Beth Anderson, Children's Writer

Wet Cement, A Mix of Concrete Poems. This title drew me like a freshly poured sidewalk calls to a child’s palm. One look, and I had to check it out. Literally.

Title: Wet Cement, A Mix of Concrete Poems

Written by: Bob Raczka

Roaring Brook Press, 2016

Suitable for ages: 8-12

From the author’s introduction:

I like to think of poems as word paintings. A poet uses words like colors to paint pictures inside your head.

In concrete poems, or shape poems, the words also paint pictures on the page. The poet arranges words in the shape of the thing the poem is about or in a way that emphasizes the poem’s meaning.

But here’s what’s really cool: by cleverly arranging individual letters, you can also paint a picture on the page with a single word. In this case, the letters become your colors.

In this book, I’ve done both. In the title of each poem, I’ve created pictures with letters. In the poems themselves, I’ve created pictures with words.

Activities and Resources:
Try some concrete poems!!
Or just try creating a picture with one word or phrase – like the author’s poem titles.

Why I like this book:
This is an amazing collection of poems for kids. They’re not just poems in the shape of a flamingo or that you read through and say, Hmm or Cute. These poems are fun! Some make you think and figure out what’s going on, others elicit a “wow!” Each one is an experience for the reader. The collection makes you just want to jump in and try one.