What do you think?
Rate this book
Moon, Have You Met My Mother?
Write about a radish
Too many people write about the moon. The night is black
The stars are small and high
The clock unwinds its ever-ticking tune
Hills gleam dimly
Distant nighthawks cry.
A radish rises in the waiting sky.
This long-awaited, comprehensive collection by acclaimed poet Karla Kuskin contains her most celebrated poems as well as new works never before published. Whether she's writing about napping cats, reaches of beaches, or radishes as beautiful as the moon, Moon, Have You Met My Mother? amuses while it inspires.
Too many people write about the moon. The night is black
The stars are small and high
The clock unwinds its ever-ticking tune
Hills gleam dimly
Distant nighthawks cry.
A radish rises in the waiting sky.
This long-awaited, comprehensive collection by acclaimed poet Karla Kuskin contains her most celebrated poems as well as new works never before published. Whether she's writing about napping cats, reaches of beaches, or radishes as beautiful as the moon, Moon, Have You Met My Mother? amuses while it inspires.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2003
About the author
Karla Kuskin
59 books13 followersKarla Kuskin was an author and illustrator of children's literature, as well as a frequent reviewer of books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
November 14, 2009
Summary/A Thoughtful Review:
In this 322-page anthology of poems written by Karla Kuskin, readers of all ages will connect to, visualize, and smile as they read the simple and somewhat humorous words of this author. Organized into fifteen themed sections, Kuskin has written a variety of short poems (ranging in length from two lines to two pages) about subjects that interest all readers, especially children: animals (dogs, cats, birds, bugs, lizards/dragons, and bears), the four seasons, food-related poems, and reading/books. Although her poems are not lengthy, she uses poetic features, such as alliteration, rhyme, repetition, and rhythm in a way that draws readers in to each and every poem immediately! In these rhyming or free verse poems, Kuskin writes with depth and humor, which leaves us smiling at the end of every page, encouraging us to continue reading! Although Karla has been a published poet since 1958, her work is still fresh in the minds of her readers. I am REALLY looking forward to using some of these pieces in my first grade classroom, as I know my students will enjoy her humor and connect well to the topics and subjects she has written about!
In this 322-page anthology of poems written by Karla Kuskin, readers of all ages will connect to, visualize, and smile as they read the simple and somewhat humorous words of this author. Organized into fifteen themed sections, Kuskin has written a variety of short poems (ranging in length from two lines to two pages) about subjects that interest all readers, especially children: animals (dogs, cats, birds, bugs, lizards/dragons, and bears), the four seasons, food-related poems, and reading/books. Although her poems are not lengthy, she uses poetic features, such as alliteration, rhyme, repetition, and rhythm in a way that draws readers in to each and every poem immediately! In these rhyming or free verse poems, Kuskin writes with depth and humor, which leaves us smiling at the end of every page, encouraging us to continue reading! Although Karla has been a published poet since 1958, her work is still fresh in the minds of her readers. I am REALLY looking forward to using some of these pieces in my first grade classroom, as I know my students will enjoy her humor and connect well to the topics and subjects she has written about!
September 14, 2021
This book has a lot of different poetry stories throughout it. I felt like it is very cute for younger readers, more specifically second and third graders. They would be old enough to read this book alone and understand some of the humor used throughout the book. I could use this book as a way to introduce poetry to students who have never seen a good example of it since often poetry is looked at as a boring style of reading. The moon is something that all children know about and the cover shows a child looking at a big moon. There is also one poem that I liked where she compares the moon to a radish. I liked the comparison in this portion and how it would help children actually visualize this in their heads while reading. Overall I think this would be a good beginning poetry book for young children to enjoy.
Read
December 3, 2017This is a book of poetry. This is a compilation of works by Karla Kuskin. Some of her previous work and some of her new previously unpublished work. Each of her poems is easy to read and makes you think of the fun she must have had when writing them. Her poems subjects range from beaches to the moon and everything in between!
July 7, 2017
This book contain many different poems. There a different styles of poetry in this book about different things. The illustrations in this book are simple and some of the poems rhyme in this book and some do not.
