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April 30: Celebrating Children’s Day, Book Day
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May 4-10, 2015 Celebrating Children’s Book Week
Another big celebration of children and books is coming up soon:
National Children’s Book Week,
May 4-10, 2015
It used to be in November, but it’s been a May event for awhile now and I’m happy to report that we have a poem for Book Week coming up in our CELEBRATIONS book. It’s “Treasure Hunt” by Sandy Asher. Laura D. has recruited a young reader to perform this poem in both English and Spanish.
For more information about National Children’s Book Week, check out the Children’s Book Council site HERE. And we’re excited to be one of the few publishers offering a POETRY-themed “Event Kit” for Book Week this year. It includes reproducibles, game and coloring pages, bookmarks, and a word search featuring the word “poetry” in 20 different languages!
OUR EVENT KIT: http://tinyurl.com/o9n9c3u
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Celebrating Poem in Your Pocket Day
You'll find heaps more poems in the form of Pocket Poem cards at our Pinterest page HERE.
And Melissa R. has videotaped a young reader performing the poem, too, complete with voiceover while she's eating and reading a card!
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May 4-8, 2015 Celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week
And for an extra treat, here's the poet Eric Ode SINGING his poem in this video here:
For the full text of this poem and 150+ more (all in English AND Spanish), order your own copy of The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations HERE and for more Poetry Celebrations fun, click HERE.
Now head on over to Ellen’s place at SpaceCityScribes for more Poetry Friday sharing.
Next, I’ll be sharing more “Poet to Poet” interviews, clips from the 11th annual Poetry Round Up at the recent Texas Library Association conference, excerpts from my BOOK LINKS article on verse memoirs, and much more! Stay tuned...
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Celebrating World Red Cross Day
Today, May 8, is World Red Cross Day and of course we have featured it in our new book, The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations. Our featured poem, "Look for the Helpers," is byMichelle Heidenrich Barnes and it's a lovely, sensitive poem that helps children focus on the helping nature of this important organization-- and how they can help right where they are. In addition to writing this beautiful poem, Michelle created a video too! And even got the Red Cross organization involved! She has posted it on her blog today too, so check out her poem video HERE. It's a wonderful way to share a poem in a one-minute movie complete with visuals and audio, too.
Take 5!
As you surely know, we also provide mini-lessons or "Take 5" activities for every poem in all our books, so here are the Take 5 activities for THIS poem, "Look for the Helpers" by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes in The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations.
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Take 5!
As you surely know, we also provide mini-lessons or "Take 5" activities for every poem in all our books, so here are the Take 5 activities for THIS poem, "Look for the Helpers" by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes in The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations.
Now head on over to Michelle's blog, Today's Little Ditty, for the rest of the Poetry Friday party!
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The Symbiosis of Science and Poetry
Sometimes unlikely partners can benefit each other in surprising ways. For example, dogs offer protection and companionship to humans, who in turn provide food and shelter for dogs. This “give-and-take” relationship is called symbiosis, referring to relationships that have mutual benefit.
Then we go on to highlight some recent works of science-themed poetry, including The Poetry Friday Anthology for Science:
There are many wonderful science-themed works of poetry to choose about animals, weather, seasons, and space. In addition to short, visually-appealing poetry collections such as Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems by Kate Coombs, Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature’s Survivors by Joyce Sidman, and A Strange Place to Call Home: The World’s Most Dangerous Habitats and the Animals That Call Them Home by Marilyn Singer, you can also find comprehensive anthologies such as The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and Imagination compiled by Mary Ann Hoberman and Linda Wilson, The National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry compiled by J. Patrick Lewis, and our own The Poetry Friday Anthology for Science, a recent “NSTA Recommends” title endorsed by the National Science Teachers Association. It features 218 poems about solar power and hybrid cars, gears and robots, hurricanes and the human body, video games and glaciers, famous scientists and everyday inventions, and more (along with learning activities for every poem). Using these science poetry resources and many others, it’s possible to find a short “poem match” for almost any elementary science topic to provide a moment of learning that is also a fun break in the routine. 
One helpful selection resource is the annual list of Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12, co-sponsored by the Children’s Book Council and the National Science Teachers Association. This annotated bibliography typically includes a few new books of science-themed poetry every year, sometimes in the form of rhyming picturebooks and verse novels. We address the science curriculum standards and how to address them through poetry. And we also talk about how to address research skills, as well as different approaches to publishing science-themed poetry-- including pairing prose and poetry. Finally, we offer a few examples of how to maximize science-poem moments:
*A “Galactic Glossary” in Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian defines everything from “the minor planets” to “the great beyond,” with a sprinkling of especially kid-friendly facts.
*Face Bug by J. Patrick Lewis not only provides exceptional close-up photos of insect faces, but also ends with a section in which each of the insects featured in a poem has a first-person statement about “Where I Live,” “How I Grow,” “What I Eat,” and “What Eats Me.” (The Pearl Crescent Butterfly says, “I count robber flies . . . and, of course . . . BIRDS on my Most Scary List” while the venomous Saddleback Caterpillar says, “Go away, if you know what’s good for you!”)
*Nature Notes in the back of Avis Harley’s poetry collection African Acrostics feature informative paragraphs alongside thumbnail photos of each of the animals highlighted in the book; Susan Blackaby provides similar information about each of the animal habitats she showcases in the poems of Nest, Nook & Cranny. In addition, both Harley and Blackaby provide a section about the poetic forms they employ in the poems, too.
You can find more info about this excellent journal HERE.
Now head on over to Random Noodling where Diane has the Poetry Friday party going strong!
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Poet to Poet: Holly Thompson interviews Margarita Engle
Holly Thompson is a poet and author who originally hails from Massachusetts, but lived in Japan for 20 years and writes about this cross-cultural, inter-cultural experience in sensitive and thoughtful novels in verse like Orchards, The Language Inside, and the forthcoming Falling into the Dragon's Mouth. 
Margarita Engle is the award-winning author of many novels and biographical works in verse such as The Poet Slave of Cuba, The Surrender Tree, Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba, The Firefly Letters; A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba, Hurricane Dancers; The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck, The Wild Book, Mountain Dog, The Lightning Dreamer, and Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal. Her new book is Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir-- perhaps her most personal book yet! Here, Holly asks Margarita about writing, memoir, childhood and culture in a series of very compelling and thoughtful questions and responses. Enjoy!
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Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir by Margarita Engle New York: Atheneum, 2015. |
Tropical Windows
In this centuries-old house,
each floor-to-ceiling window
is truly an opening—no glass,
just twisted wrought iron bars
that let the sea breeze flow in
like a friendly spirit.
At night fireflies blink inside rooms,
and big, pale green luna moths float
like graceful wisps of moonlight.
In the morning, all those night creatures
vanish, replaced by cousins and neighbors
who peer in through the barred windows
to greet me and chat.
Sylvia: As a fellow traveler, I love that idea: of healing through travel. Thank you, Holly and Margarita for sharing so generously and for all your works that consider the intersection of the cultural, the personal, and the political. I am a big fan of you BOTH! And I think Enchanted Air is an amazing book, a beautiful blend of personal memories and a slice of history, as well as a coming-of-age story. I'm lucky enough to be able to dig deeply into this book to create a reader's guide for Enchanted Air-- more info on that later.
Meanwhile, head on over to Radio, Rhythm, and Rhyme where Matt Forrest is hosting Poetry Friday and has some good news of his own to share.
Image credits: YAReview.net; MargaritaEngle.com; Commons.Wikimedia.org; authorsforphilippines.wordpress.com; NoWaterRiver.com; blogs.mccombs.utexas.edu
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New Young People's Poet Laureate: Jacqueline Woodson
I'm so excited to announce that the next Young People's Poet Laureate has been selected. It's Jacqueline Woodson!
Jacqueline is the multi-award winning author of approximately 30 books for children and teens-- including the recent National Book Award winner, Brown Girl Dreaming,her memoir in verse-- which you know was one of my favorite books of the whole year! She also published Locomotion (2003) and Peace, Locomotion (2010) featuring a poetry writing character, Lonnie (nicknamed "Locomotion") with poems woven throughout the narrative. And of course her novels and picture books are built on beautiful, poetic language and memorable characters and true-to-life moments.
Here's one of my favorite moments from Brown Girl Dreaming:
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to take out seven books each. On those days,
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the picture book filled with brown people, more
From: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (Penguin, 2014)
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The official announcement is here. And you'll find an interview with Jacqueline and Stacey Lynn Brown here. In this article, Jacqueline is brilliant, as always-- I loved this excerpt in particular:
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"I think one thing I want to do as young people’s poet laureate is make sure all people know that poetry is a party everyone is invited to. I think many people believe and want others to believe that poetry is for the precious, entitled, educated few. And that’s just not true. Our children’s first words are poems—poems we and our listeners are delighted to hear and eager to understand. Rap is poetry. Spoken word is poetry. Poetry lives in our everyday. I’ve read some of the most poetic tweets, listened to poetic voice messages and snippets of dialogue between teenagers. In terms of what distinguishes poetry from other genres—it wastes no time, and I love that. Poetry doesn’t meander—well, a lot of poetry doesn’t. It says, “Understand me now because what I need to say is urgent.” And this urgency, this sense of getting the moment on the page and then letting silence fill the white space, is one of the many things I love about poetry. I would love for everyone to listen to the poetry inside of them. I would love for everyone to believe that they have a poem to write, say, sing, rap, dance..."
