Fun with words and wordplay abound in Wet Cement by Bob Raczka, a collection of “concrete poems” — in which the author arranges the words in such a way that they create an illustration, or play off the poem’s meaning.
The poems included in Wet Cement are short, sweet, and simple ways to introduce poetry — and this particular form of poetry — to younger readers.
Best suited for kids who already know how to read, Wet Cement is an excellent choice for kids just learning about poetry. Perhaps they want to know more about style and technique beyond Shel Silverstein. This is the book for them.
Raczka’s poems are clever and witty, and it’s fun to see the ways he manipulates words and letters to create imagery — both the literal image on the page, and the image his words evoke in the reader’s mind.
Wet Cement is in stores now. Here is the official synopsis:
Who says words need to be concrete? This collection shapes poems in surprising and delightful ways.
Concrete poetry is a perennially popular poetic form because they are fun to look at. But by using the arrangement of the words on the page to convey the meaning of the poem, concrete or shape poems are also easy to write! From the author of the incredibly inventive Lemonade: And Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word comes another clever collection that shows kids how to look at words and poetry in a whole new way.
Novel Novice 
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