Another search Fib...

OK, I'm not missing this Poetry Friday (nor failing to mention the roundup hosted at Shaken & Stirred), despite the slog mentioned below. Luckily for me, there has been a recent flood of largely inexplicable search terms that have brought folks here which I can compile into a Search Fib. Some terms aren't splicable cuz I don't know why they were typed and some because I cannot imagine why they got folks here and some because they use search engines/sites that I've never, ever heard of and can't imagine why they're used... but that's just the joy o' the net, I suppose.


Fib
Fiiiiib
Flib flab
Gottafib
Fib is what the hell
Ringing the Fibonacci bell

June Slog

I will be glad to see June end. I've posted infrequently, read blogs less frequently, and have even gone days without checking email. Yes, that's true! And this is even before vacation in a land of limited online access....

This is probably good, of course, as anyone who's attended the SCBWI Summer Conference can tell you that you need weeks of prep time to be able to milk the maximum amount of fun and knowledge out of the four days.

I'd also note, by the way, that my newly minted shortcut turned poor today when an accident caused traffic to back waaaaay up. And where was this traffic before? Hmmm. This does not, of course, doom the shortcut. It merely shows the power of the blogosphere....

Ziiiiiiip

So, this is what life is like in the city -- I'm excited because I've found a new route that's shaved minutes off an otherwise not-really-so-bad-anyway drive. I have told others about said route, even though they never need to go where I'm going. But they applaud my achievement anyway, understanding the joy.

I am not so sure that kids are wired this way, so my picture book idea "Greg Skips Four Traffic Lights and Finds a Street that Cuts at an Angle" is likely to stay in draft form for awhile longer yet....

A sure sign of summer:

I have no idea of the date.

Yes, it's true. I haven't known the date for awhile. I've known the day of the week (more or less), but it's the time of year where my brain views a week as a collective amount of time rather than seven discreet units with limited hours in each. Oh, sure, the summer week actually has less workable hours than the rest of the year, and there's an arcane formula involving sunshine, school time, and ice coffee availability that proves this beyond a reasonable doubt, but I'll spare you. The point is simply that blog posting will be bursty, news will be late, observations will related to ice coffee availability, and in general we're gonna sit here and get virtually tan.

And on the plus side, each time I post here, I'll see the date!

Sneaking in!

Still Friday on my coast, so lemme do a lame participation in the wonderful Poetry Friday tradition and simply point you over to A Wrung Sponge for the roundup o' today's posts.

Didja go yet? Huh? Didja?

What about now?

Good. I'd be more poetic but I GottaSleep!

August, I tell ya....

I keep hearing from more and more folks who are going to be at the August SCBWI conference out here in currently-a-tad-too-warm LA. I'm really looking forward to reconnecting with a lot of folks as well as meeting a whole bunch o' fellow denizens of the kidlitosphere. And so, I propose a version of what I've seen in NYC and now DC -- a drink night! Now, it can't be a Kid Lit Drink Night, cuz that's silly since all 1000ish attendees are around for kidlit stuff. But us onliners in particular should meet at some point on Friday so we know who's who.

Anyone wanna be one of the N (where N is hopefully large) co-organizers/co-hosts/co-everything along with me? Please??!!! Drop me a line or leave a comment and let's hatch a plan. Friday night seems right... but what else?

It's not all vacation fun, ya know...

Nope. As you journey elsewhere around the kidlitosphere, you'll find a hive of activity, including a whole bunch of author interviews.

Why, look -- here's a schedule of who's talking where!

It's mighty fine stuff, so get thee hence and read....

Boo!

Did I scare you after a three day quiet period? Huh? Did I? As it turns out, I was in a place with (drum roll please) NO internet or cell phone service!

OK, I'm sure there were ways around both, but at the end of the day... why fight it? It was quiet. Peaceful, other than the cows. Food was plentiful, and caffeine was available in warm, brown, coffee form. There was good company, a yellow pad which basically remained unused, and absolutely NOTHING that needed to be done.

In other words... down time!

But now I'm back, and I missed y'all. I'll resume a normal posting schedule of some sort hereabouts... until the next down time, whenever that might be!

A Poetry Friday Fib -- a poetry Friday poem

In case you didn't go see Susan's Poetry Friday article, I'm re-linking it here. And just for fun, I'm extracting and reposting my Poetry Friday Fib from it as my contribution to this week's fun. Multiple birds with one Fib! Gotta love it.


Post.
Link.
Unite.
Spread the cheer:
Fridays through the year,
Poetry fills the blogosphere.

It's Poetry, ya see....

So, of course it belongs on the Poetry Foundation website. What am I talking about? An excellent article about Poetry Fridays written by the kidlitosphere's own Chicken Spaghetti (also known as Susan!).

Check it out!

You go, you Laureate you...

Michael Rosen was named the UK's new Children's Laureate (a post soon to exist in the US, by the way). And what sayeth he?

"I want to see children’s poetry loosened from its shackles and for people to become freer and easier with poetry," he says.

Right on. Here's to two years of shackle-loosening!

Moving, shaking, and blogging

So, today was the day for Fuse #8's big move.

Find her doing her rockin' blog thang at School Library Journal now. Or wait til later in the week when I update my blogroll and click on that link. But you don't want to wait, do you?

People always ask me "why blog?" There are a ton of great reasons, of course, but I think Fuse's success (getting paid to blog, the high profile position, the cupcakes) is a nice encapsulation of some of the things that can happen if you're blogging the kidlitosphere (or any 'sphere you want, I suspect). Yes, the social aspect of blogging is still the big draw for me... but that social aspect also explains why everyone I've run across is thrilled about Fuse's success. It's a nice place, this kidlitosphere. I hope you'll all stick around....

GottaBook -- the fragrance?

I'm doing some heavy duty magazine reading this weekend, and all of a sudden, there's Antonia Banderas staring back at me from one fine tome in a full page ad for "Antonio -- the fragrance." So I start thinking of all those lists I made up back in the day of things I'd like to accomplish/do/be, and I gotta tell you that having a fragrance bearing my name was never one of them... which is probably a good thing, come to think of it, as I'd probably fall short of that goal.

Still, I propose to you all the idea of virtual scents. You know, rub a little GottaBook on for the "essence of Fibbery." The possibilities for Virtusmells (TM pending, as is Eau du Web) seem limitless. Or something like that, anyway.

I admit I'm happy that we haven't seen a Harry Potter cologne with some sort of wizard or magic tagline... but who knows what July will bring? Other than that distant possibility, I think this is one area where kidlit will steer clear of any involvement. ...

Sign o' the times....

Yes, when I miss Poetry Friday completely (links collected this week by Hip Writer Mama), you know that things were busy around here. Luckily, Friday returns with great regularity....

