Local resident of Westerville, Ohio, J Patrick Lewis is a
prominent figure in the realm of Children's Poetry. Throughout his enduring career, he has explored baseball, mosquitoes and Looziana. He writes with humor and and a love of language that he truly seems eager to demonstrate to his audience. I think this really comes through in the clip to the right. As he reads his poem and talks about poetry month, his effort to engage listeners is clear, as is his own love for subject. By reaching out to kids with poetry that they find funny or clever, he is trying to pass on a bit of that love. Lewis was the Children's poet Laureate from 2011-2013, following in the footsteps of Jack Prelutsky. Both men give substance and meaning to the subjects that might seem frivolous to the serious writer, but they remind us of how beautiful the simple life of a child can be. |
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A Biographical Look at Lewis
![]() Lewis with his twin brother, Mick
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Scenes From My LifeWhat I really love about this autobiography is that, like Lewis's poetry, it is written with children in line. Lewis begins by sharing stories about his childhood, complete with pictures of himself as a boy. Children often have a hard time imagining that adults were ever as young as they are. By giving his audience a glimpse of his younger life, the poet also helps them understand that he can relate to them! Also, the majority of the story is bits of life that he has shared with his family, emphasizing its importance to him.
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A Joyful PoetIn this biography,English teachers offer their perspective on the poet. First, the article describes the long journey that brought Lewis to the world of poetry. Looking at his current line of work, it's hard to imagine that he spent thirty years of his life teaching college economics before he even discovered his love for poetry. It goes on to talk about his writing style, describing his love for "mouth-filling" words such as vermilion and Hippopotamus. According to the author, one of Lewis's greatest strengths is his versatility and wide array of writing topics.
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