Dirty Laundry Pile: Poems in Different Voices

by Paul B. Janeczko, Melissa Sweet (Illustrator)

Pssst . . . I've got something to tell you. I'm not just another book of poetry. I'm full of voices you've never heard before. Turtles, snowflakes, even washing machines speak up in these poems that are just shouting to be read! So what are you waiting for? Check me out!

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Childrens

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Paul B. Janeczko is a poet and teacher and has edited more than twenty award-winning poetry anthologies for young people, including STONE BENCH IN AN EMPTY PARK, LOOKING FOR YOUR NAME, SEEING THE BLUE BETWEEN, and A POKE IN THE I, which was an American Library Association Notable Book.

Reviews

[Stacy]

I thought this was a great introduction for kids to poetry, and to look at things in a new way and a wonderful starting point to ignite you imaginations.

[(NS) Becca]

Dirty Laundry Pile is an excellent anthology of poems that kids find hilarious. It is an excellent tool for teaching children about the different perspectives of objects and animals. Poems are written from the point of view of the vacuum cleaner, washing machine, etc. The poems are well written and vary in structure to offer children different levels of poetry. The pictures that accompany the poems are whimsical and bright painted. Children are intrigued by the poetry and want to keep on reading.

I am using the poem about the vacuum cleaner because it begins with words like "munch crunch" which make the kids giggle thinking about the dirt being "food" for the cleaner to eat. I think we can really find some good poetic traits (like onomatopoeia, visualizing, etc.) to analyze in this poem, aside from the rhyming structure.


Though it is marked as good for grades 3-6 my second graders enjoy the poetry as well. Some of the language is a little difficult but they still appreciate the humor.

[Cheryl]

Fine for education for youngsters, I guess. Use to teach points of view, to help children become more empathetic citizens. Use to teach poetry, as in, maybe Lee wants to write from the perspective of a lawnmower, Robin from the perspective of a stove, Kamala from the perspective of an albatross.

But the illustrations spoiled it for me. Some pretty good poems were told by the illustrator, and made to mean something that my imagination would not have chosen. The pictures were distracting, and demeaning.

(I do wonder why I've never had that complaint before when reading children's anthologies, though.)

[Karen]

Dirty Laundry Pile is an anthology of poems by Paul B. Janecsko. Each poem has a unique voice. Voice, referring to the voice of inanimate and animate objects acting as narrators and not the voice of each author which would be a more normal characteristic for an anthology. Instead, Dirty Laundry Pile includes poems written in the voice of various things. Objects that the reader can connect to such as mittens, vacuum cleaners, bacteria, trees, animals, a pile of laundry etc… Paul Janeczko places different voices to each poem while making them all energetic and fun!

The language is quite witty. The ideas conveyed are clear. Teachers could use this collection of poems for various purposes on a daily basis. All poems are short enough that they could be read quickly. Students could read them aloud or perform them to the whole class or small groups. Teachers could also use them as a read aloud. Children could learn that voices can be reflected from objects as well as people. They could learn about theme and various points of view.

Well-known poets are represented in this anthology and the pages are filled with brightly colorful cartoon style illustrations that complete the images derived from the poems. Melissa Sweet’s watercolor illustrations make them more lively and imaginable. They themselves tell the story, contribute to the full meaning while decorating the pages, clarifying details, and enhancing the poetic interpretations.

I think this book would be a great addition to your classroom collection when teaching poetry. It is recommended for 3rd – 6th grade students.

[Christina Vasiloff]

Dirty Laundry Pile: Poems in Different Voices by Paul B. Janeczko contains a fun collection of poems, each giving a voice to different objects and animals. Readers explore the characteristics, thoughts, and wonders of ordinary household objects, nature, and animals. This book will leave readers curious about other objects' thoughts and hopefully inspire them to write their own poem about it.

This book wowed my in poetry because it contains many different objects, animals, or other thoughts that different students would be interested in. Growing up, I was always bored with poetry and never thought I was good at it. However, this book made me rethink what poetry looks like. It doesn’t need to be complicated. It can simply start with thinking of an object and bringing that object to life with a voice.