I also realized it's been some time since I gave any insight into how I waste my time online, in those rare moments I do so. Oh, sure, there's always Babble, but for elegance and amusement (and frustration!) combined, check out Stick Remover. The games listed along the side there are all worth checking out, in fact. If I had time to waste, I'd certainly give Double Wires a try. And Golf. And.... Only if you have the time, of course, and I know how busy you are....

And your weekend plans?

Do they involve the Mother Reader 48 Hour Book Challenge? Hmmm? You gotta go check out her sidebar to see how many folks are doing her challenge this year. It really shows the explosion of the kidlitosphere over the last year, I think. Or it shows that more people are willing to admit to spending 48 hours reading books. But in either case, it's a good thing.

When in need of posting material...

... my strategy is simply to borrow from Fuse (soon to be SLJFuse!). OK, that she borrowed from the equally borrowable Kidslit merely makes my post all the better, I say.

But really, how can you not just point to a book aimed at kids called...
The Sky's Not Falling!: Why It's OK to Chill About Global Warming.

No, I'm not making that up... though I must say a "enjoyed" the blurb, clearly not written by an unbiased source!

Poem Face

Sometimes in your sitemeter you get a search term that fills you with glee. Let me introduce you to "poem face" the most recent on my list.

Is it an insult?
A compliment?
A search for poetry about a face?

And what would a poem face look like? "Oh you with your iambic eyes, sometimes in trochee ye disguise"? Or is that Ode Face?

Inquiring minds want to know....

Oh, sure. Be that way.

You know I speak highly of the Disco Mermaids from time to time. Heck, I even tagged them recently (hint, hint) in a sign of respect (and taking advantage of their three-for-oneness). But this time... well...


Go read their "most expensive post ever" to see why they truly are the bee's knees.

They continue to raise the bar, though I'll continue to work diligently to lower it for the rest of us....

Hello, Summer! -- a last day of school poem/a summer vacation poem

'Tis the end of the school year in many parts, and I thought I'd celebrate this poetry Friday by tossing up a summer vacation/last day of school poem. And why not, I ask? Ya, I couldn't come up with a reason either.... Check out the Poetry Friday roundup over at adventures in daily living!

Hello, Summer! -- (A Last Day of School Poem)
by
Gregory K.


Goodbye, classroom!
Goodbye, Teach!
You can find me at the beach...
Or in the park or at the pool
Or any place that isn’t school.

Goodbye, quizzes!
Bye, reports!
Hello days packed full of sports
And days when I’m just lazybones
While eating melty ice cream cones.

Goodbye, homework --
Lunchroom, too.
There’s so, so much I wanna do.
I know the school year flew on past…
But please, please summer -- last and last.


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Triply Tagged!

Well, I'm not a big meme fellow, but today I was tagged and tagged and tagged again. I can take a hint! Behold, then, the 8 Things Meme....

Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

1) There's an X-Files character who shares my name.

2) I have held an Oscar. It was heavy!

3) I now know a frightening (to me) amount of Dewey Decimal numbers... and what they mean.

4) I have a copy of Winnie the Pooh in Esperanto. At one point in time I was convinced I'd learn Esperanto. Then... uh... I don't remember what happened, but I can safely say it's never been a problem that I'm not fluent.

5) I have seen every Abbott and Costello movie multiple times... but have definitely not seen a single one of them in the past 20 years.

6) Every year, I attempt to decaffeinate for two weeks. Please note the word "attempt."

7) At Christmas time, I can do The Grinch off book. The rest of the year, I can do far too much of The Lorax off book....

8) I have never met a Game Seven of a best of seven sporting event that I didn't like. Team Handball, Albania vs. Malta, Game Seven??? Let's make the popcorn!


I don't enjoy tagging others (hey, this is like a bonus factoid/habit!), but I'll give a meme-tag to Tina, Terry, all three Mermaids, and Alan, assuming they've all been tagged anyway (though please note that NONE of their blogs have proof of my supposition!).

Fib talking...

I don't talk about Fibs here as much as I'd like. I still write 'em, still enjoy 'em, and still am fascinated by how they spread... and continue to spread. I've seen Fibs in syllabi, in poetry journals, in poetry books, and all around the web, not just in the comments of my blog. In fact, this week alone I stumbled into a page devoted to fabulous Fibs, and learned of fellow blogger Minge relaunching his Fib Sundays.

As always, I love to hear about places y'all have encountered Fibs (of the poetic kind!), and in particular I love hearing stories of Fibbing in the classroom. So if you've got a good story, feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me. Thanks!

And the survey says...

What better on a long weekend (well, long for those of us in the States, at least) than a report from the trusted news source... the Onion? Exactly. Nothing. And so...

Study: 38 Percent Of People Not Actually Entitled To Their Opinion

an excerpt:

"While people have long asserted that it takes all kinds, our research shows that American society currently has a drastic oversupply of the kinds who don't have any good or worthwhile thoughts whatsoever. We could actually do just fine without them."

More soon, but now I gotta book....

Oddaptation: If I Ran the Circus, If I Ran the Zoo, On Beyond Zebra, Scrambled Eggs Super

It's been a few months since my last Oddaptation (and if you're new to the concept, please see the label below or the links over on the right hand side of the blog to understand what an Oddaptation is (hint: attitudinal cliff notes) AND to see prior ones). In the interim, I'd gotten a couple notes asking me to Oddapt more Seuss. So I figured, huh, why not do a bunch of Seuss at once? I could probably add to this title (Happy Birthday to You, anyone?), but four books at once seemed enough. But if you feel the need for more than four, feel free to add to the list!


IF I RAN THE CIRCUS/IF I RAN THE ZOO/ON BEYOND ZEBRA/SCRAMBLED EGGS SUPER
by Dr. Seuss
Oddaptation by Gregory K.

These books share a gist:
Each works as a list.
The plots don’t much matter,
Though sometimes kershplatter.
You don’t know that word?
Then it’s time that you heard
These books invent things
Like pwabackalecklings.
So read ‘em aloud
To any size crowd
Or just son or daughter...
And wish they were shawter.




A Wrung Sponge has the Poetry Friday roundup! Get thee hence....

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C'est Impossible!

That's what it seems like to me when I realized that there's a whopping three weeks left to the school year... and when I realized that that type of thing has an impact on my life! Gone are the days, I guess, when school was but a distant memory....

So now I ask my fellow librarians/teachers -- any favorite end of the school year read-alouds? Think K through 3, and please hit me with your best shot!

Boom, Boom - Out Go the Lights!

So, last night was gonna be poetry writing night hereabouts. Don't get me wrong -- I write poetry all the time, but I never seem to have contiguous hours to do it, so I have been trying to reserve one or two nights a week to do nothing else. OK, maybe I pay bills if needed. Or a few other things. But the point is, it's poetry night!

