July 16th: Arnold Adoff's Birthday - A Poetry Break

INTRODUCTION
Children's poet and NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children honoree Arnold Adoff's birthday is July 16! Bring a collection of Adoff's poetry books and your list of favorite poems to share along with the following poem. For the poem "There is A Wading Pool in Our Park," described where and how you cool off during the heat of summer.


POEM

There is A Wading Pool in Our Park
by Arnold Adoff

There is a wading pool in our park,
a swimming pool for the bigger kids,
and a bathtub full of cool water
later on when...I get back home

But right now the hydrant
is open and this stream
of water gu..ch..es out in an arc
of
ice
wet
fun
so cold we shiver in the steaming
.........................................summer
................................................sun.

There are rainbows
though the highest
splashes of water,
through of water,
through the highest
reaches of water,
through the highest
curves...of...spray.

Cold wet colors this hot day.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Adoff, Arnold. 1995. Street Music: City Poems. Illus. by Karen Barbour. NY: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN: 0060215224.

EXTENSION
Invite the children to share how they like to keep cool during the hot summer. Have them write a poem that describes their swimming pool or yard sprinkler and hot it feels to be wet and cool.