Messing Around on the Monkey Bars

Bibliography

Franco, Betsy. 2009. Messing Around on the Monkey Bars. Candlewick Press: Massachusetts. ISBN: 978-0-7636-3174-1.

About the Book

This collection of 19 school poems are designed for two or more voices and is perfect for students in grades two through four. The steady rhymes and humor are sure to appeal to students and teachers alike. The poems in this collection cover a variety of topics from losing one's lunch money to reaching out to a new classmate to exasperating a grumpy librarian. The reading and rereading of the poems will allow students to hear different voices read in slightly different ways.  Also students can practice fluency while reading the short poems over again.  These poems will lend themselves to performing them in different ways.  For example one person could read one part, but several children could read the other part.  

One Poem

Lunch Money

It's lunchtime. Yum!

Quick, get in line.

What's good today?

Cant' read the sign.

My money's missing!

Where'd it go?  

A hole in my pocket!

Oh, no!

I'll go and look.

I'll save your spot. 

I couldn't find it!

Look what I got.

Two burritos! Way to go!

You're a buddy, don't ya know? 

What a pal.

Yeah, luck I found...

a bunch of quarter on the ground.

 

Activities

*Read the poem and discuss how it depicts friends, lunchtime, or problem solving.  

*Read other poems from the collection and compare their language, theme, rhythm, rhyme scheme or other aspect. 

*Locate other poems or collections designed for two or more voices.