Anyway, I'm getting mentally ready as the hour draws near. Sharpen the pens, start yellow pad number 28 (each pad having only 2 or 3 pages scrawled on it, of course), clear the brain of other thoughts. And all of a sudden -- it's dark. I mean TOTALLY dark. I mean the type of dark that you don't experience unless your power is out, and all your little green and blue and red lights that dot your house and indicate "power on" disappear. Because our power wasn't on. It was totally, utterly off.

I had a romantic notion of lighting candles and scribing in the flickering light. I saw myself dipping a quill into ink and working anyway. I visualized myself telling the story of brilliant poetry spewing forth the night the lights went out.

But it was really dark!

So, I followed the muse of Ben Franklin and went early to bed. This morning, indeed, it was early to rise (a blinking 12:00 if my clock is to be believed). And yes, the power's back... so pretty soon I expect to be healthy, wealthy, wise, and well lit. I'll let ya know how it goes, but now I gotta book.

It's a Fiesta. It's a Carnival. It's a blast!

Get thee to Chicken Spaghetti and view the 14th Carnival of Children's Literature. There's a great selection of posts that line up with the theme of the event, then there's a bunch of slackers like me who simply picked something not quite on point! But mix 'em all together, and it's a mighty good time.

Dusty... dirty... done.

With a big ol' contingent of hardworking fellow volunteers, we managed to recover from a month or two of library neglect, bring a slew (defined officially as 1500) of books out of their staging area and onto the shelves, and kicked up a lotta book-dust. All in all, a good time.

But as we put books on the shelves, we started to have piles of the great unknown. Those books that defy classification for the un-Dewey indoctrinated... or maybe for anyone. What do you do with a book that's written in two languages, but the name of the second language is never identified and sure doesn't look familiar to anyone around. And does our library really need -- and where should we put -- a copy of The Courtin', a poem by James Russell Lowell illustrated by Winslow Homer. Yes, that Winslow Homer.

In the end, sans internet connection, we ended up with a few boxes that returned from whence they came, awaiting another day of volunteering fun. But any day you add hundreds and hundreds of new picture books to the shelves is a good day in my book.

Friday. Poetry. They mix, I tell ya.

My attempt this week to write an "end of school year" poem was, well, it was an attempt, but not a successful one. So instead of posting an original poem on this lovely Friday, I direct you to Kelly's blog for the Poetry Friday roundup!

Shelving. And then some.

So, here as we approach the end of the school year, finally, at long last, we're getting a day in the library to organize, re-organize, alphabetize, and shelve, shelve, shelve. Yes, with 5 weeks to go! Still, I'm excited, as the beast has gotten out of control, and this is the chance to tame it.

I recently typed up a list of the read-alouds from the last two years, and realized that I have, indeed, spent at least some of my time well. It's a fine list of around 160 titles, with a great range, I must say with everything from the funny to poignant, silly to sublime, fiction to non-fiction, poetry to wordless picture books, and a lot of stuff in between. Have I hit my goal of making sure that every student in the school has seen their life reflected in something we've read? It's surely possible, though there's room for improvement there. I hope to spend the summer reading tons of books I don't know, so I can find the ones that hit sweet spots I've missed.

But for now... boy, do I want to simply get everything put away once! Here's hoping....

A quick spin...

... around just a tiny bit of my blogroll leads me to

Remind: it's the upcoming Carnival of Children's Literature at Chicken Spaghetti. Submit a link by Thursday.


Don Tate deserves kudos!

I'm sure I missed linking to The Edge of the Forest, and that's just plain wrong, cuz it's mighty fine reading.

And... oh, heck. There's too much! Get thee to my blogroll and enjoy!

Moms, you should know...

... that late at night, your spouses and children and others who love you are plying the internet...

Searching...

Getting increasingly desperate...

Hoping to find a love connection with...

A poem for you.

Yes, a poem, if the Google searches coming my way are to be believed. And the odds are, whatever they find, you deserve it and then some.


So happy Mother's Day to all the moms in my life... on and offline!

Hmmm. I want to...but should I?

Oh, heck. I must.

Someone asked me if they could put some of my poetry on their blog for Poetry Friday! Well, yes. Of course. Look, there I am a few entries above Shakespeare....

I know. I know. I could add witticisms here, but instead I need to direct Mom to a computer....

Hip Writer Mama has the Poetry Friday roundup right here.

And thanks again, Tabatha!

Poetry Wednesday?

Why not? So, a little shout out and tip o' the cap to Straight Goods, Canada's leading independent magazine, for running my Mother's Day poem in their current issue. It's under "humour" which makes me happy both by the title and by the extra U for us under the border types. Good times indeed!

Searched out... but why?

So, I admit that every now and then I look at the search terms that drive people here. Stop laughing! I can define "now and then" however I'd like, thank you very much. Mostly I do this for amusement and education. But there's ego gratification, too, as I get a lot of folks searching for specific poems of mine along with my name. However, this weekend got me something different entirely:

Someone entered a complete poem of mine in Google. Not my itty, bitty Pluto one, either. Nope, this was a longer one, and they entered the whole text. So the question is... why?

My first reaction is cynical -- it was a teacher who had a student turn this poem in as their own and decided "Hmmm. This has rather sophisticated wordplay. I wonder...." Does anyone else share this idea? Teacher-readers o' mine... does this happen?

Now, it's also possible someone had copied the poem and couldn't remember where they'd gotten it and wanted to see from whence such witty or putrid verse came. Or they wanted to give me fair attribution in a report/paper/email. Or... well, I'm open to other reasons.

Anyone got any? Curious, indeed, at least to me....

Ooooh. The Summber SCBWI Conference!

Perhaps it's not with the same excitement that Steve Martin greeted the phone books in The Jerk, but I was quite jazzed today to see that the SCBWI summer conference information is up!

As always, the highlights are numerous. Lee Bennett Hopkins is back! Lisa Yee! Linda Sue Park! And... and... AND! I can't go on. Too much. But what's truly exciting is the nice showing from the kidlitosphere. Among those highlights are Kelly, Cynthia, and the Class of 2k7, and... and... and...! This means, hard as it is to believe, that the Conference will likely be even more fun and more blogged than last year.

Will I be seeing you in LA from August 3 to 6? I hope so....

A Search Fib for Poetry Friday...

This is certainly an original composition, though as with most Search Fibs, it's not clear that it's a poem, per se. But heck, some mighty fine search terms have rolled in of late, and this is as good a way for sharing as any. And again let me say... boy there are a lot of different search mechanisms out there!

Kelly's been nice enough to round up the Poetry Friday links today. Go on and check it allll out.


Fib
Flib
Tell fibs
Prune bathroom
Good scrotum supports
Is Mother's Day time to play sports?

