Somebody Spilled the Sky

by Ruth Krauss, Eleanor Hazard (Illustrator)

Sixteen poems of feelings, thoughts, and behavior of childhood.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Ruth Ida Krauss was an American writer of children's books, including The Carrot Seed, and of theatrical poems for adult readers.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first thought was "a child's first collection of surreal poetry" but then I remembered they might already know The World Is Round. And besides, the next-to-last poem, *beginning on paper,* is so straightforward that even adults can appreciate it.

Pictures are often key to a full appreciation of wtf is going on. Also important is reading aloud, especially the *Duet* (first line "the day is so pretty") which evolves in the middle into a tongue-twister as the narrator starts to rhyme umbrella with yellow. (That might not have happened if the narrator had read the poem with a partner, as the title instructed....)

Some poems must absolutely be in two voices to get the full effect. I hope you and your children get a chance to go to OpenLibrary.org to have fun with these (not actually) nonsense poems. ;)

[Ashtyn Gross · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a collection of poems. Each poem has a different style of poem that is printed on the page using various stanzas, fonts, sizes, and angles. Each poem also has an illustration that corresponds with the poem. I think it is important to incorporate poetry into the classroom starting in young ages because often students become intimidated by this genre or dislike it because of how it is taught. Many people try to find a deeper meaning in poetry that isn’t always there, which can lead to students disliking it. If we expose young students to poetry for them to experience the different styles and how it various from other types of writing versus their “deeper meaning” that may not always be there, then hopefully we can get them more engaged and appreciative of the genre.

[Children's Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are great. I can't say the same about the poems.

I really liked "Duet", some are lukewarm, some I didn't like at all.