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Lunch Box Mail and Other Poems
A delightful poetry collection about childhood experiences by a talented newcomer.
"The principal called --
No more school!
It's canceled all week --
April Fool!"
School may not be canceled (sorry about that!) but there are still plenty of fun things to do all week long-getting a haircut with Dad, waiting for the ice-cream man, wishing on a star.
From tummy butterflies on the first day of school, to the excitement of learning how to read, to the joys of slurping Jell-O, this playful poetry collection captures childhood in all its bumps and thrills. So if you'd like to know the significance of purple goop or the type of vegetable you can laugh right out your nose, turn the page and read on-you're sure to get a friendly case of the giggling hiccups!
"The principal called --
No more school!
It's canceled all week --
April Fool!"
School may not be canceled (sorry about that!) but there are still plenty of fun things to do all week long-getting a haircut with Dad, waiting for the ice-cream man, wishing on a star.
From tummy butterflies on the first day of school, to the excitement of learning how to read, to the joys of slurping Jell-O, this playful poetry collection captures childhood in all its bumps and thrills. So if you'd like to know the significance of purple goop or the type of vegetable you can laugh right out your nose, turn the page and read on-you're sure to get a friendly case of the giggling hiccups!
48 pages, Hardcover
First published April 3, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 9, 2019
Genre: Poetry
One unique aspect of this book, is the poems range from going to school, to the first day of school to bath time and losing a tooth.
Grades:3-5
One unique aspect of this book, is the poems range from going to school, to the first day of school to bath time and losing a tooth.
Grades:3-5
Read
December 14, 2021Very good book that will last several weeks-
-filled with funny and interesting poems for children
-read one poem at a time
-give students something to look for each time
-filled with funny and interesting poems for children
-read one poem at a time
-give students something to look for each time
December 5, 2022
This is a great read aloud poetry book with great illustrations. It is split into 4 sections and is highly engaging would make poetry fun for students.
December 11, 2022
I want to remember this book because it is a fun, but relatable collection of poems. I think children would enjoy reading these and looking at the different pictures.
October 10, 2011
This is a really cute book with a main theme of school. It is broken up into 4 sections: Training Wheels, In Full Swing, Appeteasers, and Winding Down.
Each section has its own theme within it, while all still applying to the main books theme of school. There are poems of all different sizes. Some take the whole double spread while some are just a few words.
There are many things I like about this book. First, as I mentioned, the sections. I like how there are themes within themes. Also, there are times when two or three poems directly relate to each other and they are placed beside each other in the book. There is a lot of pictures that are very detailed and relate to the poems really well. One poem I thought was really done well was the very first two. The first was titled The 1st Day of School and the second was called The 179th Day of school. Both were formated in the same way from the way it looked to the type of poem. The poems were on a sheet of notebook paper with different items around it. On the first, everything was neat and tidy while the second was messy and jumbled. Another one I really thought was done well was called Do You Have the Time? This was one poem on a double page spread. It was broken into 7 stanzas and for each one it asked something about time while also having a visual of a clock with the time being mentioned. One line said "Are you free at eight to join me fore a pumpernickel bagel?" Another one I really enjoyed was one titled Lunch Box Mail. The poem is many different notes that parents left in their child's lunchbox. At the top of the page the notes are placed while it shows the children eating below.
It is important to mention the illustrations because they play a huge part like I said above. I really like how each page is extremely different while the consistency in the media is the same. There is so much for the kids to look at in the pictures and they really add to the text. I would recommend this to kindergarden through second grade.
Each section has its own theme within it, while all still applying to the main books theme of school. There are poems of all different sizes. Some take the whole double spread while some are just a few words.
There are many things I like about this book. First, as I mentioned, the sections. I like how there are themes within themes. Also, there are times when two or three poems directly relate to each other and they are placed beside each other in the book. There is a lot of pictures that are very detailed and relate to the poems really well. One poem I thought was really done well was the very first two. The first was titled The 1st Day of School and the second was called The 179th Day of school. Both were formated in the same way from the way it looked to the type of poem. The poems were on a sheet of notebook paper with different items around it. On the first, everything was neat and tidy while the second was messy and jumbled. Another one I really thought was done well was called Do You Have the Time? This was one poem on a double page spread. It was broken into 7 stanzas and for each one it asked something about time while also having a visual of a clock with the time being mentioned. One line said "Are you free at eight to join me fore a pumpernickel bagel?" Another one I really enjoyed was one titled Lunch Box Mail. The poem is many different notes that parents left in their child's lunchbox. At the top of the page the notes are placed while it shows the children eating below.
It is important to mention the illustrations because they play a huge part like I said above. I really like how each page is extremely different while the consistency in the media is the same. There is so much for the kids to look at in the pictures and they really add to the text. I would recommend this to kindergarden through second grade.
February 25, 2015
Personal Reaction:
I enjoyed reading the poetry from this book because it brought me back to my childhood. The poems vary some are narratives some are made up formats and some are lyrical. The pictures are also really enhance the poems, they help the reader imagine what is going on in the poems. My favorite poems in the book are "The First Day of School" and "The 179th Day of School". They are placed side by side in the book because they go hand in hand, and the poems are just so true and they just remind me so much of my childhood.
