From: Emmaattic at aol.com <Emmaattic>
Date: Thu, 2 Nov 2006 19:35:56 EST

I, too, agree with Lee (and Karen) about poetry being the perfect genre for struggling readers. Less text, more white space, powerful messages, a treasure chest of language usage and word choice, and can be read and digested one poem at a time. One page at a time. Lee's book BEEN TO YESTERDAYS Poems of a Life, is a perfect choice for both boys and girls who are reluctant readers, as it enables them to read about experiences close to what they know in their own lives (and or have empathy for those who do) in a way that a novel could not do. Many of these students who struggle with reading won't pick up a novel, but if we offer them small bites at a time, like with poetry, then it's not as scary or overwhelming to them. There are so many good books of poetry on every subject, but BEEN TO YESTERDAYS, mentioned above, FRENCHTOWN SUMMER by Robert Cormier, BECOMING JOE DIMAGGIO by Maria Testa, and others, might just be the ticket for reluctant readers -- story and poetry combined.
  EMMA
Received on Thu 02 Nov 2006 06:35:56 PM CST