Pat Mora - Books & Me

Books & Me
by
Pat Mora

We belong
together,
books and me,
like toast and jelly
o queso y tortillas.
Delicious! ¡Delicioso!
Like flowers and bees,
birds and trees,
books and me.

©2009 Pat Mora. All rights reserved.

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Pat Mora has written oodles of picture books and poetry for kids (and teens), has published non-fiction and poetry for adults, and won a scad of awards along the way. Yet she still has time to be the driving force behind El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), now celebrating its 13th anniversary. You can read more about Día by clicking that link or by checking out the Bookjoy! blog. I hope you'll be celebrating today!

Books & Me is such a wonderful conclusion to this month, at least to my eyes. The poem is a sweet, perfect capture of a feeling that I suspect is quite prevalent among readers of GottaBook. And I love, love, love how this poem illustrates language and cultural differences while still highlighting the universal. Good stuff, indeed, and just one of the many reasons why it really is a treat and a pleasure to have a Pat Mora poem to send us out on a celebratory note here at the conclusion of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday, we kinda, sorta had a visit with Douglas Florian. Tomorrow, a final recap of 30 Poets/30 Days!

Douglas Florian (kinda, sorta)

Things have been running so smoothly here in the inaugural year of 30 Poets/30 Days, and yet today, in the words of a rather famous poet, things have gone aglay! Due to scheduling and communications gaffes, I do not have a new Douglas Florian poem to share with you as I type this. But fear not! It will come anon. And right now? Welllllllll... there still must be poetry!

I'm a huge, huge, huge Douglas Florian fan and have been for a long time. And, in fact, years ago, he was nice enough to answer questions of mine sent to him from out of the blue, so I, of course, became an even bigger fan! But his work always tickles my funny bone, and his ability to find new ways to talk about things like bugs, planets and dinosaurs continues to amaze. Plus he actually led me to write one of my early attempts at a children's poem, something I'm sure he does not know. But I was reading his collection Bing Bang Boing and ran into...

Styropoem
by
Douglas Florian

I think I've never
Seen a poem
To praise a piece
of Styrofoam.
I've waited years -
I'm waiting still.
I guess I never
Ever
Will.

I was inspired. So I sat down and wrote the following:

Ode to a Piece of Styrofoam
(For Douglas Florian)
by
Gregory K.

Styrofoam's good -
There is no debate.
And Styrofoam won't
Disintegrate!


Now, I never thought I'd have a chance to actually ANSWER Douglas Florian, nor do I hold this up as a shining example of my work... but sometimes fate gives you an opportunity you just have to take. So, ha! We'll see if he rewrites his poem any time soon. By the way, Douglas Florian was the first ever guest-poet on GottaBook, way back in April, 2006, and I know he'll be here again soon. So stick around, as they say, and you'll get more Douglas Florian even if timing wise, it might not fit perfectly into 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday we had April Halprin Wayland's How to Read a Poem Aloud. Tomorrow, to help celebrate Dia and bring National Poetry Month to a close, Books & Me by Pat Mora!

April Halprin Wayland - How to Read a Poem Aloud

HOW TO READ A POEM ALOUD
by
April Halprin Wayland

First, read the title of the poem

and the poet’s name.


Be clear.


Now completely

disappear.


Let each line

shine.


Then read it

one more time.

When the poem

ends, sigh.


Think about the poet at her desk,
late at night, picking up her pen to write…

and why.

© 2009 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved.

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April Halprin Wayland writes stand-alone poetry, novels-in-poems, and picture books (including a brand new one, New Year at the Pier, coming out in June!). She's a teacher as well, and she is now part of a collective of six fellow teaching authors who have just started blogging together at TeachingAuthors.com. Oh, and she still has time to be one of the nicest folks I've met in the children's book world!

April is another poet who sent me a few poems to choose from, any of which, again, I would have been incredibly happy to post here. The poems were different as could be, but shared the same ability to connect with me... to make me see things from a new perspective (in one case, that would actually be from a dog's perspective!)... to make me ask myself fun questions. I always love reading April's work, so I'm especially glad to have gotten to read extras AND to be able to have a poem of hers here as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday, Kenn Nesbitt gave us My Chicken's On The Internet. Tomorrow... Douglas Florian!

Kenn Nesbitt - My Chicken's On The Internet

My Chicken's On the Internet
by
Kenn Nesbitt

My chicken's on the Internet.
She surfs the web all day.
I've tried to stop her browsing
but, so far, there's just no way.

She jumps up on the mouse
and then she flaps around like mad
to click on every hyperlink
and every pop-up ad.

She plays all sorts of chicken games.
She messages her folks.
She watches chicken videos
and forwards chicken jokes.

She writes a blog for chickens
and she uploads chicken pics.
She visits chicken chat rooms
where she clucks about her chicks.

I wouldn't mind so much
except my keyboard's now a wreck.
She hasn't learned to type yet;
she can only hunt and peck.

© 2009 Kenn Nesbitt. All rights reserved.

---

Kenn Nesbitt writes funny, funny poetry and has a funny, funny website. Of course part of what makes Kenn funny, funny is that he's also a very good, good poet. Kenn can turn a phrase, build to a punchline, capture images, and make a point all while making it look easy. Plus, I think he knows and gets his audience like very few others.

Even as he's been busy with the launch of his new book, My Hippo has the Hiccups (which has been getting faboo reviews, by the way!), Kenn has been a big help to me here, and I want to thank him for that again. That was just a bonus, however, because I knew from the start that I wanted a poem from him as part of 30 Poets/30 Days. I'm happy to have his poem up and running today... but I think you all better go back up your data, because there's a chicken loose on the net!

Yesterday gave us Joan Bransfield Graham's I am the Poem. Tomorrow... How to Read a Poem Aloud by April Halrpin Wayland!

Joan Bransfield Graham - I am the Poem

I AM THE POEM
by
Joan Bransfield Graham

I am the poem
out
of reach
I make you
spin
and leap and
stretch
and when you're
just
about to
catch
me
off I twirl
in clever
choreography
but we are
never
far apart
I pirouette
around
your heart
and head and
tease
with all the
mysteries
I can employ:

it is the dance
that is the joy.


© 2009 Joan Bransfield Graham. All rights reserved.

---

Joan Bransfield Graham has written two of my favorite poetry books to pull out and read aloud from - Flicker Flash and Splish Splash. The poems in the books about light and water are not only wonderful to say aloud but, since they are all concrete poems, they are also wonderful to show. To see what I'm talking about, head on over to the Miss Rumphius Effect where Tricia has actually put up a few examples of those poems in her great Poetry Makers piece on Joan. Then try these poems out yourself and see their impact on kids.

But, of course, Joan Bransfield Graham's poetry isn't just about the shape on the page. In fact, I was lucky enough to see a few poems from Joan in putting this event together, all of which were great and none of which were concrete. Her food poems made me hungry (and I swear to you I could actually smell one), and another poem had me ready to go out and ride my bike. One could say I danced with her poems and, in fact, it was a joy... just as it's a joy to have a poem of hers here as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday brought us Julie Larios's No Strings Attached. Tomorrow, My Chicken's on the Internet by Kenn Nesbitt!

Julie Larios - No Strings Attached

NO STRINGS ATTACHED
Julie Larios


If I were a kite
with no strings to hold me,
I 'd let the wind take me –
I'd let the crows scold me,
I'd float through the sky
with the sun on my shoulders.
The clouds would all bite
at my ears. I'd be bolder
than bold, I’d dance, I'd go soaring—
a life in the sky could never be boring.

I'd fly over houses then over the tops
of skyscraping buildings
but I wouldn't stop there, I'd sail over sailboats
and islands
and oceans.
I’d drive the world loco with my locomotion.

Diving and squawking,
The seagulls would show me the migrating whales
as they spouted below me.
Over Kansas and Kashmir,
the hot sands of Cairo,
Mt. Fuji, Mt. Everest –
higher and higher—
wheatfields would wave to me,
deserts would sigh.
Icebergs would stare as I rose in the sky.

The sun would be one friend,
the bright moon another.
And what would the stars be
but sisters and brothers?

I'd know all the secrets the sky's never told me
if I were a wild kite
with no strings to hold me.


©2009 Julie Larios. All rights reserved.

---

Julie Larios writes poetry for children and adults, teaches at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and blogs, to boot! You really should be reading her blog, by the way, as she often tosses up her own poems there (and tosses out prompts and the like). Good stuff.

I love the way Julie Larios plays with words in her poems - sometimes funny wordplay, sure, but often just mixing words together to create something that makes me think or wonder in a new way. She has said she likes to create mystery in her poems, and that's certainly something else that I really enjoy when reading her work. But to make it really simple, anyone who can write I'd know all the secrets the sky's never told me is gonna have me as a reader! Indeed. I'm really looking forward to seeing her next book of poetry for kids, but in the meantime, I'm very happy to have a poem of hers here at 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday gave us J. Patrick Lewis's The Poet of the World. Tomorrow... I am the Poem by Joan Bransfield Graham!

J. Patrick Lewis - The Poet of the World

The Poet of the World
by
J. Patrick Lewis

"How ho-ho-hum has the planet become!"
      Cried the Poet of the World.
"I must sonnet the wind, sestina the sea."
      Then he dipped his pen and he swirled

Out a poem where braves become braver, and knaves
      Wander under a vinegar sky,
And a Duchess receives purely innocent thieves
      Who are normally camera-shy.

"The heroes are villains, the geniuses mad!"
      So he spun them a roundelay.
"All the people who live in the Ivory Land
      Would be happier villanelle gray."

Then he thought, "I must metaphor girls in gold
      And simile boys in blue."
He looked up from his Book, and he said, "I forgot,
      Which character are you?"


©2009 J. Patrick Lewis. All rights reserved.
From A Countdown to Summer: A Poem for Every Day of the School Year – Little, Brown, Ethan Long, illustrator

---

J. Patrick Lewis, I humbly submit, would do a fantastic job as poet of the world. He's got a mastery of words, possesses an incredible ability to write poems about most any topic (like an underwear salesman!!!!), taught economics yet made the choice to switch to writing children's poetry thus is possessed with both knowledge and judgment that I trust, and he's an incredibly supportive and encouraging fellow, to boot.

It truly is astonishing to pick up a pile of J. Patrick Lewis's books and see the depth and breadth of forms he plays with and topics he tackles so successfully. He's also well published for adults in a variety of journals (in fact, I realize now that the first J. Patrick Lewis poetry I read was probably in Light Quarterly not in a children's book). Pat was the first person to send poems to me for 30 Poets/30 Days. I kept stalling in picking one because he kept sending more, and I was having the time of my life getting to read them before anyone else! The truth is they were all fantastic, and it's a treat and a pleasure to be able to have any one of them here at GottaBook.

Hey, hey, hey! It's Poetry Friday once again -- the last one this National Poetry Month, in fact. This week, you can find the roundup of posts over at Lisa Chellman's blog. Go on over and check it out!

Yesterday gave us Nikki Giovanni's My Sister and Me. Tomorrow... No Strings Attached by Julie Larios!

Nikki Giovanni - My Sister and Me

My Sister and Me
by
Nikki Giovanni

Chocolate cookies
Chocolate cakes
Chocolate fudge
Chocolate lakes
Chocolate kisses
Chocolate hugs
Two little chocolate girls
In a chocolate rug

No one can find us
We're all alone
Two little chocolate girls
Running from home

Chocolate chickies
Chocolate bunnies
Chocolate smiles
From chocolate mommies
Chocolate rabbits
Chocolate snakes
Two little chocolate girls
Wide awake

What an adventure
My, what fun
My sister and me
Still on the run
Still on the run
My sister and me
Still
On the run

©2009 Nikki Giovanni. All rights reserved.

