Thoughts, opinions, and ramblings about (broadly) children's literature from my perspectives as a writer, parent, and volunteer elementary school librarian. Plus I post Fibs, Oddaptations and poetry galore, all listed on the right and left hand sides of the blog.
The mark for the highest high-jump on the planet,
Is held by a lady from Newark named Janet.
When she jumped, it was almost as if she could fly.
In a flash, she was just a small dot in the sky.
The judges, they waited, but soon they got bored,
‘Cause she never came down to collect her award.
Palindromania! and Go Hang a Salami! I'm a Lasagna Hog! demonstrate Jon Agee's palindrome mastery (recently recognized again with his wins in the SymmyS!) which would be enough to forever endear him to me. But he's done oxymorons and anagrams and spoonerisms and tongue tangling poems (in Orangatan Tongs), too. And all of it accompanied by his own wonderfully fun illustrations, no less! Like how can his brain do all that???
I recently got to hear Jon speak, and wouldn't you know that he was funny, clever, and as likable as his books? I bet kids would never forget a Jon Agee visit. In fact, I wish I could have him here presenting to y'all right now, but since I can't... I'm just thrilled to have a poem from him here today as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.
Of all the gardens in the neighborhood,
Gilbert’s is the greenest.
And of all the tillers and shovels and spades,
Gilbert’s are the cleanest.
While his neighbors toil away in the soil,
Gilbert sits on his porch and drinks tea,
and for every plant that grows in their dirt,
Gilbert’s got seventy-three.
Through sun and clouds, drought and flood,
Gilbert’s garden keeps growing,
as he drinks his tea in his rocker and rocks,
not sowing or mowing or hoeing.
Gilbert’s a gardening genius,
and he’ll tell you just how he succeeds:
“The secret to my lovely garden,” he says,
“is I only and strictly grow weeds.”
So many of the poets who are part of this annual 30/30 shindig have a great amount of range, but I think you could find Debbie Levy pictured in the dictionary's definition. Obviously, she can bring the funny (and has published such) and nail what a younger child would love. She also writes non-fiction (in verse and out of verse). And middle grade. Yeah, that too.
And guess what? Her novel Imperfect Spiral coming out in July (from Walker Books/Bloomsbury)? Right. It's YA, dealing with themes and topics far afield from weed-gardening... but guaranteed to be just as effective. That's amazing to me, I gotta say. I love that range... and it's just one reason I'm so happy having Debbie Levy here today as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.
Yup! That's the cover, alright (by the obviously uber-talented Linzie Hunter)! I am exceeeeeedingly fond of it. To me it says "hey, there's a fun, funny novel in here about friends, Fibs, fibs, math, poetry, and pie." Of course, I could be biased :-)
Did I mention that The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. comes out in October from Arthur A. Levine Books? And that the above is the cover and that I'm super excited???? And it's even available for preorder but no one has this lovely cover yet? I did? Good!
Immigrant's Song: Coal Dust, Peppers, and Tomatoes
by
Nancy Bo Flood
I come from coal dust
And hopes taken down, down, down
Deep mine shaft down underground.
Dig hard, spend lean, save, save, save,
Leave
Before the shaft fills and dreams drown.
Homestead rich black fields.
Truck-farm tall corn, fat round tomatoes,
Finest sweet peppers, red, yellow, green.
Sell a bushel, soul hopes,
Fingers hold earth.
Buy it.
Buy all the acres you plow.
Wed. Birth. Bury.
Plant again,
Corn grows from one yellow seed
Into an immigrant’s dream.
You can find more "good stuff" in her latest collection, Cowboy Up! Ride the Navajo Rodeo. While the setting itself may not be familiar, the verses make it all real, tangible, alive.
And if you want more (and of course you do!) and something different, too... Nancy Bo Flood's No-Name Baby was recently named one of Bank Street's 100 Best Children's Books of 2012. She is definitely a wonderful weaver of words, and I'm thrilled to have Nancy Bo Flood here today as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.
The "Just Because" Hug
by
Robert Schechter Bears willhugyou cause they're mean, so watch out for their claws! But I don'thugyou cause I'm nice. Ihugyoujustbecause.
There is no rule that says I must. There are no 'hugginglaws,' no hidden motives to discuss. Ihugyoujustbecause.
