Poetry Friday: Physics

Push-Pull Morning: Dog-Powered Poems About Matter and Energy
by Lisa Westberg Peters
illustrated by Serge Bloch
Penguin Random House, 2023
review copy from the public library (J 811 P482p)

Search the Next Generation Science Standards and you will see that physical science concepts are taught beginning in kindergarten. Therefore, every elementary school teacher needs a copy of this book!

All of the basics of your physics science curriculum can be found between these covers, explained by a kid, a dog, and poetry: matter, phases of matter, motion, sound, force, inertia (both kinds), gravity, magnetism, energy, electricity, friction, relative motion, reflection of light, and even a paradox with which to end the book. The notes at the end of the book contain scientific language to explain each concept. Nineteen poems. A poem a week. Sweet (and FUN!) nibbles of physics for half the school year. Abstract concepts presented in a kid-friendly way, for effortless retention. Need I say more?

Whether or not I need to say more, I will. What has started as a book review will now turn into a Poetryaction ©Laura Purdie Salas and a FlashDraft ©Margaret Simon.

Tabatha has this week’s Poetry Friday roundup at The Opposite of Indifference (one of the most perfect blog titles EVER).

And here’s a quick update on this week’s Sealey Challenge books. Day 4: MUSICAL TABLES by Billy Collins, Day 5: COURAGE OUT LOUD by Joseph Coelho and PEEK-A-BOO HAIKU: A LIFT-THE-FLAP BOOK by Danna Smith, Day 6: ANIMAL ARK by Kwame Alexander, Day 7: PUSH-PULL MORNING by Lisa Peters, Day 8: worked the polls for the Ohio special election, Day 9: SOCCER QUEENS by Charles R. Smith, Jr., Day 10: WELCOME TO THE WONDER HOUSE by Rebecca Dotlich and Georgia Heard.

19 thoughts on “Poetry Friday: Physics”

  4. Mary Lee, what fun! We did need you to say more, and this was it. I love this mini physics course in verse. “silver strands of metaphor” and “electric astonishment” and that last sentence is perfection. It makes me smile so much. Thanks for the book review too.

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  5. Such a great idea for a book! And I love your poem, Mary Lee, especially the line about the right poem at the right time.
    (You might not have thought it hertz, Bridget, but you made me groan, haha.)

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  6. I started smiling when I read “dog-powered”. What a wonderful idea! And your poem is great, too, Mary Lee. I love the idea of “magnetic 811”. When one makes a connection, the learning sinks in more deeply. Connecting the concepts in these ways is really terrific! I’ll look for the book!

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  7. Wow! I’ve been thinking of science a lot lately. A teacher from last year came into my library yesterday to collaborate on something for May review. This is a win for school librarians, trust me. I love the whole idea of this book and your poetic response. I think I need your poem for my students too!

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  11. I just gave myself a stern talking-to about not buying any more books for my classroom and then I came here to read this! Thanks a lot, Mary Lee! lol By now, I should know better than to read your blog when I’m trying to be budget-conscious. This one looks like yet another winner, though, and it’s oh-so-hard to resist the pull to purchase. Your poem is a delightful accompaniment to your sneak peek and so many lines deliver. I especially love that “socks-on-the-carpet friction” and the “snap of electric astonishment”. So good!

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