---

Nikki Giovanni (or to approximate what I said when I heard that she'd be sending a poem this way, "Nikki Giovanni!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!") writes fabulous poetry for children and adults, is well known as an activist and educator, and, among her large number of awards and accolades, has a Grammy nomination for a spoken word collection of her poetry. Oh... and she's also had a species of bat named after her (Micronycteris giovanniae, for the record). I believe, though can't be certain, that she is the only poet on the list of 30 this year who can make that claim.

I find that Nikki Giovanni can take something personal and specific and run with it in a poem, creating an impact that's ultimately far more powerful to me than the individual observations and details within the piece. Beyond that, I just happen to think her poetry for children is incredibly engaging, and that the 2008 anthology she edited, Hip Hop Speaks to Children, is a "must have" poetry book for kids. I could easily fill pages here today, but I will stop right now and simply say that I'm incredibly honored and happy to have a poem by Nikki Giovanni here as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday gave us Janet Wong's My Green Grandfather. Tomorrow... The Poet of the World by J. Patrick Lewis!

Janet Wong - My Green Grandfather

My Green Grandfather
by
Janet Wong

If you praised my grandfather
for being green,
he would check his favorite flannel shirt
and say, "You see paint?"

But he is as green
as the snow peas he grows in his garden.
Green as the old glass jars in his garage
that hold pins and nails and hinges.
Green as the avocados he buys
from the little store on the corner.

If I praised my grandfather
for his small carbon footprint,
he would check the bottom of his shoes for dirt,
then say, "Size 10 EEE."

I walk on my tiptoes beside him.

©2009 Janet Wong. All rights reserved.

---

Janet Wong has been an invited author at the Easter Egg Roll at the White House and has been on Oprah. I mention those things not because they have anything to do with poetry in specific, but, well, they're really cool anyway! Of course, she has also won fans and awards for her poetry, and I actually first came to be a big fan while judging on a Cybils poetry panel where her book Twist was under consideration. If you know any kids (or adults) who take yoga, you really should read Twist with or two them. The look of recognition on kids' faces, in particular, when they hear a poem about one of the poses they know is priceless.

While it's a great poem for Earth Day, I also love My Green Grandfather, in part because I read it and I firmly believe that this MUST be Janet Wong's grandfather she's talking about. Is it? I have no idea, nor does it ultimately matter. But, to me, that ability to suck me in to the poem's world... to make it seem so personal even if it's only been something personal that's a jumping off point (if that!)... is one of the many remarkable things about her writing. I'm very happy to have a day-appropriate poem today, but more than that, I'm really thrilled to have a poem from Janet Wong as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday was my contribution to the month, I Went to the Farm Where Spaghetti Is Grown. Tomorrow... My Sister and Me by Nikki Giovanni!

Gregory K. - I Went to the Farm Where Spaghetti Is Grown

I Went to the Farm Where Spaghetti Is Grown
by
Gregory K.

I went to the farm where spaghetti is grown
In rows of long vines in a field of its own.
It grows in the shade of the great ziti trees,
Right next to the bushes that grow mac-and-cheese.
Lasagna plants bloom alongside manicotti,
And orchards of angel hair grow long and knotty.
I watched as a tractor plowed rows of linguini,
And cheered at the harvest of fresh tortellini.
I helped as the farmer cleared fields full of weeds
Then planted a crop using orzo as seeds.
We watered his land that was miles across
Then fertilized amply with meatballs and sauce.
When I left that farm where spaghetti is grown
In rows of long vines in a field of its own,
I thought it the greatest place under the sky...
'Til I saw the farm where they only grow pie!

©2009 Gregory K. Pincus. All rights reserved.

---

Gregory K. is the nom de blog of me, Greg Pincus (or Gregory K. Pincus, Dad, or Library Guy depending on where you run into me or who you are). It's also the name on the poems of mine you'll find here and many other places, too. I've been writing poetry since I can remember and while I won't try, as I've done with other poets this month, to explain what I like about the posted poem or a body of work (because, well, that'd be odd!), I will note that I've found that I have common subject areas that I've been playing with a long, long time: sports, food, school, and friends and family among them. I'm fascinated by words and images and love pushing and twisting them around to try them out in different settings, so to speak. And like Lee Bennett Hopkins, I love chocolate!

