The first half of this book glitters like a mine full of gems - that is, the author spins off in quick succession idea after idea about what poetry is and how writing poetry can be taught. Quoting countless poems to illustrate his points, he tosses out useful advice about evoking poetic writing, developing language precision, and sharing poetic writing. These discussions are annotated in the back of the book with references to 50 writing starters on reproducible handouts Grades 4-6. Bibliography. Illustrated. Good Year Books. 115 pages.