Concrete poems delight the eye and mind. The size and arrangement of words and letters can add or alter meaning - forming a poem that takes the shape of crows that fly off the page or becoming a balloon filled with rhyme, drifting away from outstretched hands. Janeczko has compiled thirty poems from some of the world's finest visual poets, including John Hollander, Emmett Williams, Maureen W. Armour, and Douglas Florian. Tucked inside the front cover are tips, guidelines, and inspiration on how to write your own concrete poetry

'These aren't poems to read aloud, but to look at and laugh at together, with young children and especially with older readers, who will enjoy the surprise of what words look like and what can be done with them.' — Booklist

A Poke in the I is the first book in a trilogy which includes the JOT stocked title A Kick in the Head and A Foot in the Mouth. (We are working on sourcing A Foot in the Mouth!)

Paul B. Janeczko was a poet and teacher who edited numerous award-winning poetry anthologies for young people. During his first High School teaching role in 1972 he realised that the poetry anthology he was tasked with using did not hold his students’ interest. He began to create an anthology of his own, marking the beginning of his life long efforts to collect and group poems into lively, engaging and accessible publications that shared something of his passion for poetry.

Chris Raschka has worked on more than 50 children’s books. His illustrations use collaged material, bold brush strokes and found pattern to create abstracted images pulsing with movement. His work has been awarded has been the Caldecott Medal on two separate occasions.

Candlewick Press, 2009, 64 pages, Paperback.