A great collection of poems about fathers. Some make you want to laugh, some make you want to cry and some make you want to cringe. There are good fathers, bad fathers and unfortunate fathers represented in this collection.

I found myself relating to the poems as both a father and a son. ( )

When I saw this book on the shelf, i HAD to check it out. As you know, I lost my father so these poems were touching and heartfelt to me. These poems were very deep in meaning and may be over young children's heads. However, I really enjoyed the poems. I think that it's hard to keep a book like this in your classroom and select readings from it because some children don't have fathers. I know, even at my age, when someone brings up Father's day or if we read a book about fathers, it upsets me a little and I don't want my students to be in that position. However, it could be a book I just keep on the shelf and they can read it if they want. ( )

I liked this poem for several reasons, after reading it. One thing I really liked was how imaginative the author got and how fun the writing was. The language and characters definitely made the story a little more interesting. The poem contains a lot of dialog, which adds an element to the poem that is typical of a narrative. The language is fun and imaginative, making it children friendly and relatable. For example at the beginning of the poem the narrator reads,
“‘In my youth,’ Father William replied to his son,

‘I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I’m perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again.’”

The language used, describes the father character in the poem and things he remembers from his past that allow him to continue doing things now. While this poem does not have a particular rhyme, the conversational way of writing brings flow to the rhythm of the poem. The author establishes a relationship between the father and son in the story, based on what the father does and how his son responds. This humorous development of characters really makes the poem interesting to children and relatable on a few levels. For example, the poem ends,

“‘I have answered three questions, and that is enough,’
Said his father, ‘Don’t give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I’ll kick you downstairs!’”

The big idea that I took away from the poem is that, children think age will often times restrict an adult from doing certain things, however there are many reasons adults still do things they did in their youth. This father and son in this poem test this theory and learn a lot about each other. ( )