All the Small Poems and Fourteen More

Bibliography

Worth, Valerie. All The Small Poems and Fourteen More. Illus. by Natalie Babbitt. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1994. 978-0374403454

Review

This collection of poems by Valerie Worth is exquisite and well composed. Most of the poems have concrete meanings with short, distinct lines. Most lines have only two, three or four words on them.

Sounds are used to create the right tone such as rhyme and repetition. On page 25, Worth uses rhyme in "tick or tock. Poor clock." to create the rhythmical sound of a clock in the reader. Repetition in "Mice" with words such as "places in places" or "world inside the wide world" shows how small mice are and that a small space within a room is a room in itself for an animal of such small stature.

Many of the poems in this collection use personification to bring inanimate objects to life. For example, on page 95 Worth creates a bell with a tongue that can sing or on page 102 a mushroom is like a human skeleton with a "soft skull" and "frail ribs" that float above the ground.

Sense imagery is an important part of making these poems full of energy and engaging to the reader. Sounds such as "grass whispers" (Worth, pg. 41), the "crunching up" of raw carrots (Worth, pg. 22), or the "poured clicking" of marbles (Worth, pg. 23) bring about a realistic environment for the audience. In "Marbles" readers feel that they can touch the objects in their hands as they read that they are "hard, glossy, glassy, cold" (Worth, pg. 23).

These poems are simple and yet hold so much meaning. With a light-hearted mood, this collection of poetry uplifts the soul and warms the heart.

Poetry & Connection

Coins

Coins are pleasant

To the hand:

Neat circles, smooth,

A little heavy.

They feel as if

They are worth something.

I would give each child a coin to hold in their hand. Tell students to move it around in their hand and think about how it feels. Then as each child is holding his/her own coin, read the poem "Coins". After, do a choral reading of the poem together as a class.