I’ve made a concerted effort to read more poetry to my children this National Poetry Month, and I’m ending the month by posting a little review of a delightful book entitled A Sock Is a Pocket for Your Toes by Elizabeth Garton Scanlon. (I just love the assonance and alliteration in the title, don’t you?) I purchased it after reading Alice’s glowing review, and I have to say I was not disappointed. For some reason, I was expecting it to be a collection of poems instead of one long poem, but after I got used to the idea that it is a rhyming picture book, I warmed up to it and had a fabulous time sharing it with my girls. It is deceptively simple in that it appears to be only for little kids: Robin Preiss Glaisser‘s illustrations are mostly of little kids and their relationships with others. However, the concept of all the things that can be pockets is a brain tickler. I love it!
A chimney is a pocket blowing smoke,
and a pocket for a giggle is a joke–
tee hee.
A pocket packed with giggles is a joke.
A phone is a pocket for a ring,
a bell is a pocket for a ding.
Well, you get the idea. This verse creates a delightful rhythm that begs to be tapped or bounced to. My girls and I had a fun time coming up with other pockets. Yesterday was National Poem in Your Pocket Day, but I think any day is a good day to keep a poem in your pocket or read a poem about pockets. We give this book a Highly, Highly Recommended. (HarperCollins, 2004)
Given the DLM’s affinity for pockets, I think this one will be a popular selection at the House of Hope for many years to come.
The Poetry Friday roundup this week is at The Opposite of Indifference.
So glad you liked this one! It remains one of my favorites.
Just requested it from our library!
Hee hee (if I may say so) — sounds cute!
Love this picture book. It’s one of the ones I wish I had written.