I applaud this choice and look forward to what Jacqueline does next! Meanwhile, it's not too late to check out the Poetry Friday posts over at Buffy's Blog!
Jacqueline is the multi-award winning author of approximately 30 books for children and teens-- including the recent National Book Award winner, Brown Girl Dreaming,her memoir in verse-- which you know was one of my favorite books of the whole year! She also published Locomotion (2003) and Peace, Locomotion (2010) featuring a poetry writing character, Lonnie (nicknamed "Locomotion") with poems woven throughout the narrative. And of course her novels and picture books are built on beautiful, poetic language and memorable characters and true-to-life moments.
Here's one of my favorite moments from Brown Girl Dreaming:
stevie and me (pp. 227-228)
Every Monday, my mother takes us
to the library around the corner. We are allowed
to take out seven books each. On those days,no one complains
that all I want are picture books.
Those days, no one tells me to read faster
to read harder books
to read like Dell.
No one is there to say, Not that book,
when I stop in front of the small paperback
with a brown boy on the cover.
Stevie.
I read:
One day my momma told me
“You know you’re gonna have
a little friend come stay with you.”
And I said, “Who is it?”
And I said, “Who is it?”
If someone had been fussing with me
to read like my sister, I might have missed
the picture book filled with brown people, morebrown people than I’d ever seen
in a book before.
The little boy’s name was Steven but
his mother kept calling him Stevie
my name is Robert by my momma don’t
call me Robertie.
If someone has taken
that book out of my hand
said, You’re too old for this
maybe
I’d never have believed
that someone who looked like me
could be in the pages of the book
that someone who looked like me
had a story.
Here's more about the award...
Formerly, the Children's Poet Laureate, now the Young People's Poet Laureate, this award was established by the Poetry Foundation in 2006 to raise awareness of the fact that children have a natural receptivity to poetry and are its most appreciative audience, especially when poems are written specifically for them. The Young People's Poet Laureate receives a $25,000 cash prize and a medallion that includes the inscription “Permit a child to join,” taken from an Emily Dickinson poem. The Young People's Poet Laureate serves as a consultant to the Foundation for a two-year period and gives at least two major public readings for children and their families, teachers, and librarians during his/her term. He/She also serves as an advisor to the Poetry Foundation on children’s literature, and may engage in a variety of projects and events to help instill a love of poetry among the nation’s youngest readers.
Recipients
2015 Jacqueline Woodson
2013 Kenn Nesbitt
2011 J. Patrick Lewis
2008 Mary Ann Hoberman
2008 Mary Ann Hoberman
2006 Jack Prelutsky
The official announcement is here. And you'll find an interview with Jacqueline and Stacey Lynn Brown here. In this article, Jacqueline is brilliant, as always-- I loved this excerpt in particular:
"I think one thing I want to do as young people’s poet laureate is make sure all people know that poetry is a party everyone is invited to. I think many people believe and want others to believe that poetry is for the precious, entitled, educated few. And that’s just not true. Our children’s first words are poems—poems we and our listeners are delighted to hear and eager to understand. Rap is poetry. Spoken word is poetry. Poetry lives in our everyday. I’ve read some of the most poetic tweets, listened to poetic voice messages and snippets of dialogue between teenagers. In terms of what distinguishes poetry from other genres—it wastes no time, and I love that. Poetry doesn’t meander—well, a lot of poetry doesn’t. It says, “Understand me now because what I need to say is urgent.” And this urgency, this sense of getting the moment on the page and then letting silence fill the white space, is one of the many things I love about poetry. I would love for everyone to listen to the poetry inside of them. I would love for everyone to believe that they have a poem to write, say, sing, rap, dance..."I applaud this choice and look forward to what Jacqueline does next! Meanwhile, it's not too late to check out the Poetry Friday posts over at Buffy's Blog!
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Poet to Poet: Amy Ludwig VanDerwater Interviews Lee Wardlaw
Amy Ludwig VanDerwater’s work has appeared in multiple anthologies and she is a frequent and popular workshop presenter and literacy consultant. She is a former fifth grade teacher and her current blogs, Poem Farm and Sharing our Notebooks are both highly regarded resources on the writing and teaching of poetry. Her first full-length book for children was the lovely walk-through-the-woods, Forest Has a Song and her next book, Every Day Birds, will be out in the spring, 2016. 
Lee Wardlaw grew up in Santa Barbara, CA, and wrote her first book in second grade. She continued to write poems, stories and plays all through elementary school. She worked as a teacher for five years before deciding to write full-time and the award-winning author of close to 30 books for young readers, including Won Ton: A Cat Tale in Haiku; Red, White and Boom; 101 Ways to Bug Your Friends and Enemies, among others. She is also a frequent presenter of workshops and programs for children, teachers, and parents.Here, Amy asks Lee all about her passion for cats and her creation of her new book, Won Ton and Chopstick, and Lee reciprocates with many images of her process along with her fascinating responses.
Wait – I take that back. Writing in a cat-ly voice didn’t come easily at first, not until I switched from prose to haiku. That’s when Won Ton’s purrsonality really pounced off the page. I think that’s because cats and haiku have so much in common (as you can see from my analysis, below). I firmly believe that if cats were to speak human, they would do so in haiku.
Yes, Won Ton is modeled after several of my previous cats (with a bit of my own persnickety-ness thrown in). Won Ton – A Cat Tale Told in Haiku is actually based on the sweet, affectionate relationship that my son and his cat, Papaya, developed over the last decade.
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| Papaya and my son, Patterson, at age 8 and at age 18. |
True Confession #1: I’ve never owned a dog. So Chopstick is not modeled after any pup I’ve know personally. For him, I actually had to do research!
I interviewed my author-friend Bruce Hale, who has a dog, Riley. Bruce filled me in on many canine characteristics, such as: they love to dig, they love to chew, and they love to dig and chew.
I also interview Amy Shojai a fellow member of the Cat Writers’ Association. Amy is a certified animal behavior consultant (CABC). She supplied me with amazingly helpful info about the common emotional, physical and social dynamics between a resident cat and a new puppy that invades his turf.
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Illustration from Won Ton and Chopstick, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin |
My long-time writer-buddy Dian Curtis Regan passed along a great anecdote about her elderly kitty, Gracie, and her new puppy, Nellie, which inspired this poem:
Proper cats prefer
playthings with feathers or fur.
So whose toys are these?
For your readers who don’t know, haiku (HI-koo) and senryu (SEN-ree-yoo) are similar. Both traditionally feature three unrhymed lines containing a grand total of 17 syllables (5-7-5, respectively) – and are written in the present tense. Each also captures the essence of a moment. In haiku, the moment is of nature; in senryu, the foibles of human nature (or, in my case, feline nature) are the focus, expressed by a narrator in a humorous, playful or ironic way. That’s Won Ton!
Lee: My process is the same as drafting a novel or a picture book – at least in the beginning.
First, I brainstorm ideas for the characters, which includes various aspects of their personalities: their needs, fears, wants, likes, loves, hates and – of course – their names.
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| ‘Name-storming’ for the puppy in Won Ton and Chopstick |
I even made extensive notes on the types of sounds cats make, which is more than just meowing, growling or purring. (There’s also trilling, chattering, and chirruping, to name just a few.) I have notebooks scattered all over the house, in my purse, in my car. If I don’t have a notebook handy (rare, but it happens), I brainstorm on the back of grocery store receipts, bank deposit forms, napkins and restaurant placemats.
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Random notes I made in the middle of dinner out with my family. (Yeah, they’re used to me ignoring them when the muse strikes.) |
It’s crucial for me to understand not only who or what my characters are, but also why. In other words, I have to understand my characters’ motivations: the values, beliefs, emotions, fears, etc., that drive them to action. Without these motivations, I can’t create conflict or plot. And without conflict and plot, well, there’s no story.
Once I’ve created my characters, then I outline the plot. It’s a rough outline, because when I’m doing the actual writing, I like to allow myself to play, experiment, and explore; to scamper off, or sniff out intriguing tangents. But I always, ALWAYS know exactly how my story ends – even if the journey there changes somewhat along the way.
Then, finally, FINALLY, I start writing the poems. I think I ended up with 80 poems for Won Ton and Chopstick, which was 40 too many. So I printed each one out separately, and spread them across the floor of my family room, arranging and rearranging them into plot sections, such as “The Routine”, The Sneaking Suspicion”, “The Surprise”, “The Altercation”, “The Vindication”, etc. (This took a while, because whenever Papaya spies any piece of paper on the floor, he must immediately come lie down upon it.)
