Fold Me a Poem

by Kristine O'Connell George, Lauren Stringer (Illustrator)

Overview

Join a young boy as he creates a world filled with origami creatures of all shapes and sizes out of an array of brightly colored paper. From roosters waking up and buffalo pawing the tablecloth to cheetahs racing lions and moths that yearn for butterfly colors, here is a glimpse into the vibrant imagination of a child.

Award-winning author Kristine O'Connell George's thirty-two spirited poems combine seamlessly with celebrated artist Lauren Stringer's luminous illustrations to create a poetry collection that is truly like no other.

Features an illustrator's note and an extensive listing of origami-related books and websites.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780152025014
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/01/2005
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	56
Product dimensions:	9.75(w) x 9.75(h) x 0.38(d)
Lexile:	470L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Kristine O'Connell George is an acclaimed poet who conducts poetry workshops for children and teachers. She is the author of several books of poetry for young people, including Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems and The Great Frog Race, winner of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award. She lives with her family in Southern California. Visit her online at kristinegeorge.com and on Twitter at @Kristine_George. 

LAUREN STRINGER is the award-winning author and illustrator of Winter is the Warmest Season and the illustrator of many other picture books. She lives with her family in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Visit her at www.laurenstringer.com

Editorial Reviews

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. Ages 5-10. (Apr.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

K-Gr 2-George's 32 brief poems focus on a boy as he folds a series of origami animals and imagines their thoughts and possible activities. Some of the selections exhibit a creative spark, while others tend to take their meaning from the illustrations, which are the real strength of the presentation. The vividly colored acrylics depict the boy actively engaged in play with his creations, and the details that Stringer provides infuse the verses with both energy and humor. Her illustrator's note offers insight into her own efforts to master the art of origami. No patterns or instructions are included, although a useful bibliography is appended to guide those wishing to learn the craft themselves.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Accurately rendered origami animals and other models made from an array of brilliantly patterned papers parade across a young folder's table and around a thematic set of short, pithy poems: "Folding a snake? / Need advice? / Be precissssssse." Sometimes the creatures voice the lines, as when a rabbit complains that it can't hear because its ears are too sharply creased. More often it's the child, greeting a newly-made rooster in the morning, crafting tulips to go with a flock of pleated peacocks, separating rabbits and foxes ("I don't want trouble"), fussing over an ostrich damaged by a cat of the furry sort, folding boats for a bath-time excursion and finally snuggling into bed with a rustling cricket. There are no step diagrams, so this engrossing collaboration is more a motivator than a teaching resource-but Stringer supplies a list of classic titles for beginners at the end, and (librarians: be warned!) the square, brightly colored endpapers make tempting, oh so tempting starter sheets. (Picture book/poetry. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews