Riddle-icious

 


















Reader’s Guide: Riddle-icious

By Angela Golden

Lewis, Patrick, J. 1996. Ill. By Debbie Tilley. Riddle-icious. Alfred A. Knopf books for young readers.

Recommended ages 4 years old to 8 years old

1. Summary of Book: This collection of poems is full of fun poems.  The poems cause the reader to try to discover what is being talked about.  28 poems are included in the book. The poems are rhyme, near rhyme, and free verse.  Tilley also adds very detailed colorful pictures to catch the reader’s eye.

2. Review/Excerpts/ Rewards:

·         Kirkus’ Review: “Far superior to most riddle books in merit and for the visual humor in the colorful ink-and- watercolor illustrations.”

·         Publishers Weekly Children’s Review: “Readers are likely to return to these clever spreads even after they've solved all the puzzles.”

·         The Books Board: “A clever and fun book of word-play for children, with visual clues for the child — and backwards word-answers for the stumped parent! Ages 4-8, depending upon their penchant for word-play.”

·         Deborah Stevenson, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, June 1996: "Clever and cheerful, this is a convincing introduction to the pleasures of metaphor."

·         Kentucky Bluegrass Award 1997

3. Questions to Ask Before Reading:
Invite the children to discuss the following: 
Have you ever wondered what something was?
What are riddles? 
What are clues?

4. Suggestions for Reading Poems Aloud:

·         Start out by reading a couple of poems aloud to the students.

·         If the students are older have them read the poems in groups and try to discover what each poem is talking about.

·         While reading the poems aloud to the students you could have the students write down what they think each poem is about on a piece of paper.

5. Follow up Activities (writing, art, science, etc…):

Writing: Have the students create their own poems about anything they enjoy or like that is school appropriate.  The other students could guess the answer.

Art: Have the students create colorful detailed pictures to go along with their poems.  The pictures could offer a small clue to the readers.

Science: The whole class could work together to create a book of poetry about the four seasons.  Students can work in groups of 4 or 5 for each season depending on class size.  Students come up with the poem and add a picture to go along with it.

6. Related Websites/Blogs: 
http://education.ucf.edu/litsymposium/docs/Buchoff1.pdf 
[Look here for various ways to teach students poetry in different subjects.] 
http://www.bookfinder.com/author/j-patrick-lewis/ 
[Look here for more J. Patrick Lewis books.] 
http://biography.jrank.org 
[Look here for more information on J. Patrick Lewis]

7. Related Books (poetry, nonfiction, fiction): 
Lewis, Patrick, J. Two-legged, Four-legged, No-legged Rhymes, illustrated by Pamela Paparone, Knopf (New York, NY), 1991. 
Lewis, Patrick, J. Earth Verses and Water Rhymes, illustrated by Robert Sabuda, Atheneum (New York, NY), 1991. 
Bagert, Brod. Shouts Little Poems that Roar, illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa, DIAL BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS (New York, NY), 2007.