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The Death of the Hat: A Brief History of Poetry in 50 Objects

Compiled by Paul B. Janeczko

A wide range of poems from across epochs all have the theme of “things” in common, even though, as Janeczko points out in his introduction, physical objects were not common subjects of poems across many centuries, especially in early writing. The “object-ness” of the poems serves as a unifying theme, but the result is a rich and varied collection both stylistically (from a variety of structured forms to free verse) and in terms of familiarity. There are poems that will be recognizable to some readers here, and many that will be new to them. The design features a clean, sans serif font that makes the poems stand out on the white pages, while Raschka’s illustrations can be points of entry to understanding, or fade into the background, depending on an individual reader’s need or preference. ©2015 Cooperative Children's Book Center

Illustrated by Chris Raschka

CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 10 and older
Age Range: Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10) Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13) Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format: Poetry
Subject: Writers and Writing

Publisher: Candlewick
Publish Year: 2015
Pages: 77
ISBN: 9780763669638

CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 811 Janeczko