Next, things got rough. That’s because I was now forced to “kill my darlings” (to quote William Faulkner). Meaning, I had to banish a lot of poems I adored because they either slowed the story pace, or didn’t increase the conflict, or failed to portray a necessary emotion, or sounded “author-y”. And, of course, each haiku had to be honed many, many times, because every single one is almost like a little story all on its own. (The final version of Won Ton and Chopstick has 37 poems; Won Ton has 33.)
Won Ton? How can I
be soup? Some day, I’ll tell you
my real name. Maybe.
By the end of the story, the reader knows that Won Ton has grown to trust and love his human:
“Good night, Won Ton,” you
whisper. Boy, it’s time you knew:
My name is Haiku.
In the second book, Won Ton is clear about his dislike for the new puppy:
Don’t bother barking
your real name. I’ve already
guessed. It must be…Pest!
But that dislike eventually erodes, transforming into trust and affection. I mirror that growth and depth of feeling in the last poem, when Won Ton says to Chopstick:
Your secret revealed.
What kind of name is Bashō?
I shall call you…Friend.
Although each book can stand alone, this last poem contains a surprise that connects it to the original story. In this way, I honor the fans of Won Ton – and also pay homage to Matsuo Munefusa (1644-1694), the Japanese haiku master whose pseudonym was Bashō.
Sylvia: Wasn't this wonderful? I love Amy's questions about cat, form, and process and Lee's answers are so personal and honest-- complete with fantastic images that help us visualize her thinking. What a treat to share with young aspiring writers, too.
Meanwhile, head on over to Jama’s Alphabet Soup for our blueberry-themed Poetry Friday party! See you there!
Image credits: LeeWardlaw, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, Smithsonianapa.org
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YALSA at ALA in San Francisco
It's time for the annual conference of the American Library Association, this time in San Francisco, California! I'm lucky enough to be presenting alongside an amazing panel, thanks to YALSA. Here's the lowdown:
The WeNeedDiverseBooks movement challenges us to help young people connect with their passions, desires, and interests by embracing diversity. A panel of scholars, authors, and practitioners including Professors Sylvia Vardell and Antero Garcia, librarian Marianne Follis, and authors Janet Wong, Margarita Engle, and Lesléa Newman will discuss how diversity is key—in literature, media, and programming and in embracing and exploring questions of cultural and sexual identity.
Our program weaves together the perspective of scholars, authors, and practitioners combining the expertise and context of each unique setting, highlighting the potential for collaboration. In addition, the focus on diversity is crucial, examining the spectrum of cultural and sexual identity in literature, media, and programming showing how a cross-cultural, cross-platform focus meets the needs of today’s teens in meaningful ways.
If you're at the conference, come join us!
A Select Bibliography of Books by Presenters
1. Dietzel-Glair, Julie and Follis, Marianne. 2015. Get Real with Storytime: 52 Weeks of Early Literacy Programming with Nonfiction and Poetry. Libraries Unlimited.
2. Engle, Margaret. 2006. The Poet Slave of Cuba. Holt.
3. Engle, Margarita. 2008. The Surrender Tree. Holt.
4. Engle, Margarita. 2009. Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba. Holt.
5. Engle, Margarita. 2010. Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian. Holt.
6. Engle, Margarita. 2010. The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba. Holt.
7. Engle, Margarita. 2011. Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck. Holt.
8. Engle, Margarita. 2012. The Wild Book. Houghton Mifflin.
9. Engle, Margarita. 2013. Mountain Dog. Holt.
10. Engle, Margarita. 2013. The Lightning Dreamer. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.11. Engle, Margarita. 2014. Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal. HMHarcourt.
12. Engle, Margarita. 2015. Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
13. Engle, Margarita. 2015. Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir. Atheneum.
14. Engle, Margarita. 2015. Orangutanka: A Story in Poems. Holt.
15. Engle, Margarita. 2015. The Sky Painter: Louis Fuertes, Bird Artist. Two Lions.
16. Garcia, Antero and Haddix, Marcelle. 2015. “Reading YA with ‘Dark Brown Skin': Race, Community, and Rue’s Uprising.” ALAN Review, (Winter, 2015).
17. Garcia, Antero and Middaugh, Ellen. 2014. “Lost, Sweaty, and Engaged in Dialogue: The Civic Opportunities of Geospatial Play” in #youthaction: Becoming Political in the Digital Age edited by Ben Kirshner and Ellen Middaugh. Information Age Publishing.
18. Garcia, Antero and Middaugh, Ellen. 2015. “Race to the White House.” Civic Media Project. Accessed at http://civicmediaproject.org/works/civic-media-project/racetothewhitehouse 19. Garcia, Antero. 2013. Critical Foundations in Young Adult Literature: Challenging Genres (Critical Literacy Teaching: Challenging Authors and Genre). Sense Publishers.
20. Garcia, Antero. 2014. Teaching in The Connected Classroom (DML Research Hub Report Series on Connected Learning Book 3). Digital Media and Learning Research Hub.
21. Mirra, Nicole; Garcia, Antero and Morrell, Ernest. 2015. Doing Youth Participatory Action Research: Transforming Inquiry with Researchers, Educators, and Students (Language, Culture, and Teaching Series). Routledge.
22. Newman, Lesléa and Dutton, Mike. 2011. Donovan’s Big Day. Tricycle Press.
23. Newman, Lesléa and Ferguson, Peter. 2007. The Boy Who Cried Fabulous. Tricycle Press.
24. Newman, Lesléa. 1996. Fat Chance. PaperStar/Putnam & Grosset.25. Newman, Lesléa. 1997. Still Life with Buddy. Pride & Imprints.
26. Newman, Lesléa. 2003. Write from the Heart. Ten Speed Press.
27. Newman, Lesléa. 2004. Hachiko Waits. Holt.
28. Newman, Lesléa. 2005. Jailbait.
Random House.
Random House.
29. Newman, Lesléa. 2014. Here is the World: A Year of Jewish Holidays. Abrams.
30. Newman, Lesléa. 2015. Heather Has Two Mommies. Candlewick.
31. Newman, Lesléa. 2015. I Carry My Mother. Headmistress Press.
32. Newman, Lesléa. 2012. October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard. Candlewick.
33. Vardell, Sylvia and Wong, Janet. Eds. 2011. Gift Tag. PoetryTagTime.com.
34. Vardell, Sylvia and Wong, Janet. Eds. 2011. P*TAG. PoetryTagTime.com.
35. Vardell, Sylvia and Wong, Janet. Eds. 2011. PoetryTagTime. PoetryTagTime.com.
36. Vardell, Sylvia and Wong, Janet. Eds. 2012. The Poetry Friday Anthology K-5. Pomelo Books.
37. Vardell, Sylvia and Wong, Janet. Eds. 2013. The Poetry Friday Anthology for Middle School. Pomelo Books.
38. Vardell, Sylvia and Wong, Janet. Eds. 2014. The Poetry Friday Anthology for Science. Pomelo Books.
39. Vardell, Sylvia and Wong, Janet. Eds. 2015. The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations: Holiday Poems for the Whole Year in English and Spanish. Pomelo Books.
40. Vardell, Sylvia. 2007. Poetry People: A Practical Guide to Children’s Poets. Libraries Unlimited.
41. Vardell, Sylvia. 2012. The Poetry Teacher’s Book of Lists. Pomelo Books.
42. Vardell, Sylvia. 2014. Poetry Aloud Here 2: Sharing Poetry with Children (Second Edition).American Library Association.
43. Wong, Janet S. 1994. Good Luck Gold and Other Poems. McElderry Books.
44. Wong, Janet S. 1996/2008. A Suitcase of Seaweed, and Other Poems. Booksurge.45. Wong, Janet S. 1999. Behind the Wheel: Poems about Driving. McElderry Books.
46. Wong, Janet S. 1999. The Rainbow Hand: Poems about Mothers and Children. McElderry Books.
47. Wong, Janet S. 2000. Night Garden: Poems from the World of Dreams. McElderry Books.
48. Wong, Janet S. 2003. Knock on Wood: Poems about Superstitions. McElderry Books.
49. Wong, Janet S. 2003. Minn and Jake: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
50. Wong, Janet S. 2007. Twist: Yoga Poems. McElderry Books.
51. Wong, Janet. 2008. Minn and Jake’s Almost Terrible Summer. Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
52. Wong, Janet. 2011. Once Upon A Tiger: New Beginnings for Endangered Animals. OnceUponaTiger.com.
53. Wong, Janet. 2012. Declaration of Interdependence: Poems for an Election Year. PoetrySuitcase.
Special thanks to Candlewick Press, Simon & Schuster, and Pomelo Books for their support!
We have an amazing slideshow and our session will be audio-taped plus we have heaps of freebies to give away too. I hope to share some nuggets from our session later-- and attend the Poetry Blast and report on that next week too. Meanwhile, happy Poetry Friday, everyone! Head on over to Carol's Cornerwhere she is hosting our gathering this week.
