I’ll Take Care of You, is poetry that kids can get onboard with

Poetry is a tough nut for elementary school readers to crack. Some might find it too boring, too slow or are unable to grasp the plot of it. If there’s not a traditional story arc to the poem, then it’s even more challenging. It can be vague, esoteric, pointless and excuse to simply kick or bother the person next to you when it’s read aloud. Believe me when I say this because I read poetry to elementary school ages on a weekly basis and it’s not because I’m a glutton for having students kicked who otherwise want to be left alone. I’ll Take Care of You is a great poetry book for elementary school students. It’s easy to see how this is an illustrated poetry book that those ages will dig in spring, but here’s why it’s good anytime of the year and how to present poetry to elementary ages.

Kids love to solve puzzles and because poetry can mean different things to different people, it’s a puzzle. Before I start reading I’ll set the story up a little bit, tell them who the main character is and just a little bit about their setting. By now a couple of the students will already say that they’ve read this book, even if it’s not printed yet, but just blaze on past them.

With, I’ll Take Care of You it all starts with a seed, drifting aimlessly down from the sky. Everyone involved in the process so far, the Earth, sky and water reassure the seed that it’ll be taken care of. It’s blown to the correct area, receives water along the way and eventually lands in a nice pile of dirt. Sun and water come back in to nurture the seed until it becomes a tree, which becomes the home to some birds. One day the momma bird notices that all of the seeds in the tree have gone to where they should except for one of them that’s errantly landed on some rocks. She assures the seed that she’ll take care of it, flying it to a nice patch of dirt where it can grow.

Now, you and I can figure out the plot arc. It’s pretty soft, but those younger readers might need some prompting because the climax, such as it is, isn’t filled with some end-of-the-world drama. Some listeners will point out that the book is about nature, recycling probably, and a couple of them will comment on the seasons. Depending upon the reader, it could mainly be about any one of those topics and that’s point of reading poetry to young ages. They’ve got to listen, use their imagination and focus on what’s being presented to them.

By setting up poetry to young elementary ages it also lets them know that something is expected of them. It’s not just story time for them to listen and goof around with their friends. This is a chance for them to grow their minds and relax for a moment. I’ll Take Care of You accomplishes that in its sparse text and water-color illustrations.  Kids might also be more attracted to this than other poetry books due to its more landscape-sized presentation. The pages are taller than what they’re accustomed to, which gives the landscape vistas more altitude to dance and spread their canvas.

I’ll Take Care of You is by Maria Loretta Giraldo with illustrations by Nicoletta Bertelle and available on Blue Dot Kids Press.

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