I do nothugyou to reward your virtues or your flaws. Can you guessthereason why Ihugyou? Justbecause.
When life's too busy, rushing by, sometimes I like to pause and wrap my arms around you. Why? Ihugyoujustbecause. JustbecauseI have two arms. Be glad it's not two paws! Justbecauseit feels so good, Ihugyou. Justbecause.
I highly recommend you read (and listen to) a couple of Bob's poems that have been in Highlights - Colors and My Nose - both of which have a similar voice that makes me wonder... hmmm... is it Bob who has this wonderful world view? If it is, well, that'd just add to the reasons I'm so happy to have Robert Schechter here today as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.
Have I ever mentioned how much I love April around these parts? I do! I get to share poems (and read them before anyone else!) and enjoy poems here and all around the blogosphere, too.
I'm particularly enjoying the comments left for the poets here (most of whom are active online, too) and on Facebook and Twitter and elsewhere. And I'm excited to see all sorts of new names hanging out, too.
There's all sorts of great poetry left to come this month - including, I should note, some older skewing ones, so if you're reading these to your 5 year old without reading 'em to yourself first, you might want to take a step back! And yes, you'll hear from me throughout the month, too.
And finally... another hat tip to Carter Higgins for this year's logo! It makes me happy wherever I see it. I encourage you to check out more of her work because I predict it'll make you happy, too.
Sing it loud. Sing it clear.
National Poetry Month is here.
Sing it loud. Sing it clear.
National Poetry Month is here.
Do not write a boring poem.
Write about a front lawn gnome.
Write about your Uncle Nick.
Write about your favorite flick.
Write about a your best friend’s burp.
Write about the way you slurp.
Write about a painful itch.
Write about your left eye twitch.
Let your spirit swing and soar.
Let your mind float out the door.
Free your voice to laugh and seethe.
Feel your poem begin to breathe.
Sing it loud. Sing it clear.
National Poetry Month is here.
Longtime GottaBook readers probably know that I have a "thing" for poems about poetry and writing (and poems about Poetry Month, too), so I was quite happy to see Sing it Loud come my way. I love the playfulness... the permission it grants... the inspiration it gives... and the call to action, too. I read it, and I wanna write, and that is awesome.
I was also quite happy to see the anthology that Jill edited (and wrote a poem for) Dare to Dream... Change the Worldcome out last year and receive some great recognition. The book is full of poems about real people who inspire, written by fabulous poets, and it's sure to inspire kids who read it. Notice a theme? Jill's inspiring... and that's just one reason I'm excited to have her here today as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.
Long ago a renowned candy judge
Who loved lemon drops, toffee, and fudge
Found that each yummy taste
Would go straight to his waist--
Now that fudge-loving judge cannot budge.
I first ran into Tamera via her blogging, not immediately aware that she was a poet, too. Then... kaboom! There was Gone Fishing, her novel in verse (with illustrations by Matthew Cordell), and it hits what I think is this really great middle grade sweet spot: telling a relatable story (with poems!), using different poetic forms within the text, and then explaining it all with back matter, too.
It's exciting to see her debut novel - just out last month! - and I know I'm looking forward to the next book from Tamera, too. In the meantime, I'm thrilled to have her here today as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.
I'm a sucker, as many of you know, for food poetry and wordplay, so it was a happy day when Olympic Sprouts came over the email transom. And maybe it's because of Doug's illustration background, but I can just see what the voice of the poem sees, and I'm left wanting to toboggan down spaghetti, too.
The same sense of fun can be found in Doug's book, Pigmares, by the way - his first book of poetry... after having written or illustrated over 125 books for kids! That's a happy thing, indeed, as is having Doug Cushman here today as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.
If you haven't read Sonya Sones' novels in verse... well... just go and do so. Oh, I suppose you can
wait for her upcoming box set but you're only postponing what you know you should do. Her books are so vibrant and full of the type of detail that makes everything come alive for me... and yet she does it all with such economy. I read and enjoy. Then I read and try to learn. (But don't tell her!)
It's a good time to be a Sonya Sones fan, by the way. She's got a novel out in August with the fantastic title of To Be Perfectly Honest (A Novel Based on an Untrue Story). And she's got a picture book for high school grads coming out soon co-written with her daughter, Ava. Perhaps that will lead me to a future 30 Poets/30 Days participant... but for now, I'm thrilled to have Sonya Sones here at GottaBook. Achooooo!