I categorized this book in the poetry genre because it is a book full of poems from ordinary objects’ point of view. This book could be used in grades 3-5 in the following ways.

1. Discuss personification and/or voice.
2. Think of an object in your home. In your writing journal, describe the object. Describe how it looks. What sounds does it make? If it could talk, what would it say? Brainstorm and then write your own poem to include in a classroom version of Dirty Laundry Pile.

[Jamala Alkeshi]

This book was the best young children's poem book I have ever read. The idea behind it is really neat, the poems are from the perspective of different things that you would not normally know their perspective like a cat, a washing machine, a dirty laundry pile etc. This makes the poems really fun, this also enables teachers to do a lot with the poems. For example you could just give the children a poem and have them guess who is talking. The images in this book really enhance the poems as they give you fun pictures of what the poems are about for example the kite flying high in the sky, this enables you to imagine yourself as that kite. Also the format of the text changes when there are sounds that are being made for example when the washing machine is washing, this makes you read it differently and it makes it more exciting. This book is overall great for children that are just starting out with poems because they are simple enough to understand, and theres a lot of things to learn from them!

[Amanda]

Dirty Laundry Pile, poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko and illustrated my Melissa Sweet is a selection of poems written from the perspective of a variety of objects. Janeczko enjoys readings poems that sound like things are talking to him and I can imagine children reciting and practicing some of these poems trying to sound like a vacuum or a washing machine. The variety of poems could probably be used K-6 because they are so different. Some rhyme, some don’t. You could teach personification, onomatopoeia, fluency, point of view as well as rhyming words with the poems that rhyme. I would use some of the poems in this book. I don’t feel all are appropriate because there is one that talks about a farmer using a .22 on his farm with the crows. I enjoy the poems that rhyme. I could see students enjoying certain poems more than others and having fun pretending they are a bubbling washing machine or a loud vacuum cleaner while reciting the different poems. It would be great fluency practice.

[Ashley]

This compilation of poems lets children’s minds imagine and put themselves in an animals or objects position because of the idea that these things are telling their stories. The variety of these poems and the illustrations keep the book very entertaining and interesting for children. Since a lot of the characters and ideas were found in nature, I think this book would not culturally exclude a group, which is important. I found this book to be both informational and entertaining and I enjoyed how each different poem has a different mood conveyed. Because this book takes on different viewpoints, I think this book gives children different fresh perspectives on their environment. For someone who isn't the fondest of poetry, I found this book to be surprisingly pleasing and I think it would be the perfect book to get children interested in poetry because its fun and contains important poetic components.

[Barbara]

Chockfull of poems written in the voice of an animal or object, this book would be an excellent mentor text for students learning about voice or about mask poems. Thus, readers are treated to poems told from the point of view of a shell, the winter wind, a snowflake, a kite, even a washing machine and a pile of dirty laundry starting to smell. Not only do the 27 poems provide unusual perspectives on various subjects (and objects), but many of them are funny, making them perfect for sharing with others. The vividly-colored illustrations are filled with details that add to the delight of reading this one. Although there are verses from perennial favorites Karla Kuskin, Lilian Moore, April Halprin Wayland, and Jane Yolen, my favorites included "Old Elm Speaks" by Kristine O'Connell George and "Washing Machine" by Bobbi Katz. These poems have so many delicious words to say.

[Elizabeth Littleton]

Dirty Laundry Pile by Paul B. Janeczko is a clever poetry book that describes different inanimate objects such as a shell, scarecrow, and winter wind, through their own "voice". This would be a great mentor text for teaching students about personification to support a poetry unit. After reading several poems from this book to students, I would have a bag of objects and allow each student to reach in and select one without looking. Students would then write a poem as if they were that object, using words that give the object human characteristics, including physical traits and emotions.

[Kali Woods]

Dirty Laundry Pile is about a pile of clothes on the floor. Different types of clothes, daddy’s clothes, mommy’s clothes, sister’s clothes, brother’s clothes and my clothes. All these clothes represent different people, with different thoughts, different ages, different styles and different ages. They are just like the world, the world is made up of, all kind of different people, living together, in a place we call earth.

