Sunday, April 30, 2017

Celebrate This Week and NPM Day 30: The Letter Z

 Join us each weekend for Celebrate This Week with Ruth Ayres.

When we pause to celebrate, we find the joy.
Discover. Play. Build. 

   A week filled with moments to celebrate and remember.

Cousins meet for the first time!
 Teddy tenderly touching cousin Jack

We celebrated Independent Bookstore Day
 at story time with Nancy Stewart
at our local indie bookstore, Island Books. 
Singing and smiling with Mom and Dad
 Singing and snuggling with Dad at story time
 Love Ms. Nancy's shaky eggs

We enjoyed lots of time 
to hug and snuggle our grandsons
and even managed to chat a bit
with our grown-up kids!
 Matching  "Granny Magnet" onesies!
Grandpa with an armful of boys to love!

 I made it all the way through 
NPM to the letter Z (Whew!).
Zippity doo dah,  hip hip hurray!
My book spine poem for NPM 2017:

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


Concluding my alphabetic stroll
through National Poetry Month 
with the letter Z . . . 

Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
has written some of my favorite books of poetry.  I've already written about two of them for previous Poetry Friday posts.  The author refers to her books as linked free-verse poems.  
Click on the title of either book to access my
March 2016 Poetry Friday posts.
could be used as the basis for an exploration of poetry
during poetry month or anytime during the school year. 
This google book preview shows the whimsical 
illustrations by Andrew Glass and the poems which tell the story of a year in the life of twins, Mary Anne and Anne Marie.  It also includes two of my favorite poems from the book,
"Early Spring,"a perfect example of personification and
"Across the Back Fence," which showcases
alliteration, strong verbs, and simile.  
 explores the life of almost 13-year old, JoEllen,
whose divorced parent's homes are just 42 miles apart. 
This book includes my favorite poem to carry for
Poem in Your Pocket Day:  "The Poems I Like Best."
Cousins of Clouds:  Elephant Poems
celebrates elephants in a wide variety of forms
from the haiku poems that decorate the various parts 
of an elephant to a concrete poem tucked inside "Fortress"
to "Patience" which celebrates the elephant's mothering skills.  Each poem is accompanied by nonfiction text which shares additional information about the life of our elephant friend, 
the largest mammal who walks on land.

Saturday, April 29, 2017

NPM Day 29: The Letter Y

My book spine poem for NPM 2017:

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


Continuing my alphabetic stroll
through National Poetry Month 
with the letter Y . . . 

Jane Yolen
Jane has written over 300 books and 70+ of those are poetry books.  I've always loved the poetic language in Owl Moon and according to Jane's site, she counts it "...as an unrhymed picture book poem."  
Jane's son, Jason Stemple, is a free lance photographer who provided the photographs for some of Jane's poetry books.  Here are four favorite titles that are paired with her son's photography:
Shape Me a Rhyme
Color Me a Rhyme
Wild Wings
Fine Feathered Friends

You Come Too:  Favorite Poems for Young Readers
by Robert Frost
My copy of this classic Robert Frost title was a library discard.  It's a treasure of some of the most appealing of Frost's poems for the young reader.  The invitation poem of the title, "You Come Too," was one of the poems in my "apron of many pockets" for Poem in Your Pocket Day yesterday.  

You Be Good and I'll Be Night 
by Eve Merriam
This delightful collection was purchased when my own children were young.  These cheerful, rollicking rhymes were favorites in our household.  Here's the opening spread with the title of the book poem - 
 And a final stanza to love in this poem -
especially since we now have a grandson named Jack!

Friday, April 28, 2017

NPM Day 28 and Poetry Friday: The Letter X

My book spine poem for NPM 2017:

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


Continuing my alphabetic stroll
through National Poetry Month 
with the letter X . . . 

X. J. Kennedy
Knock at a Star:  A Child's Introduction to Poetry coauthored with Dorothy M. Kennedy is the book that I pulled off my shelf and relaxed knowing that I had something for the letter X.  I love this book and even though it was written 35 years ago, I still find it to be a wonderful introduction to poetry.  I'm contemplating adding a poetry book to our literature circle collection at the middle school.  I'm torn between this title and Poetry Speaks:  Who I Am.  The later collection is probably more appropriate for our middle school audience (and includes an audio CD), but I love the voice of the Kennedys scattered throughout their memorable anthology.  

You might enjoy the Poetry Foundation's poem sampler about X. J. Kennedy,  An Xceptional and Exuberant Poetwritten by Jack Prelutsky.   

Francisco X. Alarcon
I love the seasonal poetry books by this author and even managed to arrange the titles into a book spine poem.  

Laughing Tomatoes
From the Bellybutton of the Moon
Angels Ride Bikes and
Iguanas in the Snow
If you've never explored these poetry books, do not pass go, but stop now and request these seasonal, bilingual titles in Spanish and English, beautifully illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez.  You'll delight in the poems as you stroll through the seasons of the year.  Be sure to read the Afterword in each book which gives a bit of context for each title. "Words Are Birds" is a favorite poem from the book, Laughing Tomatoes and Other Spring Poems. 
Head over to Teaching Authors, 
where JoAnn Early Macken is in charge
of this week's round-up of poetic goodness.
Thanks, JoAnn, for hosting this week!

