[From "The Camera Project," REC Let's Learn.]

50 Odd Jobs by Michael J. Rosen (Willowisp Press, Worthington, OH, 1988). Author-illustrator Rosen offers readers a collection of hilarious verses and intricate black-and-white illustrations about somewhat askew—but plausible when you think about it—career choices.

The Greatest Table by Michael J. Rosen, illustrations by an amazing group of artists (Harcourt Brace, San Diego, 1994). Rather than being author-illustrator, this time Michael Rosen is writer-editor. This twelve-foot-long accordion book was written to aid the fight against hunger. Rosen's poetic words are illustrated by fourteen different illustrators, so each page is a work of art. It is currently out of print but available at libraries.

Oh Theodore! Guinea Pig Poems by Susan Katz (Clarion Books, New York, 2007). This oversized book tells a story of friendship and love, with acrylic illustrations that portray the facial expressions and feelings of both child and creature. [From the REC Bookshelf. For more ideas and books, see Preschool Poetry—Rhythm, Rhyme, and Song.]

Mary Had a Little Jam and Other Silly Rhymes by Bruce Lansky, illustrations by Stephen Carpenter (Scholastic, New York, 2003) "Little Miss Muffet / sat on a tuffet / licking an ice cream cone. / Along came a spider, / who dangled beside her- / She told him to go get his own!" Kids are sure to love these silly versions of familiar nursery rhymes. The brightly colored illustrations support the text and will also make the children laugh out loud. [From the REC Bookshelf. For more ideas and books, see Literacy Begins with Rhythm, Rhyme, and Song and the K–2 booklist Playing with Sounds and Words: Discovering How Words Work.]

Go! Poetry in Motion by Dee Lillegard, illustrations by Valeri Gorbachev (Knopf Books for Young Readers, New York, 2006). Think of anything that moves, and you'll find a poem about it in this energetic book of poetry dedicated to things that "go!" There are rhymes about scooters, roller skates, bikes and trikes, an ice cream truck, a school bus, a ferris wheel, and even a lawn mower. [From the REC Bookshelf. For more ideas and books, see Playing with Words; Poetry in Preschool.]

Joyful Ways to Teach Young Children to Write Poetry by Jodi Weisbart (Scholastic, New York, 2001). Often we assume that children are naturally poetic since they love to play with rhyme. However, teachers who utilize proven strategies like those in this text can optimize children's language development and writing skills while fostering the creative spirit.