Here & There: February 10, 2011

From School Library Journal

Places in the Heart: Celebrating Black History Month
School Library Journal asked some of the top kids’ book creators to choose their favorite children’s book about the black experience.

Here, There, and Everywhere: The United States Board on Books for Young People cites 40 international books for its 2011 honor list

Bullying: The Elephant in the Schoolyard (K-12 resources about bullying)


From Booklist Online

Classroom Connections: Marching for Freedom—Linking Literature to Primary Sources

Top 10 Black History Books for Youth: 2011

Top 10 Black History Books for Youth: 2010


From Wild Rose Reader

Black History Month Resources

Untitled Winter Sun Poem

Sun sears a winter sky
sets it afire
flares in the west
before it settles down
for the night

A Winter Poetry Tidbit

bent low
with snow
bushes bow to winter

Shadows on Snow: Revisiting an Old Poem

Years ago I wrote the following haiku. It was included in the children’s book Robert’s Snowflakes.

A snowman shadow
paints himself in blue upon
a cold white canvas.

Note: I had originally written the poem about a tree—not a snowman.

Yesterday, I was looking down from my bedroom window at shadows on the snow in my yard. I opened a window and shot some pictures. Then I decided to re-envision the snowman haiku as a “tree” poem once again. I've posted my first draft of the poem below.

a pine
dips its bristles
in a bowl of sky
brushes blue
on a winter white canvas
paints a self portrait

Here are links to some of the other poetry & pictures posts I’ve done recently:
It Snowed and Snowed: An Original Poem
It’s Snowing Again!: An Original Poem
An Icicle Shape Poem
To Catch a Setting Sun: Rough Draft of an Original Poem
A Snowstorm Poem Three Ways

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The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Dori Reads.

It Snowed and Snowed: An Original Poem

Well...the storms just keep on a comin' and a comin' this winter. I don't get out much these days. Yesterday, it snowed again. Today we had another storm, which started out as an ice storm...then it changed to rain...and then to snow. I think it will be June before all the white stuff around here melts!

Being snowbound has had a bright side for me though. I've be taking lots of pictures of snow and icicles and sunsets and have been inspired to write poetry again. That's a relief because I've had writer's block for months.

Here are some pictures that I took this morning and a poem that I wrote this afternoon:




It Snowed and Snowed

It snowed all day.
It snowed all night.
It snowed and snowed.
Two feet of white
covered everything in sight.
Our yard,
our deck,
our walk,
the road
don’t look the same
because it snowed...
and snowed
and snowed
and snowed
and snowed.
I dress up in my winter wear
and step out in the frosty air.
I look around and what I see
is a marshmallow world
waiting for me!

Here are links to some of the other poems I've written recently:

It's Snowing Again!

An Icicle Shape Poem

To Catch a Setting Sun

A Snowstorm Poem Three Ways