[RLL520_ColeenDuPuy Dupuy]

Dirty Laundry Pile is a unique and fun poetry book to read with primary or intermediate students. It is a book of simple poems told in different voices. Some examples are a kite,snowflake, and of course dirty laundry. It really makes students think about lifeless objects in a different way. A great follow up activity is to have students write a similar poem about another randome lifeless object.

[Kelly Francis]

This book would be used to study poetry in my classroom. This could be used to study onomatopoeia and visualizing. Also the poems are told from different perspectives on objects and this can be a fun thing to explore and encourage students to do similar things in their writings to make them more interesting.

[Christine]

This book contains fun short poems taking the perspective of everyday objects. This book is good for descriptions and , word choice, humor, and creativity. Some poems that mention the five senses for writing include "Being A Kite," "Washing Machine," and "Roots" which is about trees.

[Anika]

A good book filled with silly poems is what this book is. Brimming with silly songs like "A Snowflakes Prayer" and much more. I recommend this book because once you pick it up you can't put it down. Irresistible fun.

[Lexi Tischman]

I read the book Dirty Laundry Pile by Paul B. Janeczko. I rate this book four out of five because it wasn't my favorite book that I've read before. It is all poetry. this book is good for any ages to read. Some of the poems are about animals. if this book interests you read it.

[Aaron Lee]

I just read a great book! It's called Dirty Laundry Pile. The author Paul B. Janeczko. This book is about poem's. It is such a great book. I would recommend this book to people that like poem's. The poem that was my favorite was Broom. It's about a broom. The broom is telling the story.

[Zach Brooks]

I thought Dirty Landry pile was a good book because the poems are like other things talking a story. My favorite poem was the final one curtains call. The curtens are telling a story of how they help people to fall asleep. I recommend this book to people who love poems.

[Madeline Masluk]

This book does give an understanding of why this poem book would come in different voices. The poems are all different and that all have different meanings. As a teacher someday I would want to use this book for my lessons plans about poetry.

[Emily Beese]

These poems are told from the perspectives of different inanimate objects. They are all light hearted poems that children would love. I think that exposing children to poetry is important because it can help them to think differently, express themselves and develop a love for reading.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer]

Objects speak in poems. Great for teaching perspective/point-of-view.

[Elizabeth]

I think I liked the illustrations a little better than the poems, but then again, it is Melissa Sweet so I shouldn't be surprised.

[Jill]

It's okay. I can see it working well for a story time activity. The poems are filled with active words and little kids might really enjoy some of the poems.

[Kendra Schaefer]

Tis book contains very simple poems. It's seasonal, and multicultural.

[Terrah Carroll]

this book personifies objects and animals perfectly in a fun way telling different poetry.

[Melanie]

I liked how this book was a collection of poems from different viewpoints, like from curtains, a scarecrow, and a kite.

[Gavin Huber]

I loved this book it is called dirty laundry pile and the author is paul B. janeczko. my favorte poem is the turtle poem because I LOVE TURTLES LOTS. this is a book you should read.

[Benjamin Elliott]

poems from the perspective of different objects around the house and in nature. It's fun to look at things from a different angle, and the poems themselves were very good.

[Julie]

Book filled with poetry that gives points of view of objects and animals.

[Nadina]

Dirty Laundry Pile is a collection of poems all themed around objects or things that cannot speak. A few examples within the book are: vacuum cleaners, washing machines, kites, a cat, and so much more. This book was a WOW book for me because of how incredibly creative as well as how fun it was to read. Never in my life did I think I would be reading about a vacuum cleaner that boasts about how it can swallow anything on the ground. Children would absolutely benefit from reading this or having this read to them. With younger children this would teach them what different appliances and things do, it also gives them a sense of imagination which I think is incredibly important for a child to have.

Some literary techniques the author uses other than rhymes are sounds. The objects make sounds, this helps the reader associate a sound with that given object, it also makes the book more interesting to read and keeps the reader engaged. One of the biggest themes within the book is personification; turning inanimate objects into “people” with feelings and dialogue. This helps the reader connect to these objects that otherwise are seen as lifeless. This book is free from bias as it tackles only inanimate objects and keeps the book lighthearted. Nowhere in this book is there insensitive material.