Shoe Bop!

Bibliography:
Singer, Marilyn. 2008. Shoe Bop. Ill. by Hiroe Nakata. New York, NY: Dutton Children’s Books. ISBN: 0525479392.

Plot Summary:
Once her favorite purple sneakers wear out, a young girl and her mother go to the shoe store to buy a new pair. In searching for a pair of replacements, each pair of shoes is spoken about in verse. From rhyming poems about galoshes to haikus about moccasins, a variety of different shoe types are introduced to the reader. Watercolor picture representations accompany each different poem. Each shoe is tried on and their benefits and limitations are weighed by the young girl. Throughout the work, the young girl notes her love of sneakers and ultimately settles on a pair of bright green high-tops after trying on an assortment of different shoes.

Critical Analysis:
The type of poem used throughout this topical collection is varied, which allows the introduction of different poetry styles to be introduced to a young reader. By using a range of different poem types, the reader is not limited to reading only rhyming couplets or stream of consciousness poems. The book can then be broken up into similar poem styles, allowing an instructor to further investigate the elements of poetry with examples. This picture book also has a verse novel feeling about it, since the story is linear, connected and is only broken up into poems by shoe type.

What I find most interesting about this work is that the same happy, cheery tone resonates throughout all the poems. While not every pair of shoes is a favorite of the main character, the author makes certain to provide positive points for each pair that is tried on. While the type of rhythm and rhyme of the poem changes through the story, the tone and theme remains consistant.

Awards and Reviews:

"This sparkling tale serves as a fun introduction to poetry as well as a paean to the undeniable appeal of new shoes." - Kirkus Reviews

"The shopping expedition is related through a series of 29 linked poems, and the rhythms are witty and always boppy. Nakata's vibrant, stylized watercolors are a perfect match for the bouncy text. With curricular connections to shoes and poetry, this book is a natural fit for classrooms." - Kathleen MacMillan, School Library Journal

Connections:
*After reading Shoe Bop, go through the book and try to identify the different types of poems that were used throughout the book. After compiling a list, get the children to write and read-aloud one poem of their own using one of the styles of poem used in the book.
*Have a read aloud, complete with cut-outs of the style of shoes noted in the book! For each shoe poem, assign a team of children with the task of creating a large representation of that shoe and have them read the poem to the rest of their class.

Book Jacket found on: http://www.infibeam.com/Books/search?author=Marilyn%20Singer