Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word by Bob Raczka, illustrated by Nancy Doniger
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa491ac66-921f-474e-b6f7-e5c704505761_310x475.jpeg)
Source: Public Library Hardcover, 48 pgs. I am an Amazon Affiliate
Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word by Bob Raczka, illustrated by Nancy Doniger, is an odd little book that makes poems out of single words, but the adoption of an e.e. Cummings style might be a little much for younger readers and even some parents. Visual poetry forms are often tough to decipher for those unfamiliar with them.
At least in this book, the visual poems have a counterpart on the other side of the page that is more traditional, allowing the parent to review each poem to get the lines before reading the visual poem aloud to the child. The visual poems can be talked about in terms of what shapes they represent, but in some cases, it is hard to tell what the author intended the shapes to be.
Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word by Bob Raczka, illustrated by Nancy Doniger, might be better for an older audience than my daughter, probably those children that know more words and can form sentences on their own. It could be used to create a writing exercise in which the kids take one word and use its letters to create their own poems.
Rating: Tercet
About the Author:
Bob Raczka loved to draw, especially dinosaurs, cars and airplanes, as a boy. He spent a lot of time making paper airplanes and model rockets. He studied art in college, which came in quite handy while writing a series of art appreciation books, Bob Raczka’s Art Adventures. He also studied advertising, a creative field in which he worked in for more than 25 years. Bob also discovered how much he loved poetry and began writing his own. His message for today’s kids is to make stuff!”
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F87633fac-25cb-480d-bcc9-5521a3e566f6_768x576.jpeg)