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Poetry for young people in South Africa
I have been so lucky to be attending the IFLA conference (for libraries and librarians) in Cape Town, South Africa. It's been an opportunity to serve on the standing committee for the Literacy and Reading section, meet colleagues from around the world, and talk with South Africans in several locations about poetry for young people. I also found out that there is a big poetry festival next week in South Africa, the McGregor Poetry Festival. Wish I were going to be here a bit longer to check it out!
I was also able to buy a few books of poetry at an area bookstore-- and wish I had time to explore more. I picked up an ABC and a nursery rhyme collection-- both with an African theme-- clearly for tourists, but very fun, engaging, and informative. There were two poem collections in Afrikaans that looked like delicious nonsense, but I couldn't read them, of course. And I didn't find titles in any of the other 10 languages of this country and I was told there were very few. There's a rich tradition of songs and poem chanting, but not poetry publishing-- but each audience told me they were inspired to pursue this further. I hope so! I tried to make a case for how this special genre has some unique things to offer and every child deserved a chance to hear, read, and write poetry!
Now, don't miss the Poetry Friday fun over at Reading to the Core.
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Welcome to the Poetry Friday Neighborhood
I just returned from Cape Town, South Africa, where I attended the IFLA conference (for librarians worldwide) and had the opportunity to do several talks about poetry in a variety of locales (including for the newspaper and national radio). One thing that was universally popular was the whole idea of Poetry FRIDAY! The idea of pausing for poetry at the end of the week just grabbed everyone across the board. And I just love that! So here we are celebrating another Poetry Friday. Welcome, everyone!
Here's a poem that I shared several times that was a always a big hit-- along with the "Take 5" activities for introducing and sharing this poem, "Welcome" by Linda Kulp Trout. It's from The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations, of course! And all these images are available on Pinterest, too.
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And if you'd like to share the poem in Spanish, here is "Bienvenido" too.
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Now you're all set for celebrating Good Neighbor Daynext month (on September 28). Meanwhile, dear poetry neighbors, please add your link to your Poetry Friday post this week below.
Here's a poem that I shared several times that was a always a big hit-- along with the "Take 5" activities for introducing and sharing this poem, "Welcome" by Linda Kulp Trout. It's from The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations, of course! And all these images are available on Pinterest, too.
And if you'd like to share the poem in Spanish, here is "Bienvenido" too.
Now you're all set for celebrating Good Neighbor Daynext month (on September 28). Meanwhile, dear poetry neighbors, please add your link to your Poetry Friday post this week below.
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BOOK LINKS: The Past through Poetry and Picture Books
My column this month focuses on poetry and poetic picture books that depict history and biography. I include an annotated list of two dozen wonderful books that are not-to-be-missed. You can read the entire thing here. If you'd just like a taste, here's an excerpt.
The Past through Poetry and Picture Books
by Sylvia Vardell
A lovely picture book can take us back to special childhood memories, but it is also a carefully crafted work of art with drama in every page turn. And when a picture book melds history and poetry, something unique emerges—a visual glimpse of people and times of the past, shared in powerful images and spare or lyrical language. Here we examine picture books that feature stories or people from history in poems and poetic language. These books offer a dual opportunity: introducing young children to touchstone moments of our human story, as well as invigorating that study of history for older students by using the visuals of the accessible picture book alongside the distilled language of poetry to heighten interest and understanding. The best historical and biographical picture books tend to be focused on one person or specific event; a story that can be told in the span of a few pages with illustrations that provide a visual window into history, portrayed authentically and accurately.
And here are some of the activities I suggest to accompany the books that are cited. (The link provides the Common Core State Standards for each activity, too.)
In the Classroom: Work with students to understand the setting of the book by looking up images for each locale in an atlas, via Google Maps, or other resources. Then challenge young readers to research what was happening in the world during this time, linking with relevant nonfiction picture books, reference works, and online resources. Using museum resources can add so much to children’s learning of historical content and reading of historical literature. Check to see what local history museums or children’s museums might have available where you live. Do they have personnel who can visit the classroom or library? Exhibits or materials they will loan out? It is also possible to access online resources, such as Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibits, featuring topics such as civil rights and Latino life, and “Today’s Document,” available at the National Archives online, which includes a visual image of an actual historical document. Also useful are the American Memory and Today in History projects, which have links at the Library of Congress online, which offers a wealth of information and visuals to supplement historical study.
In the Classroom: Sharing primary source documents, maps, time lines, and artifacts helps children visualize and conceptualize historical times through hands-on materials. Even audio resources can provide a connection with the voices of the past. For example, the American Rhetoric website offers an online speech bank with audio recordings, transcripts, and visuals for more than 5,000 important speeches. When children can hear, see, or touch the “stuff” of history, it becomes so much more real and memorable for them. Check out Jackdaws Publications, for primary-source materials that support the study of many historical eras. For a model of how to use primary sources and “do history” with kids, check out DoHistory, a website that “shows you how to piece together the past from the fragments that have survived.”
In the Classroom: Bring the historical period of a picture book to life through readers’ theater by inviting children to read bits of dialogue or narration aloud, by having them dress up and speak as the historical subject of the book, or by staging more elaborate dramatic skits. Connecting drama with history makes the people and places real to children through first-hand experience, almost like participating in a living history museum. In fact, Carol Otis Hurst provides helpful guidelines for involving children in creating and participating in their own informal living history museums (follow the links at http://carolhurst.com for more information). Another idea is to look for local reenactors who might want to share their experiences. Even local actors who perform in community or professional theater can be recruited as guests to share their insights on costuming, dialect coaching, and character research for historical dramas. Through one of these several avenues, children will be able to find some spark of personal connection with history and poetry.Now, don't forget to join the rest of the Poetry Friday bloggers who are gathering at Linda's place, TeacherDance. See you there!
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Celebrate POET
I'm sharing a few nuggets here because I think this book (and this author/illustrator) is really special: Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton published by Peachtree Press. It's Don's first book as BOTH author and illustrator and I was so pleased that Don spoke at the Poetry Round Up at the Texas Library Association conference this last spring and even read one of Horton's poems aloud. There's a wonderful video at Don's website here and you can learn more about his Freedom Tour, too.
Kids will enjoy that George is SO resourceful and independent, especially given the constraints of his life as an enslaved person who is separated from his family, too. They will relate to his steps in becoming a reader-- learning letters, plodding through a spelling book, figuring out how to spell and write, getting his first book. They'll be intrigued that he wrote poems in his mind first and then made money writing poems for other people. And they'll bristle at all the obstacles he had to overcome-- being owned by a master who refused to sell him even when George mustered the resources.
Poetcelebrates literacy, poetry, and the human spirit-- a terrific combination-- in an accessible way through story and art. And Horton's poetry is available online at the Poetry Foundation's website, too, for students who might want to follow up. Here are a few slides from Don's presentation about his research for the book and his early sketches.
And the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina where Don delivered this talk (and where he did some of his research for the book) created a special exhibit of some of the related materials about George Moses Horton. There's a short UNC interview with Don here.
Here's Horton's second published book, His Poetical Works and a draft of a handwritten poem.
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| My daughter, Emily, getting Don's autograph |
School Library Journal also gave it a starred review: "A lovely introduction to an inspirational American poet."
Don't miss this book for a true story, a beautiful picture book, a celebration of literacy, an African American hero, a slice of history, and an invitation to poetry.
Now head on over to Robyn's place, Life on the Deckle Edge, for our Poetry Friday fun.
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Reverse engineering: Picture book + poetry pairings
Eight years ago, I published an article in Book Links magazine that matched picture books with parallel poems, so that teachers and librarians who read the picture book aloud could have a poem on the same topic (or with the same theme) to follow up or introduce or extend the book experience. It was entitled: "Linking picture books and poetry; A celebration of Black History Month." Book Links. 2007. 16, (3), 44-47. (Sorry, but I can't find it online anymore.) Anyhoo... that got such a great response and really got me thinking about that potential in pairing two genres and formats.
Flash forward and Janet (Wong) and I decided to do the same thing with our latest book, The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations (Pomelo Books, 2015). Yes, it's a poetry anthology with 156 poems by 115 poets. Yes, the poems are tied to all kinds of celebrations, holidays, and historic events. Yes, all the poems appear in both English and Spanish. BUT... every poem is also paired with a picture book. And it occurred to me that one could "reverse engineer" this book, ignore the "holidays" component, anduse the book to find poems to match with 156 of your favorite contemporary picture books that you share in story times and lessons. (We even provide an index listing all the picture books along with the page numbers for the matching poems.) So, if you like picture books, read them aloud to kids, and would like to START there, here is a complete list of all the picture books we link with poems in The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations.
