School People

by Lee Bennett Hopkins, Ellen Shi (Illustrator)

Overview

Fifteen poems selected by acclaimed poet and anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins celebrate all of the grown-ups that children encounter during the course of a school day.

Welcome to school, a building of brick "full of soul and heart," eager for students and staff to fill its halls with sounds. This anthology of fifteen poems celebrates the grown-up people that children encounter throughout the course of their school day: the school bus driver with her morning smile, the teacher who inspires imagination, the rarely seen, yet caring custodian, and the nurse who heals hurts, big and small. There's even a poem about the school building. Award-winning poet and anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins has compiled this marvelous collection featuring a variety of brand-new works by well-known poets and beautifully imaginative artwork by illustrator Ellen Shi.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629797038
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	02/13/2018
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,147,774
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lee Bennett Hopkins was a poet and anthologist who is recognized as "the world's most prolific anthologist of poetry for children" by Guinness World Records. In addition, he was honored with the Christopher Award, the Regina Medal, the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, and the University of Southern Mississippi's Medallion for "lasting contributions to children's literature". 

Ellen Shi is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. She is the illustrator of Jane Yolen's Little Frog and the Scary Autumn Thing. Ellen lives in Edison, New Jersey. Visit ellenshi.com.

Editorial Reviews

11/06/2017
Fifteen previously unpublished poems by as many authors praise familiar figures at school. Aside from Rebecca Kai Dotlich’s opening entry, written from the perspective of the school building, the poems—odes, really—unfold in the voices of students. The narrator of J. Patrick Lewis’s poem marvels at his mother’s accomplishments (“Who could ever guess/ that my School Principal/ would... also be the Principal of me?”). Darren Sardelli describes a kindly custodian (“He keeps our building neat and clean,/ yet—this man is rarely seen!”), and Irene Latham’s music teacher “walks in music, like morning rain:/ drip-drop, pitter-patter, boot-stomp, splash!” Shi’s warm digital images infuse adults and children with personality in a vibrant tribute to trusted staffers and educators, many of whom go unnoticed or underappreciated. Ages 5–8. Illustrator’s agent: Anne Moore Armstrong, Bright Group. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Fifteen previously unpublished poems…praise familiar figures at school… Shi’s warm digital images infuse adults and children with personality in a vibrant tribute to trusted staffers and educators.” – Publishers Weekly

“Prolific anthologist Hopkins encourages his audience with a series of poems describing school personnel…Shi's digital illustrations show students of varying ethnicities and a staff diverse in age and gender…They add significant details. This surprisingly even collection includes short poems by 14 different authors including the compiler… vital… for a back-to-school collection and good for reading aloud.” -Kirkus Reviews

“The verse of several well-known poets…interweave beautifully with that of many less familiar voices, resulting in a collection that is fun to read and to listen to. The digital artwork is bright and eye-catching; the cartoon people animated and upbeat. Used to kick off a writing assignment or to brighten up a gloomy day, these entertaining poems will hit the spot.” –School Library Journal

From the Publisher

01/01/2018
Gr 3–5—Hopkins's newest poetry collection is a slim picture book that highlights a baker's dozen of the people who work within and around an elementary school: bus driver, lunch lady, coach, librarian, nurse, art teacher, and others. The verse of several well-known poets—Alma Flor Ada, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, J. Patrick Lewis, and Hopkins himself—interweave beautifully with that of many less familiar voices, resulting in a collection that is fun to read and to listen to. There's the crossing guard who "guides us/like hatchlings/safely/to the other side"; the custodian who's "caring, helpful, smart, and kind."; the principal who can "teach a bully how to be humble." The digital artwork is bright and eye-catching; the cartoon people animated and upbeat. Most illustrations have painted backgrounds and detail; some faces and clothing look like they've been clipped from colored paper, then detailed with paint or colored pencil. The depicted children range in grade level from kindergarten to about sixth grade; however, most of the poems' vocabulary is geared toward older elementary school students. VERDICT Used to kick off a writing assignment or to brighten up a gloomy day, these entertaining poems will hit the spot.—Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH

School Library Journal

2017-11-13
Poems about school staff aim to reassure anxious young students. Prolific anthologist Hopkins encourages his audience with a series of poems describing school personnel, from the bus driver and crossing guard to the librarian and sympathetic nurse. He opens with the building's welcome—"I am waiting—come on in!"—from Rebecca Kai Dotlich. Most adults are described from a child's point of view. Matt Forrest Esenwine's bus driver has a "good-morning smile." In Michele Krueger's art teacher's room, "my imagination soars." Irene Latham's music teacher makes us "walk in music like morning rain." Shi's digital illustrations show students of varying ethnicities and a staff diverse in age and gender though not so much in race. They add significant details. The white custodian smilingly feeds a guinea pig; the brown-skinned, male librarian wears groovy shades. A small dog follows the children who walk to school and is waiting for its owner, a little brown-skinned child, at the end of the day. This surprisingly even collection includes short poems by 14 different authors including the compiler. These are mostly free verse, with two exceptions. The rhyming couplets Darren Sardelli uses to describe the custodian come as a pleasing change of pace. Alma Flor Ada takes advantage of the rhyming sounds of Spanish to celebrate learning that will "spice up / a world / twice as flavorful."Useful, if not vital, for a back-to-school collection and good for reading aloud. (Picture book/poetry. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews