Harrison,David L.. Somebody catch my homework. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mill Press, Inc., 1993.
ISBN 1-56397-520-3
From the moment that you pick up this book and begin reading, you are transported back in time. Each of us has forgotten information for a test or left homework at home. As adults, we tend to put those memories aside until we experience it with our own children. Harrison brings to life the emotions felt by students who have struggled with the possibility of having to write a story for homework or having to eat what the cafeteria is serving. Harrison does an excellent job of using words to help students visualize ideas, such as describing the lumps in the mashed potatoes as glue or comparing applesauce as watery goo. The poem is written in a rhyming format to allow a beginning reader to enjoy listening for each set of rhyming words.
The following poem could be enjoyed by any age group and could be used to introduce a unit on the food pyramid and healthy eating habits.
New Here?
You’ll love our food at our school.
Oh yes!
The lumps in the potatoes are glue
We guess.
The beef never mooed like a cow
You can bet
Though very few kids have died from it…
Yet.
The rolls are great to stone squirrels
From trees
But some of us blast them with
Buckshot peas.
The applesauce is watery
Goo
But suck it right down ‘cause it’s good
For you.
The best, of course, we all save for last-
Bouncing our Jell-O down the hall
Real fast.
I would also use this poem to share as students are preparing to go to lunch and have them think about how we could describe our lunch. This is a great opportunity to working on using describing words. Using an add from the newspaper or a magazine showing food, I would have the students verbally describe the food represent and ask them to use different adjectives, such as crunchy, smooth, puffy, and gooey.
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