PICTURE BOOKS CITED (all with matching poems)
365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental (Abrams, 2006)
A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee (HMH, 2008)
A Dance Like Starlight by Kristy Dempsey (Philomel, 2014)
A Dollar, a Penny, How Much and How Many by Brian P. Cleary (Millbrook, 2014)
A Piñata in a Pine Tree by Pat Mora (Clarion, 2009)
A Sick Day for Amos Magee by Philip C. Stead (Roaring Brook, 2010)
A Sweet Passover by Lesléa Newman (Abrams, 2012)
All Different Now: Juneteenth by Angela Johnson (Simon & Schuster, 2014)
All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant (Abrams, 2009)
All in Just One Cookie by Susan E. Goodman (Greenwillow, 2006)
All of Baby, Nose to Toes by Victoria Adler (Dial, 2009)
All the Water in the World by George Ella Lyon (Atheneum, 2011)
An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston (Chronicle, 2006)
And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano (Roaring Brook, 2012)
At the Same Moment Around the World by Clotilde Perrin (Chronicle, 2014)
Auntie Yang’s Great Soybean Picnic by Ginnie Lo (Lee & Low, 2012)
Baby’s First Laugh by Jessie Eve Ruffenach (Salina Bookshelf, 2003)
Bear Has a Story to Tell by Philip C. Stead (Roaring Brook, 2012)
Bella & Bean by Rebecca Kai Dotlich (Atheneum, 2009)
Biblioburro by Jeanette Winter (Simon & Schuster, 2010)
Big, Bigger, Biggest! by Nancy Coffelt (Holt, 2009)
Blackout by John Rocco (Disney-Hyperion, 2011)
Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day by Pat Mora (Rayo, 2009)
Bringing Asha Home by Uma Krishnaswami (Lee & Low, 2006)
Brownie Groundhog and the February Fox by Susan Blackaby (Sterling, 2011) Can We Save the Tiger by Martin Jenkins (Candlewick, 2011)
Carl’s Summer Vacation by Alexandra Day (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2008)
Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown (Little, Brown, 2010)
Christmas Tree! By Florence Minor (HarperCollins, 2005)
Clara and Davie by Patricia Polacco (Scholastic, 2014)
Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett (Disney-Hyperion, 2013)
Dad and Pop: An Ode to Fathers & Stepfathers by Kelly Bennett (Candlewick, 2010)
Dale, Dale, Dale: Hit It, Hit It, Hit It by René Saldaña, Jr. (Piñata Books, 2014)
Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin by Duncan Tonatiuh (Abrams, 2010)
Desert Elephants by Helen Cowcher (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2011) Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates (Knopf, 2010)
Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015)
Duck for Turkey Day by Jacqueline Jules (Albert Whitman, 2009)
Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld (Chronicle, 2009)
Earth Day, Birthday by Maureen Wright (Two Lions, 2012)
Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino (Holt, 2007)
Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle by Chris Raschka (Schwartz & Wade, 2013)
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett (Balzer & Bray, 2012)
Fireboy to the Rescue! by Edward Miller (Holiday House, 2010)
Flip, Float, Fly!: Seeds on the Move by JoAnn Early Macken (Holiday House, 2008)Follow Me by Tricia Tusa (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011)
Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth by Sanjay Patel and Emily Haynes (Chronicle, 2012)
Grandfather Counts by Andrea Cheng (Lee & Low, 2000)
Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (Roaring Brook, 2012)
H.O.R.S.E.: A Game of Basketball and Imagination by Christopher Myers (Egmont, 2012)
Hands around the Library by Susan L. Roth and Karen Leggett Abouraya (Dial, 2012)
Hanukkah Bear by Eric Kimmel (Holiday House, 2013)
Helen’s Big World by Doreen Rappaport (Disney-Hyperion, 2012)
Henry's First-Moon Birthday by Lenore Look (Atheneum, 2001)
Hide-and-Seek Science: Animal Camouflage by Emma Stevenson (Holiday House, 2013)
Holidays Around the World: Diwali by Deborah Heiligman (National Geographic, 2008)
Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014)
How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham (Candlewick, 2008)
I Call My Grandpa Papa; I Call My Grandma Nana by Ashley Wolff (Tricycle, 2009)I Have a Dream by Kadir Nelson (Schwartz & Wade, 2012)
I Love Saturdays y domingos by Alma Flor Ada (Atheneum, 2002)
I Pledge Allegiance by Pat Mora and Libby Martinez (Knopf, 2014)
I Remember Abuelito by Janie Levy (Albert Whitman, 2007)
Ice Cream Summer by Peter Sís (Scholastic, 2015)
If the World Were a Village (2nd edition) by David J. Smith (Kids Can Press, 2011)
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein (Candlewick, 2010)
Jingle Dancer by Cynthia Leitich Smith (HarperCollins, 2000)
Jurassic Poop by Jacob Berkowitz (Kids Can Press, 2006)
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert (Harcourt, 2005)
Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa by Donna L. Washington (HarperCollins, 2010)
Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen (Candlewick, 2006)Ling & Ting: Share a Birthday by Grace Lin (Little, Brown, 2013)
Littlebat’s Halloween Story by Diane Mayr (Whitman, 2009)
Little Roja Riding Hood by Susan Middleton Elya (Putnam, 2014)
Mama Loves by Rebecca Kai Dotlich (HarperCollins, 2004)
Marvelous Mattie by Emily Arnold McCully (2006)
Mind Your Manners, B. B. Wolf by Judy Sierra (Knopf, 2007)
Miss Fox’s Class Shapes Up by Eileen Spinelli (Albert Whitman, 2011)
Moonshot by Brian Floca (Atheneum, 2009)
Mother to Tigers by George Ella Lyon (Atheneum, 2003)
My Teacher by James Ransome (Dial, 2012)
Neville by Norton Juster (Schwartz & Wade, 2011)
New Year at the Pier by April Halprin Wayland (Dial, 2009)
Night of the Moon by Hena Khan (Chronicle, 2008) No Monkeys, No Chocolate by Melissa Stewart (Charlesbridge, 2013)
Noah Webster & His Words by Jeri Chase Ferris (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012)
Now & Ben by Gene Barretta (Square Fish, 2008)
On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman (Feiwel & Sons, 2006)
Oscar’s Half Birthday by Bob Graham (Candlewick, 2005)
Our Grandparents: A Global Album by Maya Ajmera (Charlesbridge, 2010)
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by James Dean (HarperCollins, 2012)
Picture Day Perfection by Deborah Diesen (Abrams, 2013)
Pirate vs. Pirate by Mary Quattlebaum (Hyperion, 2011)
Planes Fly! by George Ella Lyon (Atheneum, 2013)
Polar Bears by Mark Newman (Holt, 2010)Popcorn by Elaine Landau (Charlesbridge, 2003)
President’s Day by Anne Rockwell (HarperCollins, 2007)
Press Here by Hervé Tullet (Chronicle, 2011)
Red, White, and Boom! by Lee Wardlaw (Holt, 2012)
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty (Abrams, 2013)
Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan (Scholastic, 2014)
Say Hello! by Rachel Isadora (Putnam, 2010)
Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin (Dial, 2013)
Sequoia by Tony Johnston (Roaring Brook, 2014)
Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton (Little, Brown, 2010)
Sick Simon by Dan Krall (Simon & Schuster, 2015)
So You Want to Be President by Judith St. George (Philomel, 2004)
Spaghetti Smiles by Margo Sorenson (Pelican, 2014)
Take Me Outto the Yakyu by Aaron Meshon (Atheneum, 2013)
Ten Days and Nine Nights by Yumi Heo (Schwartz & Wade, 2009)
Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival by Grace Lin (Knopf, 2010)
That Is Not a Good Idea by Mo Willems (Balzer & Bray, 2013) The Birthday Cake by Sven Nordqvist (NorthSouth, 2015)
The Book Boat’s In by Cynthia Cotten (Holiday House, 2013)
The Book with No Pictures by B. J. Novak (Dial, 2014)
The Camping Trip that Changed America by Barb Rosenstock (Dial, 2012)
The Carnival of the Animals by Jack Prelutsky (Knopf, 2010)
The Christmas Coat by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve (Holiday House, 2011)
The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt (Philomel, 2013)
The Dumpster Diver by Janet Wong (Candlewick, 2007)
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce (Atheneum, 2012)
The Flag Maker by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (HMH, 2004)
The Greatest Game Ever Played by Phil Bildner (Putnam, 2006)
The Impossible Patriotism Project by Linda Skeers (Dial, 2007)
The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers (Philomel, 2007)
The Kindhearted Crocodile by Lucia Panzieri (Holiday House, 2013)
The Last Day of Kindergarten by Nancy Loewen (Two Lions, 2011)
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (Little, Brown, 2009)
The Longest Day: Celebrating the Summer Solstice by Wendy Pfeffer (Dutton, 2010)
The Mangrove Tree by Susan L. Roth (Lee & Low, 2011)
The Odd Egg by Emily Gravett (Simon & Schuster, 2009)
The Pirate of Kindergarten by George Ella Lyon (Atheneum, 2010)
The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania of Jordan (Disney-Hyperion, 2010)
The Shortest Day by Wendy Pfeffer (Dutton, 2003)
The Third Gift by Linda Sue Park (Clarion, 2011)
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin (Charlesbridge, 1999)
The Wakame Gatherers by Holly Thompson (Shen’s/Lee & Low, 2007)
The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli (Disney-Hyperion, 2013)
This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman (Magination, 2014)
This Next New Year by Janet Wong (Korean/English edition, Pomelo, 2014)
This Old Band by Tamera Will Wissinger (Sky Pony, 2014)
This School Year Will Be the Best by Kay Winters (Dutton, 2010)
Tillie the Terrible Swede by Sue Stauffacher (Knopf, 2011)
To Market, To Market by Nikki McClure (Abrams, 2011)
Twenty-two Cents: Muhammad Yunus and the Village Bank by Paula Yoo (Lee & Low, 2014)
Vote! by Eileen Christelow (Clarion, 2003)
We March by Shane Evans (Roaring Brook, 2012)
What a Party! by Sandy Asher (Philomel, 2007)
What Did You Put in Your Pocket? by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers (HarperCollins, 2003) When Otis Courted Mama by Kathi Appelt (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015)
When We Go Walking by Cari Best (Two Lions, 2013)
When You Wander: A Search-and-Rescue Dog Story by Margarita Engle (Henry Holt, 2013)
Who Says Women Can’t Be Doctors? by Tanya Lee Stone (Holt, 2013)
Why the Chicken Crossed the Road by Tedd Arnold and others (Dial, 2006)
Xander’s Panda Party by Linda Sue Park (Clarion, 2013)
Yes, Let’s by Galen Goodwin Longstreth (Tanglewood Press, 2013)
Yo-Yo Man by Daniel Pinkwater (HarperCollins, 2007)
Zoopa: An Animal Alphabet by Gianna Marino (Chronicle, 2005)
Yes, there really is a poem for each one of these picture books in The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations (and in English AND Spanish). So, for example, if you have a picture book about spaghetti like Spaghetti Smiles by Margo Sorenson (or another favorite spaghetti book), and you regularly share that book with kids (who generally love spaghetti), there is a poem waiting for you to match with that book. Here it is:
Now head on over to Today's Little Ditty where the lovely Michelle H-B is hosting our Poetry Friday gathering.
