Summer: An Alphabet Acrostic

Several years ago a friend of mine recommended that I buy one of Steven Schnur's books for my Reading Lab. When the book (Summer) arrived, I was impressed with the beautiful illustrations and the simple, creative acrostic poems. I now own two or three of the seasons covered by these lovely Alphabet Acrostic books. Since acrostic poetry is something that can be taught to even young writers-the poetry included in Schnur's books is a wonderful model for all ages. In each book, the author celebrates things that are special to the season that is focused on. I hope soon to include all four of the seasons in my library.

I used this with middle schoolers and they really love the structure, the challenge of topical poems and using the acrostic device to write good poems. The books in this series are handsome enough that even high school kids would be intrigued with the challenge. Writing is hard enough--why not make it attractive, too?

Steven Schnur's Summer: An Alphabet Acrostic is one of a series addressing the four seasons, with acrostic poems for each letter of the alphabet. Each letter has its own page, with a brief impressionistic poem addressing a subject that starts with that letter. So, "D" is about a daisy; "M" about mosquitoes; "V" about vegetables. However, the subject of the poem is never mentioned directly, instead the word spelled out in acrostic form by the first letters of the first lines of the poems: Green clusters, soon to be Red And Purple, Entwine the Stairs. Despite the rigid format, the poems never feel forced and are almost haiku-like in their simple rhythms and tones. As the poems move from A to Z, they also form a kind of narrative, progressing from the early spring-like days of summer with the first day at the beach and to the late autumn-like summer days with stacks of chopped firewood. Leslie Evans' woodblock prints feature rich colors, bold lines, and chunky shapes capturing the scenes described from a variety of perspectives, such as a narrow focus on a dragonfly sitting on a daisy to a sweeping orchard landscape. This sophisticated book will impress children who know their letters with the power and elegance of language.

I love it when someone takes a tired old poetry exercise and breathes a little life into it! These acrostics are a lot of fun, and not like the old classroom language arts ditties: Lisa is my friend/I like her/So would you/Amen. When I teach poetry to kids, I try to get them out of this kind of blah thinking, and into more imaginative word play. These acrostics are not only fun and imaginative, but they are also in alphabetical order, using all kinds of summer words, such as "Beach", "Hike", "Idle", "Keel", "Mosquito". Fun poems, great illustrations, a nice romp through the season!(see also the book,"Poetry Everywhere", by Collom/Noethe, for more "higher level" acrostics)