Lewis Carroll: Term 2 Poet

We are on our way through term 2.  I had not chosen our Term 2 or 3 poet when we started our school year because I really wanted to let the girls give me some input. Over the break they chose Lewis Carroll.  While they enjoyed Ms. Dickinson last term; they wanted a more jovial poet for the next 12 weeks.  I had to giggle yesterday when I heard my oldest reading this poem to her sister.  Oh wait, she wasn't reading, she was singing:

Beautiful Soup by Lewis Carroll

BEAUTIFUL Soup, so rich and green,
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!
Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!

Beau--ootiful Soo-oop!
Beau--ootiful Soo-oop!
Soo--oop of the e--e--evening,
Beautiful, beautiful Soup!

Beautiful Soup! Who cares for fish,
Game, or any other dish?
Who would not give all else for two
Pennyworth only of Beautiful Soup?
Pennyworth only of beautiful Soup?

Beau--ootiful Soo-oop!
Beau--ootiful Soo-oop!
Soo--oop of the e--e--evening,
Beautiful, beauti--FUL SOUP! 

We are using Poetry for Young People: Lewis Carroll and it states: "The poem sounds best when you sing it to a tune that you make up for it."  My girls couldn't agree more. 

For some biographical reading on Mr. Lewis Carroll my third grader is reading The Other Alice: The Story of Alice Liddel and Alice in Wonderland by Cristina Bjork.  This is such a beautifully illustrated book and she immediately found the appeal.  My oldest is reading from the Lerner Biographies: Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass by Angelica S. Carpenter. She is also enjoying the Bjork book with her younger sister ; )

BTW, just in case you are looking for an illustrated, large print version of Alice books; my younger daughter enjoyed the Helen Oxenbury's illustrated version last year.  It can be intimidating for an emerging reader to read classics on their own with so many words. We've enjoyed Oxenbury's illustrations in picture books for years so this was a nice way to introduce the original Lewis Carroll works to her.