- Bibliography
Singer, Marilyn. 2012. A Stick is
an Excellent Thing: Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play. Ill by
LeUyen Pham. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 9780547124933
- Plot Summary
Singer provides a day full of outdoor fun and
adventure in her poetry collection titled A Stick is an
Excellent Thing. She opens with a poetic invitation to play
outside and follows it with beautifully illustrated poems about
countless childhood games and activities to keep little bodies moving
and little mouths laughing. After a wonderful long day of playing
outside, she closes her poetry collection with children drifting off to
sleep as they count the stars, one by one.
- Critical Analysis
Children will enjoy the fun, familiar
rhyme and rhythm of Singer's poems celebrating the many ways to play
outside. Singer playfully captures the voice of childhood in her
poems. One example of this can be found in “Bubbles.” Readers can feel the cocky self
assurance of the boy as he boasts his bubble is “as big as a
planet.” And then, they giggle with his little
sister when she conspiratorially tells us she is the one sending a “parade / of
small bubbles – a whole fleet -” floating behind him. Children
will be able to relate to her poems, and might even find some new
ideas of games to play with friends while they enjoy the freedom of
long summer days.
Pham vividly captures the energy and
joy of childhood in her illustrations. Her bright colors, happy
children, and scenes filled with movement are as much a celebration
of childhood and playing outside as are Singer's poems. They are a
beautiful compliment in creating this visual treat for readers of all
ages.
- Awards and Review Excerpt(s)
*Starred review in Kirkus: "A
real strength of the collection is its engagement of the
imagination. . . . A thrilling integration of verse and image,
motivating all to serious fun."
*School Library Journal: "From
running through sprinklers to blowing bubbles to catching fireflies,
this book has 18 short poems about active, imaginative play in summer
weather. . . . An appealing book."
*Booklist: "Fun for
sharing and acting out many times over."
*Publishers Weekly: "Pham's
grainy mixed-media scenes could take place anytime in the past 50
years, emphasizing the timeless (some might say lost) art of outdoor
activity."
- Connections
*Think of a game or an activity you
like to do outside. Try writing your own poem about this activity.
If you are doing this with a group of children, make copies of each
child's poem and bind them into a book. This is an excellent way for
the children to share their writing and some great ideas of things to
play during the summer.
*“Bubbles” is a perfect poem for
reading aloud with a group. Have two children come up to read, or
divide your group in two (boys vs girls would be appropriate). Have
the children read the poem aloud. Have the boys read the first
section and then the girls read the second. You could even give them
all bubbles to blow while they read the poem together.
*Learn about the science behind
bubbles. Make your own bubble solution and use household supplies to make
different kinds of bubble wands. Have fun and see what you can do
with bubbles!
*More books by Marilyn Singer:
Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible
Verse. 2010. ISBN 978-0525479017
Fireflies at Midnight. 2003.
ISBN 978-0689824920
First Food Fight This Fall and
Other School Poems. 2008. ISBN 978-1402741456
I'm Your Bus. 2009. ISBN
978-0545089180
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