Friday, December 28, 2012

Things to Do If You Are a Book: An Original List Poem



 
My granddaughter Julia loves books. That makes her grandma smile! One of her new favorites to look through is a poetry collection that I gave her for Christmas—Christmas Presents: Holiday Poetry. Yesterday, she even sat in my lap as I read her some of the poems in the book.
 
 
Another one of her favorite books is Jamberry. Here are some pictures that I took of her reading it recently.
 
 
 
 I hope Julia will continue to love books. I’m happy that she doesn’t chew on them now.



 
 
Here’s a list poem that I wrote some time ago. I’m dedicating it to my granddaughter Julia today.

 
THINGS TO DO IF YOU ARE A BOOK

Be filled with words that tell a tale
of a little mouse and a giant whale
of a runty pig and his spider friend
who was true and loyal to the end
of a child who ate just bread and jam
of a funky guy, green eggs, and ham
of a spunky girl named Ramona Q.
of a Jabberwock that a young boy slew.
Be filled with words and tell a tale
that will let my imagination sail.
Be a mystery
or a fantasy
and sing with sounds of poetry.
Between your covers
let there be
a story that’s just right for me.

 
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The Poetry Friday Roundup is at Carol’s Corner.


HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!


Monday, December 24, 2012

A Holiday Video to Make You Smile

I wanted to wish all my friends in the kidlitosphere a MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!


Friday, November 30, 2012

TERMITES: An Original Animal Mask Poem





I know I’ve mentioned more than once on this blog that I LOVE writing animal mask poems. I have written dozens of them. A few years ago, I took the advice of my friends Grace Lin and Janet Wong and culled out all the poems about smaller animals and insects that children might observe in their backyards or find close to home for a collection. I also wrote some new poems. I had tentatively titled the collection Backyard Voices. Then I changed it to Listen! Listen! after I wrote the following poem to introduce my collection of animal mask poems:

Listen. Listen. Cup an ear.
Little creatures living near
Speak in voices we can hear.

One of the new poems that I wrote for Listen! Listen! is about insects that we hate to find invading our homes—TERMITES.

TERMITES

Crunch, crunch, crunch!
Yum, yum!
Wood
Tastes so
Tastes so
Tastes so good.
A piney plank
A two by four
A big broad beam
A parquet floor
A pair of clogs
A tool shed door
We eat all day
And we still want more.
Crunch, crunch, crunch!
Yum, yum!
Wood
Tastes so
Tastes so
Tastes SO GOOD.
 
 
Amy has the Poetry Friday Roundup at The Poem Farm.
 
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We had a wonderful family Thanksgiving at "The Farm." Julia didn't sleep all day. She so enjoyed having lots of company.
 
Julia on Thanksgiving



This week I took Julia outside  a couple of times so she could explore her yard. I took this short video of her:
 


It is great being a nanny granny! I love spending so much time with my granddaughter Julia.

 

 


Friday, November 16, 2012

Poetry and Songs for Thanksgiving

 
THANKSGIVING
Author Unknown

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 TIME
Author Unknown
 
When all the leaves are off the boughs,
And nuts and apples gathered in,
And cornstalks waiting for the cows,
And pumpkins safe in barn and bin,
Then Mother says, "My children dear,
The fields are brown, and autumn flies;
Thanksgiving Day is very near,
And we must make thanksgiving pies!"

 
Click here and here and here to read some more Thanksgiving poetry for children.

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Thanksgiving Song - Mary Chapin Carpenter


 

Thanksgiving Songs for Children - FIVE LITTLE TURKEYS - Turkey Kids


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Anastasia Suen has the Poetry FridayRoundup at Booktalking.

 

 

Friday, November 9, 2012

A Poem about Night


 
It’s been an interesting couple of weeks for me. We had a family Halloween party the last weekend in October at “The Farm.” That’s what my husband calls the house that we’ll be moving to at some time in the future. My daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter have already been living there for two months now.
 
My husband and I have plans to have some renovations done on our new living quarters before we move in. One thing that is a must—having a wall of bookshelves built in our upstairs office/den. I have thousands of children’s books that I don’t want to sell or give away. I want to keep them for my granddaughter Julia. She LOVES Books!
 
Last week, we had to batten down the hatches in preparation for Hurricane Sandy. Fortunately, the storm didn’t hit my area too hard. This week we had a nor’easter. We got snow here on Wednesday night. The weather is looking up here for the long weekend ahead.
 
I’ve been so busy taking care of Julia and with our renovations plans that I’ve found little time to blog or write poetry. I did, however, write a poem “in my head” a few weeks ago when I was taking Julia for a walk to a nearby park on a beautiful autumn day. Here it is:


Night
Sang the sun a lullaby
And sprinkled stars across the sky
And lit the moon
And made it shine
Into this little room of mine.

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Ed DeCaria has the Poetry Friday Roundup at Think Kid, Think!

 

Friday, October 19, 2012

Halloween Poetry


 
The website of The Academy of American Poets has a special section devoted to Halloween. It features poems about ghosts, haunted houses, vampires, and the underworld. It even includes suggestions for poet costumes.
Ghosts 

Here are two poems to share on Halloween--one from William Shakespeare and one from my friend, children's poet David McCord.

Macbeth, Act IV, Scene I [Round about the cauldron go]
by William Shakespeare
The three witches, casting a spell
 
Round about the cauldron go;  
In the poison’d entrails throw.  
Toad, that under cold stone   
Days and nights hast thirty one  
Swelter’d venom sleeping got,  
Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot.  
 
     Double, double toil and trouble;
     Fire burn and cauldron bubble.  
 
Fillet of a fenny snake,  
In the cauldron boil and bake;  
Eye of newt, and toe of frog,  
Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,  
Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting,  
Lizard’s leg, and howlet’s wing,  
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.  
 
     Double, double toil and trouble;  
     Fire burn and cauldron bubble. 
 
Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,            
Witches’ mummy, maw and gulf        
Of the ravin’d salt-sea shark,              
Root of hemlock digg’d i’ the dark,   
Liver of blaspheming Jew,     
Gall of goat, and slips of yew             
Sliver’d in the moon’s eclipse,            
Nose of Turk, and Tartar’s lips,          
Finger of birth-strangled babe              
Ditch-deliver’d by a drab,   
Make the gruel thick and slab:            
Add thereto a tiger’s chaudron,          
For the ingredients of our cauldron.
 
     Double, double toil and trouble;  
     Fire burn and cauldron bubble. 

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Mr. Macklin's Jack O'Lantern
by David McCord
Mr. Macklin takes his knife
And carves the yellow pumpkin face:
Three holes bring eyes and nose to life,
The mouth has thirteen teeth in place.
Then Mr. Macklin just for fun
Transfers the corn-cob pipe from his
Wry mouth to Jack's, and everyone
Dies laughing! O what fun it is
Till Mr. Macklin draws the shade
And lights the candle in Jack's skull.
 
You can read the rest of the poem here.
 
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Irene Latham has the Poetry Friday Roundup at Live Your Poem...