Catch Your Breath: Writing Poignant Poetry

by Laura Purdie Salas

Overview

Inform and engage young writers with this contemporary, creative breakdown of poetry essentials. Clear, concise text introduces and defines key skills while aligning closely to Common Core State Standards. Fun and inspiring writing prompts launch new skills into practice, while author bios and mentor texts provide creative blueprints for budding writers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781491459904
Publisher:	Capstone Press
Publication date:	08/01/2015
Series:	Writer's Notebook
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.38(d)
Age Range:	9 - 13 Years

About the Author

Laura Purdie Salas is the author of more than 100 books for kids and teens. Her work has received the Minnesota Book Award and other honors, including  Bank Street Best Books of the Year, and NCTE Notables. She and her husband live in Minnesota and have two monsters of their own, Maddie and Annabelle. When Laura's not reading or writing, she likes to dance, play games, and work with the Minnesota Brass drum corps (which involves a lot of Counting, following Patterns, and creating Shapes on the field). She tries to eat More vegetables and Less brownies, but that is hard! Learn more about Laura at laursalas.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction 4

Chapter 1 The Poetry Habit 5

Chapter 2 So Mary Choices! 13

Chapter 3 To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme 24

Chapter 4 Poetry Building Blocks 34

Chapter 5 What Should You Write About? 42

Chapter 6 Make It Better! 50

Chapter 7 Sharing Your Work 56

Glossary 62

Read More 63

Internet Sites 63

Index 64

About the Author 64

Interviews

Table of Contents, Glossary, Read More, Facthound, Index, writing prompts, mentor texts, famous author profiles, photos

Editorial Reviews

11/01/2015
Gr 4–6—A conversational, friendly, encouraging tone enlivens the series, though the cheery, motivating voice makes creative writing seem perhaps too easy ("Inspiration is everywhere! New ideas are just waiting to be discovered."). Notable features include the visuals (strong, captioned photographs and colorful, quirky illustrations); "Your Turn" exercises, which provide stimulating writing prompts; and sidebars that highlight famed authors and excerpts from their works. While useful, explanations and tips aren't always clear or specific. Additionally, organization and focus are a little weak in some volumes, as transitions between topics don't always seem logical. For those who struggle with writing, the wordiness of some titles may prove daunting. Glossary entries include pronunciation guides, with some pronunciation aids proving wholly unnecessary (e.g., instructions in pronouncing the words plot and blog). VERDICT Catch Your Breath is the strongest of the bunch; otherwise, this set is an additional purchase.

School Library Journal

With their emphasis on providing strong foundational information and worthwhile exercise, these books make a real impact. Another plus: they are handsomely designed with eye-catching artwork. Lots for teachers here, but individual students will find these both helpful and fun.

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