Poem in my Pocket

By Chris Tougas Illustrated By Josée Bisaillon

Not only a fanciful rhyming adventure tale, Chris Tougas’s picture book is also a delightful allegory for the creative writing process.

"In this charming picture book allegory of the creative writing process, happenstance and weather events symbolize the emotional ebb and flow of writing a poem. I had a poem in my pocket, but my pocket got a rip. Rhymes tumbled down my leg and trickled from my hip. Thus begins the journey of a young poet's words out into the world, where they join randomly with other words to form funny riffs and puns all over a busy city street. The child scrambles to capture the loose words and arrange them back into poem form, only to lose them again as a storm swoops in on a rushing wind. Eventually, the words plant themselves in the muddy ground, where they grow into something that might be even better than the original poem: a Poet-Tree."

-Goodreads

Listen	Learn	Share
- Log in to the Tumblebook database - Click TumbleSearch -Search by Subject: “poetry" -Listen, watch, and read along with the narrators of different poems. User Name: fauquier Password: reads	-Visit Britannica School -Click the Elementary Tree arrow -Search “poetry" -Learn more about the different rhythms, sounds, and forms of poetry. https://school.eb.com School Access ID: fcps1 Passcode: welcome	-Ask an adult to share a favorite poem. -On April 28th, Poem in Your Pocket Day, share pocket poems with your family and friends. -Create your own pocket poems to share. -Print your own pocket Poems foldable book. -Watch the poetry mini book folding video. https://vimeo.com/399349427

Optional Activities:

-Listen to poet Linda Kulp Trout read and perform her poem “Hands Say, ‘Great Job!’" https://vimeo.com/534206085

-Practice reading her poem while making the hand movements. https://bit.ly/3ixQXJ0