Link overflow...

So, after the extravaganza of last month, I find the links on the right hand side of my blog looking pretty... well... linky. I mean, there are a LOT of links over there. My blogroll, full of remarkable places everyone should visit, has slid farther down as my links of poems has grown to around 80! Then again, I remember when my blogroll was three or four. Times change.

Still, I'm trying to come up with organizational techniques for those poem links. I do want them all there, since they get a lot of action, so to speak, but there must be more efficient ways to group them. Anyone with thoughts on this, feel free to send 'em my way.

And don't get me started on how many other fantastic blogs there are out there, with new ones popping onto my radar all the time. Today, thanks to Barbara Jean Hicks (out with the wonderfully titled (and living up to it) The Secret Life of Walter Kitty), I learned about the chock full o' info and anecdote Editorial Anonymous -- another must read for us kidlit writer types. Good stuff out there, indeed. If only there were 25 hours in a day, with one hour designated "blog reading time." Someone call Congress and make it so!

He speaks!

OK, it's not like I was silent in April. In fact, I probably had more total posts in the month than any other one this year. But I felt a tiny bit out of touch. So...

How are you? I'm fine. What's been going on? Oh, that's nice. Same here.

May promises to be exciting around these parts, just cuz I say so. Poetry will continue (and I thought it would be funny if I'd simply posted another poem today). I'm overdue and Oddaptation (requests?). And... well, you gotta stay tuned.

Tired -- a being tired poem and a writing poem

TIRED
By
Gregory K.

I’m tired of reading.
My books are so boring.
I’m tired of sports,
All that running and scoring.
I’m tired of sleeping.
Who needs all that resting?
I’m tired of laughing.
I want no more jesting.
I’m tired of eating --
I’m so bored of chewing.
I’m tired of people
And how-do-you-doing.
I’m tired of learning:
It's far from exciting.
I’d tell you some more...
But I’m too tired of writing.


Thanks, y'all, for joining me for my April poem-a-day postings (of which this is the last). Links to all my blogged poems are over to the right -- under the headline The Poems -- and it's getting to be quite a nice sized list! Now, as noted, I really am tired... so I gotta book. See you in May!

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Chocolate Mousse! -- a dessert poem and a chocolate poem

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE!
By
Gregory K.

It’s creamy and dreamy – a chocolaty treat.
Like rich, whipped-up pudding that’s so fun to eat.
Just give me a bowl and I know that you’ll find...
Only a moussetache will be left behind!


(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Book Report on The Dictionary - a homework poem/a dictionary poem/a book report poem

BOOK REPORT ON THE DICTIONARY
by
Gregory K.

I found the plot missing,
The dialog weak.
I kept waiting and waiting for someone to speak.

The characters bored me.
In fact, there weren’t any!
The jokes were not funny, and there weren’t too many.

The book started slowly.
The middle lacked energy.
And what type of ending is “zymotic, zymurgy”?

The authors have talent
But need to refine it...
'Cause if there's a point here, they failed to define it.

(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get all my poems emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

How I Save Money -- a money poem and a saving poem

HOW I SAVE MONEY
By
Gregory K.

My parents always tell me “Saving money is the key!”
So I’ve figured out a lot of ways that saving works for me.

Today, in fact, I saved a dollar eight from being sad --
I used it for some candy, and I know that made it glad.

Last week, I saw some quarters in a fountain at the mall…
So I saved them all from drowning (then they bought a basketball).

My allowance funds get lonely, but I save them if I spend ‘em,
And I get them into registers where lots of bills befriend ‘em.

And just the other day I bought … well… I don’t know what you call it,
But I saved two twenty dollar bills from rotting in dad’s wallet.

I know a lot of other tricks, but I don’t want to bore you…
Instead just send me all your cash. I’ll gladly save it for you!


Happy final Poetry Friday of National Poetry Month. Go check out the collected links nicely gathered up over on A Wrung Sponge.

(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get every poem (and only the poems) I post here emailed to you for freeee as it hits the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Only four to go...

Yes, only four more poems to finish off the month of April's "poem a day" extravaganza. I view this with a mix of sadness and relief, I'll admit. One big personal goal for me in doing the public posting was to "force" myself to make more time for poetry writing. This was ultimately successful, but I it was a rocky start! As y'all can likely guess, I love me poetry... but it's not the only writing I do, and it often takes a back seat. This month it started driving again, and it's been a hoot. But coming up with solid poems that I want to share with y'all... well... I don't think I'd want to do that every day in May, too!

Still, while May will bring the return of more typical GottaBook posting... that mix includes Fibbisnhess, Oddaptations, and, you guessed it, poetry! Some things never change, even if they don't happen daily.

Oh, and thanks for coming along for the April ride!

My Balloon -- a balloon poem

MY BALLOON
By
Gregory K.


“Why, oh why, oh why, oh why????
Oh, please come back!” I moan and sigh.
I jumped but you had gone too high.
Now you’re flying in the sky.
I think I’m really gonna cry….
Goodbye, my poor balloon. Goodbye.


(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

My Friend Eileen -- a friendship poem and a food poem

MY FRIEND EILEEN
by
Gregory K.

My friend Eileen is made of food.
She’s always fresh and never chewed.
When we go walking down the street,
I think we shock the folks we meet.
Yes, lots of people stop and stare
And say “my word, that’s broccoli hair!”
It sits atop her apple head
With cherry eyes, so deep and red.
Her legs are herbs that grow in rows
She walks around on tater toes.
Her arms are crackers, great to munch.
She’d give you any part for lunch.
There’s nothing she won’t do for you --
Eileen is great... and tasty, too!

(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get all my poems emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

The Fraction Store -- a math poem

THE FRACTION STORE
by
Gregory K.

I bought a quarter pound of eighths.
I bought an ounce of thirds.
I filled a bag with seventeenths that I will feed the birds.

I found a ninth of thirty-eighths.
I grabbed a single half.
The sixths and fifths were one-fourth off, and that caused me to laugh.

As I prepared to pay my bill,
Well, that’s when things got strange.
Although they’re selling fractions there, they cannot figure change.



(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)


If you want to get every poem (and only the poems) I post here emailed to you for freeee as it hits the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Non-poetically speaking...

It's turned out to be a good thing I've been posting poetry this month, as I've not had much time for much else. Plus, so much has been going on in the kidlitosphere, and I've been soooo behind that I just wanted to share a small sampling....

The Disco Mermaids have their contest winner! Lisa Yee had a contest and I totally missed linking to it. So just read her blog and find it AND be entertained while looking. Elaine is matching me poem for poem in April (and sharing her copious poetry knowledge, too). Cheryl has a great list of poetry quotesto help celebrate the Month. Alan Silberberg posted his cool Pond Scum book trailer. MotherReader has announced the Second Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge!

