Tiny Dreams, Sprouting Tall: Poems about the United States(Poetry)

A collection of original, United States-themed poetry for children accompanied by striking photos. The book demonstrates a variety of common poetic forms and defines poetic devices.

About the Author :
Laura Purdie Salas is the author of more than 100 books for kids and teens. Her work has received the Minnesota Book Award and other honors, including Bank Street Best Books of the Year, and NCTE Notables. She and her husband live in Minnesota and have two monsters of their own, Maddie and Annabelle. When Laura's not reading or writing, she likes to dance, play games, and work with the Minnesota Brass drum corps (which involves a lot of Counting, following Patterns, and creating Shapes on the field). She tries to eat More vegetables and Less brownies, but that is hard! Learn more about Laura at laursalas.com.

Review :
One of a series of themed poetry books, this book of poems with dramatic photographs covers a range of topics that include jazz, baseball, and Hollywood. Some of the poems are fun and easy to read and understand while others are more descriptive and lyrical. An acrostic poem with the subject 'dream' features Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A diamante about the Grand Canyon is written in a diamond shape. One page at the end explains the language of poetry and another lists the types of poems such as acrostic, cinquain, and diamante along with the title and page number that tells where they can be found. This is followed by a glossary, bibliography, Internet sites, and an index. All of the poems celebrate some aspect of our country with brief poems and large beautiful photographs which should be interesting and educational for all young readers.-- "Children's Literature Comprehensive Database" Tiny Dreams, Sprouting Tall is a creative book with the purpose of introducing young people to the power of poetry. All fifteen poems deal with favorite places or objects found across the American landscape. Through beautiful photography and words, an eagle soars, the Grand Canyon comes alive, and the Statue of Liberty shines. These are some of the images described in simple poems in the pages of this book. But the simplicity of the book is its power. This book of poetry illustrates how one can use description to get across feeling and moments in time. The book also contains different types of poems including an acrostic, a limerick, free verse, and more. Definitions for the different types of poems in the book are found in the back under the title "The Language of Poetry." Also included are definitions of important literary terms that all young poets should know, like alliteration, simile, rhyme, and rhythm. Definitions of some advanced words for young readers are given in the glossary. This book would be particularly helpful to those interested in introducing young students to poetry and celebrating the diversity of the United States.-- "Multicultural Review"