Friday, May 6, 2016

Poetry Friday: Poems for Mothers

Head over to Poetry for Children for today's round-up of poetic goodness.
Thanks to Sylvia Vardell for hosting this week.
She gives us a list of ten Diverse Poetry Books about Mothers.  

I would like to add another poetry book about mothers to Sylvia's list.  I recently purchased it because I liked sharing it in my classroom each year as we prepared to write greetings for Mother's Day cards.  It's out of print, but I managed to locate a used copy for my own bookshelves.  This anthology Poems for Mothers, selected by Myra Cohn Livingston and illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray includes a favorite poem by Valerie Worth, "My Mother."  I think it's especially appropriate for my Poetry Friday friends.
If this poem were written by my children, they might need to change a few words, since I am a mother who makes cakes (but more often cookies), and even candied apples, (although we call them caramel apples).  

My Mother

My mother
Wasn't like
Some others.

She didn't
Make quilts or
Detailed scrapbooks;

She sat down
Beside her
Tall stack of books

And stayed
Up late
Reading poetry.

-Adapted by Ramona Behnke

I'm happy to see other books featuring poetry about moms on Sylvia's post for Poetry Friday. Happy Mother's Day, everyone!  

5 comments:

  1. Ramona, This might be a book I need to pick up. I love how you took a mentor text and adapted it to fit you! That's what we want students to do, look towards mentors and take away what they can use in their own writing.

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  2. A new book to me, & it looks wonderful, Ramona. I love your adaptation, just perfect! Happy Mother's Day!

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  3. I love your version! I think Blake & I would both approve!

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  4. I like your personalized version!

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  5. Thank you for joining the Poetry Friday party this week and chiming in with another Mother's Day poem-- by one of my favorites, Valerie Worth. I'm constantly asking to bring Myra Cohn Livingston's books back into print, too. They are fantastic and hold up well, imo.

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