And finally... Happy Birthday, Fuse!

I Lost My Voice -- a voice poem/a baby brother poem

I LOST MY VOICE
by
Gregory K. Pincus

This morning when I first got up, I knew I’d lost my voice.
I truly couldn’t make a sound (which made my sis rejoice).
I’d had my voice the night before. I wondered where it went.
I checked my floor, beneath the bed, inside the heating vent.
I peeked in every dresser drawer. I looked both high and low.
I figured it was somewhere near, but where I didn’t know.
I searched and searched until I screamed in vain in great frustration…
But then I heard my voice, and it was deep in conversation!
My voice was with my father in the kitchen down the hall,
And I have to say I didn’t like the words it spoke at all.
I hurried to the kitchen, and I peeked in through the door.
And what I saw is something that I’d never seen before.
I still can’t quite believe it, but there’s just no way around it...
I lost my voice this morning, and my baby brother found it!



(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)


If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

There's Something in the Trash Can -- a poem of mystery!

THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE TRASH CAN
by
Gregory K.

There's something in the trash can.
It's moving. Do you hear it?
It's kind of a rumbling.
Or maybe it's mumbling.
Whatever it is... don't get near it.

There's something in the trash can.
It's moving! I fear the worst.
It might be a rat!
Or it could be the cat.
I guess we should check.... You go first.


(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get all my poems emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Lice! -- a lice poem

LICE!
by
Gregory K.

Lice.
Lice.
I just don’t like lice.

They lurk in your hair like some small, living rice.
They’re itchy and scratchy – those louse are not nice!

They’re hard to get rid of, like pimples or mice.
They crawl onto others without asking twice.

So if you get louses… excuse me… get lice,
Don’t go off to school or to other folks' hice!



(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

The Carnival!!! (and Book Talk, too)

Jen Robinson is hosting the 13th Carnival of Children's Literature, and it's a doozy! My goodness how this thing has grown. Great links abound, and I'd betcha that some of them go to blogs you don't know... and won't stop reading now that you do.

And if that's not enough, my April Book Talk column is up at the dynamite momready.com site. Go on. Go check things out. I'll be back tomorrow with... a poem!

I've Turned Magnetic -- a science poem

I'VE TURNED MAGNETIC
by
Gregory K.

I wish I could've turned athletic,
But just my luck... I've turned magnetic.
Paper clips fly up to greet me.
Nails, it seems, can't wait to meet me.
I'm sticking to the baby's stroller.
Look at me, I'm so bi-polar.
I make the TV super active.
At least the spoons find me attractive.
The phone's for me? What's that you say?
Why don't I come out to play?
I think I'll have to join you later...
I'm stuck on our refrigerator.


(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

-Er Questions -- a question poem

-ER QUESTIONS
by
Gregory K.


If I love to eat then you’d call me an eater.
If I play and cheat then you’d call me a cheater.
So if I make broth would you call me a brother?
And if I like moths would you call me a mother?


(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

Excuse Me While I Paint the Sky -- a painting poem

EXCUSE ME WHILE I PAINT THE SKY
by
Gregory K.

I do not like the sky today.
It’s got a greyish hue.
I guess I’ll get my paint brush out
And turn it back to blue.

I think my paint’s the perfect shade
To make a gorgeous sky.
Now I’m not sure my brush can reach...
But still I gotta try.

(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get all my poems emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

The Perfect Pillow -- a sleeping and dreaming poem

THE PERFECT PILLOW
by
Gregory K.


I have a perfect pillow, and I use it every night.
The moment I lay down on it, I’m out just like a light.
It’s not too soft and not too firm. It’s not too high or low.
It doesn’t have a hollow where my head is forced to go.
It lets me snooze and deeply doze. I sleep the whole night through...
But the reason it’s so perfect is it makes my dreams come true.


(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

Asher's ARC!

I interrupt the daily poetry for very little, but what better reason than free stuff AND comedy? Exactly. So head on over to the Disco Mermaids blog and enter the contest to win an ARC of Jay's gonna-be-a-smash Thirteen Reasons Why. And even if you don't want to enter, go read, cuz it's a FUNNY contest, tooooooo. Go on. Go win.

Things I Would Not Eat or Drink -- a (non) food poem

THINGS I WOULD NOT DRINK OR EAT
by
Gregory K.

Marbles
Ashes
Broken Glass

Newsprint
Quarters
Fresh mown grass

Roaches
Elbows
Maps of Spain

T-shirts
Sneakers
Acid rain

Surfboards
Carpet
Chain link fence

Soupspoons
Napkins
Circus tents

Soap scum
Dandruff
Hoover Dam

Clorox
Ear wax
Deep fried Spam



(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

Always Read the Invitation -- a party poem/an invitation poem

ALWAYS READ THE INVITATION
by
Gregory K.

I’m wearing a gigantic nose.
And silly glasses? Yep, got those.
I’ve even got a squirting rose.
I’m a clown named “Mr. Smarty.”

Now everybody’s watching me
Like I’m the strangest thing they see.
And I don’t know why that should be.
Oh... it’s not a costume party.


(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get all my poems emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

A report from the field...

Today was the SCBWI-LA Writer's Day, and, as always, a fine day it was. Learning, socializing, and brownies all in one place. What's not to like? To top it all off, I got to hang out with some blogging pals! Among the blogging folk who I got to rub more than cyber-shoulders with for a few seconds... Tina Nichols Coury (and thanks for letting me hold your Rushmore!), Mary Peterson, Rita Crayon Huang, all three Disco Mermaids, and speakers Lisa Yee and Cheryl Klein, both of whom seem to me to have mastered the art of entertaining while imparting knowledge. Good times, indeed.

I'm looking forward to the summer SCBWI Conference where I expect to meet so many bloggers that listing them is out of the question!

My Neighbor -- a smiley face poem

MY NEIGHBOR
By
Gregory K.

My neighbor is a smiley face.
He has no legs, just floats in space.
So there’s one way to make him frown...
You simply turn him upside down.


(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

Diary of a Bad Week -- a school poem/a bad week at school poem/a diary poem

Oooh, a Poetry Friday the 13th, and me without a triskaidekaphobia poem (but check the links Liz has round up today to see if others have one). Bad Greg. Bad. So in keeping with the "bad" theme...


DIARY OF A BAD WEEK
by
Gregory K.


Monday: Failed to pay attention...
After school I had detention.

Tuesday: Said things I lamented...
Apologized but was detented.

Wednesday: Won school stairway race!
After school, the same old place.

Thursday: Pulled a classic trick...
Faked an illness; stayed home sick.

Friday: Food fight! Man, what fun!
From the school watched setting sun.

Weekend: This just makes me cry...
I’ve been grounded. Don’t know why.



