Bagert, Brod.2008. SCHOOL FEVER. Ill. by Robert Neubecker. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780803732018
Bagert’s collection of twenty one lively poems dealing with school and all of its grandeur and peril make for a great read. With a kid’s perspective on school and the author’s hilarious, poignant style of writing, these fun school themed poems would be a must have book for any library. Poems range in topics from catching a computer virus to a beast taming librarian. The dynamic and colorful illustrations by Neubecker give a hint of the poems' appeal. He seems to have spent time studying each poem, and authentically captures the spirit of a classroom with great detail. Each poem has its own full page, with some illustrations capturing an entire two page spread. The layout of the words and illustrations produces a clean detailed look without being cluttered.
All of the alliterations are candidates for read-aloud with several that can be great starters for classroom discussion. The one below is an example.
Super Hero Wanted
After school he waits for me.
Today he hid behind a tree.
I’m feeling kind of sad, I need a hug,
That bully squished me like a bug.
It’s like I live in prison,
I don’t know what to do,
If superheroes save the world,
Why can’t they save me too?
Spider-Man, where are you?
Superman, you jerk!
Batman, your old lazybones,
Get up and get to work!
I need it now, it’s really bad,
I need a superhero ad-
SUPERHERO WANTED
You may have to work for free,
But you’ll make the world a better place
For kids like me.
This poem would be a great introduction to elementary school students on the topic of bullying. After orally reading the poem a teacher or counselor could go into discussions about what bullying is, what it looks like and how it can be reported per their school’s bullying policy.
To use the super hero theme, the presenter may dress as her or his favorite super hero. For the staff I would encourage superhero capes so that they may be identified as bullying crusaders. You could also have students dress up as well as part of an anti-bullying campaign. Also, I would have the classes create a superhero shield that they can sign pledging to make their school a bully free zone.
On a personal note, my 7 year old daughter found the book delightful and she often giggled at the poems and illustrations. I would tell her “just one more” again and again, but of course, we ended up reading the entire book as we jumped around looking for ones that had a funny illustration or an inticing title.
The author’s website is worth a virtual visit. There you will find unpublished poems and a few set to music along with valuable tips on developing poetry writing skills.
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