September 22, 2018
I read this book of poetry to the children and they enjoyed it. Karla Kuskin writes fun poems for children. It was a little long, but the illustrations are nice and the text has good spacing. We enjoyed it
November 12, 2020
thinking about karla today, glad to have had her in my life and family. thank you for teaching me to love poems :')
December 19, 2021
A funny and unique little poem book for anyone !
February 2, 2023
Hayden age 11 said sometimes it was funny and weird and he liked the pictures
October 9, 2023
This book was very odd and outdated, and some of the pictures were quite weird, but my child did enjoy the lilt of the poetry, which is the only reason I am giving it 3 stars.
November 8, 2012
Junior Book Critique #18
Moon, Have you Met My Mother?
By: Karla Kuskin
1. Junior Book Genre: Poetry
2. Brief Summary: Karla Kuskin puts together her large collection of poems in Moon, Have You Met My Mother which illustrates the traditional poems that invoke imagination, wonder and fun in students of all ages. Kuskin’s blend of creativity and rhythm is contagious to students as her poems features animals, both real and imaginary, as well as other elements that make poems fun for all! It is her use of traditional rhyming words that make her poetry entertaining and enjoyable for students in the classroom environment. With nearly 300 poems featured in her book Kuskin truly gives readers a plethora of choices of which can be their own personal favorite!
3.
A. Area for comment: Kuskin has a very traditional style in terms of poetry that is geared for students of all ages, it is her use of rhyme that make her poems not only easy to read but fun to listen to.
B. Professional Evaluation: Kuskin’s works are both fun to read and enjoyable for students of all ages as they express the simplicity and creativity that is often found in poetry! There is no question that Kuskin has done an extensive job at collecting all of her works and laying them out in a way that is both cohesive and easy to follow. It is the humor and creativity in her works that make this book one that students could read for hours! Overall, I found her poems to be imaginative, fun and entertaining for the classroom environment.
C. Specific Example: With nearly 300 poems featured in her book Moon, Have you Met My Mother it is difficult to choose just one that highlights Kuskin’s use of rhyme and humor in her writing. One of my personal favorites can be found on pages 91-95 entitled Bears don’t Purrr they Grrrr in which she writes “Long ago there was a bear with ice-blue eyes and golden hair and pale-pink paws a bright black nose, and a shiny, silken ribbon more red than rose” (page 94). Another wonderful example can be found in the Ice is Nice section of the book and reads “Under my hood I have a hat and under that my hair is flat. Under my coat my sweater’s blue. My sweater’s red. I’m wearing two.” (page 162). These are just two examples of the great use of rhyme used throughout the book that make poems fun to read!
4. Curriculum Connection: The sheer amount of poems featured throughout the book Moon, Have You Met My Mother lend it brilliantly to the classroom environment as students are given a plethora of options to choose from when picking their favorite poems, topic or even creature themselves to discuss or read aloud. Kuskin’s works allow students to see the joys of poetry and learn that even with the simplest subject matter great poems can be created. Students can have the opportunity to truly learn to express themselves and discuss their likes and dislikes in terms of poetry all by simply reading even some of Kuskin’s poems.
Moon, Have you Met My Mother?
By: Karla Kuskin
1. Junior Book Genre: Poetry
2. Brief Summary: Karla Kuskin puts together her large collection of poems in Moon, Have You Met My Mother which illustrates the traditional poems that invoke imagination, wonder and fun in students of all ages. Kuskin’s blend of creativity and rhythm is contagious to students as her poems features animals, both real and imaginary, as well as other elements that make poems fun for all! It is her use of traditional rhyming words that make her poetry entertaining and enjoyable for students in the classroom environment. With nearly 300 poems featured in her book Kuskin truly gives readers a plethora of choices of which can be their own personal favorite!
3.
A. Area for comment: Kuskin has a very traditional style in terms of poetry that is geared for students of all ages, it is her use of rhyme that make her poems not only easy to read but fun to listen to.
