Daisy's Big Night — Sandra V. Feder

In her latest adventure, Daisy is faced with a dilemma about what to exhibit at her class's end-of-the-school-year Student Showcase night. An invitation to a grown-up poetry party sets off a series of events that eventually lead Daisy to the realization that the perfect solution to her problem has been with her all along -- in the green notebook covered with purple polka dots in which she collects her favorite words.

Author Sandra V. Feder has created a likable, enthusiastic character early readers will be drawn to, and as self-described Delightfully Different Daisy ventures into the world of poetry, they'll happily follow along. The easy-to-understand explanations of ode, haiku, rhyme and free verse, along with short examples of each, make this book an excellent resource for a unit on poetry or as a tie-in to an elementary school's celebration of poetry month in April. The inclusion of Daisy's Wonderful Word Lists at the end (the lists are named by category, such as rhyming words, pairs of words, made-up words and quiet-time words) offers a terrific jumping-off point for students to begin their own lists of words. Overall, Daisy offers children a unique new perspective on how to think about words and how much fun it can be to play with them. The book is illustrated with just enough line drawings by Susan Mitchell to keep young readers engaged.