EDGAR ALLAN POE’S PIE: MATH PUZZLERS IN CLASSIC POEMS by J. Patrick Lewis and illustrated by Michael Slack

Bibliography

Lewis, J. Patrick. 2012.  Edgar Allan Poe’s Pie: Math Puzzlers in Classic Poems.  Illustrated by       Michael Slack.  New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.  ISBN 978-0-547-51338-6

Plot Summary

This fun book is a compilation of Lewis’ adaptations of classic poems into math problems and brain teasers.  

Critical Analysis

Lewis’ book of adapted classic poetry is a fun, multifaceted experience.  Generally intended for children in 4^th-6^th grades, the puzzles he creates in poetic form allow for a range of mathematical ability, from simple division and multiplication to low-level geometry and higher-level fractions work.   They prompt students to think in more critical and creative ways to get to the answers in the puzzles.  For students reading the book on their own, the answers are on the pages of the poem but are situated unobtrusively upside down and in very small print.  This would be a great book to use to introduce students to how fun poetry can be, especially for those who may be more mathematically inclined. 

Slack’s illustrations are humorous and draw the reader into the world of the puzzle.  Children will enjoy Lewis’ clever puzzle poems, but adults will be impressed with how he honors the original classic poems on which they are based.  For example, “Emily Dickinson’s Telephone Book” follows the meter and flow of her original poem (it even passes the “Yellow Rose of Texas” test), and he recreates the style and sound of Shel Silverstein’s “Boa Constrictor” but incarnated instead into a “Hippo-po-tah-tum.” Each poem is notated with the title and author of the original work. Included at the end of the book is information about the original poets and their influence on the world of poetry, bringing the focus of the reader back to the poetry itself.  These short biographies provide an excellent jumping off point for students to delve more deeply into the original poetry that inspired these poetic puzzles.

Awards and Review Excerpts

J. Patrick Lewis is a recipient of the 2010-2011 NCTE Excellence in Children's Poetry Award and was named the third US Children's Poet Laureate for 2011-2013.

• Kirkus: "Lewis cleverly combines math and language arts with this collection of humorous poetry parodies that present readers with math word problems to solve."
• Publishers Weekly: "Slack’s bug-eyed caricatures are an exuberant complement to Lewis’s delightfully offbeat union of poetry and math."
• School Library Journal: "This book could come in handy for a variety of different classroom purposes, but confirmed “mathletes” are probably the best bet for an audience".

Connections

• Use with older students (junior high and up) for poetry analysis.  Have them read the poems in their original form and then in Lewis’ parodied form; have them compare and contrast the works.  Then have students create their own original adaptation of a classic poem.
• Instead of reading the book as a whole to a class, use individual poems as “bell ringer” activities.  Select a poem puzzle, project it for the class to view as a whole, and have students solve the puzzle.  Afterwards, read the poem aloud to the class and discuss their answers.