B. Professional Evaluation: Kuskin’s works are both fun to read and enjoyable for students of all ages as they express the simplicity and creativity that is often found in poetry! There is no question that Kuskin has done an extensive job at collecting all of her works and laying them out in a way that is both cohesive and easy to follow. It is the humor and creativity in her works that make this book one that students could read for hours! Overall, I found her poems to be imaginative, fun and entertaining for the classroom environment.
C. Specific Example: With nearly 300 poems featured in her book Moon, Have you Met My Mother it is difficult to choose just one that highlights Kuskin’s use of rhyme and humor in her writing. One of my personal favorites can be found on pages 91-95 entitled Bears don’t Purrr they Grrrr in which she writes “Long ago there was a bear with ice-blue eyes and golden hair and pale-pink paws a bright black nose, and a shiny, silken ribbon more red than rose” (page 94). Another wonderful example can be found in the Ice is Nice section of the book and reads “Under my hood I have a hat and under that my hair is flat. Under my coat my sweater’s blue. My sweater’s red. I’m wearing two.” (page 162). These are just two examples of the great use of rhyme used throughout the book that make poems fun to read!
4. Curriculum Connection: The sheer amount of poems featured throughout the book Moon, Have You Met My Mother lend it brilliantly to the classroom environment as students are given a plethora of options to choose from when picking their favorite poems, topic or even creature themselves to discuss or read aloud. Kuskin’s works allow students to see the joys of poetry and learn that even with the simplest subject matter great poems can be created. Students can have the opportunity to truly learn to express themselves and discuss their likes and dislikes in terms of poetry all by simply reading even some of Kuskin’s poems.
October 8, 2012
1. I would classify this book as poetry.
2. This book is a collection of kid friendly poems. Each poem had its own little story and it has illustrations throughout it.
3. (A.) I think that this is very accurate book of poetry for children. It has a very easy readability and I think that the children reading the poems would understand what they are about.
(B.) I think this is a very appropriate book of poetry. The poems have a very kid friendly subject matter. I think that younger children would be able to read this book and understand what the poems subject matter is about. The author uses a wonderful use of imagery and I think that’s what drew me into reading the different poems.
(C.) I really thought the section of poems in the “Bears don’t purr, they grrrr” section is a great example of why I though this book was so strong. It uses very simple words that students could follow along to. The poem is about a bear, which I think children could easily picture, I think some children could even relate this poem to something even simpler like a teddy bear. This poem also used great rhyming words which makes it a fun read. I think that it’s a great poem.
4. I never liked learning about poetry when I was younger but I think that if I were read this as a child I would really enjoy it. It is fun poetry that isn’t hard to understand. I never liked poetry because I couldn’t understand the meaning but this book is very easy to read and understand so I would like to use this in the classroom someday when I am teaching to show students that poetry can be really nice to read.
2. This book is a collection of kid friendly poems. Each poem had its own little story and it has illustrations throughout it.
3. (A.) I think that this is very accurate book of poetry for children. It has a very easy readability and I think that the children reading the poems would understand what they are about.
(B.) I think this is a very appropriate book of poetry. The poems have a very kid friendly subject matter. I think that younger children would be able to read this book and understand what the poems subject matter is about. The author uses a wonderful use of imagery and I think that’s what drew me into reading the different poems.
(C.) I really thought the section of poems in the “Bears don’t purr, they grrrr” section is a great example of why I though this book was so strong. It uses very simple words that students could follow along to. The poem is about a bear, which I think children could easily picture, I think some children could even relate this poem to something even simpler like a teddy bear. This poem also used great rhyming words which makes it a fun read. I think that it’s a great poem.
4. I never liked learning about poetry when I was younger but I think that if I were read this as a child I would really enjoy it. It is fun poetry that isn’t hard to understand. I never liked poetry because I couldn’t understand the meaning but this book is very easy to read and understand so I would like to use this in the classroom someday when I am teaching to show students that poetry can be really nice to read.
