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A Moon in Your Lunch Box
A collection of poems celebrating feelings, seasons, and topics ranging from lunch boxes to the moon
- GenresPoetry
63 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
9 people want to read
About the author
Michael Spooner
22 books3 followersMichael Spooner is the author of several books for teens, including Entr@pment, Daniel's Walk, and Last Child. He lives in Logan, Utah.
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April 26, 2016Title: A Moon in Your Lunch Box
Author: Michael Spooner
Illustrator: Ib Ohlsson
Genre: Book of Poems
Theme(s): Poetry, Seasons, Holidays, Moon
Opening line/sentence: O, the big round moon is a hole in the sky, and the day washes through like the morning tide.
Brief Book Summary: A Moon in Your Lunch Box takes the reader through pages of poems about the moon and its changes. It also fills the reader’s mind with everything that has to do with seasons and holidays. It ultimately ends with the reader coming to a poem, “Close this book.”
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Hazel Rochman (Booklist, June 1993 (Vol. 89, No. 19 & 20))
Changes in the moon and night are common images in these poems, which range from outright nonsense and concrete poetry to lyrics of earth and sky. Ohlsson's small line drawings are as playful as the words. Sometimes the lessons about "Life" are too obviously drawn ("don't you think / our life is like this?"). But the best pieces are strongly physical in sound and sense ("this great wet walloping day"), and true to the child's point of view. One lovely poem tentatively reaches out from the private "heart's secret" to the winter night "with the slow wheeling stars and the stillness of snow."
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1993)
Spooner's first book for young people is an appealing seasonal cycle, thematically linked by the moon--symbol of change and mystery and a rich source of other imagery. These 43 carefully cadenced poems reveal a well-tuned ear but rarely employ conventional rhyme schemes; e.e. cummings seems to have inspired not only the poet's language but its arrangement and olden his subjects as well. Spooner has a special ability to evoke imaginative, childlike rumination and delight ("Mud Love": "my little bare feet/squirm sweetly in the mud/and the mud/grubbies them snugly/mud gloves...snuggles them grubbily/mud love"). He uses apt comparisons to startle readers into new insights ("Small Miracles": looking at the world through a telescope, a kaleidoscope, and a poem) and, frequently, evocative phrases ("this great wet walloping day"). Humor isn't the dominant note, but there's enough for leavening. A few holiday poems seem weak, as do the concrete poems; still, kids will enjoy decoding them, and "Fourth of July," an airy mimicry of an exploding rocket--or of the marigold to which it's succinctly compared--is charming. A welcome new voice. Illustrations not seen.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both reviews note this book as appealing and playful for young readers. The images and text are playful to the eye and evoke imagination for the reader. The reviews also note that a few poems seem “weak” due to confusing lines or their overall idea. They both note these poems as appropriate and relatable for young readers.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: This poetry book is split into parts which allows for easy stopping points for the reader. The images are also drawn in a light grey color allowing the text to stand out, thus the reader will focus on the text before focusing on the images. There are also various pages with the text written in ways that flow across the page and some that outline or create an image, creating an exciting read. The author also includes a table of contents, which allows the reader to find single poems easier.
Consideration of Instructional Application: I would use this book in a first or second grade classroom to start class each day or once a week depending on our schedule. Each day I would read a poem aloud to the students and also write it on the board so they can visualize it. We would also identify new vocabulary from the poems to work on their vocabulary skills. I would also have my students write their own poem once a week where they would use their knowledge learned from the poems we read each day.
Author: Michael Spooner
Illustrator: Ib Ohlsson
Genre: Book of Poems
Theme(s): Poetry, Seasons, Holidays, Moon
Opening line/sentence: O, the big round moon is a hole in the sky, and the day washes through like the morning tide.
Brief Book Summary: A Moon in Your Lunch Box takes the reader through pages of poems about the moon and its changes. It also fills the reader’s mind with everything that has to do with seasons and holidays. It ultimately ends with the reader coming to a poem, “Close this book.”
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: Hazel Rochman (Booklist, June 1993 (Vol. 89, No. 19 & 20))
Changes in the moon and night are common images in these poems, which range from outright nonsense and concrete poetry to lyrics of earth and sky. Ohlsson's small line drawings are as playful as the words. Sometimes the lessons about "Life" are too obviously drawn ("don't you think / our life is like this?"). But the best pieces are strongly physical in sound and sense ("this great wet walloping day"), and true to the child's point of view. One lovely poem tentatively reaches out from the private "heart's secret" to the winter night "with the slow wheeling stars and the stillness of snow."
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1993)
Spooner's first book for young people is an appealing seasonal cycle, thematically linked by the moon--symbol of change and mystery and a rich source of other imagery. These 43 carefully cadenced poems reveal a well-tuned ear but rarely employ conventional rhyme schemes; e.e. cummings seems to have inspired not only the poet's language but its arrangement and olden his subjects as well. Spooner has a special ability to evoke imaginative, childlike rumination and delight ("Mud Love": "my little bare feet/squirm sweetly in the mud/and the mud/grubbies them snugly/mud gloves...snuggles them grubbily/mud love"). He uses apt comparisons to startle readers into new insights ("Small Miracles": looking at the world through a telescope, a kaleidoscope, and a poem) and, frequently, evocative phrases ("this great wet walloping day"). Humor isn't the dominant note, but there's enough for leavening. A few holiday poems seem weak, as do the concrete poems; still, kids will enjoy decoding them, and "Fourth of July," an airy mimicry of an exploding rocket--or of the marigold to which it's succinctly compared--is charming. A welcome new voice. Illustrations not seen.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both reviews note this book as appealing and playful for young readers. The images and text are playful to the eye and evoke imagination for the reader. The reviews also note that a few poems seem “weak” due to confusing lines or their overall idea. They both note these poems as appropriate and relatable for young readers.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: This poetry book is split into parts which allows for easy stopping points for the reader. The images are also drawn in a light grey color allowing the text to stand out, thus the reader will focus on the text before focusing on the images. There are also various pages with the text written in ways that flow across the page and some that outline or create an image, creating an exciting read. The author also includes a table of contents, which allows the reader to find single poems easier.
Consideration of Instructional Application: I would use this book in a first or second grade classroom to start class each day or once a week depending on our schedule. Each day I would read a poem aloud to the students and also write it on the board so they can visualize it. We would also identify new vocabulary from the poems to work on their vocabulary skills. I would also have my students write their own poem once a week where they would use their knowledge learned from the poems we read each day.
Displaying 1 of 1 review