I can truly say that it's an honor for me to share the page here with 29 poets whose work I admire so much. It's been a wonderfully fun month for me so far, I'm happy to have my contribution up today, and I look forward to bringing you the rest of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday gave us My Teacher by Jane Yolen. Tomorrow on Earth Day... My Green Grandfather by Janet Wong!

Jane Yolen - My Teacher

My Teacher
by
Jane Yolen

My teacher's tall,
My teacher's small,
My teacher's white,
Black, tan.
My teacher is a woman,
My teacher is a man.

My teacher's thin,
My teacher's fat,
My teacher's in-between.
My teacher's always very nice.
Sometimes my teacher's mean.

My teacher has a quiet voice,
My teacher's voice is loud
And you can hear her speaking out
Above the wildest crowd.

My teacher is a riot.
My teacher never smiles.
My teacher lives right near the school.
My teacher travels miles.

My teacher's younger than my mom.
My teacher's very old.
My teacher's hands are nice and warm.
My teacher's hands are cold.

But when I'm feeling lonely, scared,
Or having a bad day
I take my teacher's hand and then
Those feelings go away.

©2009 Jane Yolen. All rights reserved.

---

Jane Yolen has written poetry, picture books, short stories and novels and has written for young children, teens, and adults. She's won awards and fans no matter what genre or age group she writes for... and, yes, she has around 300 books to her name. That. Is. A. Lot! Her secret, besides remarkable talent, is one all writers should heed - butt in chair. Truer words never were spoken, as if you don't write the book, you surely won't publish it.

Credits and awards aside, I just love Jane Yolen's poetry. Her poems are honest and clear and can be funny and touching and insightful and whimsical and a list far longer than this post has space to contain. She's never afraid to say what she wants to say and knows so well how to say it in a way that kids (and adults!) can relate to. I think My Teacher is a wonderful example of how she takes a simple idea and makes a poem that's so rich and full of things to think about... or just there to enjoy. Beyond all the writing skill, Jane Yolen is also mentor to so many and a strong advocate for children's writers everywhere, so it's truly and honor and pleasure for me to have a poem of hers here on 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday we had Arnold Adoff's n o   justice   n o p e a c e. Tomorrow... I Went to the Farm Where Spaghetti Is Grown by Greg Pincus.

Arnold Adoff - n o justice n o p e a c e

n o  justice   n o p e a c e

o f   course:
t r u e   change   is always   too   slow
and   o u r   b e s t   hopes   rest   with
s t e a d y
on
beyond   our   own   times

the   t r u e   revolutions    h a p p e n
within  the  covers  of our  best books
inside the noises of words with words
inside the movements of reading eyes

so:
the  writers    are   the   engines
the  artists     are   the   engines
and   the    women    and    men
and   the   girls   and   the   boys
read ing    those    noisy    books
all  are   engines  of true change

the   words  contain  the  power
and the books  must  have  that
power  and  the  noise  of    that
story and the shout of that song
must always be  louder than the
silence  of the  bullets  and   the
silent   deaths  of  grim   despair

we   m o v e  forward  with   love

the   s t r u g g l e  c o n t I n u e s

©2009 arnold adoff. all rights reserved.

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Arnold Adoff is a recipient of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, recognizing his work both as poet and anthologist. I became a fan upon discovering his book Chocolate Dreams - a whole book of poems on chocolate! That, by itself, makes him a hero in these parts. But no matter what his subject matter, I love the way he works with rhythm and his ability to find the perfect word for the perfect place... to make his reader see something familiar in a new light.

On his web site Arnold Adoff says "... I can open a child's imagination, develop his appetite for poetry, and more importantly, show him that poetry is a natural part of everyday life. We all need someone to point out that the emperor is wearing no clothes. That's the poet's job." If so, I believe Arnold Adoff has fulfilled the poet's job quite well, indeed, and I'm thrilled to have him be a part of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday we had Skeleton at Dinner by Kristine O'Connell George. Tomorrow... My Teacher by Jane Yolen!

Kristine O'Connell George - Skeleton at Dinner

Skeleton at Dinner
by
Kristine O'Connell George


I heard you shout
              Soup's on!

