GENRE 3 POETRY: IN THE SWIM

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Florian, Douglas. 1997. IN THE SWIM. San Diego: Voyager Books Harcourt. ISBN 0152013075

PLOT SUMMARY
In this book of poems we meet the creatures of the water. This book is a collection of fish poems. Each poem is about a specific type of fish, and each poem is accompanied by a picture. The poems are child-friendly and full of fun.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This is a delightful collection of fish poems. The book is designed with a poem on one page and a picture on the next page. The poems are very short and direct with simple language that rhymes. Children and adults can appreciate the way the poems flow. There are many unique poems within the book. In the poem Sawfish we see an example of a concrete poem. The words in the poem are placed so they imitate that of a saw going back and forth. Most of the poems are written in a humorous manner. The Sea Horse poem is an example of a fun poem that children would see the humor in. The form is also concrete in that it mimics the shape of a seahorse.

The Sea Horse

You have
No hooves.
You have no hair
You don’t eat oats.
You don’t breathe air.
You hatch from eggs.
You cannot race.
(You have no legs
With which to chase.)
You’re not a colt
Nor mare
Nor filly.
You’re called a horse.
I call that silly.

The illustrations in this book add to playfulness of this book. The pictures are done in beautiful watercolors. Using watercolors was a wonderful way to showcase the fact that the whole book has to do with water. The book has a light and happy feel that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From School Library Journal"Grade 2-6?Twenty-one lighthearted poems about fish. Florian, whose previous collections about the denizens of land and air have delighted many, dives into the deep with equally felicitous results."

From Booklist"Gr. 1^-4, younger for reading aloud. This collection of 21 original short poems features fresh-and saltwater critters such as the piranha, manatee, and rainbow trout. In the pattern established in Beast Feast 1994) and On the Wing (1996), puns and wordplay make up the verbal humor while the equally absurd pictures carry out the idea. This witty intersection of poetry, art, and science will delight children and may inspire them to come up with their own creative ideas."

CONNECTIONS
Students can create there own poems about fish and draw pictures to go with their poems.
Teacher can compile the poems and turn them into a class book
Read some other poetry books by the same author, Douglas Florian: BEAST FEAST, ON THE WING, INSECTLOPEDIA, MAMMALABILIA, AND LIZARDS, FROGS, AND POLLIWOGS.