The Bug in Teacher's Coffee: And Other School Poems – A Funny Picture Book About Secret Lives of Pencils and Lunches for Kids (Ages 4-8)

by Kalli Dakos, Mike Reed (Illustrator)

What really goes on at school! Funny poems and pictures explore the secret lives of school lunches, jungle gyms, pencils, and more.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Childrens, School

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rated this book of poetry three stars. It should be noted that a certain five year old objects and would rate it four stars. Nothing too gross, one or two laughs. Definitely a quick read and easy, positive introduction to poetry for the younger readers.

[Kariana Reads Kids' Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent introduction to poetry!!!! Some of the pieces, in my opinion, end very oddly ("Math Test," "Happy Birthday to You," and "The Bug in Teachers' Coffee" to name a few), but are still enjoyable. The colors and illustrations are PERFECT!!

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was pretty much my favorite childhood book!

[Dionne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and laughable poetry for primary grade elementary school students! Love the creative "pictures" made with the poetry to enhance the poems

[Renee Parrish · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bug in Teacher's Coffee: and Other School Poems (1999) by Kalli Dacos, Pictures by Mike Reed, fiction

This is a book of very "catchy" poems for school children. They are all short and sweet, and are perfect for beginning readers. The illustrations are bold, humorous, and very detailed in portraying what the associated poem is revealing. The pictures are all full bleed throughout the book. Each page transitions to the next, keeping the attention of the reader as they anticipate what the next poem might be about.
I would definitely recommend this book to teachers at the preschool or kindergarten levels. It would make story time exciting and keep the children's focus on the teacher reading and what the pictures say about the poems themselves. This poetry book would be great to make an interactive discussion among the students. Asking the children what their favorite poem is, and telling the class why they chose that as a favorite is an excellent "spark" to get a discussion going. Also, conversation may be asking what poems they didn't like and why.
In conclusion, I see this book as a great opportunity to get children's imagination going in a group setting. This makes the children comfortable, and they feel like they are a part of something important. Having fun in these environments will "plant the seed" in getting students engaged into the wonderful world of reading. This book is a great way to initiate those thoughts and get the "wheels turning" when it comes to reading and enjoying books in general by students.

[Angela Galvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a short story on a book of poems designed for kindergarten to second grade level. All the poems relate to school. The stories are short and easy to ready. There are 23 poems in all. The topics cover Jack's pencil, the class goldfish, school lunches, jungle gyms and more. The author uses poetic devices such as personiification. For example, in the poem, Jack's pencil the pencil was taken hostage and placed in a dark smelly desk. The pencil was yelling for help. There is also singing poem of happy birthday between the book and the ruler. The author also uses onomatopoeia in the poem Bee. My favorite poem was School Get Hungry Too. This is a poem about the school supplies used as food for the school. The pictures on the poem have a sandwich of pencils, with a purple paint drink. I would read this book to my students in a poetry unit. Many of the poems have an element of imagery. The poems evoke heightened emotions about school and appeal to senses such as sound, touch, smell and taste.

[Brooke Call · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book because I wanted a book that had poetry in it. I really liked this book because it had multiple poems and they all were told from different points of view. I also liked it because the poems were about school so students could relate to them and understand them better.

[☼Pam Might Read Too Much ☼]

~ borrowed from the Library

No reading information available for this book of poems for children. In general the artwork is okay. The poems though don't do anything for me. I didn't find them particularly noteworthy but it's always interesting to have a different sort of poetry book around. I'd just as soon read children Shel Silverstein's thought provoking productions.

sample:
COLD DOG ON A TRAY

I've been waiting
So long on this tray,
I'm not a hot dog,
I'm a cold dog today.

{{picture shows hotdog on tray surrounded by penguins on ice }}

[Shelby Deghand · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so fun and well put together. I really liked how all the poems relate together and fit into the theme of school. It makes reading fun and educational at the same time! I really liked this book and feel like it can never get old.

[Nanee Zogaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short poems. Some which have rhymes, while others are just fun reads. Ideal for kindergarten through second grade levels.

[Finny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mommy says: I was surprised how much Finny liked this! The poetry is VERY simple, but silly.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would probably make a perfect gift for a teacher. School-related poems. None are more than 3 stanzas long so great for a quick filler.

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book because I have enjoyed so many of Kalli Dakos's poems. Therefore, I was sad that this book was so disappointing to me. It is not one of my favorites.

[Rocheal Hoffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filled with useful school-themed poems. Great for poetry study, rhyming lessons, and other repetitive things. Simple short poems. Good for sponge!

[Carson Marie]

Short small poems of different kinds other than rhyming to introduce poetry to students with a familiar environment, school!

[Delaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book “The bug in Teacher’s Coffee and Other School Poems”, by Kalli Dakos is a children’s poetry book that uses a series of different poems to describe what happens at school. This would be a great for an early learner because of all of the colorful pictures, and silly occurrences that happen at school. There are different poetic elements in this book such as rhyming words and stanza writing. There is great rhythm in this book, that makes for a fun tone. This book would also be fun to read in the classroom and potentially read a poem per day from. It would just be fun to see their reactions to the funny illustrations and ideas that are presented in the story, and to get students interested in poetry. This book would be great for younger readers who are just beginning to read, and most likely not for older readers (as it is meant for a younger age range).

[Samantha Krabel]

The Bug in Teachers Coffee And Other School Poems. Paw Prints, 2010.

The book “The bug in Teacher’s Coffee and Other School Poems”, by Kalli Dakos is a children’s poetry book that uses a series of different poems to describe what happens at school. This would be a great for an early learner because of all of the colorful pictures, and silly occurrences that happen at school. There are different poetic elements in this book such as rhyming words and stanza writing.
This could be a fun way to introduce writing poetry in the classroom for students of younger grades. Since it is so simple, it could give them an idea of how poetry is written, especially using a school, something that they already are familiar with.