Thursday, April 27, 2017

NPM Day 27: The Letter W, Day 2

My book spine poem for NPM 2017:

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


It's Poem in Your Pocket Day - 
Be sure to tuck a poem
or two or three or more
in your pocket to share today!

Continuing my alphabetic stroll
through National Poetry Month 
with the second of two posts on 
the letter W . . . 

I can't think about poets whose names begin with the letter W without remembering a certain book of poetry that disappeared with regularity from the shelves in my classroom.   In fact, when I went looking for it this month, it wasn't on the bookshelf at home, so I had to order a new copy of all the small poems and fourteen more byValerie Worth.  Three of my favorite poems are "cat," "door," and "library."  This collection of all four Small Poems books plus fourteen new poems belongs in your collection.  Another book by Valerie Worth that was a constant favorite of my students is Animal Poems.    

Even though one of these W book titles should have been with seasonal poetry for Day 21, I could see right away that these three book titles made a lovely book spine poem.  
When Green Becomes Tomatoes
Whisper and Shout
What the Heart Knows

When Green Becomes Tomatoes:  Poems for All Seasons 
by Julie Fogliano, Pictures by Julie Morstad
I love these poems that wander through the year divided by the seasons and titled with the month and day.   My note on the title page:  "Checked out from library and discovered spring 2016.  Gift to self on 4-30 (Indie Bookstore Day), purchased at Island Books."
Note to friends:  Indie Bookstore Day is this Saturday, April 29.  Perhaps you, too, should give yourself a book on this day!

Whisper and Shout:  Poems to Memorize
edited by Patrice Vecchione  
This anthology is filled with blue sticky notes peeking from its pages.  I love this admonition from the editor in the Introduction:
The Poetry Habit
"Pick your favorite poems from this collection, and give them away, or keep them tucked safe in your heart and mind.  But don't stop there.  Keep hunting for new gems to add to your collection.  Then, within you, always, you'll have a treasure trove of new and distant places, the sound of rain water, your mother's eyes, comfort in an unfamiliar place, immediate celebrations:  You'll have poems to tickle or soothe, to prod, to whisper and shout.  And with them you can talk back to the world where you live, voicing the verses you love."  - Patrice Vecchione

What the Heart Knows:  Chants, Charms & Blessings
by Joyce Sidman, Illustrations by Pamela Zagarenski
This book was hand sold to me by a favorite bookseller at Island Books.  I remember Laurie telling me how much she loved this book of poetry.  The book comes with a lovely red ribbon bookmark.  Unfortunately, I'm breaking my rule of three.  For this book, I have four favorite poems:  "How to Find a Poem," "Starting Now," "Blessing on the Curl of Cat," and "I Find Peace."
This is a lovely book of poetry to give to a friend.  

Only three more days and X, Y, and Z will see us through!

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

NPM Day 26: The Letter W, Day 1

My book spine poem for NPM 2017:

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


Continuing my alphabetic stroll
through National Poetry Month 
with the first of two posts on 
the letter W . . . 

Who knew that the end of the alphabet would be so filled with poetic goodness?  If you've been following along, then you know that our letter W has to be the wonderful Janet Wong, co-editor with Sylvia Vardell of the Poetry Friday anthologies and their latest books in the Poetry Friday Power series - You Just Wait and Here You Go.  I won a set of five copies of You Just Wait on a blog giveaway.  When I gave them to students in my after school book club, they were amazed because it was okay to WRITE in them.  If you haven't explored these interactive books written for the tween and teen audience, be sure to check them out.  Pomelo Books has generously provided some free excerpts here.   

Janet is the author of more than thirty books and of course, my favorites are her poetry books.  I wrote about one of my favorites, Night Garden, on Day 16 of this month and shared three favorite poems from the book.  While I was rambling around Janet's web site, I discovered an audio of Janet reading the poem "There Is a Place,"  also from Night Garden.  Two additional favorite poetry titles are A Rainbow Hand:  Poems about Mothers and Children (perfect for Mother's Day) and A Suitcase of Seaweed and other poems.

I met Janet through a chance comment she left on my blog.  She mentioned how much she liked our local King County Library System.  I fired back a comment asking how she knew about it (since I knew she lived on the east coast).  It turns out that she used to live here and her mother still lives in the area.  I was hosting the Poetry Box that fall, and so I asked Janet to speak to the sixth grade students  at the middle school where I taught before retiring.  You can read about her visit and the writing she inspired at this blog post.  

Shortly after that presentation, I attended my first NCTE conference (2014) and participated in a poetry session with Janet Wong and Laura Purdie Salas.  There was tremendous enthusiasm and poetry love in the room.  And then last spring I noticed that Janet was presenting at a local library.  So off I went with my trusty google maps app to find the library and spend a splendid evening with Janet exploring the topic: Finding Ourselves in Our Family Stories.   And in the fall of 2016, I participated in Poetry Camp at Western Washington University hosted by Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell.   And now I'll ask the same question I asked yesterday on my post featuring Sylvia Vardell, "When IS the next Poetry Camp?" 