Big boxes! Small boxes!
Sturdy and tough.
I love you space figures,
I can’t have enough.
Your bases and faces
I truly adore.
Big boxes! Small boxes!
May I have one more?
Big boxes! Small boxes!
Piled high in my room.
You wobble, you bobble.
You topple down— Boom!
Your bases are strong.
Space figures, you’re great!
Big boxes! Small boxes!
You’re cool! But, wait.
Pyramids, prisms, and cones,
how you rock!
Your faces and bases
I like quite a lot!
When I look at you
I see 3D perfection.
I want more figures—
a bigger collection!
What is a Space Figure?
An object like a tissue box is 3-Dimensional. It may also be called a space figure. The sides and the top of the box are sides, or faces. The edge is where the base and face connect. A tissue box has six faces and twelve edges. Try counting them for yourself!
Of course, it's not enough just to be a poem about a concept. No. It's still gotta be fun to read. The words and images have to speak and inform on their own, and if you read Heidi's poems, whether about math or seeds or whatever else, you'll find they always do.
He's also, as you can see from the above example, a wonderful weaver of words. Blackbird is such a soothing, lush poem and combined with the art that goes with it, from Catherine Hyde, it's got me wishing that the book it's from, Conjuring the Dusk, were out NOW. But, no. We have to wait. That's not right.
Still, in the interim, we can pick from Andrew's other books as poet, novelist, anthologist, and picture book author. Or we can hope to find him didgeridooing somewhere. In all cases, however, it's a real pleasure for me to have Andrew Fusek Peters here today as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.
You've lost your shoes – you don't know where.
You do not have another pair.
Your mother says they're in your room.
You trod upstairs to face your doom.
They aren't lying on the floor,
Not on your desk, not in a drawer,
Behind the chair, under the bed –
They must be someplace else instead.
You pull the door – it makes a creak –
Into the closet's depths you peek.
The hanging clothes are all unhung
Mixed in a pile with things you flung.
You sift and dig. You sort and toss.
You start to become very cross.
Then finally, inside a box,
You find your shoes. Where are your socks?
If you've followed Writing and Ruminating, Kelly's blog (where her ruminating is not to be missed, by the way), or seen her picture book, At the Boardwalk, or run into her poetry anywhere else it's been published, you'd no doubt share my opinion. With a keen eye and a great ability to push her reader just a little farther (as in... to socks!), it's always a treat to read her poetry... just as it's a treat for me to have Kelly Ramsdell Fineman here today as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.
It occurs to me that some of you may not know Mary Lee's poetry. Instead, you might know her as half of the A Year of Reading duo or as a teacher or the Poetry Friday organizing dynamo. In fact, I didn't know Mary Lee wrote poetry when I first got to cyber-know her years ago. But she does! Oh, indeed she does!
Now published in both the Poetry Friday Anthologies (for K-5 and middle school), I predict it won't be long before we're seeing Mary Lee Hahn authored collections. She has a way with phrasing and imagery that can often take my breath away and a startling ability to make me see the world through her eyes. And I find that I truly like the view, one reason I'm so happy to have here here today kicking off 30 Poets/30 Days.
Believe Me When I Tell You
The Rolling Stones
Mick Jagger—1943-; Keith Richards—1943-;
Charlie Watts—1941-; Ronnie Wood—1947-;
Brian Jones—1942-1969
Rock ’n’ roll’s
The perfect party favor
Rock ’n’ roll’s
Granddaddy’s nervous tic
Rock ’n’ roll
Believe me when I tell you
Rock ’n’ roll
Is always Keith and Mick
It’s the penthouse floor in a snazzy hotel
It’s a symphony written to a sorcerer’s spell
At the wedding of the undertaker and his bride
When they kiss, he’s happy, she’s terrified
Rock ’n’ roll
Comes shaking like a preacher
Rock ’n’ roll
Some say’s a dirty trick
Rock ’n’ roll
In case you ever doubted
Rock ’n’ roll
Is purely Keith and Mick
It’s the cyclone rush of a wind tunnel high
It’s a poke in the snoot and it’s mud in your eye
It’s a cream pie hit to the guv’nor’s tux
As he swindles the choir for a few hundred bucks
Rock ’n’ roll
Is caution on a riptide
Rock ’n’ roll
Is opera with a kick
Rock ’n’ roll
I think I oughta mention
Rock ’n’ roll
Is always Keith and Mick
By the way, you can check out today's Poetry Friday roundup at A Year in Reading to get a bunch of pre-National Poetry Month poetry joy. And consider today's poem pre-kickoff to 30 Poets/30 Days.
