Whatchama Call it?
This 14-line poem is famously associated with William Shakespeare and follows a strict rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
What is a Sonnet?
"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary..."
What is "The Raven" (by Edgar Allan Poe)?
A comparison using the words "like" or "as."
What is a Simile?
This Dr. Seuss character "speaks for the trees" because the trees have no tongues.
Who is The Lorax?
This character is famous for his refusal to eat a certain breakfast dish in various locations and with various companions.
Who is Sam-I-Am? (Accept: Green Eggs and Ham)
This Japanese poetic form consists of three lines with a 5-7-5 syllable structure.
What is a Haiku?
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood..."
What is "The Road Not Taken" (by Robert Frost)?
The repetition of initial consonant sounds, such as "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers."
What is Alliteration?
In this Lewis Carroll nonsense poem, a young boy slays a monster "with eyes of flame" using a vorpal blade.
What is "Jabberwocky"?
In this book, a group of creatures are born with stars on their bellies, while others have "none upon thars."
What is The Sneetches?
A lengthy, book-length narrative poem that follows the adventures of a hero and often involves the fate of a nation or the human race (e.g., The Odyssey or Paradise Lost).
What is an Epic Poem?
O captain, My Captain, We have weathered every rack,
O captain, My Captain, Ny Walt Whitman
Word choice where the sound of the word imitates its sense, like "buzz," "hiss," or "bang."
What is Onomatopoeia?
This Shel Silverstein collection features a "light" located in a very specific part of the house.
What is A Light in the Attic?
This elephant famously said, "I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful, one hundred percent!"
Who is Horton? (From Horton Hatches the Egg)
A five-line humorous poem with an AABBA rhyme scheme, often starting with "There once was a..."
What is a Limerick?
Natures Frist green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
"Nothing Gold can stay" by Robert Frost
An indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance.
What is an Allusion?
This 1823 poem, originally titled "A Visit from St. Nicholas," is credited with defining the modern American image of Santa Claus.
What is "Twas the Night Before Christmas"?
Dr. Seuss wrote this book using only 236 distinct words after his publisher bet him he couldn't write a primer that children would actually want to read.
What is The Cat in the Hat?
This term describes poetry that does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any musical pattern.
What is Free Verse?
Tread softly for you tread on my dreams.
Had I the Heavens Embroidered the cloths of Heaven. WB Yeats.
This rhythmic unit consists of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable. Used famously by William Shakespeare
What is an Iamb? (Accept: Iambic Pentameter)
This 1971 Led Zeppelin classic features a "Lady who's sure all that glitters is gold," referencing a line from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.
What is "Stairway to Heaven"?
This is the fictional town where the Whos live, located on a tiny speck of dust.
What is Whoville?