Monday, April 10, 2017

NPM Day 10: Lee Bennett Hopkins, The Poetry King!

My book spine poem for NPM 2017:

She walks in beauty
A jar of tiny stars
Awakening the heart
Open the door
House of light 
Pass the poetry, please!


For day 10 of my alphabetic stroll through poetry, I give you (drum roll, please!) the king of poetry, Lee Bennett Hopkins.  I love these words of tribute offered by Renee LaTulippe at The Spotlight on NCTE Poets post on Lee:  "This installment brings us to a prolific and celebrated educator, poet, author, and anthologist who has dedicated his life to the advocacy of children’s poetry, to the benefit of us all."  

One of the first professional poetry books that I ever purchased was Pass the Poetry, Please!  I've returned to it again and again and always learned something new and fun from its pages.  My second edition copy is hardback and autographed, so I've resisted purchasing the third edition for just that reason.  However, while preparing to write this post and looking at some of the preview pages offered by Amazon, I could resist no longer.  When I compared the table of contents between the two editions, I could see that I not only wanted, but needed the third edition.  Even as I write, the 3rd editon (revised, enlarged, and updated) is on its way to my mailbox.  And speaking of new editions, perhaps it's time for a 4th edition!   Here are just a few of my personal favorites from the king of poetry, Lee Bennett Hopkins!

 
Favorite picture book anthologies
by Lee Bennett Hopkins
from my own shelves:  
Good Books, Good Times
I Am the Book
Jumping Off Library Shelves
Manger
School Supplies
Wonderful Words

Favorite professional book by Lee Bennett Hopkins:
Pass the Poetry, Please!

Favorite interviews with Lee Bennett Hopkins:
Renee LaTulippe at NoWater River:
Michelle H. Barnes at Today's Little Ditty: 
Reading Rockets:

Favorite quote from Lee Bennett Hopkins:
"When bringing poetry and children together – PLEASE – just bring them together. They do not need to answer endless senseless questions or stomp verse into the ground surrounded by a bevy of activities. Do children really have to be asked how they know Miss Muffett wasn’t married? That a lovely verse about a city has to be followed up doing research on population? That a poem about math has to be followed by a discussion on the law of relativity? NO! Read the poem – and quite simply, shut up!" (from Reading Rockets interview "Lets talk about poetry with Lee Bennett Hopkins)

5 comments:

  1. Ha! Keep it simple. LBH is a wise and wonderful poet, isn't he? Thank you, Ramona!

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  2. THANK YOU so much for your kindness. You make me blush!
    Happy Poetry Month. www.leebennetthopkins.com

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  3. Appreciations for such mighty words from Lee Bennett Hopkins.

    Makes me want to go pull out a few of my LBH poetry books NOW.

    And I am with you, about PASS THE POETRY, PLEASE!

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  4. Terrific "tribute" post for the one and only LBH. Thanks, Ramona! (And hard to choose among all of Lee's books, isn't it?!)

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  5. I SUPER LOVE the quote by LBH!!!!

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