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Let’s Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month
We’re devoting this post to National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 - October 15) celebrated in the poem, "I Can Ask and I Can Learn" by Janet Wongfrom The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations (Pomelo Books). Please join me as we chat with Janet about National Hispanic Heritage Month resources, diversity in children’s literature, insider/outsider perspectives, and more.
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SV: We have many wonderful Hispanic poets in The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations—Alma Flor Ada, Francisco X. Alarcón, Jorge Argueta, Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, F. Isabel Campoy, Margarita Engle, Pat Mora, Libby Martinez, and René Saldaña, Jr.—so please share with us: Janet, why did you write the poem celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month?
JW:Originally, as you know, I didn’t plan to write it. I hoped that Alma Flor Adaand Isabel Campoy would collaborate on it. They helped us with so much of the book—from connecting us with a translator to vetting poems to writing poems on being bilingual, all in just a few months—but then they went on a long vacation in Australia and I felt sheepish about asking for yet another thing. At the same time I started thinking: why does it need to be written by a Hispanic poet? Shouldn’t we ALL want to learn about Hispanic history and culture?
SV: True, but how does that fit in with the current thinking of many people on insider/outsider perspectives and diversity—the question of “who owns this story?”
JW:I think it’s shortsighted to define “insiders” merely in biological terms. If we want all children to learn about each other, then we need to allow all writers to write about everything, as long as they approach their subjects with passion, research, and respect. And the corollary is that kids need to be encouraged to read everything that interests them. If you have a white kid who is fascinated with Hispanic culture—great! An Asian student who loves reading about black history? Outstanding! This is the way we’ll achieve cross-cultural understanding and end racism.
SV: And here is Janet's poem (in English AND in Spanish):
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SV: Do you have recommendations for further reading for teachers interested in using your poem to spark a discussion for National Hispanic Heritage Month?
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SV: How can we make sure that students appreciate the wide variety of Hispanic and Latino experiences, and not just those of farmworkers?
JW: I would share Yes! We Are Latinos!by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy, illustrated by David Diaz (Charlesbridge, 2013). Tie into this theme by starting with a poem and a nonfiction piece on farmworkers (“My Name Is Julio” in a section on Migrant Farmworkers, pages 50-57), but then follow it with a read-aloud of pieces about a Dominican boy who wants to be a doctor, a granddaughter of Spanish Civil War exiles, and more.
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SV: I’m tickled pink by all these resources that you’ve shared and I’m sure you have heaps more . . . but it’s time to wrap up.
JW: Time’s up? So that’s why you’re shaking your bracelet!
SV: Would you like to end with another favorite poem to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, perhaps “I Will Be a Chemist: Mario José Molina" by Alma Flor Ada, from The Poetry Friday Anthology for Science?
JW:Perfect choice, Dr. Vardell!
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SV: We have many wonderful Hispanic poets in The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations—Alma Flor Ada, Francisco X. Alarcón, Jorge Argueta, Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, F. Isabel Campoy, Margarita Engle, Pat Mora, Libby Martinez, and René Saldaña, Jr.—so please share with us: Janet, why did you write the poem celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month?SV: And here is Janet's poem (in English AND in Spanish):
SV: Do you have recommendations for further reading for teachers interested in using your poem to spark a discussion for National Hispanic Heritage Month?
JW:Yes! One book that I was reading while I wrote this poem—for my work as last year’s chair of the Notable Books for a Global Society—was Larry Dane Brimner’s Strike! The Farm Workers’ Fight for Their Rights(Calkins Creek/Boyds Mills), one of our NBGS selections. Some additional books on the subject of Hispanic contributions to labor reform on farms are:
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Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers by Sarah Warren, illus. by Robert Casilla (Cavendish, 2012)
Side by Side/Lado a lado: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez/La historia de Dolores Huerta y Cesar Chavezby Monica Brown, illustrated by Joe Cepeda
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César:Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can! by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, illustrated by David Diaz (Cavendish, 2004)
You can find some background discussion about the role that the song “De colores” played in the farmworkers’ movement here:
Side by Side/Lado a lado: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez/La historia de Dolores Huerta y Cesar Chavezby Monica Brown, illustrated by Joe Cepeda
César:Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can! by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, illustrated by David Diaz (Cavendish, 2004) “Kathy Murguía:I remember singing De Colores at the weekly Friday night strike meetings that were held in Delano . . . Every meeting ended with us joining hands and singing De Colores, which enhanced a sense of community, of being connected in a struggle for justice. We continued to sing it in the decades following those early meetings, during Union events and other gatherings, often as a closing. The rooster, the hen, the chicks that sing, the great loves of many colors—these images brought such joy, such pleasure and lastly for those who sang it, such hope . . . While the lyrics don't speak of social justice, it is a song of the season of springtime and beauty, of life and colors—and we were all kinds of different colors. I believe as we sang, our hearts were longing for the beauty that comes with gentle love and justice.”
There are many versions of “De colores” on YouTube, but here is one favorite, sung by Joan Baez (with lyrics). 
SV: How can we make sure that students appreciate the wide variety of Hispanic and Latino experiences, and not just those of farmworkers? 
SV: I’m tickled pink by all these resources that you’ve shared and I’m sure you have heaps more . . . but it’s time to wrap up. 
SV: Thanks for sharing your perspective AND your poetry, Janet. Readers can find more resources on Hispanic/Latino/Latina poetry for young people here and lots more poems in English and Spanish from the Celebrations anthology over at Pinterest-- here's the link.
And now it's time to gather all our poetry friends for Poetry Friday. Please use Mr. Linky below, "In Other Words," to add your blog link and make it easy for everyone to access one another's blogs. Thanks!
And now it's time to gather all our poetry friends for Poetry Friday. Please use Mr. Linky below, "In Other Words," to add your blog link and make it easy for everyone to access one another's blogs. Thanks!
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The Poetry of Place: Celebrating Geography in Poetry
I just got a copy of the new anthology, Amazing Places, selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins and I was tickled pink to see that the State Fair of Texas was included in the 14 landmarks across the U.S. highlighted in poetry. So.... of course I had to take the book with me on my annual visit to the state fair this year and get my photo taken with Big Tex himself!
The accompanying poem is "Midway Magic" by Rebecca Kai Dotlich-- a wonderful poem to read aloud-- nice and LOUD!
Lee is having a great year with three books of poetry out in 2015 and each one is a treat:
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| The arrow points to the image of Big Tex that is included in the illustration! |
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| Big Tex as featured in the book illustration |
Lee is having a great year with three books of poetry out in 2015 and each one is a treat:
- Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Ed. 2015. Amazing Places. New York: Lee & Low.
- Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Sel. 2015. Jumping Off Library Shelves: A Book of Poems. Ill. by Jane Manning.
- Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Sel. 2015. Lullaby & Kisses Sweet: Poems to Love with Your Baby. Ill. by Alyssa Nassner. New York: Abrams.
And because I love to travel, it was fun to browse through each of the sites featured in Amazing Places and savor each of the poet perspectives, too. That got me thinking-- are there other works of poetry that particularly showcase the importance of place? Of course there are! So, I pulled a list together to share with you here-- and I welcome additional suggestions, of course.
The Poetry of Place: Poems and Geography
- _______. 2012. A Poem as Big as New York City: Little Kids Write About the Big Apple. Ill. by Masha D’yans. New York: Teachers Writers Collaborative.
- Asch, Frank. 1996. Sawgrass Poems: A View of the Everglades. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace.
- Asch, Frank. 1998. Cactus Poems. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace.
- Asch, Frank. 1999. Song of the North. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace.
- Begay, Shonto. 1995. Navajo: Visions and Voices Across the Mesa. New York: Scholastic.
- Brown, Skila. 2014. Caminar. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
- Bruchac, Joseph. 1995. The Earth under Sky Bear's Feet: Native American Poems of the Land. New York: Philomel Books.
- Bruchac, Joseph. 1996. Between Earth and Sky: Legends of Native American Sacred Places. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace.
- Coombs, Kate. 2012. Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems. Ill. by Meilo So. San Francisco: Chronicle.
- Dotlich, Rebecca Kai and Lewis, J. Patrick. 2006. Castles: Old Stone Poems. Ill. by Dan Burr. Honesdale, PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press.
- Engle, Margarita. 2008. The Surrender Tree. New York: Holt.
- Engle, Margarita. 2011. Hurricane Dancers; The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck. New York: Henry Holt.
- Engle, Margarita. 2014. Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
- Engle, Margarita. 2015. Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir. New York: Atheneum.
- Greenfield, Eloise. 2011. The Great Migration: Journey to the North. Ill. by Jan Spivey Gilchrist. New York: Amistad/HarperCollins.
- Grimes, Nikki. 2000. Is It Far to Zanzibar: Poems about Tanzania. New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard.
- Grimes, Nikki. 2004. Tai Chi morning: Snapshots of China. Chicago: Cricket Books.
- Gunning, Monica. 1998. Under The Breadfruit Tree: Island Poems. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press.
- Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 2000. My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States.New York: Simon & Schuster.
- Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 2009. City I Love. Ill. by Marcellus Hall. New York: Abrams.
- Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Ed. 2002. Home to Me: Poems Across America. New York: Orchard.
- Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Ed. 2006. Got Geography! Poems. New York: Greenwillow.
- Hopkins, Lee Bennett. Ed. 2015. Amazing Places. New York: Lee & Low.
- Johnston, Tony. 1996. My Mexico-Mexico Mio. New York: Putnam.
- Katz, Bobbi. 2007. Trailblazers; Poems of Exploration. New York: Greenwillow.
- Kurtz, Jane. 2000. River Friendly, River Wild. New York: Simon & Schuster.
- Lai, Thanhha. 2011. Inside Out and Back Again. New York: HarperCollins.
- Lewis, J. Patrick. 2002. A World of Wonders: Geographic Travels in Verse and Rhyme. New York: Dial.
- Lewis, J. Patrick. 2005. Good Mornin’, Miss America: The U.S.A. in Verse. School Specialty Publishing.
- Lewis, J. Patrick. 2005. Monumental Verses. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic.
- Lewis, J. Patrick. Ed. 2015. The National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry. Washington DC: National Geographic.
- Littlechild, George. 1993. This Land Is My Land. San Francisco, CA: Children’s Book Press.
- Locker, Thomas. 1998. Home: A Journey through America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
- Mora, Pat. 1994. The Desert is My Mother/El Desierto es Mi Madre. Houston, TX: Pinata Books.
- Myers, Walter Dean. 1997. Harlem: A Poem. New York: Scholastic.
- Myers, Walter Dean. 2011. We are America; A Tribute from the Heart. Ill. by Christopher Myers. New York: HarperCollins.
- Prelutsky, Jack. 2002. The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders. New York: Greenwillow.
- Salas, Laura Purdie. 2008. Tiny Dreams, Sprouting Tall: Poems About the United States. Minneapolis, MN: Capstone.
- Siebert, Diane. 1988. Mojave. New York: Crowell.
- Siebert, Diane. 1989. Heartland. New York: Crowell.
- Siebert, Diane. 1991. Sierra. New York: HarperCollins.
- Siebert, Diane. 2000. Cave. New York: HarperCollins.
- Siebert, Diane. 2001. Mississippi. Ill. by Greg Harlin. New York: HarperCollins.
- Siebert, Diane. 2006. Tour America: A Journey through Poems and Art. San Francisco: Chronicle.
- Singer, Marilyn. 2005. Monday on the Mississippi. New York: Henry Holt.
- Thompson, Holly. 2011. Orchards. New York: Random House.
- Wassenhove, Sue Van. 2008. The Seldom-Ever-Shady Glades. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills/Wordsong.
- Wolf, Allan. 2004. New Found Land; Lewis and Clark’s Voyage of Discovery. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
- Yolen, Jane. 1996. Sacred Places. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace.
Meanwhile, head on over to Heidi's place, My Juicy Little Universe, for the Poetry Friday gathering. See you there!
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Celebrate Star Wars Reads Day with POETRY
I may have mentioned before that I'm a big Star Wars nerd! I have loved the movies, characters, and lore since 1977 and even attend the conventions or Star Wars "Celebrations" with my family. So I was tickled that there is now a "Star Wars Reads" Day to promote reading being held for the 4th year-- on October 10. You'll find activities and reproducibles here and they have a Facebook page, too, of course. For kids and families who already enjoy the world of Star Wars, it's a chance for them to shine and to promote reading too (and there are lots of Star Wars-themed reading materials). And with the launch of a 7th Star Wars movie in December, it's a fun time to welcome new fans and celebrate science (and sci fi and mythology too). 
And of course I want to make a POETRY connection, in particular. There are heaps of science-themed poems to share and I've written about that before. In fact, I have an article about this topic coming out in BOOK LINKS in November with science poetry recommendations from 15 poets themselves. And Janet (Wong) and I will be announcing a new science poetry project ourselves very soon too! More on all that later.Meanwhile, I thought it might be fun to take a few poems and "Star Wars-ify" them!To reinterpret them through the lens of Star Wars. So, if you're familiar with Darth Vader (the dark villain of the series), Yoda (the wise guru), and C3PO (a robot dedicated to languages and etiquette), you might enjoy the three following poems filtered from THEIR perspectives!
For example, I have featured "Poem for a Bully" by Eileen Spinelli from The Poetry Friday Anthology previously over at Pinterest here. But what if we put that "Poem for a Bully" against an image of Darth Vader, a bully with a secret himself?
Or consider the wise Yoda character who teaches young Luke Skywalker to control his emotions and fears in order to face his enemy (and himself). What if Yoda is the backdrop for the poem "Fear Factor" by Sara Holbrook from The Poetry Friday Anthology for Middle School? You'll find a more traditional interpretation of the poem at Pinterest here and the Yoda interpretation below.
Or finally, if you're familiar with the droid (or robot) character, C3PO, you know he is a prissy individual proud of his ability to speak multiple languages and know the rules of etiquette and behavior in many cultures. What if he is sharing a poem about making friends using greetings in several languages? Here's a more traditional interpretation of the poem, "How to Make a Friend" by Jane Heitman Healy from The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations and below is the same poem shared by C3PO.
If you're working with children and families who love Star Wars like I do, challenge them to find a poem from a book on the shelves that fits a Star Wars character and then read it from the point of view of that character. It's a fun way to approach poetry and celebrate our Star Wars knowledge too!
Now, join the rest of the crew over at Laura's site, Writing the World for Kids, where we're celebrating Poetry Friday.
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Audio Poetry
I'll be at the biennial IBBY regional conference hosted by USBBY this weekend-- in New York! I'm presenting along with the lovely Rose Brock on "Through the Looking and Listening Glass: How Audiobooks Channel Culture and Impact Literacy."My focus? Poetry, of course! So, here's the scoop for those of you who can't be there!
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Poetry always remembers that it was an oral art before it was a written art. It remembers that it was first song.
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Frost, Helen. Diamond Willow (Recorded Books, 2009)
Join us for more Poetry Friday sharing over at Amy's Poem Farm. See you online there!
Poetry always remembers that it was an oral art before it was a written art. It remembers that it was first song.
Jorge Luis Borges
There are several places to find audio adaptations of poetry for young people. Many are available as CDs (formerly cassettes) accompanying print books or as downloadable audio files. If you want to hear how poetry should sound, there is no better resource than hearing the poets themselves read their poems aloud or professional narrators bring poetry to life. And we’re fortunate to have more and more access to recorded poetry through iTunes, audioclips, CDs and tapes, downloadable audio from web sites, audio stores, and more.