(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

A Bird's Perspective -- a point of view poem

A BIRD'S PERSPECTIVE
by
Gregory K.

"Everyone came to my bash," said the bird.
"I'm adored, as this party confirms.
Nobody hates me.
Everybody likes me.
I guess that I'll go eat some worms!"

(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

The Fowl Ball -- a party poem

THE FOWL BALL
by
Gregory K.

I went to the Fowl Ball
Held at stately Barnyard Hall.
The Chicken came. The Duck did not.
The Pheasant danced the Turkey Trot.
The Rooster grabbed the microphone.
The Hen performed on slide trombone.
We laughed and played, a happy group....
And danced until we flew the coop.


(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

Last Tuesday, Second and Third Periods -- a school poem

LAST TUESDAY, SECOND AND THIRD PERIODS
by
Gregory K.

Alas.
I’m in a class
Where the time just will not pass.

Tick tock.
It’s like a lock
Has been placed upon the clock.

Oh no.
I wanna go.
Time has never moved so slow.

Bell rings!
What joy that brings.
I can move to other things.

Alas.
Another class.
And the time, again, won’t pass.


(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

Popping in to pop off....

If you're expecting drama, you've got the wrong guy -- I just liked the sound of that subject line. It's a very odd thing: I've been posting every day, but I feel like I've been absent from these parts for most of the month. I'm sure in years to come, many different Blogging Syndromes will be discovered, as I think most of us realize that there are certain... uh... addictive and seductive qualities to blogging that create deeper sensations than you'd expect. So I suspect this feeling I have will be named in due time. Y'all are welcome to take a crack at it, or maybe we should save it for a future contest!

Anyway, I think I simply popped in to hear myself type. And it sounds good to me!

A Coffee Poem

DAD HAS A BAD CUP OF COFFEE AT A ROADSIDE DINER….
By
Gregory K.

“This tastes like mud!” my father said.
“There should have been a warning!”
I thought there was. The menu said,
“Our coffee’s ground each morning.”


(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

I Don't Like Do's and Don'ts -- a letter poem

I DON’T LIKE DO’S AND DON’TS
by
Gregory K.

I really don’t like do’s and don’ts.
I don’t like do-si-dos.
I don’t like driving, don’t like dirt,
Don’t like it when I doze.

I don’t like dump trucks, darts or drips.
I don’t like dreary days.
I don’t like dancing, don’t like doom,
Don’t like to have delays.

I don’t like donuts, dogs, or dots.
Do I like drums? Not me.
Now there’s a whole bunch that I like...
But I just don’t like D.


This is one of a still incomplete collection of "letter poems" I was working on at one point. See if you can guess how many poems were gonna be in the collection. Anyone? Anyone? Very good. All of you who got 26 can stay late and clean off the chalkboard....

(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get all my poems emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Poem Poem -- a poem

POEM POEM
by
Gregory K.

I wrote a verse about a nurse.
I wrote a rhyme about the time.
I wrote haiku about the view.
I wrote an ode about a toad.
I wrote a sonnet about a bonnet.
I wrote a ballad about a salad.

But here’s what I can’t figure out...
What can I write a poem about?



(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

A Single Wish -- a poem about wishing

Ahh, the first Poetry Friday of National Poetry Month is here (and Kelly has collected the links here!). I hope you're joining in the poetic fray. As for me, I offer up A Single Wish for you all.


A SINGLE WISH
by
Gregory K.

If you could have a single wish
And you knew that your wish would come true...
Would you use it for riches,
Or wish for more wishes,
Or cures for diseases you knew?

Well, I was given a single wish,
And I knew what I wanted, oh, please!
Now either I mumbled...
Or the wish-granter stumbled...
But anyone want some whirled peas?


(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get all my poems emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

And beyond the poetry...

Yes, yes. I'm still here. The poem-a-day wasn't planned to take the place of other posts, but so far, April has been busy enough on this end that I've gone almost silent. And for those of you who know me, well, you know how hard silence is!

This would normally be the time where I'd find some great links to point you off to, but today I'm just gonna give one: if you love poetry, poems, books of poetry, learning about poetry, and... well... things poetic, why not go visit Wild Rose Reader? Elaine, one of the faboo Blue Rose Girls, has started blogging there as well, and has joined me in posting an original poem-a-day for April (as well as posting so much more good stuff). Go on. Go on. Check it out!

Home Run -- a baseball poem

HOME RUN
by
Gregory K.

Swing.
Crack!
Fly ball.
Going deep.
What a sight I see...
Just the back of the left fielder.


Baseball is my favorite sport, it's true. This Fib comes not so much from memory, but from a feeling this scrappy leadoff hitting second baseman wished he had more often!

(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Day/Night Questions -- a question poem

DAY/NIGHT QUESTIONS
by
Gregory K.

If day breaks
Can you go pick up pieces from the ground?
If night falls
And no one’s up does it still make a sound?



(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

What in the World Got Into the Cat -- a cat poem

WHAT IN THE WORLD GOT INTO THE CAT
by
Gregory K.

What in the world got into the cat?
Was it something he ate? Can you answer me that?
He polished our silver.
He vacuumed the house.
He chased our poor dog, and he danced with a mouse.
He did all my homework.
He mended Dad's shirt.
He made us lasagna and pie for dessert.
We went to the movies while he baby-sat...
So, what in the world got into the cat?



(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get all my poems emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

A Little Bit Dizzy -- a whipped cream poem

A LITTLE BIT DIZZY
by
Gregory K.

I'm a little bit dizzy. My hair is a mess.
And really, I find it confusing.
I just want to eat some whipped cream from this can,
So why must I shake before using?


(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get all my poems emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Happy Fibiversary, too.

I'd be remiss if I didn't note that today is the one year anniversary of my first post on Fibs (cleverly called, The Fib). So to me, April 1 is now no longer just April Fools' Day, the start of National Poetry Month, and the beginning of Math Awareness Month... it's a day for deep appreciation of the blogosphere and the power of 20 syllables.

Which doesn't mean I won't fill the sugar bowl with salt, mind ya!

April Fools -- an April Fools' Day poem

APRIL FOOLS
by
Gregory K.

Someone took my toothpaste tube and filled it up with jam.
Someone changed my sandwich into fluffernut-and-ham.
Someone laced my sneakers so they tie down by my toes.
Someone changed the vacuum so it doesn't suck, it blows.
Someone poured the sugar out and filled the bowl with salt.
Someone messed up all the clocks and made it seem my fault.
For me today, I have to say, it's nervousness that rules....
Since all that happened yesterday and now it's April Fools'!



(I'm posting an original poem-a-day through April in celebration of National Poetry Month. Links to this and other poems here on GottaBook (and there are lots of others, because poetry is NOT just for April) are collected over on the right of the blog under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

And for your books of Fibonacci poetry...

