Module 14: Lemonade: and Other Poems Squeezed From a Single Word

APA Reference of Book: Raczka, B. (2011). Lemonade: and other poems squeezed from a single word. New York, NY: Roaring Book Press.

Summary: This is a poetry book based on letters taken from a single word. For example, the first poem, “Lemonade,” says “made one ad, added one lemon load, and one mom” (p. 2). The poem was created from words taken from the word lemonade. These poems are “part anagram, part rebus,” and “part riddle,” as mentioned on the inside flap of the front book jacket. The subjects of the poems celebrate childhood moments, such as “treehouse,” “moonlight,” “ladybug,” “spaghetti,” etc. In his introduction, Bob Raczka states that he was inspired by the poetry of Andrew Russ, who wrote a poem called “Rain,” which used just three words: “I ran in,” which were all taken from the word rain. Raczka’s love for words is evident through his imaginative poems.

Impressions: This book is clever, creative, and intriguing. I had never thought to create poems out of words that were taken from a single word. Raczka successfully achieves this by creating poems that tie-in perfectly with the subjects of the poems. My favorite one is “Constellation,” which says, “A silent lion tells an ancient tale” (p. 12). It is beautiful because it seems to refer to the constellation Leo, and that there is an ancient story behind every constellation in the night sky. Although the poems are meant to be puzzles, a play on words, they are generally easy enough for children to understand and are relevant to children’s interests. I enjoyed this book and would like to try creating some of my own poems based on single words.

Professional Review: “Playing with ordinary words like lemonade and friend, Raczka creates unique poems using only the letters found in each word. Letters drop down from their positions, creating word pictures, which readers can track with a finger down the page, assembling each poem letter by letter. One poem titled "Constellation" reads, "a/ silent/ lion/ tells/ an/ ancient/ tale" (p. 12). On the reverse page, each poem appears in standard poetry form. Part anagram, part coded message, Raczka's poems demand imitation and experimentation. Lemonade offers an excellent mentor text for word play, poetry exploration, and vocabulary development.”

Miller, D. (2013). Lemonade: and other poems squeezed from a single word [Review of the book Lemonade: and other poems squeezed from a single word, by B. Raczka]. Language Arts, 90(4), 289. Retrieved from https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1325024449?accountid=7113

Library Uses: Tell the children to each choose one word and create a poem out of it. Start them off with making lists of words that are derived from the single word. Next, let them rearrange most or all of the words to create a poem. Have a poetry contest and see who can make the best poem based on votes from all the children. Give first, second, and third place prizes, as well as small prizes for everyone else (bookmarks, stickers, pencils, etc.).