Tag Your Dreams: Poems of Play and Persistence
Author: Jacqueline Jules
Illustrator: Iris Deppe
Published April 1st, 2020 by Albert Whitman & Company
Summary: Whether just trying out for the team or reaching for the Olympics, there’s something for every reader in this playful poetry collection! From baseball, basketball, and football to double-dutch, mini-golf, and turning a cartwheel, these poems look at facing fears, dreaming big, and never giving up. This well-rounded collection explores sports and play across all abilities and backgrounds.
About the Author: Jacqueline Jules has been writing poems since middle school. Her poetry has been published in over a hundred publications. She is also the author of more than forty books for young readers, including the Zapato Power series, the Sofia Martinez series, and Duck for Turkey Day. She lives in northern Virginia and enjoys giving poetry workshops to students, teachers, and anyone else who loves poetry as much as she does. To learn more, and to download free classroom materials, visit her online at jacquelinejules.com.
Praise:
“Jules presents a plethora of possibilities as the theme of children at play provides the structure for a collection of poems that encourage and applaud. . . . Fun and games, with something deeper to think about.” —Kirkus
“If you are looking for lighthearted, joyous, and youthful poems about childhood, this is the perfect selection for your bookshelves.” —Booklist
Review: Happy National Poetry Month! To celebrate, I knew I had to highlight this wonderful poetry book for two reasons:
1) It combines playing and poetry which will help with the engagement of reading poetry. It also teaches great lessons.
2) During this time of sheltering in place, play and persistence are both things we definitely need to encourage!
Jacqueline Jules does such a fantastic job with adapting each poem to the activity she is writing about and the fun illustrations by Iris Deppe bring the play to life. This is a poem book I recommend specifically now but also for all classrooms to use and have to explore this playful poetry.
Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: While Jules’s book represents many playground and outdoor activities, it doesn’t include everything. Have students write their own poems of play about the activity they love to do the most. To challenge them, ask them to put a conflict in the poem that must be overcome, so the poem includes a lesson of persistence.
Discussion Questions:
- Pick one of the activities written about that you have never done (that is reasonable to do). Do it then write a journal reflecting what it was like–maybe even try writing a poem about it!
- Find examples of figurative language, such as imagery or personification, in one of Jules’s poems.
- Which poem’s activity did you connect with the most?
- Which poem’s lesson did you connect with the most?
Flagged Passages:
Read This If You Love: Poetry, Sports
Recommended For:
Giveaway!:
**Thank you to Blue Slip Media for providing copies for review and giveaway!**
Children’s poetry is fun to read and write–I’ve had poems published and can’t wait to read these as mentor text.
Places are pretty deserted. I take a walk on a private beach nearby.