I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A great poetry book for little kids. Poems about presidents, animals, and dressing to the nines.

First off, this book features a form of poetry called a nonet, a nine-line poem that starts with nine syllables in the first line and ends with one syllable in the ninth line (or the reverse). That in itself makes this an interesting, fun book- I've always liked unusual poetry forms, even as a child. This book takes the whole "nine" thing and runs with it- each poem is related to the number nine in some way also, whether it be about the Apollo 9 mission, a cat's nine lives, or the nine months it takes a baby to develop. At the end of the book, there is an explanation of each poem, telling how it exemplifies the number nine, and we learn some fun stuff along the way.
Secondly, we have the artwork, which kind of sneaks up on you, making you page back through the book to find all the details. We have a running story being told in the illustrations, about a young girl and her little brother, and their parents, even their cat. We also meet their friends and classmates, and the characters are a diverse mix of races, cultures, and abilities. There's even a friendly looking nine-banded armadillo hanging around in many of the spreads!
This would be a fun book for any kid, I think, and would certainly inspire children (and any adults who are nearby) to try their hand at writing some nonets themselves!

#Nine #NetGalley

I had high expectations on this book, but I was a bit disappointed by it. The illustrations weren't great and the poems weren't really catchy. It is still quite a good book.

As a teacher, I loved this book. First poem in the book teaches the reader what a Nonet is, then follows poems that all have nine in the subject. From Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (which I loved) to Apollo 9, cat's Nine Lives and more, these poems teach and send a message to the readers. With all that is going on in the world right now, it is very appropriate to include "The Little Rock Nine" that remembers the brave children who arrived ready to integrate an all-white school. Irene Latham does an amazing job writing these poems that have nine in their subject, and it is amazing what she came up with. The illustrations by Amy Huntington were wonderful. They complemented the subject of the poems well, and added discussion points as well. I definitely recommend this book to junior level classrooms. It is wonderful to show a different poetry style as well as demonstrating how poetry can be used for various purposes.

I received an electronic copy from Charlesbridge through NetGalley.
Latham begins the book by writing a nonet poem that explains what a nonet is. She then shared poems on a wide variety of topics written with this structure. She appeals to a broad spectrum of interests so readers can find a poem they will connect to. The poems pull people in and challenge them to explore further.
Vividly colored illustrations complement the poems and add further information to the subjects.
Informative text at the end that provides background information on each topic as well.
Terrific book to have in upper elementary classrooms and libraries to model this type of poetry, then have students create their own nonets.

Nine is a clever way to introduce a variety of concepts to young readers. From counting to writing poetry, there are so many fantastic ways for parents and teachers to use this book as an educational tool. This would be a great resource for at-home learning since there's something to explore for all ages.

Each nonet is written in a way that grabs the reader's attention. The style of poetry mixed with the illustrations gives an impression of gliding smoothly through the book from start to finish; stopping mid-way feels like pausing a song mid-chorus.

I love books that explore an unusual poetic form for children, and this one does just that. What an impressive book, the kind that I'd love to share with teachers and students alike. Not only did the book exemplify the form extremely well, but it did it by focusing on subjects that had a connection to the number nine, from sports to music to idioms to historical events. This book stands out as one of the most impressive books I've reviewed over the past few months. What an impressive book overall! I really enjoyed it. It will definitely be making an appearance in my library soon.

I love this book of nonets. I had never heard of this form of poetry which has one syllable in the first line and adds one for each line until it reaches nine. This form may also do the reverse, start with nine syllables. Each of the poems also deals in some way with the number nine, such as poems about the ninth president of the USA, William Henry Harrison, who caught a cold at his inauguration and died after only 31 days. There’s a poem on Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and a lovely one on the Little Rock Nine.

The notes at the end of the eighteen poems, "The Whole Nine Yards about the Poems," are delightful as well, explaining all the ways that the subjects of the poems are related to the number nine. Lot of trivia and information about nine and the term nonet which will excite children. It is a perfect birthday present for a nine-year-old! It would also be a fun activity to do with kids who are nine.

The illustrations by Amy Huntington add to the fun.

This is a fantastic poetic and informational book all wrapped in one. It’s filled with nonet poems which have 9 lines that increase by 1 syllable in each line. So, first line has 1 syllable, second has 2 and so on. They are beautiful and a great discussion starter.

I would love to adopt this title for my classroom and other books like this. It is a great way to teach about poetry, practice number recognition, rhyming etc, The poems are fun and cute, they have the whimsy that grabs kids attention and let's them use their imagination while also learning. This title is especially useful this month, April, because it is poetry month. I enjoyed the concept, poetry, as well as the drawings that go along with the books.