What about a Fibonacci bookcase? How cool is that piece of design? Tres, I think. Feel free to ship one off this way!

Big thanks to book-loving friend and fellow blogger Gentle Reader for shooting me the link.


And hey, speaking of links, after you've looked at the above two, why not head on over to Chicken Spaghetti for the Poetry Friday roundup? You know you want to....

It's the cheese.

Since I'm gearing up for the poem-a-day madness of April, I'm skipping the last Poetry Friday in March, at least in terms of posting something new (or something by someone else that's wicked great and will make my April offerings pale!).

So what do I offer today on regular old Thursday? What about the poetry of... cheese.

OK, it's not written poetry. It's really kinda mental poetry. Or maybe it's...
Oh, it's cheddarvision is what it is.

Today, there was going to be action there, per the New York Times. I missed it. Did anyone catch it?

I have decided that to keep the cheese looking so good on camera, someone is off to the side saying "say 'person!'" to it over and over. Regardless, once again I find myself saying "boy, I love the internet!"

I'm sorry, but I just don't know....

Ah, yes, if I could speak to the folks whose search queries get them here, I believe that the title of this post would be my most common answer.

"What is mode 2, 3, 5, 8, 11?"

"What do you do when you live in a shoe?"

"What is main hurts in falling in love poem?"

"When is hat frenzy?"

"Painful white spot between my baby toe and the toe next to it. What is it?"

I'm sorry, but I just don't know....

Running to stand still...

This has been a three day period of constant motion that a normally sedentary type like me is never prepared for. It's not just the actual running around (which has all been fun), but in work time, I've been cycling through ideas and projects at an alarming rate of speed. This has not proven efficient, though it has caused some rather curious notes to appear on yellow pads:

"I drank a cup of coffee.
I don't know why I did.
If I move the 920s to the bigger room, then I'd have free shelves for the poetry books.
Call the phone company AGAIN!
Telephone poem????
But where do I put the historical fiction?
I drank a cup of coffee."

Now, I suppose I could post something just like that as one of my poems of the day in April, but I think I can do better. Only time will tell, however. Only time will tell.

Oddaptation: Guess How Much I Love You

It's Oddaptation time once again, and for those new in these parts, I hope you'll look to the links to the right to get a fuller sense of what that means. But in short, I like to think of Oddaptations as being like Spark Notes or Cliff Notes of picture books (usually in rhyme and with the synopsis and the... uh... analysis all wrapped together. If you can call it analysis as opposed to saying I need analysis!).

Anyway, with no further ado, I hope you can all guess how much I love you. Or, if you can't, I hope you read the Oddaption of the same name....


GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU
by Sam McBratney

Oddaptation by Gregory K.

Said Big Nut Brown Hare to Little Nut Brown Hare
“No matter how much you love, I will love more-r
I’ll always love you more than you’ll love me.”
“No you won’t.”
“Yes I will.”
“No you won’t.”
“Yes I will.”
And Little Nut Brown Hare thought long and deep
And knew it was pointless… so drifted to sleep.


Hey, hey, it's Poetry Friday, and Elaine at the Blue Rose Girls has the roundup of links.

Ch-ch-ch-changes?

Look at me! I switched to what was once Blogger Beta but is now Blogger in the same way Blogger was when I first started. It's like running to stand still. Still, now I get to play with labels and move things around way easier and... uh... well, we'll see.

"What other changes might will we see around here?" I hear you ask.

Geez, do you have to ask such tough questions? OK, this isn't exactly a change from the past, but it's a change from the norm:I've decided to do an original poem a day every day in April in celebration of National Poetry Month, just like I did last year. So there'll be poetry AND exceedingly important witty bantering posts like this one. Hard to top. And it's really alllll for y'all, having nothing to do with finding an excuse to make me sit down and write poetry. Nope. Not that at all. Honest. As always at GottaBook, it's all about you!

Yep, that too.

Much for the same reasons I missed the Carnival, I also failed to mention that my March Book Talk column is up over at the always-worth-a-visit momready.com.

I'm sure there's a lot else I've failed to keep y'all informed about, though at the moment, I'm thinking it largely little stuff like winning the lottery, cleaning my desk, and discovering an original Declaration of Independence in the piles of paper on my desk. But if I think of anything else, I'll be sure to come on back and tell ya. But for now... I gotta book.

Eggsactly!

Thanks to the talented and faboo Lee Wardlaw and her equally fab blog, I now know that today is National Poultry Day. So I was wondering... how does one celebrate such a day? Do you celebrate by scrambling eggs, or conversely by becoming vegetarian? Do you go kiss a chicken? And here in L.A., where would I find said chicken?

Then I started to wonder if she got things confused with the upcoming, with-a-weird-accent-it's-homophonic National Poetry Month? Suddenly, I started jotting notes.

Now when folks ask where writers get ideas (and as every writer reading this blog knows... folks DO ask that!), they never think they pop out of the ether from something as goofy as this.But I will admit I plan to write some poultry poetry just because the very name amuses me. Sure, I've waxed poetic about eggs before, and I'm not saying I'm writing verses on turkeys and pheasant. But as a writer, ya just never know what idea you might hatch or what might inspire you on any random day.

And if YOU need inspiration... why not hop over to Midwestern Lodestar for the 12th Carnival of Children's Literature? I am verrrrrry sorry to say that I do not have a post in here (the first one I've missed since starting off in number 2) due to my own lack of time/time management skills of late. But man oh man, is it chock full of way great stuff. Get thee hence and read.

Now THIS is a talent!

Once again, it's hard for me to find the words to describe the talent you'll see on display when you watch this video. I could even have made this more children's literature related by linking to the Peanuts' theme, but I found Bohemian Rhapsody to be more of a tour de force performance (though Witch Doctor, Maybe I'm Amazed, and many others rank right up there).

You'll laugh. You'll sing. What more could you want?

Old Seuss, New Seuss.

Unable to find time to do a worthy Poetry Friday (links collected here by Liz) post of my own, I borrow from other sources (thanks, Fuse!). But really, what better than a glimpse at a long unseen Dr. Seuss story? Not much for one like me.

Clickie here: Children's Picture Book Price Guide: A Story of Two Fish: Dr. Seuss Out of Water.

Yes, go take a gander at Gustav the Goldfish AND Fish Out of Water. You know you wanna.

Blog Blog Blog (link, link, link)

By popular demand, the Disco Mermaids are selling Newbery Jewels gear (and donating money to a LIBRARY at the same time). So go support scrotums and Newberys and all that good stuff.


Also, I know some of you missed the teleseminar I did with the Blog Squad about viral blogging. And I know you're now kicking yourself over your tragic mistake. But kick no more -- thanks to this link right here you can go order the CD and transcript (and get the roadmap we put together, too). I lobbied for tossing in a free ginsu knife, but in the end we couldn't figure out why that made any sense at all. Anyway, it's enough without the knife, I tell ya.