Purposes:
I would read this to kids in grades 1-4 for enjoyment. I think older kids would think it's too cheesy. This would also be a great book when we are studying poetry. We could talk about all of the different kinds of poetry, this book has some narratives, some made up formats, some lyrical poems. The book also uses a wide range of literary elements like repetition, imagery, rhyming, and many other things of that nature. We would talk about how those things make a poem more powerful or how it effects the poems.
This book has a lot of unique formats of poetry, so it would be great to share with children to help them realize that all poems don't rhyme, and that nonsense poems are okay.
I enjoyed reading the poetry from this book because it brought me back to my childhood. The poems vary some are narratives some are made up formats and some are lyrical. The pictures are also really enhance the poems, they help the reader imagine what is going on in the poems. My favorite poems in the book are "The First Day of School" and "The 179th Day of School". They are placed side by side in the book because they go hand in hand, and the poems are just so true and they just remind me so much of my childhood.
Purposes:
I would read this to kids in grades 1-4 for enjoyment. I think older kids would think it's too cheesy. This would also be a great book when we are studying poetry. We could talk about all of the different kinds of poetry, this book has some narratives, some made up formats, some lyrical poems. The book also uses a wide range of literary elements like repetition, imagery, rhyming, and many other things of that nature. We would talk about how those things make a poem more powerful or how it effects the poems.
This book has a lot of unique formats of poetry, so it would be great to share with children to help them realize that all poems don't rhyme, and that nonsense poems are okay.
February 17, 2013
This book is so cute! It reminded me of my childhood in so many ways. Some of the poems are called, "The Fist Day of School", "It's Bath Time", I Loth My Tooth", "A Bad Hair Day", and "The Dance Recital." Just by reading the titles of some of these, I'm sure they can remind you of a time during your childhood. One poem was called, "It's off to Kindergarten" and it had five different little poems to tell the story of the poem. The first little poem was called, "The 1st Morning" and the second one was called, "Afternoon." The five little poems told the story of a child's fist day of kindergarten and the feelings they experience throughout the day. I have never seen this done before and I thought it was a really cute idea to split one poem into five little poems.
The illustrations in this book were very bright, colorful, and eye-catching. They were not realistic looking, but more cartoon like. I thought this was fitting since the book is meant for very young children.
This book would be great to have in the classroom for younger students. Older students might think it is dumb and cheesy, but I liked it!
The illustrations in this book were very bright, colorful, and eye-catching. They were not realistic looking, but more cartoon like. I thought this was fitting since the book is meant for very young children.
This book would be great to have in the classroom for younger students. Older students might think it is dumb and cheesy, but I liked it!
February 13, 2015
Personal reaction: I really like how the illustrations in this collection of poetry helped tell the story of each poem. They were bright and colorful and reminded me of being a little kid.
Purpose: There are a series of particular poems in this collection that would be great to read aloud to Kindergarteners near the beginning of the year - 'It's Off to Kindergarten' - where the child does not want to go to school at first because she is afraid to leave home. The following poems talk about how the child has fun at school and eventually cannot wait to go and leave home behind. I think these types of poems would be a great comfort to students that are new to school and could help them feel like they are not alone.
Purpose: There are a series of particular poems in this collection that would be great to read aloud to Kindergarteners near the beginning of the year - 'It's Off to Kindergarten' - where the child does not want to go to school at first because she is afraid to leave home. The following poems talk about how the child has fun at school and eventually cannot wait to go and leave home behind. I think these types of poems would be a great comfort to students that are new to school and could help them feel like they are not alone.
February 26, 2015
Personal Reaction: I really like the childlike atmosphere I got when I read these poems. It brought me back to feelings I had when I was going through elementary school. The poems were very light and fun, so it was a very enjoyable read.
Purpose: I think this would be a great poetry book to read for fun to students 1st-4th grade. Since the poems are a little childlike, younger students would be able to enjoy them more. These could be poems to use as an icebreaker on the first day of school, or for another big event going on at the school. Students would be able to learn a lot about poetry from this book. There are different types of poems, like narratives and lyrical, so it would be a good tool for the students to use to identify different types of poetry.
Purpose: I think this would be a great poetry book to read for fun to students 1st-4th grade. Since the poems are a little childlike, younger students would be able to enjoy them more. These could be poems to use as an icebreaker on the first day of school, or for another big event going on at the school. Students would be able to learn a lot about poetry from this book. There are different types of poems, like narratives and lyrical, so it would be a good tool for the students to use to identify different types of poetry.
September 27, 2012
This was by far my favorite poetry book; the poems were so fun and cute. Children will definitely love this book and the poems in it. I knew when I picked this book out I would love it, just by looking at the cover. It will keep the class entertained for hours. The poems are the perfect length for the younger children and the book covers everything that could happen as a kid. Jenny Whitehead did a great job with this book; I hope she has others because I would go get them. Even the illustrations were absolutely adorable. I am obsessed with this book. I loved the poem Taking the Plunge, I can relate to this one so much and I am a teenager. I would 100% recommended this book.
September 28, 2013
If you enjoy reading poetry, then this book is for you! The book called Lunchbox Mail and other poems by Jenny Whitehead and it is a quick read so it won't take you very long to finish. It is a good book and it will get you laughing like crazy! Jenny Whitehead thought up some really interesting poems-and they are not all about lunch and school. There are other poems as well. It is a great book and I recommend reading it!
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August 24, 2015Love this book! I got the opportunity to meet the author at a young authors conference when I was in the fifth grade. I think these poems are great for the beginning of the school year and shows the lightness and fun of poetry. I would be neat to create a class poem.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews