The 5th Grade Review Club Presents: Great Reads for Poem in Your Pocket Day!

Blackberry Ink
Reviewed by Eoin

This witty collection of poems is by Eve Merriam. These poems are funny and simply fun. They are full of cute rhymes and adorable pictures. They are also enjoyable for any age. Here is just one of her intriguing poems.
I’m sweet,
Says the beet.

Please, please,
Says the cheese.

One Leaf Rides the Wind, by Celeste Davidson Mannis
Reviewed by Esmé

Seeing that this month is poetry month, I have the perfect book for you…
One Leaf Rides The Wind is a great poetry book for all ages. It goes by number, such as on page 8, the poem is:

“What do flowers dream?/Adrift on eight pond pillows, pink-cheeked blossoms rest.”

The illustrations are beautiful. A great thing about this book is that it has little descriptive facts (about what the plants represent in Japanese gardens.) For that poem on page 8, the fact was: “White, yellow, and pink lotus flowers flourish in ponds, their plump blossoms perched atop floating leaves, or pads. They represent purity and mirror the soul’s ability to reach beyond muddy waters to the sunlight of a better existence.” So if you happen to pass this book in the library or in the bookstore, check it out!

The Surrender Tree, by Margarita Engle
Reviewed by Adedayo

Something I want you to know about The Surrender Tree is that it’s different. It’s what I would call a story in verse. It has 5 or 6 different characters, and they have different perspectives on the freedom of Cuba. Or I could just reference the cover: “poems of Cuba’s struggle for freedom.” I would definitely recommend this story. Sometimes it’s a bit confusing (it’s about human beings, and we’re very confusing!) and it is a good piece of realistic fiction. Although sometimes gruesome, you can really understand what it was like to live in such hard times. 5 out of 5 stars for this one!

An excerpt:
In the beginning, the character Rosa says
“Some people call me a child-witch,
but I’m just a girl who likes to watch
the hands of the women
as the gather wild herbs and flowers,
to heal the sick.”