INTRODUCING POETRY: HOPKINS COLLECTION:compiled or selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins "Extra Innings"

Extra Innings: Baseball Poems

Bibliography:

Hopkins, Lee Bennett, and Scott Medlock. Extra Innings. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers, 1993. Print.

Review:

Extra Innings: Baseball Poems is a compilation of poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins and illustrated by Scott Medlock. The book opens with a quaint poem written by May Swenson about titled the Analysis of Baseball. The poem has a sporadic rhyme scheme, but a rhythm nonetheless. The rest of the book models that idea; some poems are strict and measured; for example, Great Pitches by J. Patrick Lewis; on the other hand there are poems that are desultory and free flowing; for example, Prediction: School P.E. by Isabel Joshlin Glaser. The book also has captivating oil paintings on each of the pages; the artwork could be studied as well. The poems vary in length from ten lines to as long as two pages, perfect for junior high students. Hopkins is sure to add poems about all aspects of baseball including, playing the game, watching the game, and being a fan of the game. You do not have to love baseball or even be interested in the sport to enjoy the poems. 

Spotlight Poem    

The poem Overdo by Tony Johnston is a great poem to introduce or review the sound device onamonapia. In four out of the five stanzas there is a sound word, including, "whack, thwack, smack, and crack." They are each preceded by a description so the reader understands exactly the sound they are describing. The poem is as follows:

Overdog by Tony Johnston

Overdog Johnson is a guy
who always wins
but hardly tries.

Pitcher sails it
Johnson nails it.
Whack!
Homerun!

Pitcher steams it.
Johnson creams it.
Thwack!
Homerun!

Pitcher smokes it.
Johnson pokes it.
Smack!
Homerun!

Pitcher fires it.
Johnson wires it.
Crack!
Ho-Hum.

After students have read the poem, I would have them work in a group to recite and act out each stanza. The stanzas are filled with imagery that would be fun for the students to create their own moves. As a further extension students could create a poem that explores their own strengths, being sure to include the onamonapias.