Giant Children

Giant Children is a hilarious book of poems about school aged children. The poems include topics about class pets, stage fright during a school play, stinky boys and boogers. The simple rhymes written by Brod Bagert along with the humorous illustrations by Tedd Arnold combine to create an engaging romp through common childhood experiences. This is a frequently requested book of poetry in my elementary school library. I highly recommend!

Giant Children is a collection of witty, rhyming poems. The subjects are very relatable and kid friendly, including stinky diapers, boogers, and letters to the tooth fairy. The illustrations have Tedd Arnold's signature look of big googly eyes and scribble texture. The fun cartoon feel of the illustrations enhances the sarcastic humor of the poetry.

Goblins. Boogers. Stinky boys. These are the things of childhood, and they're all here in this outrageous collection of poems that look at the world through a child's eyes.

This book follows the story of us-GIANT children!! Actually, it's a collection of poems about school related incidents and growing up (the tooth fairy, wanting to be a firefighter, loving chocolate, playing pranks on siblings.) There is no real plot except the very story of childhood and growing up.

I loved this and thought about most Shel Silverstein poetry. The tone is nonsensical, but it's fun to read. I read it to my preschoolers, which was a bit much. But I read it to my husband and he loved it. What does that mean, exactly?

This book is great for kids of all ages. For an older class, we could write our own poems about growing up. Younger classes could make a "giant child"...or just a life-size copy of each child. They could take it show more home and do it as a project with their parents. show less

This book is a humorous anthology of poems about life from the perspective of young children. It is a knee jerking, laugh out loud, I can relate book of poems. This book is filled with poems such as: Booger Love, The Tooth Fairy, and Giant Children which are poems that delve into topics or issues that are so relevant to young children.

I am still laughing hours after I put the book down. I absolutely gag at the thought of Boogers but I have read Booger Love to every person that has crossed my path since I acquired the book. Having a young boy who has a love for boogers made me appreciate the poem to its fullest. I also found great humor in the Tooth Fairly poem which is about how the Tooth Fairy forgets to come night after night. show more Without explanation, I am sure anyone who reads this will guess why I personally found this poem humorous.

I think this book will be of great use in the classroom. For those of us that believe it might be a challenge to inspire boys to read or enjoy poetry, I have found the perfect book. I think that most boys would love this book and perhaps be inspired to write a comical poem such as Brod Bagert did in Giant Children. As an extension idea, I would use this book to do a themed unit on poetry. This book would fall under a few different categories such as: Funny Poems, Poems about Children, or Reality Poems (meaning in this case, a poem that applies to you in real life). I would have the children pick a theme a write a poem of that nature. As a second idea for using this book in the classroom, I would ask student to write and illustrate a poem of their choice. This book has wonderful illustrations that help the reader visualize the writing. It would be fun to see what students would create in this activity. show less

Summary: This collection of children's poetry is random and fun. These stories are all told from a child's perspective and are very relatable to young children and their wild imaginations. The use of rhyme, repetition, metaphor, similes, and many more tie the stories together and create silly messages within each poem. It is a collection that all children and even adults will enjoy.

Argument: In this collection of poems there were many reasons why I enjoyed this book and why I recommend it to teachers to use in their elementary school classrooms. First, these books have amazing illustrations. The images are exactly how children would picture it in their minds and it really emphasizes the fun phrases and meanings in each poem. The show more children in the illustrations also look so unnatural it will keep readers engaged and laughing. The illustrations truly add to the overall humor in these short poems. The second reason I enjoyed this collection was for its author point of view. Each story is told from a child's point of view and written for children. It is relatable and fun and reaches all children on different levels with different messages. For example, on page 4 one poem states, "I'm standing on the stage, the play's about to start, and the only sound I hear is the pounding of my heart". This is written from a child's point of view and the readers can relate to the feeling of being nervous with stage fright. The last reason I enjoyed this book was for its tone and expression. Each poem has an attitude or tone and uses various forms of emotions. For example, on page 20 the poem states, "And then what would it eat? The problem's plain to see: A dinosaur canary might decide to chomp on me!" This poem is written to make the readers fearful for the author. Not only will children be able to enjoy the attitude and tone while reading but they will be able to apply it to their own writing.
The main message of this collection of poems is to connect with children on multiple levels. Whether the topic is school or imaginative play all children will be able to relate to this book. It was written in a child's point of view for young children. show less

Summary:

This is a collection of poems by Brod Bagert. The poems range from stage fright, to brother/sister relationships, conquering fears, and love of poetry. It is geared towards elementary aged children. There are a smattering of topics, which could be interesting to all students.

Personal Response:

This is a wicked funny collection. Although all the poems are lyrical, and all rhyme, I can see how they would be a welcome collection in a classroom. The majority of the poems are interesting,because they are reality based. I think this would be helpful, in introducing poetry to children, because they can identify with the subject matter.

Classroom Extension:

Although April is National Poetry Month, I think that poetry should be used show more throughout the school year. This collection can be used to talk about things that are happening at school. When students audition for their school choir, or a play, the peom "Heart Stopper" can be a great way to open up communication about expectations and being prepared.

A few of the poems are based upon sibling relationships. These can be used to discuss how families are made up and how students deal with conflict between them and their siblings.

There are a couple of poems that can be used for encouragement, especially when a child feels as though they are not able to do an assignment or feel that they are too small for the job: Bad Words is about not using the words "I can't", and GIant Hearts is about how physical size doesn't matter, but the size of the heart and the need to succeed can override physical size. I think these poems could be used to encourage students and allow discussions about what may be going on either in the classroom or somewhere else in school. show less