Audio Poetry Activities
1. Children can tape record themselves reading a favorite poem aloud, copy the poem in their best handwriting, illustrate it, and present their poem performance as a gift to a loved one.
2. Children can collect examples of favorite poems on audio- or videotape and explore neighborhood, cultural, and linguistic variations. They can translate their English favorites into other languages represented in their community.
3. If audio or public address announcements are made on a regular basis, include the oral reading of a poem (by a child or other volunteer) on a daily or weekly basis. Challenge children to work with a partner to incorporate multiple voices, sound effects, or musical instruments.
4. Books and poems in the public domain can be read and recorded by anyone at Librivox.org and then made available world-wide. Tools like SoundCloud enable children to create their own audio anthologies or podcast recordings of favorite poems.
Audio/Video Poetry Online
Multimedia area includes audio, video, podcasts, slideshows
Audio and video clips of individual poems and poets
Videos of average citizens reading favorite poems
Archive of audio recordings of poets reading their work, including a children’s poetry area
Poet biographies, sample poems, audio archives, National Poetry Month celebrations
Info about the Poet Laureates of the U.S., national prizes in poetry, special poetry events, and audio archives
The Poetry Foundation offers a dedicated area for “Children’s Poetry” featuring several hundred poems for children searchable and organized by topic, some with audio links
*No Water River.com (by Renée M. LaTulippe)
Video of children’s poets reading from their work along with extensive teaching connections, plus features on each of the NCTE Poetry Award winners
My own sites (with Janet Wong) featuring the Poetry Friday teaching anthologies with downloadables and audio and video poetry
*Poet Websites
Some poets feature video and audio on their personal websites. Michael Rosen, for example, has 49 videos of himself reciting poems from an out of print book. Others with audio links include Kristine O’Connell George, Janet Wong, Nikki Grimes, Joyce Sidman.
Audio Awards
*Odyssey Audiobook Award
*ALSC Notable Children’s Recordings
*YALSA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults
*Grammy Awards for Spoken Word
*Audio Publishers Association’s Audie Awards
Poetry Apps
iF Poems(Clickworks Ltd., 2011) Read, listen to, record and share your favorite poems from a collection of more than 200 classic (largely British) poems narrated by actors Helena Bonham Carter and Bill Nighy.
The Grim Granary: Poems for Kids Big and Small(Tusitala Pte. Ltd., 2011), a collection of darkly humorous illustrated poems with audio renditions of each poem available in three languages”
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star: The Experience (FlyingWord, 2011), the classic poem features the illustrations of Michael Hague, accessible in 9 languages.
Audio Poetry for Young People: A Select Bibliography
Alexander, Kwame. The Crossover (Recorded Books, 2014)
Andrews, Julie and Hamilton, Emma Walton. Julie Andrews’ Collection of Poems, Songs, and Lullabies (Hachette Audio, 2009)
Brown, Calef. Flamingos on the Roof (Recorded Books, 2009)
Creech, Sharon. Hate that Cat (Harper Children’s Audio, 2008)
Creech, Sharon. Heartbeat (Recorded Books, 2004)
Creech, Sharon. Love that Dog (Harper Children’s Audio, 2002)
Dakos, Kalli. If You’re Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand (Recorded Books, 2009)
Engle, Margarita. The Poet Slave of Cuba (Listening Library, 2009)
Engle, Margarita. The Surrender Tree (Listening Library, 2009)
Engle, Margarita. Tropical Secrets (Listening Library, 2009)
Fleischman, Paul. Joyful Noise/I Am Phoenix (Audio Bookshelf, 2001)
Franco, Betsy. Metamorphosis: Junior Year (Brilliance, 2010)
Frost, Helen. Crossing Stones (Recorded Books, 2010)
Frost, Helen. Keesha’s House (Recorded Books, 2004)
Giovanni, Nikki. Hip Hop Speaks to Children (Sourcebooks, 2008)
Grimes, Nikki. Bronx Masquerade (Recorded Books, 2006)
Grimes, Nikki. Dark Sons (Zondervan, 2010)
Grimes, Nikki. Jazmin’s Notebook (Penguin, 2008)
Hemphill, Stephanie. Your Own, Sylvia (Listening Library, 2009)
Hesse, Karen. Aleutian Sparrow (Listening Library, 2003)
Hesse, Karen. Out of the Dust (Listening Library, 2006)
Hesse, Karen. Witness (Listening Library, 2006)
Hoberman, Mary Ann and Wilson, Linda. The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and Imagination (Sourcebooks, 2009)
Lewis, J. Patrick. The Brothers’ War: Civil War Voices in Verse (Recorded Books, 2007)
Lithgow, John. The Poets' Corner: The One-and-Only Poetry Book for the Whole Family (Hachette, 2007)
Milne, A.A. When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six (Harper Children’s Audio, 2004)
Myers, Walter Dean. Blues Journey (Live Oak Media, 2003)
Myers, Walter Dean. Harlem: A Poem (Spoken Arts, 1998)
Myers, Walter Dean. Here in Harlem (Live Oak Media, 2010)
Myers, Walter Dean. Jazz (Live Oak Media, 2007)
Myers, Walter Dean. Looking Like Me (Live Oak Media, 2010)
Nesbitt, Kenn. My Hippo Has the Hiccups and Other Poems I Totally Made Up (Sourcebooks, 2009)
Paschen, Elise and Raccah, Dominque. Poetry Speaks to Children (Sourcebooks, 2005)
Paschen, Elise and Raccah, Dominque. Poetry Speaks; Who I Am (Sourcebooks, 2010)
Prelutsky, Jac. A Pizza the Size of the Sun (Harper Audio, 2007)
Prelutsky, Jack. Be Glad Your Nose Is on Your Face: And Other Poems: Some of the Best of Jack Prelutsky (Greenwillow, 2008)
Prelutsky, Jack. Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant (Harper Audio, 2006)
Prelutsky, Jack. In Aunt Giraffe’s Green Garden (Harper Audio, 2007)
Prelutsky, Jack. It’s Raining Pigs and Noodles (Harper Audio, 2008)
Prelutsky, Jack. Monday’s Troll (Listening Library, 1996)
Prelutsky, Jack. My Dog May Be a Genius (Harper Audio, 2008)
Prelutsky, Jack. Scranimals (Harper Audio, 2007)
Prelutsky, Jack. Something Big Has Been Here (Harper Audio, 2007)
Prelutsky, Jack. The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders (Harper Audio, 2005)
Prelutsky, Jack. The Jack Prelutsky Holiday CD Audio Collection (Greenwillow, 2005)
Prelutsky, Jack. The New Kid on the Block (Harper Audio, 2007)
Raschka, Chris. Charlie Parker Played Be Bop (Live Oak Media, 2003)
Sidman, Joyce. Dark Emperor. (Recorded Books, 2010)
Silverstein, Shel. A Light in the Attic (20th Anniversary Edition) (HarperCollins, 2001)
Silverstein, Shel. Where the Sidewalk Ends (25th Anniversary Edition) (HarperCollins, 2000)
Singer, Marilyn. Mirror, Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse (Live Oak Media, 2011)
Sones, Sonya. What My Mother Doesn’t Know (Brilliance, 2008)
Steptoe, Javaka. In Daddy’s Arms I am Tall (Live Oak Media, 2003)
The Caedmon Poetry Collection: A Century of Poets Reading their Work (Caedmon, 2000)
Thomas, Joyce Carol. Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea (Spoken Arts, 1998)
Weatherford, Carole Boston. Birmingham 1963 (Recorded Books, 2007)
Williams, Vera B. Amber was Brave, Essie was Smart (Live Oak Media, 2003)
Wolf, Allan. The Watch that Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic (Candlewick, 2011)
Woodson, Jacqueline. Locomotion (Recorded Books, 2012)
Woodson, Jacqueline. Brown Girl Dreaming (Listening Library, 2014)
Yolen, Jane. How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night (Weston Woods, 2005)
From: Vardell, S.The Poetry Teacher’s Book of Lists (2012)
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Teen Read Week: Poem #1 "Restless" by Joyce Sidman
Teen Read Week starts today and in honor of this year's theme, "Get Away @ your library,"I'm posting a poem a day from The PFA for Middle School. Here's the first installment by the lovely Joyce Sidman:
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It can also be found at Pinterest here.
And here are the Take 5 activities that accompany this poem in the book, also found at Pinterest here.
And here's some background info about Teen Read Week (#TRW15) from the ning:
Teen Read Week™ is a national adolescent literacy initiative created by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). It began in 1998 and is held annually in October the same week as Columbus Day. Its purpose is to encourage teens to be regular readers and library users.
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) encourages libraries to use the Get Away theme during Teen Read Week™, October 18 - 24, 2015, to spotlight all the great resources and activities available to help teens build literacy skills while reading for the fun of it. An annual celebration, this year’s theme encourages libraries to help teens escape from the day to day grind of school, homework, family responsibilities, part time jobs and so on by picking up something to read. ↧