Cracks in the Sidewalk

by Crystal Bowman, Joel E. Tanis (Illustrator)

A collection of poems capturing the trials and adventures in a child's life.

Genres: Poetry

142 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1993

About the author

Crystal Bowman is an author, speaker, and former preschool teacher. She graduated from Calvin College with a degree in elementary education and studied early childhood development at the University of Michigan. Her writing career began in 1990 as a lyricist for children's piano music. She began writing children's books in 1993 and has since written more than 100 books for children and 3 for women. She has written books for many popular children's series, such as Little Blessings, BOZ the Bear, MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), Berenstain Bears, and I Can Read! She has also written two books of humorous poetry for children, numerous magazine articles, Bible study materials, and educational resource books. As a speaker, Crystal enjoys sharing her stories and poetry with students in the classroom and also with adults at teachers' conventions, writers' conferences, and women's seminars. "Writing and speaking can be intimidating because in order to connect with your audience you need to be personal and transparent, exposing what's in your heart and soul. But when readers or conference attendees respond positively to something I've said or written, it is humbling and rewarding all at the same time!" Crystal and her husband, Bob, have enjoyed 44 years of marriage and are the parents of 3 grown children and 5 grandchildren. They spend summers in Michigan and winters in Florida.

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry

I love that the poems are very relatable to children, which makes this book unique. I also really love that each poem has a simple yet engaging image to go along with it, so that younger students can have an idea or understanding of what is happening in the poem even if they are unable to follow along with the words.

Elementary grade levels

[Keri Rohr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this poetry book for grades 3-5. It made me laugh and I could relate to most of the poems. I like how the book is split into three sections of poems and how all of the poems are about a kids life. Some of the poems were very true for me as a kid and it’s funny to look back and think about it.

[Tessa Zimmerly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3rd-5th grade
Genre- Poetry

I thought this was a very cute book and a good read. This is a great book for children because it can relate to their everyday lives. It will make a struggling or frustrated child feel like they are not alone in their everyday struggle.

[Rachel Trisch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book falls into the poetry genre. A unique feature of this book is the "flow" of the poetry that really grabs kids and pulls them in. This book could be used in any lower elementary ed class!