Module 14: Once I Ate a Pie

Once I Ate a Pie

Book Summary:

In this free verse poetry book, readers learn about thirteen different dogs and what they like as well as do not like to do.  Each dog shares his/her perspective of their life and provides readers with a small glimpse into their typical day.  Some like to sleep all day, some like to bark, some have tiny things, and some like to borrow from others.  Throughout this story, the authors use different font sizes and shape words into certain forms in order to place an emphasis on that particular word for the readers.     

APA Reference of Book:

MacLachlan, P. & Charest, E.M. (2006). Once I ate a pie. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Impressions:

I enjoyed this free verse poetry book and I believe that younger students will as well.  This book would be excellent to use when teaching younger students how to write their poems.  Using mentor texts that rhyme can be daunting to young writers.  Utilizing free verse poetry is an excellent way to provide encouragement during this type of writing.  This books also provides examples of how creative and fun poetry can be.   

Professional Review:

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3-Free-verse poems about 14 individual dogs sprawl across oversize spreads accompanied by large oil illustrations. The poems and paintings together delightfully capture each distinct personality in few words and with broad strokes of the brush. The fonts change often and reflect the poet's words-rising and falling, sometimes in bold type, growing larger and smaller and dancing over the pages. The format allows for plenty of white space, emphasizing the postures and personalities of the pups and helping the playful fonts to stand out. The overall result is an entertaining visit with some very appealing canines, and a book that perhaps could serve as an inspiration in the classroom for young poets trying to describe their own pets. One wishes that the breeds were listed somewhere, but all in all, this title is still a real treat.

Source:

Constantinides, J. (2006). [Once I ate a pie] [Review of the book Once I ate a pie, by

P. MacLachlan]. School Library Journal, 52(5), 114-115. Retrieved from

http://www.slj.com

Found through UNT’s Library Database- Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson)

Library Uses:

As previously mentioned, this would be an excellent resource to utilize when teaching younger students how to write their own poetry.  During and after reading, the librarian should point out and note the way certain words within each poem is bigger, smaller, or shaped differently than other words on that respective page.   Afterwards, the students can write their own free verse poem in which they use different font sizes and/or shapes.  The students could also work in groups in order to write their poem and draw the illustration(s).  Once the students have created their own poems, they should be encouraged to share their creation and form of writing with the entire class.