Never Take a Pig to Lunch

Selected and Illustrated by: Nadine Bernard Westcott
Orchard Books, 1994
Reading Level: 5.1 (Accelerated Reader)
Independent Read


Book Description: Poetry, Picture Book, Children's Choice Award

Never Take a Pig to Lunch is a collection of poems that all pertain to the thing we love most, food.  Weird foods, delicious foods, and even table manners are all topics in this collection of over sixty poems.  Arnold Adoff, Florence Parry Heide, and John Ciardi are just a few of the poets that make an appearance in Never Take a Pig to Lunch, arranged and illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott.

* Teaching Resources for Never Take a Pig to Lunch

Supporting Electronic Sources:
EDSITEment
This website contains guiding questions, learning objectives, and extension activities that can be used with Never Take a Pig to Lunch.  There are also lesson ideas for both reading and writing poetry.
Scholastic
Scholastic offers a list of poetry collections recommended to readers in grades K-5.  Use this list to select other poetry collections based on grade level and interests.

Vocabulary:
cantankerous, writhing, famished, anemic, grudge, macaroon, vat, gristle, crude

Teaching Suggestions:
-Focus on the variation of poetry styles used in the collection
-Examine the use of poetic license in various poems throughout the collection

Comprehension Strategies:
Before Reading- Preview the setup of this poetry collection.  Some poems cover multiple pages, some pages contain multiple poems, and some poems are broken up into columns or other unusual forms.  Ensure that students are able to follow the words in each poem without getting confused.
During Reading- Encourage students to use illustration to determine unknown words and enhance their comprehension of a poem. 

Writing Prompt:
Have students write an ode to their favorite food.  They can use examples from Never Take a Pig to Lunch to determine how they would like to set up their poem.