Just yesterday while exploring Janet's web site, I discovered that she is headed for my alma mater, Oklahoma State University where she'll be participating in the event, "Celebrate Community - With Poetry!"  Two of the scheduled events will be in Willard Hall (now the College of Education), but when I was at OSU (in the 70s) it was my dormitory for all four years of my college education.  Willard Hall is close to the student union, Theta Pond, and the library.  I can't wait for Janet to experience the beauty of my campus and the hospitality of my Oklahoma heritage.  

Finally, I can't end this post without encouraging you to attend a workshop with Janet if you ever have the opportunity.  It's clear that she left her career in law because she wanted to find a passion for what she did in life (and be a nicer person).  She has found it as a writer.  And she shares that passion and inspires writers wherever she goes!  

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Slice of Life & NPM Day 25: The Letter V, Day 2

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 
to the Tuesday Slice of Life (SOL) community.
Thanks to Stacey, Betsy, Beth, Kathleen, Deb, Lisa, Melanie, and Lanny
 for hosting this meeting place each Tuesday and nurturing our writing lives.


I'm a heavy user user of the library.  And I keep returning to certain favorites.  I try to restrict myself to library usage only, but sometimes despite my firm resolve, I find myself purchasing for my private use. And that brings me to today's slice of life about a favorite library title that I finally broke down and bought for myself.  I would check it out, renew it two more times, and then return it, only to request it again as soon as it hit the return slot at the library.  So as a retirement gift to myself, I finally purchased Poetry Aloud 2:  Sharing Poetry with Children by Sylvia M. Vardell.   The copy I had used so often was the purple and green first edition.
My book spine poem for NPM 2017:

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


Continuing my alphabetic stroll
through National Poetry Month 
with the second of two posts on 
the letter V . . . 

And that brings me to today's focus for my alphabetic stroll through poetry, the letter V.   Meet the vivacious Sylvia Vardell!  I believe I first met Sylvia Vardell in the pages of Book Links magazine as the regular poetry columnist.   And then I fell in love with her book, Poetry People:  A Practical Guide to Children's Poets (which I also checked out over and over).  She served as my guide to  the wonderful world of children's poetry.  And somewhere along the way, I discovered her blog, Poetry for Children.   I was over the moon excited when Sylvia and Janet Wong came out with a Friday Poetry Anthology for Middle School.  

And I finally met Sylvia in person at the 2014 NCTE conference when I attended a Reading Poetry Across the Curriculum session chaired by Janet Wong and Laura Purdie Salas.  Sylvia led one of the roundtable groups that I selected for this session, Poetry and Social Studies.  But I was totally distracted by reading her awesome tights which had lines of poetry inscribed on them.  In the fall of 2016, I attended Poetry Camp (for grownups) at Western Washington University.  Sylvia and Janet were the hosts for this event.  I wrote about poetry camp in this Poetry Friday celebration.  And I'm just wondering . . . will there be another Poetry Camp sometime in the future?

One of the wonderful things about Sylvia is her generosity in sharing poetry with teachers.  If you haven't visited her blog series for Poetry Month, stop now and visit her Learning from Students series.  She shares poetry activities from her graduate students' students.  It's an incredible peek into the world of what kids are thinking and writing and sharing.  Don't miss it!  And while you're there, you'll be inspired by this valued emissary of poetry, Sylvia Vardell.  

Monday, April 24, 2017

NPM 2017: The Letter V - Verse Novels

My book spine poem for NPM 2017:

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


Continuing my alphabetic stroll
through National Poetry Month 
with the first of two posts on 
the letter V . . . 

My top five verse novels listed in the order I read them:
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate
Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Full Cicada Moon by Marilyn Hilton
Garvey's Choice by Nikki Grimes

Five verse novels I want to read:
American Ace by Marilyn Nelson
Catching a Storyfish by Janice Harrington
Year of Goodbyes by Debbie Levy
The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney
May B. by Caroline Starr Rose

Please mention your favorite verse novels when you leave a comment.

Sunday, April 23, 2017

NPM Day 23: The Letter U

My book spine poem for NPM 2017:

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


Continuing my alphabetic stroll
through National Poetry Month 
with three poems and a picture book
each beginning with the letter U . . . 

by Bruce Dethlefsen
"what would I write 
if I had only 
four or five lines worth 
of ink or time left? . . . "

by Gerald Rocklin
A dad celebrates an in-service day
with his 8th grade daughter

"Used Book Shop"
by X. J. Kennedy
in the anthology
poetry speaks who I am 
Editor:  Elise Paschen 
  ". . .  I always get hooked
in this dusty shop.
Like eating popcorn,
it's hard to stop."

Under the Freedom Tree
by Susan VanHecke
 Interview with Susan VanHecke
by Stacy Shubitz at Two Writing Teachers
Beautifully illustrated free verse story of
the "contrabands" of the Civil War, of
Emancipation Oak, and the 
beginning of slavery's end