Heroes and She-roes: Poems of Amazing and Everyday Heroes

The main message of this book is to show readers the different types of heroes (and sheroes) we encounter in our lives here on earth, and how we too can be heroes in the ways in which we live our lives each day.
I enjoyed this book for many reasons. I loved the language used in this book. Each poem uses rhyme to depict the lives of heroes and sheroes in a beautiful and inspiring way. For example, Helen Keller's poem begins, "My life is such/that every word/I love to touch/I wish I heard." The poem continues on, stating, "By rule of thumb/I learn to see/ and overcome/ adversity." These words not only rhyme, but the language is soft and touching while communicating an aspect of Helen Keller's life. We learn about how overcoming adversity show more is an aspect of being a hero as well.
I also enjoyed this book because of the rich variety of heroes and sheroes represented as well as the biographical information given about each. For example, not only are monumental figures represented such as Helen Keller, Martin Luther King Jr., Ghandi, and Rosie the Riveter, but this book also illustrates the heroic nature of teachers, firefighters, and other community service members. Finally, the book recognizes that we, the readers of the book, can be heroes as well in our day to day life. I appreciated the variety of heroes and sheroes because it emphasizes that while some people are heroes in a very historical, grandiose way, there are also quiet heroes we encounter everyday. We can aspire to make great change like Ghandi or Martin Luther King Jr., or we can be a quiet hero in our community simply by giving generously to others. I also liked the small biographical information supplied for each poem. For example, next to the Helen Keller poem, the biographical information briefly discusses Keller's life. More importantly, it discusses her lasting heroic legacy. For example, the information begins, "Helen Adams Keller fell ill at nineteen months of age and was left blind and deaf." It ends by stating, "[She] encouraged those with disabilities and advocated for the disabled. Her written legacy of her life and struggles continues to inspire and transform lives." show less

I liked this book for many reasons. The first person point of view from figures such as teachers, firefighters, Gahndi, Rosa Parks, and many more really put the reader into their shoes and allows you to see their point of view. I also believed the poetry of Patrick Lewis was well written and was concise and powerful. The big idea of the book is to help others as the figures in this book do, It's a powerful message that I believe will resonate with anyone that reads this book of poems.

“Heroes and She-roes: Poems of Amazing and Everyday Heroes” was one of the best poetry children’s books I’ve read. I really enjoyed this book because it not only focused on historical heroes like Helen Keller or Rosie the Riveter, it also included everyday heroes as well. For example, there were poems on elementary school teachers and immigrants – people who one would not normally categorize as heroes. At the end of the book, the author also emphasizes this big idea: that heroes don’t need to be extraordinary; heroes are everyday people that help to make the world a better place as well. I also really enjoyed this story because with each poem, there was a paragraph that gave further information about the “hero” or show more “she-roe.” For example, “The Seeker” was a poem about Helen Keller and the paragraph below gave a brief explanation of her life and struggles. show less

This was a poetry book that showed you all sorts of different kinds of heroes and sheroes and I loved how it showed a variety of people. The heroes and sheroes from history were depicted in the poem with historical facts and dates, but in an exciting way. I think poetry is often not considered for learning purposes, but this book is an excellent example of how you can learn from poems. I liked how every illustration was of the person the poem was about, which helped you personalize the poems to the pictures. Having a face to words always makes things more understandable, especially poems. I personally loved the poem about how elementary teachers are heroes! Most people forget that heroes can be more than the police officer and show more firefighters so it is nice that the book makes everyone feel appreciated. The last poem even talks about how you can be an everyday hero by helping someone out or by being kind to others. The big idea is that everyone can be a hero and everyone is appreciated as long as you’re making a difference, treating others with kindness or helping someone. show less

I enjoyed this collection of poems for two main reasons. First, I liked the informational snippets that are provided on each page. Along with a poem, the author includes information about the person on each page. This information could be helpful for a reader if he or she is not familiar with the hero or she-roe that is being discussed. For example, if readers are not familiar with Rosie the Riveter, the background information that is provided may help help them better understand the poem. The second thing that I liked about this collection of poems is the fact that everyday people are labeled as heroes and she-roes. Rather than heroes with super powers and extreme jobs, the heroes and she-roes that are discussed in this book are show more ordinary people who help others and try their best each day to make a difference in the world. For example, the elementary school teacher is discussed in this book as a hero for their work with children.

The big idea of this book is that anyone can be a hero if they simply do their best to help those around them. show less

I really enjoyed this unique picturebook. The first thing I liked about the book was that it talked about a variety of “heroes” who are really ordinary people in the community who have helped change the lives of others. For example, one poem specifically talks about the elementary school teacher and how she helps the children and another poem talks about Rosie the Riveter and her sacrifice for our country while the men went to war. The reader cannot only learn about those ordinary heroes in our past and the ordinary heroes who are around us day by day.
I also enjoy the small units of information provided on each poem. For each of the historical figures described in the poems, the author provided a small bit of background show more information on the person and what they accomplished. For example, on the poem about Helen Keller, the author gave the reader information on how she was deaf and blind and traveled the world to help others with disabilities.
The main idea in this book is to inform the reader that a hero is someone who simple does the little things to help out others. A Hero may not have the glamor of super powers but does what they can for the benefit of their community. show less

I loved this book of poems about the many different people who are heroes. One reason I really liked this book was that it does not only focus on celebrities. Instead, many different kinds of heroes and she-roes are featured such as elementary school teachers and Gandhi. The book also acknowledges women in the title and poems. It shows that women can be heroic as well. Another reason I liked this book was the informational piece about each person after the poem. It offers an explanation of who the person is and what they did. While the poems explain a little bit about the person, I think the informational piece is great because it gives more background information and can serve as a jumping point for readers who want to look up more show more information. The main idea of this book is that heroes come in all different forms and may even be the people you see in your community. Anyone can become a hero by helping others and giving back to the world. show less