To get all the poetry that appears here on the blog in your inbox instead, you can join my poetry list. Simply enter your email address into the box and click subscribe:
And if you listen really closely, you can probably hear me singing and shouting with joy and glee.
There are so many folks to thank, of course, and that includes y'all. I know so many of you have been hanging around these parts since this book was not even a manuscript. Others of you have come by more recently. And all of you here are a big part of what's kept me writing during the good and bad times. That's why I look forward to celebrating a lot with you in the months ahead.
I feel awfully lucky right about now: National Poetry Month and 30 Poets/30 Days are coming up, I get to see my debut novel's cover soon (and will share it here, natch!), and did I mention... my book is coming out in October?
I'm thrilled to announce the 2013 edition of 30 Poets/30 Days, an April-long celebration of children's poetry that takes place here at GottaBook.
Each day of the month, I'll post a previously unpublished poem by a different poet. I've seen a lot of the poetry already, and I can safely say it's gonna be a great month. Here's an alphabetical list of who's work you'll be seeing here during National Poetry Month 2013:
Am I excited? YES! Yes, I am. Now, there are a few easy ways to follow along and not miss out on any of the fun. You can visit here every day, of course. Or you can subscribe to GottaBook via email or your blog reader.
You can also join my poetry list, and get all the poems emailed to you the day they hit my blog. To be on the list, enter your email address into the box and click subscribe:
That list runs year round, by the way, so whenever I post a poem here, whether it's my own or a poem from a visiting guest poet, you'll see it.
There are always a ton of people to thank with an event like this and other details to share, but today I'm simply going to wrap it up with a bit hat tip to the extra-talented Carter Higgins for designing this year's 30/30 logo. And, of course, thanks to all of you for reading! Now...
THE POETRY FRIDAY ROUNDUP!
Please leave a comment with a link to your Poetry Friday post, and I'll be adding things in as the day goes on....
Wanna see an original poem about wishes? Exellent! Because that's what's up at the ever wonderful Poem Farm, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater's poetry rich home on the web.
Maria shares a process and a poem - definitely a process to try yourself - over at Teaching in the 21st Century. And I am jealous because she's done workshops with Kate Messner and Ralph Fletcher!
You gotta check out Portrait of a Trembling Poet, wherein Buffy Silverman (one of the March Poetry Madness's final 16 poets) details her process of how she crafted her poem using the word "gnawing."
The Sea Gypsy appears... or really, is posted... over at Bildungsroman. If you're a fan of Richard Hovey or if you're not, go on over and be swept away in the wonder of the sea.
Paintings and poetry mix at the Bald Ego blog... as do father and son. Charles and Chip Ghigna share a picture book in progress... and I hope we see it in stores, soon.
Steampunk! Haiku! You Steampunk Me comes from Lorie Ann Grover... complete with a photo you just gotta see (cuz, like, someone out there is a way cool parent).
Cathy at Merely Day By Day is sharing an original poem - One Wish - today, and it asks a question that I will be mulling over for some time now. I guess it's rhetorical, but it's in my head now, and it'll probably be in yours, too.
I'm caught up with links... but keep 'em coming, y'all, in the comments below. Poetry Friday is like the New York City subway: there's always room for one more.
I'm a screenwriter, volunteer librarian, dad, and SCBWI member with a love of poetry and picture books.
I'm currently working on a middle grade novel for Arthur A. Levine Books as well as writing Fibs, other poetry, and, over at The Happy Accident, all about social media, too.
Palindromania! and Go Hang a Salami! I'm a Lasagna Hog! demonstrate Jon Agee's palindrome mastery (recently recognized again with his wins in the SymmyS!) which would be enough to forever endear him to me. But he's done oxymorons and anagrams and spoonerisms and tongue tangling poems (in Orangatan Tongs), too. And all of it accompanied by his own wonderfully fun illustrations, no less! Like how can his brain do all that???
