Poetry Prescription: Onomatopoeia

​I’m back with my series of blog posts about the use of poetic devices in picture book writing. We use poetic devices to enhance our written work and create a deeper connection for our reader.
Today, we’ll take a look at the poetic device: Onomatopoeia
 
Besides being extraordinarily hard to spell, what exactly is this poetic device? Onomatopoeia are words that imitate the sound of what they mean, like squish, purr, whoop and twang. They

• are used as sound effects
• add to the meaning and mood of your prose or poem

 

   

Author Shutta Crum uses sound words in her lyrical, free verse picture book, THUNDER BOOMER (illustrated by Carol Thompson).

​Shutta captures the feeling of a hot day on the farm and a summer storm that rolls in and brings welcome relief from the heat – and a special surprise. Take a closer look at the effective use of onomatopoeia in this spread:

Zzzzzt!    Cr-a-a-ck!     Boom! Boom!      Rumble!    Swish-wack!     Thump-wump!
Rumble-brum-brum-brum . . . brum . . . brum
​Shutta uses these delicious sound words overlaid on the art to convey a complete sensory experience for the reader as the huge storm rolls in.

You’ll find a plethora of onomatopoeia in Rhyme Doctor Michelle Schaub’s poetry collection,
FRESH PICKED POETRY: A Day at the Farmer’s Market (illustrated by Amy Huntington.)
In the poem, Market Melody, enjoy the wide variety of musical sounds captured in this poem:
​
Twing, twang, twiddle, thrum-a-rum--
fiddles pluck and banjos strum.
Rink, dink, rattle-skattle band,
jammin’ near the jelly stand.
Fee, fi, faddle, skiddley-skee--
catch the market melody!

   

In this final example, fellow Rhyme Doctor Patricia Toht employs this effectively in her poetry collection, ALL ABOARD THE LONDON BUS (Illustrated by Sam Usher).In her poem “The Tube” look at two sound words Patty employs to make you feel that you are right there in the underground waiting for the next train.
 
Glowing light. Gust of wind. Rumble. Screech! Train pulls in.
 
You can almost feel the platform shudder as the train arrives—better hop on the train! Read further and find more great sound words in the poem, including Hisssss. Ka-thunk!  Whip!  Zip! And more . . .

Can you find a way to use sound words effectively in any of your current projects?
​Your reader will benefit from the full sensory experience. See you next time.
Happy writing!
 
by Eileen Meyer, Rhyme Doctor