Irene Latham is one of my favorite authors, especially when I'm looking for classroom inspiration. This Poem Is a Nest is all the things I've come to expect from Irene. It's playful, lovely, and fun. I can't wait to share it with my students.

I love Irene Latham's medical way with words. This Poem is a Nest was beautiful and I couldn't wait to share it with my nature preschool class as we discovered the world around us.

What a fun, creative book! Irene Latham, a poet, teaches children about a form of poetry she calls "nestlings," in which a poem is made from words found within a larger "nest" poem. Similar to found poetry and blackout poetry, the only rule is that the found words must stay in the order they were in within the original poem. To illustrate this, Latham wrote "Nest," a 37 line poem, and found 161 nestlings within it. The results are grouped by subject, and cover a variety of topics and emotions. The introduction explains the form and process, and at the end of the book, there are some helpful tips and ideas to get started. Johanna Wright's illustrations throughout add a sweetness and touch of whimsy that suits the text well. This is sure to inspire some creative reading and writing of poetry- I want to try it myself! This is a lovely book on its own, and would be great for in-class lessons on poetry and/or creative writing, or for National Poetry Month in April.

#ThisPoemIsaNest #NetGalley

Inspiring Example of Found Poems

What a fascinating poetry book for children. It inspires creativity by first explaining and then showing what found poems are. The author first shares a 37-line poem that looks at what's happening through the seasons in a nest. Then she creates 161 very short found poems based on the longer one that she calls nestlings. The author is able to show how powerful words can be, where just a few can evoke deeper insights into a concept. I imagine that teachers—and perhaps even homeschooling parents—could use this book for poetry exploration. As the found poem can be short, they would not intimidate children as might happen with longer or more complex forms of poetry. Fun stuff!

I used to create poems this way for my journals and atc's! I think all ages can benefir from reading these found poems. Irene Lathan has done a wonderful job of creating a book of found poetry and shows the reader, step by step how to create their own. Good book for a classroom at any grade. I especially liked the Sneeze poem! Very clever! Lol!

I LOVE this concept and will be shamelessly stealing it as a poetry center when my students write poetry in the spring. The poems are also really nicely done - I am particularly fond of some of the more abstract subject covered in the "nestling" poems.

A must-have for anyone who loves poetry, experimental writing, writing poetry, and teachers (particularly those who - you guessed it - teach poetry, be that reading, analysis, or writing).

This Poem Is a Nest: A Must-Read New Poetry Book

Looking for a way to get kids excited about poetry? A delightful new poetry book, This Poem Is a Nest, has just been released that does it in a wonderful way.

This creative book is not just filled with fabulous short poems, but they’re all “found poems” created from words in a poem at the start.

Author Irene Latham first gives us a 37-line poem, Nest, divided into four sections or seasons. From this poem, she has created 161 “nestlings” or poems made up of words found in the original poem, in order.

Some of the poems are as short as two lines — plus a title, which does not have to include found words and often helps clarify the subject. Some combine words to make wonderful new words like wordflight and frostsong. In some cases, she finds words inside other words, like using ink from wrinkly.

The poems are grouped by themes, including animals, emotions, planets (one of my favorite sections), places around the world and more. At the end, she gives tips for kids to make their own nest poem and nestlings, with very good suggestions to help them be successful. Sweet illustrations by Johanna Wright accompany the poems.

Here’s a lovely sample poem:

Sun’s Complaint

near ancient moon
rattles
when it dreams

I was able to preview a digital Advance Reader’s Copy of the book from the publisher. It is set to be released on September 29, 2020. You can look for it at your local library or find it on Amazon (affiliate link) or at your local bookseller.

The book would be great for younger children but any age will find delightful inspiration here. This would be a fantastic accompaniment to a poetry unit study.

Well recommended.

I’m always excited when I discover new ways to express myself and poetry offers up dozens of forms for just that. So I was happy to discover this lovely picture book for ages 7 and up about a form of “found poetry” the award-winning author Irene Latham calls Nesting Poems. Each of the 161 “nestling” poems is created from a selection of words found (chosen), in order, from a themed 37-line poem about nests in all four seasons. The nestling poems cover a variety of topics such as time, animals, humans, places, and more, and all are short and enchanting. The book’s layout is poem-friendly, featuring abundant whitespace along with simple spot illustrations and section-opening full page illustrations by illustrator Johanna Wright. Author Latham has also provided great tips in the back matter for creating nesting, and nestling, poems about any topic, which would be a wonderful writing activity for older elementary students.

I received an ARC of this title through the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.