes a line from a favorite poem and writes a new poem with each line ending with a word from the starter phrase.