I rattled in,
              sat, slurped.

Soup's in—
                        soup's out.

© 2009 Kristine O'Connell George. All rights reserved.

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It seems to me that Kristine O'Connell George can capture any moment and turn it into a poem that makes me see that moment in a way I never would have on my own. It could be her observational skills and her ability to pick just the right detail to share that make the poems shine. But I think even more than that, it's how she uses language so well and keys into so many of the senses (including, above, the sense of humor). Her poems are so alive... even when she's writing about a skeleton!

As she showed in her books Little Dog Poems and Little Dog and Duncan, Kristine O'Connell George is a dog lover. Now at her website, she and Little Dog are welcoming the Obama's new dog Bo to the White House with a writing prompt AND an opportunity for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students to send in the poems they create in response and see them up on her site. I hope you go check it out... and I'm very glad you all came on by to see the incredibly talented Kristine O'Connell George here on 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday gave us Jon Scieszka and Emily Dickinson's first collaboration, 200 Typing Monkeys Almost Make It. Tomorrow... Arnold Adoff with n o justice     n o p e a c e

Jon Scieszka - 200 Typing Monkeys Almost Make It

            200 Typing Monkeys
                Almost Make It
                          by
Emily Dickinson and Jon Scieszka

I never saw a moor,
I never saw the sea;
Yet know I how the heather looks,
And what a wave must be.

I never spoke with God,
Nor visited in heaven;
Yet certain am I of the spot
As if the chart were a whole bunch of giant deliciously ripe bananas.

© 2009 National Simian Scribe Project. Some rights reversed.

---

While 200 typing monkeys might one day recreate the work of Shakespeare or Dickinson, one has to wonder if they'd ever, ever, ever type out the work of the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Jon Scieszka. I've always loved the odd angles and approaches he takes to material... and obviously, so do kids. On a more personal note, I also love the fact that I was not drinking anything when I first read 200 Typing Monkeys Almost Make It because I surely would've covered my monitor by doing a spit-take.

By the way, Jon Scieszka's mission as Ambassador is "to get kids excited about reading." Bravo, I say! Now, in my experience, his own books do that quite well, but beyond that, he's also the founder of GUYS READ, a remarkable resource that you really must check out (or use again!). And hey, you can follow him on Twitter as @GuysRead, too. I know how busy the Ambassador is jetting about and being so Ambassadorial, so I'm extra grateful to him for taking the time to commune with his good friend Emily D. and send a poem in to 30 Poets/30 Days.

And hey, hey, hey, it's Poetry Friday! Go on over to Becky's Book Reviews and check out the roundup of posts to see what else is rippling poetically through the Kidlitosphere today.

Yesterday we had Betsy Franco's Me and Joe Lining Up After Recess. Tomorrow... Skeleton at Dinner by Kristine O'Connell George!

Betsy Franco - Me and Joe Lining Up After Recess

Me and Joe Lining Up After Recess
by
Betsy Franco

We race
for the front

   bunch up
      and bump,
           wiggle,
                 giggle,
          push,
      pull,
           trip,
                 tease,
                       jab,
                           grab,
                 poke,
           pinch,
   squish,
squeeze.

Then teacher gives the quiet sign.
Says,
"You two go to the end of the line!"

© 2009 Betsy Franco. All rights reserved.
from the upcoming Messing Around on the Monkey Bars, and other school poems for two voices

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Betsy Franco writes poetry and picture books, has her first young adult novel coming out this fall, and has also edited collections of teenagers' poems (the most recent of which, Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers just got a great writeup in the New York Times). She shares my love of math and does amazing work combining it with poetry in books like Mathematickles.

And somehow while doing all that she had the time to come hang out and observe the same class I did one recent morning, as she captured perfectly exactly what I saw as the kids lined up! OK, Betsy Franco wasn't really there, but when I read this poem, I couldn't imagine an elementary school student (or teacher!) who wouldn't also smile with recognition... and maybe, without even realizing it, "get" that poetry is pretty darn good stuff, indeed. I'm very much looking forward to the entire Messing Around on the Monkey Bars collection, and I'm incredibly happy to have a sneak peak of it here as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday brought us I Dreamt I Saw a Dinosaur by Mary Ann Hoberman. Tomorrow...

