Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Children's Author & Illustrator Jarrett J. Krosoczka to be the Featured Speaker at the Winter Meeting of the Massachusetts PAS North Shore Council

Jarrett J. Krosoczka


PAS North Shore Council Winter Dinner Meeting
March 10, 2010
Salem, Massachusetts
5:00 pm


About Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Jarrett J. Krosoczka grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts, and attended the Rhode Island School of Design. He graduated from RISD in 1999—and had signed a contract for his first children’s book within six months of his graduation. Since 2001, Jarrett has written and illustrated nine picture books—including Punk Farm, Max for President, My Buddy Slug, Baghead, and Good Night, Monkey Boy. Jarrett embarked on a new path in his successful career with the 2009 publication of his first two graphic novels—Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute and Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians. Universal Pictures has picked up the Lunch Lady series for a movie project. Amy Poehler has signed on to star in the film adaptation of the books, which focus on "a mild-mannered school cafeteria server who secretly dishes out helpings of justice as she and her assistant investigate wrongdoings. The books also feature three kids who try to figure out her double life." Jarrett’s books have been short-listed by Newsweek, USA Today, The Boston Globe, and The New York Times.

Information about the Winter Dinner Meeting of the PAS North Shore Council of IRA
Our council’s winter dinner meeting will be held on March 10th at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem, Massachusetts. The meeting will begin at 5:00 with a social hour during which Jarrett will sign books. Attendees can purchase a number of Jarrett’s books at the hotel. (Note: Payment for books must be made in cash or by check.)The meeting will begin at 5:00 with a social hour during which Jarrett will sign books. Attendees will be able to purchase a number of Jarrett's most popular books at the hotel. (Note: Payment for books must be made in cash or by check.)

The cost for our March dinner is $42 for members and $51 for non-members.

Dinner Choices
  • Chicken Breast Stuffed with Apples and Pecans, served with maple Dijon Sauce
  • Roasted New England Cod with Pumpkin Seed Crust and Red Onion Marmalade
If you are interested in attending our March dinner, email me. I have extra copies of the registration form. The deadline for registration is February 26, 2010.




Two New Poems at Political Verses

I have two new poems at Political Verses.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

More Books & Resources for Black History Month 2010

Books & Resources

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Poetry for Black History Month

Sweethearts of Rhythm:
The Story of the Greatest All-Girl Swing Band in the World

Written by Marilyn Nelson
Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney


You can read the Booklist review here.
You can read more about the book here.

The Poetry of Music: An Interview with Marilyn Nelson (School Library Journal, 10/29/2009)
Interview with Marilyn Nelson (The Brown Bookshelf)
Click here to listen to Marilyn Nelson read her poem A Wreath for Emmett Till.

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My People
Written by Langston Hughes
Photographs by Charles R. Smith Jr.

You can read the School Library Journal review here.

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Becoming Billie Holiday
Written by Carole Boston Weatherford
Art by Floyd Cooper

You can read about the book and learn about Billie Holiday here.
Author Interview: Carole Boston Weatherford on Becoming Billie Holiday (Cynsations)
Becoming Billie Holiday: Blog Tour (The Brown Bookshelf)

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Poems to Celebrate Black History Month (Poetry Foundation)
Langston Hughes (The Academy of American Poets)
Phillis Wheatley (The Academy of American Poets)
Paul Laurence Dunbar (The Academy of American Poets)
Black History (The Academy of American Poets)

Friday, February 5, 2010

A Red Riding Hood Fairy Tale Poem



Back in 1994-1995, I took a year’s leave of absence from my teaching job when I was invited to travel to the People’s Republic of China with an educational delegation. I was in China for just a couple of weeks. That was a year when we were also doing major renovations on our house—so I really needed to be around much of the time. Once the contractor and his workers were finished, I had a lot of free time. I decided to spend it writing children’s poetry.

Every school year, I used to do an extensive unit on folklore in my classroom. Some years, my students even wrote fairy tale poems. Their fairy tale poems inspired me to write my own collection, Excerpts from the Fairy Tale Files, while I was at home on leave. Here’s one of the fairy tale poems that I wrote in the form of a Question & Answer:



Q: Who tricked Little Red Riding Hood?


A: The wolf who waited in the wood.

He coaxed sweet Red to pick wildflowers,

Then sneaked away and GULP! devoured

Dear old Granny, jumped in bed

With Granny’s bonnet on his head.

The wolf, alas, was not yet through.

When Red arrived, he ate her, too!

His belly full, his eyelids closed.

He licked his chops and, snoring, dozed.

Anon, a whistling huntsman passed.

He heard loud snoring, was aghast

To find the wolf in deep repose,

All gussied up in Granny’s clothes.

The huntsman raised his knife and cut

A deep slit in the culprit’s gut.

Then out crawled Granny, Little Red.

All three pronounced the sly wolf dead.

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At Blue Rose Girls, I have a poem by Trish Crapo titled Back Then--a poem about childhood and innocence.

At Political Verses, I have a new poem: Who Dat Hangin' at da Laundromat?


Mary Ann has the Poetry Friday Roundup at Great Kids Books.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Chinese New Year: Book Lists & Resources

Book Lists



Crafts, Activities, & Resources


Edited to Add: Chinese New Year craft ideas from Grace Lin:
Chinese Traditional Literature and Literary Tales


Chinese Mother Goose Rhymes
Selected & Edited by Robert Wyndham
Pictures by Ed Young



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The Dragon Prince: A Chinese Beauty & the Beast Tale
Written by Laurence Yep
Pictures by Kam Yak
Click here to browse inside the book.

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The Emperor and the Kite
Written by Jane Yolen
Illustrated by Ed Young

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The Empty Pot
Written & Illustrated by Demi

From the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character
at the Boston University School of Education—
The Empty Pot: A Lesson about Integrity

The Empty Pot: A Video


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Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
Written & Illustrated by Ed Young

From Scholastic—Lon Po Po: A Chinese Fairytale Lesson Plan
Click here for more story extension suggestions.

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Ming Lo Moves the Mountain
Written & Illustrated by Arnold Lobel

From Scholastic: Ming lo Moves the Mountain Teaching Plan
From Scholastic: Ming Lo Moves the Mountain Discussion Guide

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The Seven Chinese Brothers
Written by Margaret Mahy
Illustrated by Jean & Mou-sien Tseng

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Stone Soup
Retold & Illustrated by Jon J Muth
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Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China
Retold by Ai-Ling Louie
Illustrated by Ed Young