Through a selection of poems by diverse writers, Janeck introduces 29 different forms of poetry and a brief explanation for each. From Haiku's to Sonnets, Elegy's and Odes, his simple explanations are accompanied by the collaged, colourful, patterned illustrations of Chris Rasschka. Together image and text demonstrate not only the (sometimes bendable) rules of poetry, but also the playful spirit that brings the literary form to life. 

This is the introduction that will ignite enthusiasm. The airy spaces between the words and images will invite readers to find their own responses to the poems and encourage their interest in the underlying rules. — Book Lit review

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

Paul B. Janeczko (1945-2019) 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, Paperback, 64pages.