200 Typing Monkeys
Almost Make It

by Emily Dickinson and Jon Scieszka.

Would I make that up? Of course not!

Mary Ann Hoberman - I Dreamt I Saw a Dinosaur

I Dreamt I Saw a Dinosaur
by
Mary Ann Hoberman

I dreamt I saw a dinosaur
         Who stretched up very high.
I dreamt I saw a dinosaur
         Who towered to the sky.
I dreamt I saw a dinosaur
         Who told me with a sigh,
"I dreamt I saw a dinosaur
         Who dreamt he saw a dinosaur
Who dreamt he saw a dinosaur
         Who dreamt he saw a fly."

©2009 Mary Ann Hoberman. All rights reserved.

---

Mary Ann Hoberman is the Poetry Foundation's current Children's Poet Laureate and a recipient of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. So I'm clearly not the first to recognize that she does wonders with words... but, well, she does! I can lose myself in her wordplay and often find my brain filling in more details of the pictures her poems create. And I've watched it happen to kids -- I've seen their eyes sparkle that certain sparkle when I'm reading one of her poems aloud to them.

I've actually been lucky enough to see Mary Ann Hoberman during a classroom visit. I knew the class she was going into... knew how fun they could be but how hard it would be for her to reach them. I think it took her 33 seconds. It was truly remarkable to watch -- they performed with her, laughed with her, listened intently, and were transported to a place we clearly all need to go more often. Luckily for all of us, she continues to spread that same poetic joy, and I'm thrilled to have her do some of that here as part of 30 Poets/30 Days!

Yesterday (during National Library Week!), we had Linda Sue Park's Villanelle: Why I Love Libraries. Tomorrow... "Me and Joe Lining Up After Recess" by Betsy Franco.

Linda Sue Park - Villanelle: Why I Love Libraries

Villanelle: Why I Love Libraries
by
Linda Sue Park

I lose myself within the book-walled maze,
with no end to the promises in sight,
through passages to many worlds and ways.

The aisles meander pleasantly. A craze
of unread pages beckons, tempts, invites;
I lose myself. Within the book-walled maze

a googolplex of lexical arrays
for exploration flanks me left and right.
True passages to many; worlds and ways

that lead to corners sharp with turns of phrase,
and tales both commonplace and recondite
to lose myself within. The book-walled maze

reveals its pleasures slowly, but repays
the debt of time in thousandfold delight—
through passages to many worlds, in ways

mapped out by words. A sudden blink of light:
It's checkout time—they’re closing for the night.
I'd lost myself within the book-walled maze,
through passages to many worlds and ways.

©2009 Linda Sue Park. All rights reserved.

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Linda Sue Park writes poems, picture books and novels, and won the Newbery Medal in 2002 for A Single Shard. She's also written wonderful stuff on her blog, and I've referred countless people there just to read her thoughts on "voice." And she doesn't know this, but it was a big day for me a couple years back when she visited GottaBook and let me know that she liked and was writing Fibs! Yes, I'm writer star-struck (and it's been a big month for that, lemme tell you!), and that was indeed a good day.

To me, her villanelle above simply falls in the category of "holy smokes!" Like Joyce Sidman's pantoum and Marilyn Singer's triolet and Avis Harley's acrostic, this is an example of taking a form and using it rather than being constrained by it. My official poetry tester here at home read this poem and said simply, "that's amazing." I concur, and I'm exceedingly happy to have it here as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday, we celebrated SPRING with Lee Bennett Hopkins. Tomorrow, Children's Poet Laureate Mary Ann Hoberman's I Dreamt I Saw a Dinosaur!

Lee Bennett Hopkins - SPRING

SPRING
by
Lee Bennett Hopkins

Roots
sprouts
buds
flowers

always--
always--
cloud-bursting showers

rhymes
April fools
fledglings on wing

no thing
is
newer
or
fresher
than
spring.


