Poetry (Poetry Foundation- Children's Poet Laureate)

Good Sports
By Jack Prelutsky
Illustrations by Chris Rasch
Random House 2007
Poetry
Grades K-3

This book includes several different kinds of sports. Some of the sports include basketball, baseball, gymnastics, swimming, ice skating, etc. For each sport there is a poem that describes what the child is doing. In some of the poems the child is successful at the sport, and in some of the poems the child struggles with the sport. All of the poems are easy to read and funny, with most of them having different rhythms.

I really liked this book as an introductory poetry book. It takes the concept of poetry and relates it to children's sports. Also, since the book includes both girls and boys sports, all children will find the book amusing. When I was reading the book I got excited to read a poem about gymnastics because I was a gymnast for fifteen years. Children may be able to relate to the book the same way I did. Also, the rhythms and rhymes are fun and easy to read. If I were to use this in my early elementary classroom I would probably read the book aloud so the students could observe the rhythms and rhymes. However, I think older elementary students would be able to read the book on their own.