Christopher Raschka

"What happens to the pictures of us? Nowadays they go straight to the Internet where anyone anywhere in the world can see them. And they're nothing terribly special. It wasn't that way a hundred years ago, when getting your picture taken was a very important event. You dressed your best and you looked thoughtfully and for a long time into the awesome, magical lens of the camera. But even these important pictures sometimes were lost, sold by the photographer...

Simple words and illustrations detail some of the things that Doggy Dog is not, including a cat, a lampshade, and a potato.

A wordless picture book shows the fun a dog has with her ball, and what happens when it is lost.

The Welsh poet Dylan Thomas recalls the celebration of Christmas with his family and the feelings it evoked in him as a child.

A puddle sits despairingly as she is trampled on by humans and animals alike until something miraculous happens that makes her feel worthwhile.

Inspired by a poem by E.E. Cummings, this is the story of a little tree that finds its own special place in the world as a much-loved Christmas tree.

"Traveling across the Mississippi Delta, Bo Willie searches blues landmarks like Dockery Farms and Beale Street for his missing dog"--

Loud, scary noises frighten a child until quiet and calmness return.

Divides the Pledge of Allegiance into words and phrases in order to define its meaning.

The words in a concrete poem may wriggle about, curve around or hurtle down the page, but they always startle and delight the eye. Here are thirty such visual poems, in which the arrangement of letters and words, choice of typeface and use of space add extra meaning to the text. Suggested level: primary, intermediate, junior secondary.