From the forthcoming, SHARING THE SEASONS (McElderry Books).
©2009 Lee Bennett Hopkins. All rights reserved.
Used by permission of Curtis Brown, Ltd.

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Lee Bennett Hopkins is this year's recipient of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. He's a dynamic speaker, an incredible poet, a remarkable anthologist, and a tireless champion for children's poetry and poets. And he loves chocolate!

Like he has been to countless others, Lee has been generous to me with his knowledge and time and has been an inspiration with his enthusiasm and passion for what he does. 30 Poets/30 Days would not likely exist had I never met him and been so caught up in his love of "passing the poetry," so to speak. I'm incredibly happy to be able to publicly say "Thanks, Lee!" like I know many have before. And now that I'm done with my selfish part... I'm also incredibly happy to give you a sneak peak at a poem from his upcoming SHARING THE SEASONS (illustrated by David Diaz).

Oh, yeah... one more thing. I hope you'll all join me in wishing Lee a happy birthday!

Yesterday brought us All Eyes by Nikki Grimes. Tomorrow... Villanelle: Why I Love Libraries by Linda Sue Park (just in time for National Library Week!).

Nikki Grimes - All Eyes

All Eyes
by
Nikki Grimes

I stood at the altar
twitching in God's shadow
dizzy with
the scent of lilies,
fear a broom
that swept away
the Easter poem
I'd memorized.
I blinked back
at twenty rows
of eyes, wondered
How does it go, again?
Then, always reckless,
opened my mouth.
But all that came out
half sung,
half whispered was
"Christ the Lord
has risen today.
Haaaaa-leee-luuuu-jah!"

©2009 Nikki Grimes. All rights reserved.

---

Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, a Coretta Scott King Award winner, an NAACP Image Award winner, and a novelist, poet, and picture book author who writes wonderfully for children, teens, and adults. And really, that just starts the list, but I do try to keep this part short!

I have been a huge fan of Nikki Grimes' poetry from the moment I first read it, and All Eyes is a great example of why (and, of course, there are many reasons why, but I'll try to keep this part short, too!). Now honestly, I've never stood at an altar with a memorized Easter poem swept out of my mind... but while the poem captures a very specific moment in time, it speaks to a universal experience and emotion. So, yeah, I read this, and I'm at that altar, transported there by poetry. This happens to me a lot with Nikki Grimes' poems, and that's one reason I'm thrilled having her be a part of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday we had Avis Hartley's Perfect Pitch (an acrostic). Tomorrow... Lee Bennett Hopkins with SPRING.

Avis Harley - Perfect Pitch

Perfect Pitch
by
Avis Harley

When you
Ache to make some music
Though you’re feeling all forlorn; you don’t
Even own a piano or
Recorder or a horn…why not

Measure out some water to eight glasses in a row
Until you hear a Do-Re-Mi, and a Fa-
So-La-Ti-Do. Then you take a tiny teaspoon—
It’s to tap a tinkly tune—and you practise for a
Concert you’ll perform at

Sunday noon. When your
Upbeat music’s over, don’t discard
It down the sink. Look around for
Thirsty flowers and then pitch
Each one a drink.

©2009 Avis Harley. All rights reserved.

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Avis Harley plays with words... places them in all sorts of forms and styles... and makes them sing. Perfect Pitch is an acrostic, yes, but it's also so much more than just that - the rhythms, the rhymes, the imagery, the story, the title, and the acrostic itself work together to create something much different than any part alone. Also, I sense the fun she has writing whenever I read or hear her work... and I know kids do, too.

If you haven't read Tricia's Poetry Makers profile of Avis Harley, you really should go read it now. Not only will you get to know more about Avis, but you'll see other wonderful samples of her work (including LATER, a poem that truly hits me dead on). I'm truly looking forward to her new book, African Acrostics (with photographs by Deborah Noyes), and I'm incredibly happy to have a new poem (and an acrostic, to boot!) from Avis Harley here as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday Bruce Lansky gave us Rules for Spot. Tomorrow... All Eyes by Nikki Grimes.