Module 14: Fold Me a Poem

Summary:

The story follows a boy as he creates many origami animals. Each page is full of colorful illustrations and poetry about the animals the boy is creating. This book is a tribute to two arts that children can learn and enjoy creating on their own.

Reference:

George, K. (2005). Fold me a poem. New York, NY: Harcourt.

Impressions:

The pages are filled with many types of poetry which will expose kids to a wide variety of poetry and will allow them to explore their creativity once they try writing poems of their own. This book is sure to spark interest in the art of origami and also provides resources at the end to allow children to learn more about it.

Professional Review:

This unusual poetry volume is a dazzling celebration of imagination. George's (Hummingbird Nest ) haiku-like poems and Stringer's (Mud ) colorful origami animals combine to tell the story of a child who needs only squares of paper to create a world of play. The unnamed child's contemplative face and short hair allows both boys and girls to identify with the main character, as he or she sprinkles snowflakes made from paper punch holes over origami penguins, creates a barrier between rabbits and foxes with wooden blocks, forms a shadow figure hippo with a flashlight and fashions a bookmark from a giraffe. Stringer's illustrations help connect the poems visually, and the pages burst with colors and patterns. On one spread, the poem "Peacocks" features a close-up of the child's hands folding the birds' tails while, across the gutter, the finished peacocks strut in a garden of origami tulips to illustrate a poem called "Spring." Each turn of the page brings a clever new perspective or insight—even humor. A "Disappointed Moth," pictured with brown polka-dotted wings, asks, "Why didn't you/ save any butterfly colors/ for me ?" The book includes a list of how-to origami books, but unfortunately lacks a set of instructions for making the animals. Nonetheless, this poetry collection creatively models low-cost child's play that requires only a little know-how and a bit of ingenuity.

[Review of the book Fold me a poem]. (April 2005). Publisher's Weekly. Retrieved from: http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-15-202501-4

Library Uses: 

After reading this book aloud, it can be placed in the library's Makerspace along with other poetry and origami books. Students may then choose to create their own poetry or origami pieces in the Makerspace.