Plum Gum and Other Chunk Poems

Plum Gum and Other Chunk Poems is an entertaining book of poetry written by a teacher for the purpose of building fluency in young readers.

•Kids love to read the poems because they are funny and written for a child’s sense of humor.

•Teachers love the poems because each one is written to emphasize a specific phonics chunk.

•Parents love the poems because their children become better readers.

Plum Gum and Other Chunk Poems is a must have book for every school library, every reading teacher, every parent who wants to help their child gain reading success, and every child who is discovering the joys of reading.  The clever illustrations add to the enjoyment and make it the perfect book for young readers.

“Adele Tolley Wilson has captured the sounds and images of language in a playful and entertaining new poetry collection--I have witnessed requests from whole classes of young children to read Plum Gum poems again and again . . .”

D. Ray Reutzel, Emma Eccles Jones Professor of Early Childhood Education

Adele Tolley Wilson discovered the joys of writing as a freshman in college when she was asked to write a song to introduce the girls in her dorm. When the audience loved it, she realized the power of words and has been hooked on writing ever since. Adele graduated from BYU in Elementary Education and taught for 25 years. Teaching provided her with numerous opportunities to write programs, scripts, tributes, stories, songs and poems. She wrote Plum Gum for a colleague who couldn't find kid friendly poems with enough phonics chunks in them. The poems became an instant success with both teachers and students and are being used in classrooms throughout the state.

Adele was born in Whitefish, Montana and was raised in Provo, Utah and Grand Junction, Colorado. Her hobbies include storytelling, music, reading and thinking puzzles. Her greatest source of joy is her family. She is the mother of four...Audrey, Brett, Laura, and Russell Giles. She is married to Craig Wilson, and they currently reside in Washington, Utah.

About the Illustrator

Jean Heideman Jones has been drawing from the time she was a small child. Art has always fascinated her, and she quickly discovered she had the ability to capture ideas on paper. She was raised in Toquerville, Utah and graduated from BYU in Elementary Education. She has taught art lessons through the gifted and talented program in local schools and now teaches private art lessons in her home.

Jean enjoys sewing, cooking and reading. She spends most of her time being a full time Mom, and has a steady diet of PTA. Her four children...April, Amber, Ryan and Amanda think she is wonderful. She is married to Donald Jones and they currently reside in St. George, Utah.