May 24, 2015
I didn't really like this book. It was a collection of poems from Karla Kuskin. They were about all sorts of things. There were poems about the moon, to animals, to onions. My opinion was that the poems were kind of stupid. One of the poems went like this-("butter / butter / butter / butter / is a word / I love to utter.") Another one of the poems in the book was ("If I were a sandwich / I’d sit on a plate / and think of my middle / until someone ate me / end of sandwich.") Sometimes throughout the book I thought that I could come up with better poems than the ones that were in the book. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, but I do think that this book is meant for younger kids. I give this book two out of five stars because I thought it was boring and dumb.
December 17, 2013
This book is a collection of poems by Karla Kuskin. In this book there are poems about animals, seasons, and people. The poems are very long, but very enjoyable. My favorite poem was titled There Is a Me Inside of Me. To me this poem was about being yourself, no matter what, even if grown ups are telling you differently. There are simple black and white illustrations in this book, but I didn't feel like they added much to they poems. They were nice to look at, but the poems would have been just as good without them. I think this book would be good to use as a read aloud when studying poetry, but I would use it for fourth grade and up.
March 18, 2010
Moon, Have You Met My Mother? is a compilation of Kuskin's celebrated poems from the past as well as newly published poems accompanied by illustrations from Sergio Ruzzier. The book contains a table of contents where Kuskin seperates her masterpieces by topic. Included in the beginning is a lovely introduction written by Kuskin herself that gives the reader some insight into her world. Children will graviate towards these poems for the varied styles, rythmic patterns, and topics. Teachers can use this as a read-aloud, fluency practice, and class performances.
February 24, 2015
I enjoyed this book because it reminded me of the Shel Silverstein books that were such a hit during my childhood. I would use this book as an independent read in the classroom. The poems are funny and witty and they cause the children to think a little but but they are not too far above their level that they would not understand what the poem is getting at. This book is a stepping stone toward a Shel Silverstein type poetry book because the length and content is at a relatively low level. This is a good classroom book for first graders.
September 12, 2011
I think this book was okay becuase Kuskin just talked about differnt kinds of animals. However over all I thought it was a good read. Some of the poems were a little out there and I couldn't make out what she was trying to say. Some of the poems were funny like this one,"Cow" sounds heavy. Cow standing in the meadow chewing. A big fur box on legs mooing. If you are lokking for a great poem read this.
May 22, 2014
This book was really kiddush. Honestly it was just really simple poems that rhymed. Also this book made me feel really stupid. There was a poem that went like this."If I were a sandwich, I would wonder what was in my middle until someone ate me, the end of the Sandwich." This book was just, well dumb.
November 22, 2014
This collection of poetry is right up there with the whimsical rhymings of Dr. Seuss and Lewis Carroll, maybe even A. A. Milne. It captures perfectly the wonder of childhood, and honors kids for their individuality and the freedom to imagine things as a way to cope with "reality". Open to any poem in these pages and prepare to be blown away!
March 2, 2009
I read the poem Goodbye Toes in this book. I felt like this poem didn't make much sense and it was hard for me to figure out exactly what was going on in the poem. Can be used for descriptive poetry having students finding out what the meaning it
May 8, 2008
"Shell". I loved the surprising humor at the end of the poem. It really threw me off; I loved it!.
April 4, 2009
I love reading poetry, and this was an awesome book full of great rhymes.
Read
April 15, 2009I read "I Will Not Eat Beets" in this book. The first poem's title is a section of the book. The other poems do not have titles. They reminded me of Shel Silverstein's poetry.
April 24, 2009
Again, another one that reminded me of youth. They get good ratings when they bring me back to my roots! but then again, i have always loved poetry.
Read
April 25, 2009LOVE IT!!!
July 9, 2009
This is a compilation of her poems, so maybe not as good as the individual books, which usually follow a theme. But she is a master with words. And my kids love her.
August 17, 2011
Absolutely stupid. Stupid poems, horrid illustrations. Hated it.
Read
September 20, 2011Weare meeting member relative, rec
May 1, 2012
It's a really good poetry book. Three stars. (I love the cat chapter)
October 18, 2015
The text is simple enough to be read by young students. The illustrations are equally simple.
June 2, 2015
This book is a beautiful book of poems. By a little girl. She draw her own drawing in the book and wrote everything.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews