Wild Rose Reader

Newt's Poem to Poor Kids: An Original Poem about Newt Gingrich

2012-01-27T10:56:00.002-05:00

Today, I’m sharing an original poem about Newt Gingrich that I included in The Republicans’ “Ideas Man” & The Junior Janitors of America, an article I wrote for Jonathan Turley’s law blog. Some of you may remember that Newt said he thought child labor laws were stupid when he spoke at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government last year. He had a hare-brained idea that unionized school janitors could be fired and poor students could earn some “honest” money working as assistant janitors under one master janitor.

Newt’s own words:

“It is tragic what we do in the poorest neighborhoods, entrapping children in, first of all, child laws, which are truly stupid. Most of these schools ought to get rid of the unionized janitors, have one master janitor and pay local students to take care of the school. The kids would actually do work, they would have cash, they would have pride in the schools, they’d begin the process of rising.”

“You’re going to see from me extraordinarily radical proposals to fundamentally change the culture of poverty in America.”

That’s one radical proposal for sure. And one for which the Republicans’ “Ideas Man” received quite a bit of criticism. Later, Newt bowed “to concerns that janitorial work is dangerous.” He then decided he needed to clarify his proposal and provided more specifics. He said poor kids could mop floors and clean bathrooms after school. He also suggested that they could sit in a clerical office greeting people.

Click here to read my Turley blog post.

Here is my poem:

Newt’s Poem to Poor Kids

Go fetch a bucket
And grab a mop.
Now get to work.
Clean up that slop.
Scrub the bathrooms
From stem to stern.
Don’t be a slug.
It’s time to earn
Your living, kid.
You’re poor. Boohoo!
I have no pity
For kids like you.

********************

The Poetry Friday can be found at Hey, Jim Hill!

Here & There: January 26, 2012

2012-01-26T09:02:00.007-05:00

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

2012 Youth Media Awards Announced

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Happy, Birthday, Mr. Dickens by Jill Heritage Maza

The Inside Story: It took Thanhha Lai 15 years to write her first novel, but it was well worth the wait by Virginia Euwer Wolff

BOOKLIST

Booklist Editors’ Choice: Books for Youth 2011

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Best Children’s Picture Books of 2011

Best Children’s Fiction of 2011

Best Children’s Nonfiction of 2011

Spring 2012 Sneak Previews

KIRKUS

Martin Luther King in Picture Books

THE HORN BOOK

Mythology-themed books by Katie Bircher (January 20, 2012)

Five Questions for Jane Yolen

OCCUPY WRITERS

Thirteen Observations made by Lemony Snicket while watching Occupy Wall Street from a Discreet Distance

A Groggy Sleeping Beauty Speaks to the Prince Who Just Woke Her with a Kiss: An Original Fairy Tale Poem

2012-01-20T11:50:00.001-05:00

Here's another one of my fairy tale poems. This one is about Sleeping Beauty.

A Groggy Sleeping Beauty Speaks to the Prince Who Just Woke Her with a Kiss

I pricked my finger on the wheel

While spinning. How my head did reel,
And suddenly I counted sheep…
Then in an instant, fell asleep.
That’s all I can remember, though.
Was that one hundred years ago?
Are Mommy, Daddy still alive?
And when, dear prince, did you arrive?

You woke me with a kiss? How sweet.
Forsooth! I’m hungry. I could eat
Three little pigs, a wolf, a bear,
Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel’s hair!
Would you go fetch some burgers, fries,
A mushroom pizza—super size—
Three partridges, a roasted boar,
Two apple tarts…and one thing more:
A gallon of fresh lemonade?
Then please, dear prince, go kiss my maid.

********************

I'm doing the Poetry Friday Roundup at Wild Rose Reader this week.

The Poetry Friday Roundup Is Here!

2012-01-20T11:27:00.007-05:00

The Poetry Friday Roundup is here this week. Just leave the URL of your post in the comments. I'll continue adding links throughout the day.

********************

Gregory K. of Gotta Book delights us with an original poem titled My Favorite Shirt.

Myra Garcas-Bascal shares hist whist, a poem by e.e. cummings, over at GatheringBooks.

Amy Ludwig VanDerwater has an original poem with alligator parenting advice along with some writing advice about hearing stresses in words at Poem Farm.

Over at A Teaching Life, Tara has Deborah Warren’s Marginalia, a poem about coming upon the notes made long ago in best loved books.

Heidi Mordhorst of My Juicy Little Universe presents a six-word poetry essay today on teaching.

Mary Lee Hahn has a poem about Jackie Robinson by J. Patrick Lewis at A Year of Reading. It’s from Pat’s forthcoming book on Civil Rights heroes.

Jeff Barger of NC Teacher Stuff has posted a review of the soon to be released A Leaf Can Be..., which is a book of verse about leaves written by Laura Salas and illustrated by Violeta Dabija.

Liz Steinglass joins us Poetry Friday posters for the first time—and shares her original poem titled Bad Homework. Welcome, Liz!

Tabatha Yeatts is on vacation, enjoying a well-earned rest under the sun, but she's left behind word clouds she created with Tagxedo from three different poems. Check them out at her blog The Opposite of Indifference.

Head on over to Carol’s Corner today. She’s featuring DREAMSAND DIRECTIONS, a collection of 200 poems, written by the students of Denver.

Maria Horvarth shares a poem by William Stafford in which he recalls a startling meeting with his muse.

Irene Latham has an original shipwreck poem—written in the voice of the ship!

Mandy has a poem about “finishing” by Ralph Waldo Emerson at Enjoy and Embrace Learning.

Linda presents an original memoir poem—as well as works by other poets— at TeacherDance today.

Diane Mayr has been a busy woman. She shares some Emily Dickinson-inspired haiku at Random Noodling. Kids of the Homefront Army continues with The Last Straw. At Kurious Kitty’s Kurio Kabinet, Diane shares a poem by Robert Frost titled A Winter Eden. And at Kurious K’s Kwotes, she has a quote by Frost.

Ever the sharer of delicious literature and recipes, Jama Rattigan has a poem for us today by Daniel Nyikos titled Potato Soup—AND a recipe for Hungarian Potato and Sausage Soup. Yum!

Author Amok returns today after a long absence from Poetry Friday. She says she couldn’t resist celebrating William Stafford's birthday, this week. She’s sharing his poem Passing Remark with a response poem of her own.

MotherReader says she has a clever poem of pronunciationfeatured today at her blog.

Ed DeCaria says he’s excited about participating in Poetry Friday again. He invites us to
stop by to read his newest poem Worst in Show—and to try our hand at illustrating one dirty, disgusting dog.

Laura Salas is in with I've Got Your Nose by Shel Silverstein at her blog. She also shares 15 Words or Less Curly Slide poems.

Andi Sibley shares an original wintery baseball haiku at A Wrung Sponge.

Over at Fomagrams, David Elzey has two original cross-outpoems for us. He’s claims they’re of varying quality. (I had never heard of cross-out poems before.)

This week, Karen Edmisten presents a poem by Richard Jones titled Rest.

Jone says she’s thinking about Robert Burns today. Check out her poetry post at Check It Out.

Carlie has an original love poem for us at her blog Twinkling Along.

Renee La Tulippe joins us for her second Poetry Friday with an original children’s poem.

Liz Garton Scanlon highlights a poem about science titled OftenI Imagine the Earth. It was written by Dan Gerber.

We have another Poetry Friday first-timer this week. His name is Charles Van Gorkom. He’s sharing his poem Minus Eight at Twenty Below. He says it provides a glimpse of life in the small north Canadian town where the movie was filmed.

Charles Ghigna, aka Father Goose, has an original poem titled My Birthday’s Tomorrow. It’s for all the little cowboys in the world.

Caryl is celebrating the snow and cold they're finally getting in Minnesota by remembering Lois Lenski's poem/book, I Like Winter.

At Wild Rose Reader, I have another original fairy tale poem titled A Groggy Sleeping Beauty Speaks to the Prince Who Just Woke Her with a Kiss.

Janet Squires has a brief review of Hound Dog’s Haiku, which was written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Mary Azarian, at her blog.

Joy said that she’s started working on a bestiary. Today you’ll find her poem BartholomewBuffalo at her blog Poetry for Kids Joy. Yesterday, she posted Amy Aardvark.

Jim Hill shares his original poem Driveway Basketball with us today.

Ruth is highlighting a poem titled A Mother to Her Waking Infant by Joanna Baillie.

Added on Saturday, January 21st.

Kort has a post that features two pieces by Charles Bukowski at One Deep Drawer.

Zombie Logic gives us The Perfect Crime (A Tiny Drawing Poem).

FAX to Prince Charming: An Original Fairy Tale Poem

2012-01-13T09:36:00.001-05:00

Nearly twenty years ago, I began work on a collection of fairy tale poems. I have posted a number of the poems previously at Wild Rose Reader. Today, I have a poem written in the form of a FAX from Cinderella to Prince Charming.

FAX

TO: PRINCE CHARMING
FROM: CINDERELLA

10 TINY TOES LANE

FAIRYTOWN, FRANCE

Remember me…the lovely lass

Who lost her slipper made of glass?
I didn’t want to leave the ball,
But I received an urgent call
From Rent-A-Coach demanding I
Return their carriage pronto. Why?
I guess some wealthy magistrate
Reserved it for a midnight date.
I’ve heard you’re searching everywhere
To find the maid who fit the pair
Of teeny tiny crystal shoes.
My darling prince, I have good news:
I’ve got the left. You’ve got the right.
Come try it on MY foot tonight!
You’ll find my address up above.
Can’t wait to see you. All my love.

********************

The Poetry Friday Roundup is at A Teaching Life.

FYI: I’ll be doing the Poetry Friday Roundup next week at Wild Rose Reader.

2011 Cybils Finalists Announced!

2012-01-07T13:18:00.002-05:00

The 2011 Cybils Finalists were announced on New Year’s Day. I was away in the White Mountains of New Hampshire celebrating with friends for a few days and wasn’t able to post anything on my blog.

You’ll find links to the titles of the finalists in all the Cybils categories here.

Once again, I served as a first round poetry judge. Click here to read descriptions of the six poetry books that we selected as finalists.

The 2011 Cybils Poetry Finalists

Cousins of Clouds: Elephant Poems by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

Dear Hot Dog by Mordicai Gerstein

Emma Dilemma: Big Sister Poems by Kristine O’Connell George

Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto by Paul B. Janeczko

Self-Portrait with Seven Fingers: The Life of Marc Chagall in Verse

by J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen

We Are America: A Tribute from the Heart by Walter Dean Myers

ROCK CANDY: An Original Poem

2012-01-06T10:39:00.003-05:00

A few years ago, I wrote a Wild Rose Reader post titled How Sweet It Is!: A Poetry Tale. In the post, I talked about a collection of candy poems that I had written—and provided some background on the project. Here’s an excerpt from that post:

My collection of candy poems takes you through a year with sweets. For example, there are poems about a heart-shaped box of chocolates for Valentine's Day, marshmallow chicks for Easter, toasting marshmallows for summer, licorice for Halloween, and chocolate coins for Hanukkah and Christmas.

I wrote the following poem for the month of January. When I was looking at the rock candy that I had bought at Yummies—a candy store in Maine—it made me think of icicles and cold winter days.

ROCK CANDY

Jack Frost waved his magic wand

And conjured up a crystal candy
Perfect for crunching on a winter day…
A rough, jagged icicle
Of sugar frozen on a wooden stick.

***************

Happy New Year to All!

The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Teaching Authors this week.

Here & There: January 3, 2012

2012-01-03T15:35:00.008-05:00

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Harper Charges Open Road with Infringement in E-Release of 'Julie of the Wolves'

Spotlights on four children's and YA authors and one illustrator who made notable debuts this fall

Wimpy Kid Goes to Court Against Zombie

Walter Dean Myers Named National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

NEW YORK TIMES

For Their Children, Many E-Book Fans Insist on Paper

THE HORN BOOK

Horn Book Fanfare: Best Books of 2011

In Which We've Done Only Half the Work

January/February Starred Reviews

Pocketful of Posies Acceptance Speech by Salley Mavor

The Notorious Benedict Arnold Acceptance Speech by Steve Sheinkin

Blink & Caution Acceptance Speech by Tim Wynne-Jones

Five Questions for Melissa Sweet

Recommended Audiobooks

BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS

2011 Blue Ribbon Books

Crafty Creativity: A DIY Dozen

January's Starred Books

BOOKLIST

Editors' Choice 2011

Top Ten Craft Books for Kids

KIRKUS

Best Children's Books of 2011

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Best Books of 2011

Merry Christmas from Wild Rose Reader

2011-12-25T13:01:00.000-05:00

My granddaughter Julia and I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I can't wait to see Julia again today...dressed up in an outfit that I bought her for Christmas. Last night she wore the soft red Christmas onesie I got for her.

Julia Anna

Julia on Christmas Eve

with my mother

who is ninety-three years old

I am a most fortunate woman to be able to spend the holidays

with four generations of my family!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!!!

Things to Do If You Are Santa Claus: An Original List Poem

2011-12-23T09:53:00.004-05:00

The year 2011 has indeed been a great one for me. I became a grandmother--which was truly a thrill! I also sold my first book--a collection of "things to do" poems--to Chronicle Press. I signed the contract in the fall. I thought I'd wait until now to make the announcement.

One of the most interesting things about the sale of my poetry manuscript: I didn't submit it to Chronicle. Grace Lin did. She sent it to her editor there--who liked the collection.

Grace Lin

As the year 2011 comes to a close, I'd to thank two good friends who helped critique and give me suggestions about my "things to do" poetry collection: Janet Wong and, of course, Grace Lin. I also want to thank my daughter and son-in-law for giving me the most adorable granddaughter in the world!

My Granddaughter Julia Anna

I thought I'd write a special "things to do" Christmas poem to celebrate the sale of my poetry manuscript. I still have to work on the ending. Note: I don't have as much time for blogging and writing now because I spend half the week providing daycare for Julia Anna. She's the gift that keeps on giving!

Things to Do If You Are Santa Claus

Have a big round belly,
Cheeks rosy red.
Wear a furry cap
On top of your head,
A wide black belt
With a buckle of gold.
Live at the top of the world
Where it's cold.
Grow a bushy beard
That's white as snow.
Be jolly and laugh
With a Ho-Ho-Ho!
On Christmas Eve,
Set off on your sleigh
With a red-nosed reindeer
Leading the way
Through a midnight sky
On a chilling night
When a guiding star
Blazes bright.

The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Dori Reads.

Here & There & A Bunch of Children's Best Books Lists: December 18, 2011

2011-12-18T09:53:00.004-05:00

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Best Picture Books of 2011

Best Fiction of 2011

Best Nonfiction of 2011

Best Adult Books 4 Teens of 2011
Top Ten Graphic Novels

Celebrations and Festivals: A Calendar of Holidays

‘Tis the Season: A wonderland of new games forclassrooms, libraries, or just for fun

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: BEST CHILDREN'S BOOKS OF 2011

Picture Books

Fiction

Nonfiction

KIRKUS REVIEWS

Best Children’s Books of 2011

Best Teen Books of 2011

Seven Impossible Things: Top Ten Picture Books 2011

The True Spirit ofthe Holidays in ‘A Christmas Tree for Pyn’

BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Bulletin Stars of the Month

Strangers Among Us: An Extraterrestrial Dozen

Guide Book to Gift Books: An Annotated List of Booksfor Youth 2011

BOOKLIST

Top Ten Science and Health Books for Youth 2011

BOSTON GLOBE

Best Books of the Year for Children

WASHINGTON POST

Best Children’s Books of 2011

NEW YORK TIMES

Notable Children’s Books of 2011

THE BOOK CASE (BOOK PAGE BLOG)

Best Children’s Books of 2011

BABY NEWS: An Original Poem

2011-12-17T11:00:00.004-05:00

I often get ideas for poems when I'm taking showers. I just wrote the following poem Baby News in the shower. It was inspired by my granddaughter Julia Anna.

Julia Anna

Baby News

Baby babbles, baby coos.

Baby tells the baby news.

What’s she saying? I don’t know.

I’m sure it’s best I listen though.

I think SHE thinks I understand

Her language so I take her hand.

I babble and I coo and say,

“Thanks for all the news today!”

Christmas Poetry from Wild Rose Reader

2011-12-16T09:45:00.007-05:00

I thought I'd post some of my original Christmas poems this Friday.

Wrapped around itself,
Red-ribboned
Evergreen, fragrant of winter forests,
Adorned with berries, baubles, bells of gold,
Tacked to the front door...
Home for the holidays.

Trimmed with tinsel, bedecked with shiny bulbs,
Ribboned with red satin, strung with bright lights—
Each twinkling like an earthbound star in an
Evergreen sky.

Santa snaps the reins. Red-nosed Rudolph
Leads the team of reindeer this early winter
Eve. Up, up
Into the sky with a cargo of Christmas
Gifts and goodies they rise, weaving through clouds. Can you
Hear the merry jingle of their silver bells?

Candy Cane

Wrapped in a cellophane of sound:
a striped stick of sweetness,
red as Rudolph’s nose,
white as Santa’s beard.
Crinkle open your peppermint present.
Let your tongue celebrate
the wintry taste of Christmas.

Christmas Tree,

silvered with tinsel,

sparkling with shiny bulbs,

twinkling with tiny stars,

breathing out

the scent of forest greenery

into our house for the holidays

Christmas Present

Gussied up

in bright red wrapping,

ribboned with gold—

what is the secret

that you hold?

Things to Do If You Are a Bell

Ride on a reindeer’s harness.
Tinkle in the icy air.
Jingle across milk-white snow.
Sing with a silver tongue.

MEMOIR POEMS

The Christmas Babka

We watch Babci make the Christmas babka.

With plump peasant hands
she kneads sweet dough

on the white porcelain-topped table,

places it in a large sky-blue bowl,

covers it with a damp towel,

and sets it on the kitchen counter

near the hissing radiator.

Swelling with bubbles of air,

the dough rises into a pale yellow cloud

flecked with bits of orange rind.

The baking babka fills the house

with the scent of Christmas.

We eat the bread fresh from the oven,

its insides steaming and golden—

a homemade treasure
rich enough to warm a winter night.

Christmas Eve

Just after sunset the whole family gathers
in my grandparents’ kitchen.
My father, Uncle Benny, and Dzidzi
bring up the spare table and chairs from the cellar.
Babci spreads white cloths printed with red ribbons
and bright green wreaths over the two tables.
Then she lays out platters of pierogis,
pillows of homemade dough
stuffed with fluffy mashed potatoes and onions
or sauerkraut, a bowl of jellied carp,
pickled herring smothered in onions,
and small dishes of horseradish
tinted pink with beet juice.
Before eating we stand around the table.
Dzidzi breaks the oplatek,
the thin white wafer blessed by the priest.
When everyone has taken a piece,
Dzidzi gives his blessing,
“May we all be happy, healthy,
and together in the year to come.”

Christmas Eve Polka

After dinner
Uncle Benny opens his black instrument case
and lifts out his accordion.
He stretches it open, presses it closed.
We listen to it breathe and sigh.
He straps it over his broad shoulders.
Then he taps his right foot
on the shiny yellow linoleum,
sways from side to side
and makes it sing.
We polka out of the kitchen,
across the tiny parlor,
and down the narrow hallway
back into the kitchen.
Round and round
we dance through the house
making circles of laughter,
making circles of love.

Remember

Dzidzi tells us to put on our coats.
He steps off the front porch
and leads us down the stone walk
into the night.
Standing at the edge of his garden,
He looks up at the winter sky.
“There,” he says pointing to Orion’s belt.
“There are the Three Wise Men.
They followed a bright star to Bethlehem.
They journeyed far from home
just as Babci and I did many years ago
when we left Poland to come to America.”
He turns his eyes toward the house,
red lights glowing in the windows,
then gazes at his snow-covered garden.
“Remember this night,” he tells us.
“Remember this place.
Remember all the happy times we have shared here.
Every Christmas Eve look up at the Three Wise Men
and remember.”

The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Book Aunt this week.

Christmas Board Books for Babies

2011-12-11T20:48:00.003-05:00

My granddaughter Julia Anna

Since I'm a new grandma, I've been looking for some Christmas books that I can read to my granddaughter Julia while she is just a wee one. Here are some of the books that I got for my little sunshine recently:

Merry Christmas, Ollie!

Written & illustrated by Olivier Dunrea

Gossie, Gertie, BooBoo, and Peedie the goslings are all waiting for Christmas…I mean waiting for Father Christmas Goose. They all hang their stockings in the barn…and wait. Ollie is not quite as patient. He stomps through the snow and shouts, “I want Christmas!” He stomps to the other goslings and asks, “Is Christmas here yet?” The other goslings assure Ollie that father Christmas Goose IS coming.

When Gossie, Gertie, BooBoo, and Peedie hear father Christmas Goose, they scurry to their nests. But not Ollie. He hops through the snow. He listens. He looks. He waits…and waits—and, finally, Ollie hears the jingling of bells and someone wishing him a Merry Christmas.

Click here to look inside this book.

Get Dressed, Santa!

Written & illustrated by Tomie dePaola

Written in rhyming verse, this is a humorous tale of Santa getting dressed before he sets off to deliver presents on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, once Santa has put on his pants and mittens and hat and heads out the door, he realizes that he has to GO— to the bathroom, that is. Then he has to punt down his pack, take off his jacket, and take care of business. Finally, Santa gets dressed and again and lifts off into the sky in his sleigh pulled by reindeer.

Click here to look inside this book.

Bear Stays Up for Christmas

Written by Karma Wilson

Illustrated by Jane Chapman

Bears animal friends wake Bear up so he can enjoy the holiday festivities. They keep Bear busy doing things so he won’t fall back to asleep. They stomp through the woods to get a tree. They pop corn and string it on the tree in Bear’s lair. They bake fruitcake, hang up their stockings, cuddle together and sing songs until a bright star begins to glow. Then all of Bear’s friends doze off and he is the only one who remains awake.

Bear busies himself baking, wrapping presents, and piling up presents under the tree. Bear is so engrossed in his work that he doesn’t even see Santa –who is leaving presents for the forest creatures in their stockings. When Bear’s friends awaken in the morning, Bear shows them what he did while they slumbered. They shout with glee as they open their gifts. Then Wren discovers that Santa has left them presents too. More joy!

Finally, there is one last gift to be opened. It’s something for Bear—a quilt just his size. Bear snuggles up in the quilt and falls asleep once again.

Written in the same rhyming style as the other popular Bear books created by Wilson and Chapman, this light-hearted Christmas tale is sure to charm little ones.

Click here to look inside this book.

Christmas in the Manger
Written by Nola Buck
Illustrated by Felicia Bond

This book about the visitors who came to see the baby Jesus in Bethlehem is written in verse and has spare illustrations. It provides a simple, uncomplicated version of the Christmas story for wee ones.

Here is how the book begins:

I am the star

that shines in the east,

I light the stable

For man and beast.

I am the donkey,

Soft and gray,

I carried his mother

From far away.

Click here to look inside this book.

Baby’s Very First Touchy-Feely Christmas Book

Illustrated by Stella Baggott

The Christmas objects that babies can touch and feel in this little board book include: a prickly tree, a a shiny present, a fuzzy sack, and a soft stocking.

For Older Little Ones

Christmas in the Mouse House

By Maggie Kneen

This is a charming book with lift-the-flaps and pop-ups. What young child doesn’t love books with these features! I still remember the Christmas pop-up book that I got when I was about five. I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it! I still have it today. It’s stored in a bin somewhere in my house.

ReaderTotz has a nice review of this book. Click here to read it.

GIFT TAG: A Present Wrapped Up in Poetry

2011-12-09T10:41:00.008-05:00

I spy a present under our tree.

The gift tag says THIS ONE'S for me!

It piques my curiosity.

I shake the box. What can it be?

It whispers, "I'm a mystery."

by Elaine Magliaro

GIFT TAG

28 holiday poems by 28 poets

an anthology compiled by

Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong

photos taken or selected by

Sylvia Vardell

http://www.PoetryTagTime.com

Janet and Sylvia gave the Gift Tag poets three rules:

1) They had to choose a photo from the Gift Tag photo blog, http://poetrygifttag.blogspot.com;

2) They had to write about what popped into their minds when they saw the photos;

3) They had to keep their poems short—10 lines (maximum) with no more than 25 characters (with spaces) per line.

After Janet and Sylvia collected all the poems, they supplied the tag: a word and a phrase to connect the poems to each other—sometimes taken from the poems directly and sometimes simply suggested by them. Their goal was to have each poem appear whole on a Kindle screen. They call this form the Kindleku. (Douglas Florian suggested that a better name would be the Kindlekuku.)

GIFT TAG features poems by the following writers:

Jeannine Atkins

Jen Bryant
Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Margarita Engle
Douglas Florian
Helen Frost
Joan Bransfield Graham
Lorie Ann Grover
Avis Harley
David L. Harrison
Sara Holbrook
Lee Bennett Hopkins
Bobbi Katz
Julie Larios
J. Patrick Lewis
Pat Mora
Ann Whitford Paul
Laura Purdie Salas
Michael Salinger
Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
Charles Waters
April Halprin Wayland
Carole Boston Weatherford
Robert Weinstock
Steven Withrow
Allan Wolf
Janet Wong
Jane Yolen

With permission from Janet and Sylvia, I’m posting four of the poems that are included in the Gift Tag anthology. I’m also providing my own “tags” for the poems—or the reasons why I selected them for this post.

Laura Purdie Salas

Laura: I made gazillions of these potholder gifts as a kid! This picture made me think of neat, close things, like farm crops. But holidays mean family! Tight-knit (ha!) families weave several people together and that’s what my poem is about.

My tag for Laura’s poem: Lots of girls make potholders when they’re young and give them away as gifts. They feel really proud that they’ve created something with their own hands. I still have a handmade potholder that was given to me by one of my nieces more than thirty years ago. It’s yellow, orange, and white.

We Are Woven
by Laura Purdie Salas

Where one loop goes,
Another follows.
No lonely lines.
No empty hollows.
They dance and chase.
They hold on tight.
Like you and me,
They fit just right!

Steven Withrow

Steven: Seeing the sled brought memories of sliding down snow-crusted slopes with my sisters and brother. Once, our parents let us stay out after sunset and moonlight made everything feel alive. My poem uses an Irish verse form: cethramtu rannaigechta moire.

My tag for Steven’s poem: I lived in a city and across the street from an open area owned by a large company. The company allowed kids to sled and ski down its hill when it was covered with snow. I still vividly recall those winter days from my childhood when I’d scoot across the main road with my wooden sled and spend hours sliding down the hill with friends until my hands were nearly frozen and the sun had set.

Night Sledding
by Steven Withrow

Moon-mound snow,
slalom race;
chill bright plumes
frost your face.
Talon-sharp
runners grip;
twin tracks bite
hill’s white lip.

Robert Weinstock

Robert: We gave my daughter a xylophone. Who could resist the promise of those rainbow bars? For the first 16 or so hours it often sounded quite magical. After that you could understand why the neighbors might sometimes smile like Scrooge.

My tag for Robert’s poem: I laughed out loud when I read Xylophone. It brought back a memory of the Christmas when I was in first grade. My dear Uncle Benny gave me a giant drum with cymbals. I loved banging on the drum, clashing the cymbals together, and making LOTS of noise. I can just imagine how my parents felt about that Christmas gift!

Xylophone

by Robert Weinstock

Seventeen plink

Hours of plinking!
Merry Plink plink–
Spirits sinking.
Eight more plink plink–
Patience shrinking.
Holy plink! What
Were we thinking?

Avis Harley

Avis: I love listening to music. The image of a piano fills me with happy thoughts. It reminds me of the many musical journeys I have experienced and how music opens the imagination.

My tag for Avis’s poem: My older sister made beautiful music when she put her hands on the piano keys. Like Avis, I enjoy listening to music. I must admit, though, that I have absolutely no musical ability…whatsoever. I took piano lessons for one year. It was painful for me—and, I assume, for my family. I think everyone was relieved when I quit taking lessons—especially my piano teacher.

A Musical Gift

by Avis Harley

When fingers travel keys
they talk in melodies,
and stories fill the air
as if a book were there.
Imagination peaks
when the music speaks.
What wonders can be heard
without a single word!

NOTE: Although I’m totally inept at making music with instruments—I do try my best to create music with words.

Click here to look inside GIFT TAG.

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Robyn Hood Black has the Poetry Friday Roundup at Read, Write, Howl.

Keep a Pocket in your Poem: Celebrating the Poetry of J. Patrick Lewis

2011-12-02T08:27:00.007-05:00

I returned home from the 2011 NCTE Annual Convention in Chicago the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I hit the ground running in order to have everything ready for the Thanksgiving feast at my house. I didn’t have time to write up a post about the convention—or our NCTE Poetry Committee’s celebration of J. Patrick Lewis. Pat is the 2011 recipient of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. I am proud to say that I serve on the committee that selected Pat for this honor!

Pat wrote a poem titled Keep a Pocket in Your Poem that NCTE put on a poster in honor of Pat. Here’s the poem:

Keep a Pocket in Your Poem
By J. Patrick Lewis

Keep a pocket in your poem

Filled with any wondrous thing
You can think of—red hawk feather,
Silver penny, pinkie ring,

Yo-yo, M&M’s, a ticket

To a rollercoaster ride,
Pictures of your pug. A poem
Needs a pocket on the side.

So—
Keep a pocket in your poem
For imagination grows
From the deepest secret pockets
Every pocket poet knows.

SELECTED POETRY BOOKS WRITTEN BY J. PATRICK LEWIS

A Hippopotamusn’t: And Other Animal Poems. Illustrated by Vicky Chess. Dial, 1988

Earth Verses and Water Rhymes. Illustrated by Robert Sabuda. S&S/Atheneum, 1991

Two-legged, Four-legged, No-legged Rhymes. Illustrated by Pam Paparone. Knopf, 1991

July Is a Mad Mosquito. Illustrated by Melanie Hall. S&S/Atheneum, 1994.

Riddle-Icious. Illustrated by Vicky Chess. Knopf, 1996.

Doodle Dandies: Poems That Take Shape. Illustrated by Lisa Desimini. S&S/Atheneum, 1998.

Riddle-Lightful: Oodles of Little Riddle-Poems. Illustrated by Debby Tilley. Knopf, 1998.

The Little Buggers: Insect and Spider Poems. Illustrated by Vicky Chess. Dial, 1998.

Boshblobberbosh: Runcible Poems for Edward Lear. Illustrated by Gary Kelley. Creative Editions, 1998.

Black Swan, White Crow. Illustrated by Chris Manson. S&S/Atheneum, 1999.

The Bookworm’s Feast: A Potluck of Poems. Illustrated by John O’Brien. Dial, 1999.

Good Mousekeeping: And Other Animal Home Poems. Illustrated by Lisa Desimini. S&S/Atheneum, 2001.

A Burst of Firsts: Doers, Shakers, and Record Breakers. Illustrated by Brian Ajhar. Dial, 2001.

A World of Wonders: Geographic Travels in Verse and Rhyme. Illustrated by Alison Jay. Dial, 2002.

Arithme-Tickle: An Even Number of Odd Riddle-Rhymes. Illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz.
Harcourt, 2002.

Swan Song: Poems of Extinction. Illustrated by Christopher Wormell. Creative Editions, 2003.

Freedom Like Sunlight: Praisesongs for Black Americans. Illustrated by John Thompson. Creative Editions, 2003.

Scientrickery: Riddles in Science. Illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz. Harcourt, 2004.

Heroes and She-Roes: Poems of Amazing and Everyday Heroes. Illustrated by Jim Cooke. Dial, 2005.

Monumental Verses. National Geographic, 2005

Please Bury Me In The Library. Illustrated by Kyle M. Stone. Gulliver Books, 2005.

VHERSES: A Celebration of Outstanding Women. Illustrated by Mark Summers. Creative Editions, 2005.

Once Upon A Tomb: Gravely Humorous Verses. Illustrated by Simon Bartram. Candlewick, 2006.

The Brothers’ War: Civil War Voices in Verse. National Geographic, 2007.

The World’s Greatest: Poems. Illustrated by Keith Graves. Chronicle Books, 2008.

Countdown to Summer: A Poem for Every Day of the School Year. Illustrated by Ethan Long. Little, Brown, 2009.

Spot the Plot! A Riddle Book of Book Riddles. Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. Chronicle Books, 2009.

The Underwear Salesman: And Other Jobs for Better or Verse. Illustrated by Serge Bloch. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum, 2009.

The House. Illustrated by Robert Innocenti. Creative Editions, 2009

Skywriting: Poems to Fly. Illustrated by Laszlo Kubinyi. Creative Editions, 2010.

POETRY BOOKS WRITTEN BY J. PATRICK LEWIS & PAUL B. JANECZKO

Wing Nuts: Screwy Haiku. Illustrated by Tricia Tusa. Little, Brown, 2006.

Birds on a Wire: A Renga ‘Round Town. Illustrated by Gary Lippincott. Wordsong, 2008.

POETRY BOOKS WRITTEN BY J. PATRICK LEWIS & REBECCA KAI DOTLICH

Castles: Old Stone Poems. Illustrated by Dan Burr, 2006.

POETRY BOOKS WRITTEN BY J. PATRICK LEWIS & JANE YOLEN

Self-Portrait with Seven Fingers: A Life of Marc Chagall in Verse. Creative Editions, 2011, with original Chagall art.

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NOTE: I had hoped to post more of the pictures that I had taken of our poetry celebration for Pat and his work--as well as pictures of other poets and friends that I spent time with at NCTE in Chicago--but I'm away from home providing "nanny granny" services. I hope to return home this afternoon. (I'm glad I wrote this post before I left home on Wednesday afternoon.)

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The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Carol's Corner this week.

Holiday Books for Children

2011-11-30T10:10:00.019-05:00

THE HORN BOOK

Holiday High Notes 2011

Holiday High Notes 2010

Holiday High Notes 2009

KIDS READS

2010 Holiday Roundup

2009 Holiday Roundup

2008 Holiday Roundup

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

December Holiday Books (2011)

December Holiday Books (2010)

THE CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEW—GROWING READERS

Kids’ Christmas Books, 2010: For the Naughty & Nice

THE LOOKING GLASS CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEWS

Christmas Picture Books

BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS (BCCB)

Guide book to Gift Books: An Annotated List of Booksfor Youth 2011

WILD ROSE READER & BLUE ROSE GIRLS

Winter Trees, Christmas Trees

Christmas Books in Verse

Christmas Stories in Verse

Picture Book Review: The Best Christmas Ever

Magic & Monsters: Picture Books for Hanukkah

Hanukkah Lights, Hanukkah Books

A Hanukkah Story to Share: The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes

Julia's Christening & First Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T18:50:00.014-05:00

I've had a busy few weeks. That's why I haven't been posting much lately. My granddaughter was baptized on November 13th. I was away in Chicago for a few days last week for the 2011 NCTE Annual Convention. Upon my return home, I had to get cracking with preparations for Thanksgiving. I hosted my family this year in my "new" dining room.

I have also experienced some major computer problems recently. My computer was with the techs for a few days. Then...I still had some problems with it after I brought it home. The following morning, I couldn't connect to the Internet. I think I've finally solved my connectivity problem. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

We definitely had a Thanksgiving to remember. We were joined by our newest family member--my adorable granddaughter Julia Anna who was born in early August. She was smiling and in a really good mood. She was the hit of the party!

Some Christening Photos

(Julia wore my daughter Sara's christening gown.)

Thanksgiving at My House

Most of the other pictures that I took yesterday didn't come out too well.

Julia doesn't always cooperate when we're trying to take pictures of her.

I hope everyone had a grand Thanksgiving!

Poetry for Thanksgiving

2011-11-17T10:38:00.001-05:00

I’m leaving for Chicago today. I’ll be attending the NCTE Annual Convention. On Friday, we’ll celebrate the poetry of J. Patrick Lewis. Pat is the 2011 recipient of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Once again, I’ll say congratulations to Pat for this honor that he so well deserves.

J. Patrick Lewis

Here are some Thanksgiving poems that you might like to share with students and family:

Giving Thanks
Author Unknown

Giving Thanks
For the hay and the corn and the wheat that is reaped,
For the labor well done, and the barns that are heaped,
For the sun and the dew and the sweet honeycomb,
For the rose and the song and the harvest brought home -
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the trade and the skill and the wealth in our land,
For the cunning and strength of the workingman's hand,
For the good that our artists and poets have taught,
For the friendship that hope and affection have brought -
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the homes that with purest affection are blest,
For the season of plenty and well-deserved rest,
For our country extending from sea unto sea;
The land that is known as the "Land of the Free" -
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving
Traditional

The year has turned its circle,
The seasons come and go.
The harvest is all gathered in
And chilly north winds blow.
Orchards have shared their treasures,
The fields, their yellow grain.
So open wide the doorway-
Thanksgiving comes again!

From Thanksgiving
by Ivy O. Eastwick

Thank you
for all my hands can hold-
apples red,
and melons gold,
yellow corn
both ripe and sweet,
peas and beans
so good to eat!

You can read the rest of the poem here.

Thanksgiving
Traditional

The year has turned its circle,
The seasons come and go.
The harvest is all gathered in
And chilly north winds blow.

Orchards have shared their treasures,
The fields, their yellow grain.
So open wide the doorway-
Thanksgiving comes again!

Thanksgiving Magic
by Rowena Bastin Bennett

Thanksgiving Day I like to see
Our cook perform her witchery.
She turns a pumpkin into pie
As easily as you or I
Can wave a hand or wink an eye.
She takes leftover bread and muffin
And changes them to turkey stuffin’.

You can read the rest of the poem here.

Thanksgiving Day
By Lydia Marie Child

Over the river and through the wood,
To grandfather's house we go;
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh
Through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river and through the wood--
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes
And bites the nose,
As over the ground we go.

You can read the rest of the poem here.

Thanksgiving
By Mac Hammond

The man who stands above the bird, his knife
Sharp as a Turkish scimitar, first removes
A thigh and leg, half the support
On which the turkey used to stand. This
Leg and thigh he sets on an extra
Plate. All his weight now on
One leg, he lunges for the wing, the wing
On the same side of the bird from which
He has just removed the leg and thigh.
He frees the wing enough to expose
The breast, the wing not severed but
Collapsed down to the platter.

You can read the rest of the poem here.

More Thanksgiving Poems

Thanksgiving by Myra Cohn Livingston.

All in a Word by Aileen Fisher.

First Thanksgiving by Aileen Fisher.

The Little Girl and the Turkey by Dorothy Aldis

You'll find Thanksgiving poems here too.

Celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday with Picture Books & Poetry

2011-11-16T08:51:00.001-05:00

10 Fat Turkeys

Written by Tony Johnston

Illustrated by Rich Deas

Scholastic, 2004

10 Fat Turkeys is a “backward” counting book modeled on the Ten Little Indians rhyme that would be fun to read at Thanksgiving time with very young children.

As the book begins, we see 10 fat turkeys "fooling" on a fence—one is reading the Turkey Times…one is strumming a guitar…one is dressed in a tux…one is wearing a bathing cap and googles.

The 10…9…8 countdown begins like this:

GOBBLE GOBBLE WIBBLE WOBBLE
Do a noodle dance.
10 fat turkeys,
Fooling on a fence.

“Looky!” says a silly turkey,
Swinging from a vine.
GOBBLE GOBBLE WIBBLE WOBBLE
Whoops! Now there are…

9 “Looky!” squawks a goofy turkey,
Trying to roller-skate.
GOBBLE GOBBLE WIBBLE WOBBLE
Ooops! Now there are…

I think you can figure out what comes next.

Finally, all the turkeys are gone…and so is the fence. Not to worry though. At the end of the book, we see that the turkeys have found a new place where they can gather together and start fooling around once more.

The humorous illustrations by Rich Deas add to the fun of the goofy, goony, loony turkeys' shenanigans.

Click here to look inside this book.

GIVING THANKS

Written by Jonathan London

Paintings by Gregory Manchess

Candlewick, 2003

Giving Thanks is not a picture book about the Thanksgiving holiday. I would describe it as more of a paean to nature than a story. It is a book about a boy who is learning a deep respect for and appreciation of the natural world and the creatures that inhabit it from his father.

The book is set on an autumn day. The boy and his father go off on a walk through meadows and the woods. The father gives thanks for all the gifts of nature they see on their daylong outing—including frogs and crickets singing down by the creek; the tiny beings with six or eight legs, weaving their tiny stories close to the earth; chanterelles, the wild mushrooms that smell like pumpkins; deer who have passed this way, their tracks like two fingers pressed in the dirt.

The book’s text is brief and oft times lyrical. The oil on canvas illustrations done by Manchess are gorgeous. Their broad, visible brushstrokes and blurred outlines bring to mind an impressionistic style of art. Shifting perspectives and close-ups keep this quiet book from becoming static.

Reading and discussing Giving Thanks with children might help to imbue them with an appreciation and respect for animals and other riches of nature that are so often taken for granted. It would be a fine book to read aloud in the classroom or to one’s own children before taking them on a nature walk. It’s also an excellent book about father-son bonding.

Note: Jonathan London dedicated this book to Joseph Bruchac, the award-winning Native American author and storyteller whose family founded the Ndakinna Education Center, a not-for-profit organization located on the Bruchac Nature Preserve in Greenfield Center, NY.

THANKSGIVING IS HERE!

Written & illustrated by Diane Goode

HarperCollins, 2003

There isn’t much of a story in this book. It's a depiction of a joyful—and hectic—celebration of Thanksgiving as experienced by one large family.

Grandma arises early on Thanksgiving morning to get the turkey into the oven. Then, through the course of the day, relatives arrive—along with their children, a baby carriage, an enormous “special” present, knitting needles and yarn, a violin—and even a dog. Family unites to help with dinner preparations, the moving of furniture, and setting of tables.

Goode’s text curves and swerves above and below her light-hearted, cartoon-style illustrations, which add happy and humorous details to the story. Much of this holiday extravaganza is told through her art. In the pictures, we see children hiding under a table, adults reading to children, some relatives dancing while another relatve plays the piano, older family members sleeping on chairs and sofas after their huge turkey dinner, a young boy playing the violin while standing atop a table, a crying baby, and one of the youngsters pulling off an elder’s toupee.

Thanksgiving Is Here! is a celebration of families…of relatives of all ages gathering together for one of the most special occasions of the year.

THE THANKSGIVING DOOR

Written & illustrated by Debby Atwell

Houghton Mifflin (Walter Lorraine), 2003

I am quoting from the blurb printed on the back of the paperback edition of The Thanksgiving Door because it explains so succinctly and so well what this story is all about: “On Thanksgiving Day, an immigrant family opens their door to a couple of uninvited guests, sharing an evening of friendship, good food, and lots of dancing, and remembering that Thanksgiving is about opening one’s heart in welcome to the strangers who become friends and to the disappointments that bring unexpected joys.”

Ed and Ann are elderly. They’re home alone on Thanksgiving Day. When Ann realizes that their turkey has burned, she and Ed decide to see if the new restaurant down the street, which is owned by immigrants, is open for the holiday. Ed and Ann find the front door of the New World Café open. They step into the large dining room and see a long table that has been decorated and set for dinner. The restaurant is actually supposed to be closed for the holiday. The immigrant family is planning to have a big feast for relatives. The immigrants peer at Ed and Ann through windows in the kitchen door. They’re angry that intruders have made their way into the dining room. They’re sure their celebration will be ruined—and try to think of ways to scare the uninvited guests away.

But Grandmother feels differently. She believes they should share their meal and “turkey big as a doghouse” with the unexpected guests. The family decides that Grandmother is right. They add two more chairs to the table and welcome Ed and Ann to join them for dinner. And so, the members of an immigrant family open their hearts to an elderly couple and share not only food…but friendship--and their own special celebration of an American holiday in their adopted country.

It isn’t until the end of this heartwarming tale that readers find out that Grandmother had jammed a potato under the front door to keep it open. When Papa asks how it got there, Grandmother responds: “In old country Thanksgiving door is like happy heart, opened up big and wide.”

Atwell’s flat, folk-art-style illustrations are bright and colorful. They include lots of details and intricate patterns, which add visual interest. The intense warm colors used in the second half of the book echo the warm feelings of friendship and acceptance expressed in her story.

Although the ethnicity of the immigrant family is never stated in the text, Atwell provides plenty of visual clues for discerning readers in her illustrations: a painting of buildings with onion domes hanging on a dining room wall; the boxy, brown fur hats worn by the men; and family members performing what appears to be a Russian Cossack dance.

Squanto’s Journey

The Story of the First Thanksgiving

Written by Joseph Bruchac

Illustrated by Greg Shed

Silver Whistle/Harcourt, 2000

This historical fiction picture book is an excellent informational read-aloud for the elementary grades. Bruchac narrates the story in the voice of Squanto (Tisquantum), a Patuxet Indian. The book opens with Squanto telling about his capture by Captain Thomas Hunt who took him and other Patuxets to Spain to be sold as slaves in 1614, how Spanish friars set Squanto free and helped him to get to England, and Squanto’s return to America in 1619 when he found that his people had been devastated by a disease. In the rest of the book, we learn about Squanto’s building a friendship with the Pokanokets and Nemaskets; Samoset, a Pemaquid Indian; the arrival of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower; and the relationship between Squanto and the English that helped the settlers at Plimoth make it through their first year in the New World. The book includes an author’s note and a glossary.

Milly and the Macy’s Parade

Written by Shana Corey

Illustrated by Brett Helquist

Scholastic, 2002

This is a story about a young girl named Milly whose family has immigrated to the United States from Poland. Milly’s father works at Macy’s Department Store. He—along with other immigrants who work there—miss their families and the holiday celebrations they had back in their homelands. Milly takes note of their feelings and gets a grand idea.

Meanwhile, Mr. Macy is concerned because his salesclerks are frowning instead of acting festive before the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. He thinks the salesclerks are depressing the customers. He’s trying to figure out a solution to this problem. That’s when Milly approaches Mr. Macy and explains her idea. She tells him how she thinks “Macy’s could bring a little bit of everyone’s home to America.” Mr. Macy is receptive to Milly’s suggestion that the store sponsor a celebration that will remind the homesick employees of their holidays back home. The following day the store posts a sign advertising its Christmas parade. Word spreads quickly.

On Thanksgiving Day, Milly, her father, and all the other Macy’s workers dress up in costumes and march in the holiday parade. They all enjoy singing and strolling down the street—just as they had done in the old country.

This is a highly fictionalized account of the origin of the famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Shana Corey includes an Author’s Note with background information on the parade—including the fact that it missed only three holidays. It was canceled from 1942-1944 because of World War II.

TURK AND RUNT

Story by Lisa Wheeler

Pictures by Frank Ansley

Simon & Schuster, 2002

Looking for a Thanksgiving story that will get young kids laughing? I recommendTurk and Runt. It’s a slyly humorous tale about two turkey brothers named Turk and Runt. The boys’ parents are extremely proud of their son Turk. He’s “the biggest, strongest, and most graceful bird on Wishbone Farm.” He’s a dancer and an athlete! What turkey parents wouldn’t puff out their chest feathers if they had a progeny like that? Turk’s parents are sure he’s going to go far in life. Bespectacled little Runt, however, knows exactly where Turk’s headed—not to fame and fortune, but to somebody’s house where he’ll be roasted and basted. Runt’s parents won’t listen to his warnings. They’re too wrapped up in their ambitious dreams for Turk.

Two days before Thanksgiving the famous ballet instructor Madame Waddelle arrives at the farm. “An audition!” squeals Turk’s mother. “Go out there and shake those tail feathers!” she tells her son. Turk leaps and spins…twirls and whirls. What a performance! The dance teacher is mighty impressed—especially with the size of Turk’s drumsticks.

Realizing that he’ll have to be the one to save his brother, Runt puffs out his feathers, throws himself to the ground, flaps and flops, hisses and sputters, gobbles like a maniac, and nearly scares the leggings off of Madame Waddelle. She runs away screaming: “Zees birds are crazy!”

But Turk’s not safe yet. The next day Coach Giblet arrives to select his Thanksgiving fowl. Turk’s father tells him to display his football prowess. Turk bobs and weaves, tackles and dives. He mows down every turkey in his path. The coach is in awe of this athletic bird. That’s when Runt comes to the rescue again. He cries and coughs and wheezes—he sniffles and sneezes and falls to the ground, hacking and quivering. “Good gravy!” shouts the coach sure that the turkeys are ill. He heads for the hills.

Runt’s parents are sad. Will their dreams for Turk’s bright future be realized? Maybe. When they see a little old lady driving onto the farm on Thanksgiving morning, they’re hopes are rejuvenated. They encourage Turk: “Show her what you’ve got!” But the elderly female isn’t interested in the robust Turk. She’s looking for a fowl of smaller stature—and Runt seems to be just the right size. His parents can’t believe it!

Knowing what the old lady has in store for him, Runt is on the run! That’s when Turk comes to his rescue. He uses the ballet moves and football maneuvers he’s perfected to help his puny sibling. When Runt gobbles like a maniac and Turk tackles her, the woman is finally frightened off.

Later that day, the thankful turkey family enjoys a feast of corn and alfalfa. But their happiness is shattered when Runt warns them that they’re not out of the woods yet. “Come December, folks begin planning their holiday dinners.” Readers have no need to worry about the fate of this fine fowl family. Runt’s got a plan—and you can be sure that this time everyone listens to him.

Ansley’s hilarious cartoon-style illustrations work perfectly with Wheeler’s humorous story. In this book, text and art combine to give readers one truly funny Thanksgiving tale.

Poetry for Thanksgiving

THANKSGIVING DAY AT OUR HOUSE

Written by Nancy White Carlstrom

Illustrated by R. W. Alley

Simon & Schuster, 1999

This poetry collection opens with a poem that is set on the day before Thanksgiving at an elementary school where kindergarten and first grade students are celebrating the holiday with a pageant. The fifteen poems in this collection take us through the school festivities as well as those of a family with three young children. I'll give you a flavor of the poetry you'll find in this book. Here is the first stanza of the first poem.

From The Day Before

All kinds of turkeys
are strutting the halls.
Finely feathered gobblers
are squawking out their calls.

The next two poems, The Mayflower and The First Thanksgiving, are recited by children dressed up as Pilgrims and Native Americans. In The First Thanksgiving, thanks are given for friends and for the foods that helped to sustain the Pilgrims: pumpkins, beans, and corn. This is how the three-stanza poem ends:

From The First Thanksgiving:

So thank you for corn
And thank you for friends.
On the earth and on others
We all must depend.

The rest of the poems take place at the home of the family hosting the Thanksgiving Day feast. There’s a poem in which Granny tells the children what it was like when she was a little girl. There are poems about activities that young and old relatives participate in before dinner: Thanksgiving Parade and Thanksgiving Charades. There are four poems about giving thanks: Thank You God for Bugs, Graces, Thank You Singing Game, and Goodnight Prayer. There is also Prayer for Others, a poem in which the children ask God to help Grandma to get better and to help those less fortunate than they.

I don’t want to leave the impression that all these poems and prayers about thankfulness and thinking about others lend a too-serious tone to the book. The poems are told from a child’s perspective and many are expressed with a childlike exuberance. In addition, R. W. Alley’s cartoon-style illustrations, rendered in pen-and-ink and watercolor, add a lot of levity and humor. They complement and extend the text. In the illustration for the poem Rhyme Time Thanks, Alley depicts a family busily preparing the Thanksgiving dinner. The painting abounds with lots of droll details: The dog has a slice of pie in its bowl; a mouse looks at cream that has spilled onto the floor as Grandfather whips the cream into a froth; the youngest child pushes a cat around the kitchen in a rolling baby chair.

Here’s an excerpt from The Way It Is at Our House, one of the most lighthearted poems in the collection.
Do Uncle Ernie’s socks match?
No! No! No!

Does Joey’s little dog scratch?
So! So! So!

Does Granny Nan tell funny jokes?
Ho! Ho! Ho!

Thanksgiving Day at Our House ends with Goodnight Prayer, a poem in which the young children of the family who hosted the holiday dinner express their gratitude for all the things they appreciate—including their happy feast, friends and relatives, blankets and toys, Papa’s singing noise and Mama’s kisses.

In November: Connecting Children’s Literature, Nature, and Creative Writing

2011-11-11T09:34:00.002-05:00

When I was an elementary school teacher, I loved integrating children’s literature with other subjects—especially science and writing. I think Cynthia Rylant’s picture book In November would be a perfect book to use with students at this time of year to connect children with nature and to inspire them to write poetry.

NOTE: I’m reposting the following 2009 Wild Rose Reader blog with a few changes.

In November

Written by Cynthia Rylant

Illustrated by Jill Kastner

Voyager/Harcourt, 2000

In November is a picture book with a spare, lyrical text. It’s not a storybook. It’s a book-length prose poem that speaks to the essence of a month when the colorful beauty and fruitful bounty of the fall season is part of the past. In the book, Rylant talks about trees that have lost their leaves, birds moving away for winter, snow blanketing the ground, animals sleeping more, food having an “orange smell” and tasting better, and people gathering together to share a special holiday with each other. Rylant repeats the phrase “In November” several times in her text. Rylant’s use of repetition throughout the book is one of the author’s writing techniques—along with the rhythm and flow of her evocative language—that helps her text read like poetry.

Here are some excerpts from the book to give you the “autumnal” flavor of In November:

In November, the trees are standing all sticks and bones. Without their leaves, how lovely they are, spreading their arms like dancers. They know it is time to be still.

In November, animals sleep more. The air is chilly and they shiver.
Cats pile up in the corners of barns.
Mice pile up under logs. Bees pile up in deep, earthy holes.
And dogs lie before the fire.

The book closes with my favorite passage:

In November, at winter’s gate, the stars are brittle. The sun is a sometime friend. And the world has tucked her children in, with a kiss on their heads, till spring.

Kastern’s full-color illustrations done in oil paints are as evocative of the month as are Rylant’s words. The uncluttered paintings with changing perspectives and close-ups of leaves and birds and other animals draw a reader into the quiet text…into a “chilling” time of year when people and many animals draw into closer confines to keep themselves warm and to shelter themselves from the cold and long hours of darkness.

What Do You Do with a Book Like This?

Write a Collaborative Class Prose Poem

In November would be an excellent book for teachers to read aloud in the elementary grades during this month. It’s a book that could serve as a wonderful springboard for a classroom writing activity. So often children are asked to write about the signs of fall…but usually during an earlier part of the season when pumpkins and apples are growing plump and round in garden patches and orchards and trees are wearing leafy crowns of bright autumnal colors—or, in November, they’re asked to write about all the things they are thankful for as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches.

Why not lead students in writing a collaborative “In November” prose poem modeled after Rylant’s book? I would suggest taking kids for a walk outside, on a hike in the woods, or on a field trip to an orchard or farm after the first reading of the book. Having children spend time outdoors will expose them to the sights, sounds, and smells of November. It will help to provide them with inspiration for a classroom writing activity.

Following the field trip, ask your students to tell you about the sights, sounds, and smells that they experienced outdoors. List them on chart paper. Then read In November aloud again and discuss with students the things that came to Rylant’s mind when she wrote her book. Next, read the book aloud a third time slowly from beginning to end and ask children to listen carefully to the detailed/poetic language and figures of speech Rylant used in her text. Following that, the teacher could point out passages or a phrase or two from the book herself.

For example:

Trees “spreading their arms like dancers”

About birds: “The air is full of good-byes and well-wishes.”

About the smell and taste of food in November: “It is an orange smell. A squash and pumpkin smell. It tastes like cinnamon and can fill up a morning, can pull everyone from bed in a fog.”

At Thanksgiving, people “talk by crackling woodstoves, sipping mellow cider.”

At this point in the process, the teacher and her students should be ready to start work on the first draft of their collaborative class prose poem. An easel, a pad of large chart paper, and a marker are all the supplies a teacher will need.

Writing the Class Poem: Ask children to think about the sights, sounds, and smells that come to mind when they think of the month of November. As children share, write down their responses on the chart paper—leaving large spaces between the responses. When the class has finished its rough draft, leave it up for a day or two to give children time to reread it, to suggest additions to the poem, and to think of more specific/detailed language and figures of speech that could be used when revising the class poem. The teacher should write down the children’s suggestions and ideas on another sheet of chart paper.

When the class is ready to write the second draft of their prose poem, the teacher can cut the different lines of the first draft into strips. This will make it easier for students to organize the poem. It will also make it easier for them to decide where to insert the words “In November” in several places in the text of their poem. Once the teacher and students have read through their prose poem together and determined that is ready for its final draft, the teacher should rewrite it on a new sheet of chart paper. Then she and her students should read the poem together from beginning to end.

Suggestion for making illustrated In November books: The teacher could type the entire prose poem on the computer—putting just one or two sentences on each page. The teacher could run off a copy of the entire poem for each student to illustrate. Students could design their own book covers. Finally, each student’s book could be stapled or bound together. Their In November books would be wonderful gifts for them to take home and to share with their families at Thanksgiving.

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April has the Poetry Friday Roundup at Teaching Authors.

Dare to Dream…Change the World: A Poetry Anthology Coming in 2012

2011-11-04T09:13:00.003-04:00

I am proud to announce that I am one of thirty writers who will have a poem included in a forthcoming anthology titled Dare to Dream…Change the World. The book will be published by Kane Miller. It will be released next fall.

Jill Corcoran is the individual responsible for putting together this “inspirational” anthology with poems about exceptional individuals who “dared to dream” and accomplished great things during their lifetimes.

We poets worked in pairs. I partnered with my friend Janet Wong. I wrote a biographical poem; Janet wrote an inspirational poem.

JONAS SALK

My contribution to Dare to Dream is a poem about Jonas Salk—the man who developed the first polio vaccine in the 1950s. I chose Salk as my subject because I remember how frightened parents were back then that their children might contract the dread disease—one that had crippled so many. Highly infectious, poliomyelitis—also known as infantile paralysis—chiefly affected children.

I can still vividly recall standing in line at Peabody City Hall when I was about eight or nine years old waiting to get vaccinated. I also recall how relieved everyone was after the Salk vaccine had been declared safe and effective. Jonas Salk changed the world for me and for millions of others.

Here is a poem I wrote about the day that I got my first polio vaccination. By the way, it is not the poem that will be included in Dare to Dream.

Dear Doctor Salk,

It’s a steamy summer day.
I remember a day like this more than a half century ago
When I stood in line at City Hall
Watching other children get polio vaccinations.
I saw them grimace as needles pricked their arms.
I was afraid. Would it hurt? Would I cry when my turn came?

I neared the table that held a tray of hypodermics.
A nurse daubed my arm with a cotton swab.
I closed my eyes, felt a stab of pain.
I walked away wondering if I would be safe now,
Protected from the dread disease
That could paralyze me.
Would I ever have to walk with braces on my legs?
Would I ever be trapped inside an iron lung?

Soon headlines shouted, “Polio Is Conquered!”…“Polio Routed!”
President Eisenhower presented you with the Medal of Merit
For your dedication to service.
He said he had no words to thank you.
You had worked endless hours, sacrificed—not for money…not for fame…
But for the good of mankind.
When asked who owned the patent on your vaccine, you replied,
“There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?”

I needn’t have wondered or worried that summer day at City Hall.
I was immunized against the virus that had crippled so many.
I have no words to thank you, Doctor Salk.

Here are the poets of Dare to Dream…Change the World:

• Alan Katz
• Alice Schertle
• Bruce Coville
• Carol Tanzman
• Curtis Crisler
• David L. Harrison
• Denise Lewis Patrick
• Elaine Magliaro
• Ellen Hopkins
• Georgia Heard
• Hope Anita Smith
• Hope Vestergaard
• J. Patrick Lewis
• Jacqui Robbins
• Jane Yolen
• Janet Wong
• Jill Corcoran
• Joan Bransfield Graham
• Joyce Lee Wong
• Joyce Sidman
• Julia Durango
• Kelly Fineman
• Laura Purdie Salas
• Lee Bennett Hopkins
• Lisa Wheeler
• Marilyn Singer
• Rebecca Kai Dotlich
• Rose Horowitz
• Stephanie Hemphill
• Tracie Vaughn Zimmer

Click here to read more about Dare to Dream at Jill Corcoran’s’s blog.

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Laura Purdie Salas has the Poetry Friday Roundup today. (Note: Laura has moved her blog from LiveJournal to Wordpress.)

Here & There: November 3, 2011

2011-11-03T13:43:00.001-04:00

BOOKLIST

Top Ten First Novels for Youth: 2011 by Ilene Cooper

The Booklist Interview: Jack Gantos

THE HORN BOOK

Holiday High Notes

Why Books? — The Zena Sutherland Lecture by Mo Willems

Nonfiction: What’s Really New and Different — and What Isn’t by Barbara Bader

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

Make Way for Stories: There’s a good reason why people are passing up picture books by Anita Silvey

Absolutely Dino-mite!: Jessie Hartland’s latest picture book puts a new spin on kids’ favorite reptiles by Rick Margolis

Greek Myths: OMGs! by Joy Fleishhacker

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

The Case of 'The Graveyard Book' by Sue Corbett

BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Guide Book to Gift Books: An Annotated List of Books for Youth 2011 (pdf)

A Rose By Any Other Name: A Shakespearean Dozen

Bulletin Stars for November

SMITHSONIAN EDUCATION

American Indian Heritage Month

Three Halloween Books for Wee Ones

2011-10-29T14:58:00.007-04:00

My granddaughter Julia Anna

Julia wants to tell you about some Halloween books she likes.

I can’t wait for Halloween to come. I’m getting SOOOO excited. I like to wear my special orange and black Halloween outfit all the time!

My Grammy got me some books about Halloween last week. They’re G-R-E-A-T! I’d like to recommend them to any parents who have wee ones like me at home. There’s nothing better than books for babies!

Whooo’s That?: A Lift-the-Flap Pumpkin Fun Book

Written by Kay Winters

Illustrated by Jeannie Winston

Harcourt

This book has sturdy pages and really colorful pictures. You’ll find the same two words printed in big black letters on every page of this book: Whooo’s that… You have to lift the flaps to find out who is doing things like rattling bebop bones...and brewing savory stew.

This book is written in verse. I like rhyming words…don’t you?

Here’s how the book begins:

Whooo’s that…
Prancing in the park?

Whooo’s that…
Prowling in the dark?

Whooo’s that…
Hanging upside down?

Whooo’s that…
Scowling with a frown?

When my mommy reads this book to me she almost sounds like an owl hooting.

You’ll have to get yourself a copy of this book to find out WHOOO’S behind the flaps.

P.S. The pictures in this book are so delicious I could eat them!

You can see more of Jeannie Winston’s terrific illustrations from the book here.

Click here to look inside this book.

Halloween Mice

Written by Bethany Roberts

Illustrated by Doug Cushman

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Halloween Mice is a little board book. I can’t tear the pages. It’s a story about a bunch of mice who go out on Halloween night and have a party. They skitter through a cornfield...scamper through a pumpkin patch…dance around in the moonlight. Then they stop and listen. They hear a rustling sound. Uh-oh, the Halloween cat is coming!!! The mice huddle together and devise a plan to scare away the frightening feline. I’m not going to tell you any more of the story. You’ll have to read it yourself to find out how the book ends.

By the way, the little mice characters in this story look so cute dressed up in their Halloween costumes.

Click here to see some of the pictures in this book.

One Halloween Night

Written & illustrated by Salina Yoon

Sterling

One Halloween Night is a board book with 18 “lift the flaps.” It has rhyming words—and it’s a counting book. (I haven’t learned how to count yet. I hope this book will help me learn my numbers.)

Here’s how the book begins:

Halloween is spooky fun
for mummies, ghosts, and everyone.

It’s time for trick-or-treat delights,
so count with me all through the night!

The pictures in One Halloween Night are really bright and colorful. They’re not scary at all.

That's all for now.

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween Reading!

Poetry for Halloween

2011-10-28T11:21:00.001-04:00

Hallowilloween: Nefarious Silliness

Written & illustrated by Calef Brown

Houghton Mifflin, 2010

Kids enjoy reading poems about scary things that "go bump in the night"—and they LOVE Halloween. What better way to celebrate the spooky holiday at the end of October with children than to share with them the poems in Calef Brown’s Hallowilloween? The collection contains fourteen poems about the usual “Halloween” suspects—including a werewolf, witches, the grim reaper, a shrunken head, and a mummy.

Brown’s poems brim with whimsy and humor and wordplay.

From Jack:

Jack is a rare wolf.
A covered with hair wolf.
A crouch in the doorway
to give you a scare wolf.
A big as a bear wolf.
A devil may care wolf.
A constantly burping
and fouling the air wolf.

From Lone Star Witches:

The witches of Texas,
with cackles and hoots,
are doing a two-step
in lizard-skin boots
while filling a cauldron
with truffles and newts.
A sinister potion
is brewing in Austin
to fire up the feud
with the Witches of Boston.

There are poems about someone having dinner with the grim reaper, a poltergeyser at a national park, and a baseball umpire who’s a vampire. The “vumpire” only works night games—as would be expected. In one poem, a mummy complains about how badly its mummification was botched:

Who do I sue?
I’m completely unraveling!
No more vacations.
Forget about traveling.
All of my wrappings
are ragged and ripped.
I slipped up and tripped
on the edge of my crypt.

Brown’s stylistic acrylic paintings are saturated with color—oranges, greens, yellows, browns—and there are ample touches of black to help set a "dark" Halloween tone. Like the poems, the illustrations are imbued with humor. This book is sure to bring smiles to children's faces. I have little doubt that both the poetry and art in Hallowilloween will appeal to children.
Click here to view three two-page spreads from this book.

Click here to look inside this book.

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More Poetry for Halloween

Children’s Poetry Books for Halloween (Wild Rose Reader)

Poetry for Halloween (Wild Rose Reader)

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Click here to read a few of my original Halloween haikus.

Click here to read some of my witch poems.

Here's a Halloween acrostic that I wrote a few years ago:

Ghastly spirit

Hovering in dark corners of the
Old house it once inhabited…
Silent sentinel of the past
Torn between two worlds

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The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Random Noodling.

Three Great Picture Books for Halloween Reading

2011-10-27T17:45:00.003-04:00

Heebie-Jeebie Jamboree

Written & illustrated by Mary Ann Fraser

Boyds Mills Press, 2011

On Halloween night,
Under a butterscotch moon,
Sam and Daphne pull two tickets
Out of thin air…

The two tickets are for the Heebie-Jeebie Jamboree. When Sam and Daphne reach the site of the jamboree, they present their tickets to the ticket taker…and the spooky fun begins. The children head off to see the sights—warlocks riding on broomsticks, a witches’ brew-off, a fun crypt, a goblin pie contest. Along the way, Daphne loses sight of her younger brother. She sets off to find Sam. She asks a fortune teller for help. She looks for her brother in a haunted house. She calls out to him at a Rolling Bones concert at the mausoleum. No luck. Just as the jamboree begins fading away, Daphne finds Sam in the “Lost and Found” coffin. The tale ends happily as the two siblings reach home safely.

Fraser’s colorful acrylic illustrations are a delight. They show readers all the sights Daphne and Sam encounter at the Heebie-Jeebie Jamboree. The illustrations, I should add, have touches of humor and aren’t very frightening. Heebie-Jeebie Jamboree would be an excellent picture book to read aloud to a little listener who is sitting on your lap. I am sure young children would enjoy this lost-and-found Halloween tale and the age-appropriate “spooky” pictures.

Click here to look inside this book.

Heebie Jeebie Jamboree Book Trailer

Zombie in Love

Written by Kelly DiPucchio

Pictures by Scott Campbell

Atheneum, 2011

Mortimer is a zombie. He wants to take a date to Cupid’s Ball. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a sweetheart—and all his attempts to find one are met with failure.

Mortimer decides to place an ad in the newspaper. He's sure that will find him a date.

TALL, DEAD, & HANDSOME

If you like taking walks in the
graveyard
and falling down in the rain.
If you’re not into cooking,
if you have half a brain.
If you like waking up at midnight,
horror films, and voodoo
then I’m the guy who you’ve looked for
and I’m dying to meet you!

Saturday, Cupid’s Ball,
Punch Bowl, 7:00 p.m.

The night of Cupid’s Ball, Mortimer dresses up in his “new” suit, combs his hair, splashes on his best cologne, and seats himself next to the punch bowl at the dance. Then he waits and waits and waits and waits…until the room begins to empty. That’s when Mortimer realizes that no gal has been dying to meet him. Just as he begins to shuffle toward the exit, he hears a loud THUD…and then a louder CRASH! Mortimer looks down and sees a young lady sprawled out on the dance floor. Her name is Mildred. She’s “drop-dead” gorgeous—and she’s a zombie too!

All ends well for Mortimer. He and Mildred dance and hold hands. Then they dine out in the moonlight at a graveyard—and it’s love at first bite!

Zombie in Love is a hoot--and sure to get kids laughing! I know this book would have been a BIG hit with my second grade students. DiPucchio’s text and Campbell’s watercolor illustrations work together like the A-Team to tell this humorous zombie tale that’s perfect for Halloween reading.

And Then Comes Halloween

Written by Tom Brenner

Illustrated by Holly Meade

Candlewick, 2009

This is a little gem of a picture book about Halloween and the fall season. Brenner’s evocative text and Meade’s watercolor and collage illustrations beautifully capture the sights and sounds of autumn...and of that special holiday at the end of October that children get so excited about. Holly Meade’s art has an elegant simplicity that complements this book about children’s preparations for Halloween and their night out trick-or-treating.

The repetitive format of the book is reminiscent of Cynthia Rylant’s When I Was Young in the Mountains.

Here’s how the book begins:

WHEN nighttime creeps closer to suppertime,
And red and gold seep into green leaves,
And blackberries shrivel on the vine…

THEN hang dried corn,
Still in husks all crinkly and raspy,
Sounding like grasshoppers.

WHEN Papa stacks firewood under the eaves,
And a V of geese squawks its way south,
And chilly morning air turns noses pink…

THEN cut out paper witches on brooms
And dangle skeletons in doorways.

The book continues on in this same fashion. It touches on many of the things that children and adults typically do during the month of October—rake leaves, stack wood, carve pumpkins, decide what to dress up as on Halloween, make costumes.

When Halloween arrives, children set off into the neighborhood to go trick-or-treating with friends. Children...

Swirl from porch to porch…dart past bushes casting spooky shadows…sweep past clumps of moaning monsters...

They return home after plundering their block. They eat, count, trade, and share some of their candy. Then it’s time to get ready for bed…where they dream about what they’ll be next Halloween.

And Then Comes Halloween is a terrific seasonal book for reading aloud to young children. Brenner uses rich vocabulary in his text that transports one to a time of year when change is in the air and all around us.

Click here to look inside this book.

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More Halloween Book Recommendations

HALLOWEEN ROUNDUP 2011 (Kids Reads)

HALLOWEEN ROUNDUP 2010 (Kids Reads)

HALLOWEEN ROUNDUP 2009 (Kids Reads)

Halloween Picture Books: Wherefore the Style? (School Library Journal)

Children's Picture Books for Halloween (HubPages)

Children’s Books: Once Upon a Broomstick (New York Times)

Halloween Picture Books: A Scary-Big Compilation (WIP)

From Wild Rose Reader
Picture Books & Poetry Books for Halloween

Great Halloween Read-Alouds for Little Listeners

Bone Soup: A Great Halloween Read-Aloud

The Tailypo: A Ghost Story

Picture Book Review: The Three Bears Halloween

HALLOWEEN HAIKU

2011-10-21T09:47:00.002-04:00

I was sitting at my computer yesterday thinking about Halloween. My daughter Sara used to get so excited about Halloween when she was little. She always loved spooky stories and movies. She'd start decorating the house for the holiday in early October. I had so much fun watching Sara enjoying herself getting the house ready for the "big night."

Well, Sara is still into Halloween even though she's an adult--and a mother now. Her own home is decorated with Halloween lights, ceramic pumpins, and jack-o-lanterns. I got an idea while I was sitting at my computer yesterday morning. I thought I'd try writing some Halloween haiku--just for fun. Here are some of the "still-in-progress" haikus that I wrote:

Peaked hat piercing clouds

She zooms on a bristled broom

Brushes the sky black

(Picture by Alvina Ling)

Pumpkin heads staring

From doorsteps, their crooked smiles

Flickering with fire

Who haunts this house? Whose

Spirit lingers and won’t leave?

Who-o-o-o...Who-o-o-o haunts this house?

Nothing but bones, it

Clicks and clacks and clatters its

Way through Halloween

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Jama Rattigan has the Poetry Friday Roundup at Alphabet Soup.

P*TAG: The First-Ever Poetry eBook for Teens

2011-10-19T13:47:00.000-04:00

P*TAG is the first-ever poetry anthology eBook for teens! It was compiled by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong. It contains 31 new poems written by 31 different poets especially for P*TAG. You won’t find the poems in any other collections or anthologies. (The photos for P*TAG were taken by Sylvia.)

The poets whose works are included in P*TAG:

Marilyn Singer
Betsy Franco
Allan Wolf
Naomi Shihab Nye
Sara Holbrook
Charles Waters
Michael Salinger
Joyce Sidman
Margarita Engle
Jeannine Atkins
Steven Withrow
David L. Harrison
Lorie Ann Grover
Julie Larios
Michele Krueger
April Halprin Wayland
Stephanie Hemphill
Heidi Mordhorst
Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Paul B. Janeczko
Arnold Adoff
Kimberly Marcus
Jen Bryant
Kathi Appelt
Helen Frost
J. Patrick Lewis
JonArno Lawson
Sonya Sones
Lee Bennett Hopkins
Jaime Adoff

The P*TAG Rules
* a poet is tagged
* the poet chooses a photo from this photo library blog
* the poet writes a poem inspired by the photo
* the poet must incorporate 3 words from the poem prior to his or her poem to keep the poems connected
* the poet writes a short prose "connection" piece explaining how the poem came to be
* the poet tags another poet
* the game continues

The P*TAG poems are terrific! Janet and Sylvia gave me permission to post some photos and poem excerpts from the eBook. I think they will give you a good idea of just how great this anthology is.

Naomi Shihab Nye

Reading Allan Wolf’s rich poem about drinking tea in China plunged me into Traveler-Mood—alertly attentive to everything. Once I was awakened by a call from Japan, title needed for forthcoming presentation to teachers—groggily I said, Wind in a Bucket. They took this title very seriously. I bought a green bucket with cat-face in Hayama as visual aid. Maybe everything boils down to wind in bucket, tea in cup, windows, watching.

(Words from the previous poem by Allan Wolf: sip, steeping, future)

Excerpt from Blue Bucket
by Naomi Shihab Nye

What if, instead of war,
we shared our buckets
of wind and worry?
Said, tell me the story
you carry there,
steeping in old pain
and future hope,
rich with fragrant
savory spices,
ginger, turmeric,
tarragon, find me
a spoon in one
of your pockets,
even if we don’t
speak the same language,
I’ll sip your dream,
and then, and then…

Sara Holbrook

Naomi’s visual poem is fragrant with story—the stories we collect along the path, each to place in our own buckets. I smell the essence of this poem and am transported to the shores of Lake Erie, where I like to wander barefoot, collecting beach glass, other people’s stories fractured and tumbled. Shards of life that were tossed at the Lake and that she tossed back.

(Words from the previous poem by Naomi Shihab Nye: blue, pocket, story)

Excerpt from Beach Glass
by Sara Holbrook

But do they want to be picked up,
sunstruck jewels that once were bottles, bowls, wall tiles?
Now that the novelty of the beach has worn them down
to smooth bits of frost white,
amber, emerald, sapphire mixed with
barely blue and rarely pink.
But aren’t they tired of being pushed around
by the insistent bashing of boisterous waves?
Each shard, its own story,
particulars tossed overboard,
discarded facts disconnected from their origins…

Jeannine Atkins

Who doesn’t like a broken blue and white plate? Shards that show up in woods or on beaches make me wonder about the people they once belonged to and what happened before they were wrecked or lost. I’ve broken enough dishes, but the story is usually of carelessness. Well, okay, anger now and then. This poem began with what I’d say after I heard a crash and ended up with a table I never planned to set.

(Words from the previous poem by Margarita Engle: shiny, golden, drab)

Excerpt from Broken
by Jeannine Atkins

It’s only a plate.
But some hearts are made of china
kept at the backs of shelves or in boxes
in attics, sprinkled with balsam
or pine from ancient wreaths.

These drab corners aren’t as silent
as they seem. Saved shards or stubs
of tickets make memory leap-frog
or nudge forgetting into acrobatics...

Julie Larios

Lorie Ann Grover’s ethereal “wisp” of a poem floats like goose down, but I wanted my poem to keep its feet on firm ground. When I saw a photo of what I thought was a goose in a barnyard, I knew I had my muse. On closer examination, the goose is actually a swan and the barnyard is actually a park! But goose, swan or person—don’t we all long to leave our “barnyards” and take flight?

(Words from the previous poem by Lorie Ann Grover: trapped, eyes, away)

Excerpt from Walking, Waiting
by Julie Larios

Trapped? I don’t think so.
Don’t let my Silly-Goose act
fool you—I have a wild honk or two
or three that might surprise you,
I’ve got a trick or ten up my wing.
Right now, I strut, I walk, I wait.
But this barnyard can’t hold me.

P*TAG has a lot to offer to poetry lovers--whether they are young adults or old adults like me!

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Click here to Look inside P*TAG.

Teen Poetry Tag Time Blog

Poetry Tag Time Website

Here & There: October 17, 2011

2011-10-17T12:59:00.008-04:00

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

The Buddy System: How two talented unknowns (Norton Juster and Jules Feiffer) broke all the rules and created an instant classic—‘The Phantom Tollbooth’ by Kathleen T. Horning

Nonfiction Booktalker: Tough Cookies: Brave women who broke the mold by Kathleen Baxter

What Does Excellence Look Like?: A new study shows the role of school libraries in learning by Brian Kenney

Writer’s Tools: Wordcraft by Barbara Wysocki

BOOKLIST

Sports in Series Nonfiction by Susan Dove Lempke

Top 10 Sports Series by Susan Dove Lempke

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

New Books from Old Masters: Seuss, Sendak, and Silverstein: Booksellers and librarians weigh in on new titles from three of the nation's most famous picture book authors by Karen Springen

Picture Book Stars Shine at the Carle Honors by Matia Burnett

BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS

I See/Hear/Smell/Love Dead People: A Ghastly Dozen

Bulletin Stars for October

THE HORN BOOK

Calling Caldecott Blog

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BOOK TRAILERS

A Tale Dark and Grimm

The Graveyard Book Narrated by Neil Gaiman

It's a Book by Lane Smith

POETRY FRIDAY: Original Animal Acrostics

2011-10-14T10:23:00.005-04:00

I thought I’d go through my files this morning and look for animal acrostics that I'd written over the years. Here's a mini collection of them for Poetry Friday:

REAL ANIMALS

Mitten-footed forager
Out on a midnight adventure,
Unheard, unseen, in the whisper-soft dark,
Scurrying about the house,
Eking out a meal.

Frustrated prince dwelling in a pond kingdom,
Royal amphibian resting on a lily pad throne, biding his time,
Ogling unsuspecting insects, waiting for the princess to lose her
Golden ball so he can retrieve it and become her hero.

Changes suits to suit
His locus. Abracadabra! Hocus-pocus! He’s
A clever
Master of disguise…a trickster who can fool the
Eyes! This
Lizard with a fashion flair takes his wardrobe
Everywhere. Predators don’t stop
Or stare.
No one even knows he’s there.

Take it easy,
Old One. Hare is
Resting beneath a willow
Tree dreaming
Of the finish line—dreaming he is champion.
It is not to be, Old One. You are wise and know
Slow and steady wins the race
Every time.

Claw-handed critter
Races sideways, skitters
Across the sea-washed land…
Beachcombing in the sand.

Chirping in the dark, their song
Resonates
In the still air. A
Chorus of summer night strummers in concert with
Katydids
Entertaining warm evenings with
Their
Symphony of wings.

Caw, caw, caw is all they say,
Repeating that one sound day after day…
Over and over—the same old thing.
Why can’t they find a new
Song to sing?

IMAGINARY ANIMALS

Dagger-toothed demon
Roars its fiery breath, sets
Aflame a village,
Grips everyone in its claws
Of terror.
Now where is the knight in shining armor?

Unreal animal,
No one has ever seen you except
In the land of make-believe
Cavorting with maidens
Over flower-strewn fields and
Romping through woodlands in a world of
Never ending days.

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David Elzey has the Poetry Friday Roundup at Fomagrams.

2011 Cybils Announcement!

2011-10-13T12:11:00.002-04:00

If there’s a children’s or young adult book that you’d like to nominate for a 2011 Cybils, do it soon. You don't have much time left. The nominations close on October 15th!

Cybils Nomination Form

I’m happy to be serving as a Round One Poetry Judge this year. We have a terrific panel once again!

Click here to check out the 2011 Cybils Poetry Nominations.

The 2011 Poetry Judges

Poetry has long been the genre where we've insisted on the most credentials and expertise. It may get the fewest nominations, but it's far from the easiest to judge. Many of our experts are poets themselves and bring their practiced eye to the Cybils.

Round One

Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

The Poem Farm

@amylvpoemfarm

Susan Taylor Brown

Susan Writes

@susanwrites

Elaine Magliaro

Wild Rose Reader

Bruce Black

Wordswimmer

@wordswimmer

Tricia Stohr-Hunt

The Miss Rumphius Effect

@MissRumphius

Jone Rush MacCulloch

Check It Out

@JoneMac53

Carol Wilcox

Carol W’s Corner

@carwilc

Round Two

Diane Mayr

The Write Sisters

http://www.thewritesisters.blogspot.com/

Mary Lee Hahn

A Year of Reading

http://readingyear.blogspot.com/

@maryleehahn

Julie Larios

The Drift Record

http://julielarios.blogspot.com/

Andi Sibley

A Wrung Sponge

Laura Purdie Salas

laurasalas: writing the world for kids

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I reviewed a few of the nominated poetry books:

Spinster Goose: Twisted Rhymes for Naughty Children

At the Sea Floor Café: Odd Critter Poems

TWOSOMES: Love Poems from the Animal Kingdom

Autumn Celebration: A Passel of Original Poems about Fall

2011-10-07T11:04:00.001-04:00

I love autumn in New England! September and October are my favorite months. Here are a number of the poems that I’ve written about fall. I’ve posted some of them previously at Wild Rose Reader or Blue Rose Girls.

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One thing I miss most about autumn is the smell of burning leaves. When I was a kid, we used to rake leaves into a pile and burn them on the side of the street/road. The following poem, Autumn Fires, tells about a childhood memory of mine. I was raking leaves with two of my first cousins at the home of my maternal grandparents. My dzidzi (grandfather) set the leaves on fire and we cousins sat on wooden crates watching as the leaves burned and the smoke rose into the air.

AUTUMN FIRE

Two tall maple trees grow
in front of my grandparents’ house.
In late Octoberthey shed their golden crowns.
When the fallen leaves
curl up like little brown bear cubs,
we rake them into a pile
at the side of the street.
As dusk arrives
Dzidzi sets our harvest afire
with a single match.
We sit on wooden crates
at the sidewalk’s edge,
watch the brittle leaves
blossom into golden flames,
smell autumn’s pungent breath.
From the pyre summer rises,
a small gray ghost,
and drifts away
into the darkening sky.

AUTUMN CELEBRATION

In October, colored leaves
Fall from oak and maple trees…
Bright confetti shaken down
From their boughs. All over town

Trees are celebrating fall,
Decorating every wall,
Sidewalk, yard, and flowerbed
With pumpkin-orange, gold, and red.

We stand out in the falling leaves
And catch confetti on our sleeves,
In our hands and in our hair.
We party till the trees are bare.

The following color poem was inspired by Joyce Sidman’s book Red Sings from Tree Tops: A Year in Colors:

The Orange of October
shines in the face
of a harvest moon,
grows plump and round in pumpkin patches,
flickers in the angled eyes of jack o’ lanterns…
and their crooked copper grins.
The Orange of October
flames in oak leaves and asters,
smells like cinnamon and nutmeg,
tastes like sweet potato pie.

MY AUTUMN ACROSTICS
Mad magician of
Autumn
Painting
Leaves
Every color of the rainbow

Animals get ready for winter--slip
Under stones, hide in hollow logs, bury
Themselves in pond bottoms. The
Underlife of leaves bursts forth in a
Myriad of colors and they dazzle like jewels on a
Necklace of trees.

Must fly south
Into the sun…must
Get going…before Mother Nature
Raises her icy hands
And frosts
This world
In white. Follow me
On the wing to a land that does
Not know the chill of winter

Like baby birds
Eager to test their wings
A scarlet flock takes flight in a silent
Valediction to summer.
Earthbound, they
Settle into autumn, curl up from the cold.

Crimson and gold, pumpkin
Orange, lemon yellow, burnt sienna...
Leaves don their autumn finery in
October to celebrate the season.
Restless breezes set them dancing,
Swirling through air like a rainbow of dervishes

Orange moon, disk of burnished copper, gleams in the sky, prowling
Cats step gingerly through fallen leaves crisped by the cold,
Toothy pumpkins smile tremulously in the dark, a flock
Of geese honks farewell to trick-or-treaters toting sacks of sweets. Woe
Betide those out at the witching hour when All Hallows’
Eve swarms with ghosts who rise from their graves and
Return to spirit away unsuspecting souls before the month creaks closed like Dracula’s coffin.

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Here are a few of the old moldering poems that I found recently while cleaning out bins in my basement:

AUTUMN

Trees shiver on cold autumn nights
When dark comes early. Frost delights
In painting earth with icy hands.
From the orchards, yellow strands
Of apple scents drift through the town,
Colored leaves sift softly down,
And soon the summer green will drown
In a sea of nutmeg brown.

WILD GEESE

Wild geese fly past the face of the moon.
The long days will be over soon.
“Now,” they caution, “time to go
Before the sky fills up with snow.”

I watch them soar past summer’s end.
I close my eyes and I pretend
My arms are wings and I can fly
To where the sun flames gold in a winter sky.

ECHO

When autumn comes,
the cricket strums
a wishful song—
the echo of a summer gone,
warm memories to dream upon.

OCTOBER

At the farm stand—
fat, flame-orange pumpkins
jumbled and tumbled together—
a heap of harvest moons
waiting to shine on Halloween.

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The Poetry Friday Roundup is over at Great Kid Books this week.

Old Poems & New Furniture

2011-09-30T10:06:00.001-04:00

As I wrote in my Poetry Friday post last week, I’ve been busy spending lots of time with my little granddaughter Julia Anna and cleaning out the basement—where I’ve been discovering lots of old poems that I had forgotten about.

This week my husband and I decided to redo our dining room. We had given away our dining room set to my daughter and husband quite some time ago—so we haven’t used the room at all for a long time. We’ve been hosting Thanksgiving and other dinner parties in my library/office—which is in my basement.

Here’s a picture of Janet Wong and my daughter Sara in my library/office (2007).

Click here to see some more pictures of the room.

It was definitely time to fix up our once lovely, light-filled dining room again. I went furniture shopping on Monday and bought a new dining room set at Boston Interiors. Now we have to finish painting the dining room pronto because the furniture is going to be delivered next Tuesday!

I am so excited that we’ll finally be hosting Thanksgiving in our dining room this November!

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This morning I dug through some more "basement bins" and found the following old, moldering poems:

RISE AND SHINE

Wake up, sleepy bear,
It’s spring.
Stop your snoring—
Rise and sing.
Yawn your winter dreams
Away.
Take your bear cubs out to play.
Peek out from
Your darkened den.
All the world is green again!

CLOUD-MAKER

I’m a cloud-maker.
Watch me blow
A pale white billow,
Make it grow—
A fragile ghost-cloud,
Whisper-thin,
That vanishes as
I breathe in.

AUTUMN WALK

Crisp leaves crackle underfoot.
Air smells of cinnamon and earth.
The sky is ink—and wild geese
Arrow past a harvest moon
That shines bright as a brand new penny.

SPACE STORIES

White bowls
Cupped toward the heavens,
Eavesdropping on space,
Listening
To tales told
Of a time before time—

Of a Big Bang
Spewing star stuff
Into the universe,

Of whirling clouds
Of burning gases,

Of inanimate life
Breathing light
Into a dark void.

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Sara Lewis Holmes has the Poetry Friday Roundup at Read Write Believe.

Here & There: September 28, 2011

2011-09-28T10:40:00.002-04:00

The Horn Book has a brand new website. Click here to check it out.

From the September/October 2011 Issue of The Horn Book

Editorial: What Books Can Do by Roger Sutton

It’s My Party: An Interview with Maurice Sendak about His New Book by Leonard Marcus

Back to School by Martha B. Parravano

Project Child’s Play by Elizabeth Thomas

Mildred Batchelder: The Power of Thinking Big by Barbara Bader

What makes a Good Book about Sharing by Susan Dove Lempke

Starred Books—September/October 2011

Also at the Horn Book Website:

Five Questions for Leo Landry

Notes from the Horn Book—September 2011

Horn Book Blogs

School Library Journal

SLJ's 2011 Leadership Summit a Huge Hit by Debra Lau Whelan

More than 200,000 Book Lovers Attend DC National Book Festival by Rocco Staino

Publishers Weekly

Children’s Books at the Brooklyn Book Festival compiled by John A. Sellers

Information about the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival

Introducing the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival (A Fuse #8 Production)

The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival (James Kennedy)

Book Trailers

You Will Be My Friend by Peter Brown

Swirl by Swirl—written by Joyce Sidman & illustrated by Beth Krommes

Cleaning House and Discovering Old Poems

2011-09-23T11:51:00.008-04:00

I’ve kept myself busy lately. I’ve been spending as much time as possible with my adorable little granddaughter Julia Anna. I hate to be away from her for more than a couple of days. She seems to change by the hour. (She's grown two inches and gained three pounds since she came home from the hospital. She's also started to lose her hair.)

I’ve also been busy cleaning house. Actually, I’ve been cleaning my basement. When I took a year’s leave of absence from my teaching job in 1999 so I could return to school and take library media courses, I brought home bins of educational materials. When I retired from my school library position in 2004, it took me the entire summer to bring all my books and library resources home. I threw little away at first because I was still teaching a children’s literature course at Boston University. Now that I’m completely retired, I felt it was time to get rid of things I don’t need that have been cluttering up our basement. I’ve thrown away hundreds of old educational and library review journals, classroom activities and curriculum units that I had developed over the years, and various and sundry other things.

One great thing that has happened while I've been cleaning house is discovering old poems, parts of poems, and rough drafts of poems that I had forgotten about. I had stuffed them into bins that I stored on shelves in my basement a long time ago. I didn’t even recall writing most of these poems and poetic tidbits…on my typewriter.
I thought I’d post some of these "newly discovered" poetic items for Poetry Friday:

UNTITLED

Oh, to be a bird and sing
And wake the apple blossom spring.

Oh, to be a bird and rest
My feathers in a treetop nest.

Oh, to be a bird and fly
And brush my wingtips blue with sky.

Oh, to be a bird and see
The whole world spinning under me.

LIMERICK

There once was a snail who could climb
Up Jack’s beanstalk—if given the time.
Upon reaching the tip—
Well, he started to slip
Down the stalk on a river of slime.

MOON MAGIC

Here I am—
The man in the Moon—
Shining my bright
Sky face.
Here I am—
The night wizard,
Alchemist of light—
Changing the sun’s fiery gold
To cool silver.

POND LILIES

Lily pads pressed
on the water,
their shiny leaves
overlapping,
stitched together with
needles of sunlight,
stretch across the pond:
a small green sky
alight with
petalled stars.

ICICLES

From the eaves
icicles hang—
a crystal fringe
sequined with sunlight.
The sun’s yellow fingers
loosen their snowy stitches,
rub their glassy skin
until
bit by melting bit
they lose themselves
in the snow,
leaving their tracks
in a tidy row.

I haven't decided whether I should do more work on these poems--or just put them back in platic bins.

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Anastasia Suen has the Poetry Friday Roundup at Picture Book of the Day.

Over at Blue Rose Girls, I have a post titled Banned Books Week: Jonah Goldberg Claims It's Just ALA Propaganda.

The Pig Wants to Party: Terry Gross Interviews Maurice Sendak on Fresh Air

2011-09-21T13:06:00.005-04:00

Yesterday—while I was driving in my car—I listened to a truly interesting and revelatory interview that Terry Gross had with award-winning children’s author Maurice Sendak. They talked about Sendak’s new book Bumble-ardy, his work, and his life.

From the NPR website:

Bumble-ardy, the latest from author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, is dark and deeply imaginative, much like his classic works Where the Wild Things Are and In The Night Kitchen.

Bumble-ardy is an orphaned pig, who has reached the age of 9 without ever having a birthday party. He tells his Aunt Adeline that he would like to have a party for his ninth birthday, so Aunt Adeline plans a quiet birthday dinner for two. But Bumble-ardy instead decides to throw a large costume party for himself after his aunt leaves for work — and mayhem ensues.

When his aunt returns she says, "Okay smarty, you've had your party but never again." Bumble-ardy replies, "I promise, I swear, I won't ever turn 10."

Sendak tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross that those two lines — his favorite in the book — sum up his life and his work.

"Those two lines are essential. 'I'll never be 10' touches me deeply but I won't pretend that I know exactly what it means," says Sendak. "When I thought of it, I was so happy I thought of it. It came to me, which is what the creative act is all about. Things come to you without you necessarily knowing what they mean. ... It comes at a time when I am getting ripe, getting old — and I want to do work that resonates."

Sendak says that he worked on Bumble-ardy while taking care of his longtime partner, Eugene Glynn, who died of lung cancer in 2007.

"When I did Bumble-ardy, I was so intensely aware of death," he says. "Eugene, my friend and partner, was dying here in the house when I did Bumble-ardy. I did Bumble-ardy to save myself. I did not want to die with him. I wanted to live as any human being does. But there's no question that the book was affected by what was going on here in the house. ... Bumble-ardy was a combination of the deepest pain and the wondrous feeling of coming into my own. And it took a long time. It took a very long time."

Click here to listen to the interview.

Click here to look inside the book.

Anita Silvey on Maurice Sendak

Maurice Sendak the Artist: An Interview