I was surprised that these poems were based on historical facts. I liked that the author put the date that the event took place before each poem. I also really enjoyed the illustrations and dare to say this illustrator is one of my favorite so far. ( )

Some poems would work well to integrate within a history lesson (first men on the moon, first child to integrate an all-white school, etc.). These poems would show kids the different directions that poetry can take.

These poems might also inspire children to research some of the "firsts" described. ( )

A collection of poetry about "doers, shakers, and record breakers". This book presents some fun facts in poetry.

Classroom connections: When talking about record breaking in a classroom teachers could use this book to introduce some strange records. It could also be used to teach about different types of poetry and different reasons to write poetry. ( )