Then when you're done with all that, why not go check in on Lisa Yee's blog-a-story-a-thon and see how it's progressing. Haven't joined in? Don't know what it is? Clickie here!

If a Fib is...

... a fib can a Fab be a fab?

Now, I have no clue what that means, but someone out there typed that into Google and came to my blog (unsurprisingly into The Fib). I'm open for theories, or if the searcher him/herself cares to delurk, I'd love to hear the answer to the question.

For that matter, I'd love to ask the person who searched "it's the first day of school and you don't know what to wear" if they figured out what to wear. I'd recommend, I dunno, a t-shirt and jeans. But that's just me....

And for something a little less silly, why not head out and check out the winning Fibs in the flashquake.org contest? Mighty interesting stuff, indeed.

Comedy (of the Newbery/scrotum ilk)

Leave it to the Disco Mermaids to be over-the-top clever yet again. Don't they get tired of that? Apparently not. Anyway...

Behold inspired comedy!

Too bad...

I had a great hour planned out today: desk cleaning, answering emails, filing, intense blog reading and a brilliant blog post, but wouldn't you know that today was the day that was an hour short? It's too bad... but I had to pick an hour to give up, and sadly, it was that one.

Instead, I've managed to squeeze in a post just before the day has ended. And in it, instead of any sterling example of my own thoughts, I send you off to Bookshelves of Doom for her great piece on the Nancy Drew classic, Nancy's Mysterious Letter. But really, tomorrow's the full 24 hours, so I'll have no excuses!

Smartly, Smartly

I happen to know that a few GottaBook readers have entered the SmartWriters.com Write It Now! competition in the past or maybe already this year. I've even won an Honorable Mention in it, much to my happiness.

But there's much else over at SmartWriters, including the monthly Smart Writers Journal. And if you happen to follow that link, you can read an article (or as I call it for Ms. SmartWriter/author Roxyanne Young, a smarticle) written by yours truly. It's on "blogging smart," and I hope you'll head on over and read the Journal 'til you find me (I'm the second goatee, down and to the right).

A Cuckoo Story -- a clock poem

Aha! I'm an early participant in Poetry Friday this week. Or early in my time zone, anyway. So, with no further ado (and really, I'm not sure there was any ado at all), here's my contribution....


A CUCKOO STORY
by
Gregory K.

Our cuckoo bird has flown away,
I guess to join his flock.
So now up there upon our wall,
We have an emu clock.

(for your procrastinatory pleasure, links to this and other poems here on GottaBook are collected to the right under the headline "The Poems".)

If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Son of Chaaaaarrrrggggeee!

Sigh. Remember how, a few weeks ago, I said I thought we'd tame the beast that is what I will now call the LWIVL (Library Where I'm the Volunteer Librarian)? Well, doesn't matter if you remember or not... the point of today's post is to say it's not gonna happen just yet. For those of you who take librarians for granted... you really gotta stop that. Now, if we simply had books on shelves and no one ever using or needing them, that'd be one thing. But we've got bustle and hustle and reading galore, and we volunteers spend all our time simply keeping things at a baseline rather than moving beyond. Yes, it's a good baseline, but still....

On the very big upside, however, I'm about to put 1500 books onto the shelves, having had some stellar folks cataloging them for me. PLUS, thanks to some loverly blogging pals, new donations are showing up, and they are GREAT books. I'm such a softie that when we get new books in I've been known to run around showing them to everyone at the school. Anyway, we have a shelf space issue, so looks like I'll be doing some weeding in the next couple weeks. Or in other words... see y'all later, but now I gotta pull books!


Some of the recent library readalouds:

Willy the Dreamer -- Anthony Browne
Raven -- Gerald McDermott
Show Way -- Jacqueline Woodson; illustrated by Hudson Talbott
The Tale of Rabbit and Coyote -- Tony Johnston
Duck and Goose -- Tad Hills
Tar Beach -- Faith Ringgold
Oh! and Ah! -- Josse Goffin

The day after....

Well, I must say, I had a great time talking with the wonderful, witty Blog Squad yesterday on our teleseminar. I hope all of y'all who joined us found it worthwhile. I'd love to hear feedback or answer questions that might have come up, so feel free to e-mail me. Heck, folks who weren't in the seminar can e-mail me, too. Don't be shy.

And once you're done with me, why not head out to Terry Pierce's blog where she's starting a fun list of invented "celebrity children's books" such as...

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, It Better Be Low-Carb -- Dr. Robert C. Atkins
A Tinkle in Time: Toilet Training by Dr. Phil

I think you get the idea. Good fun, indeed.

And don't forget...

You still have time to sign up for the teleseminar I'm doing with the Blog Squad. It's today at 5 o'clock Los Angeles time, so even if you don't sign up, whatever ya do... don't call me then! (Edited to note that no, you no longer have time to sign up to listen today)

(And hey... thanks to the Publicity Hound, Joan Stewart, for the lovely write up on me, the Blog Squad, and today's seminar in her remarkable (and shockingly free) weekly ezine The Publicity Hound's Tips of the Week! Get thee to her site and go learn a ton, I tell ya. Good stuff indeed.)

Here a congrat, there a congrat, and then...

First off, big congrats to Lisa Yee for being named the Thurber House writer in residence this summer. She gets to spend a month in the room where the bed fell on Thurber's father. That, by itself, is unbelievably cool. And that she's invited 30 other writers to come stay there and.... What? Oh. My bad.

Also congratulations to the Golden Kite winners (including editors and art directors) announced today by the SCBWI.

And finally, in the non-congratulatory realm.... I know most of you read Fuse #8 (and if not, why not?????), but I'm still gonna have to steal a link from her, since this movie is just so rocking. Watch it twice... just because you can!

Words and more words

So... as I mentioned, this weekend I got to hear four wonderful children's authors (some of whom also illustrate) talk about their work, this time to a mixed audience of adults and kids. It was quite impressive to see how Doug Cooney, Susan Patron, Julie Mammano, and Susan Goldberg Rubin were able to reach everyone in the room, thus proving yet again, I think, the universality of children's books. Either that or the charm and wit of children's book creators. Or both!

Anyway, I got to hear these four speak at the inaugural Little Women (and Men) and Words event, a kidlit-based spin off of the Los Angeles area Women and Words festival. Good times indeed, with four very entertaining, talented speakers.

And speaking of talented and entertaining... I send you off to another new kidlit blogger, Clark Childers. Clark shares my love of screenwriting as well, and also has one of the greatest kidbook "success stories" I've ever heard. Well, that is if you consider getting to read your book to a packed hall while backed by a symphony playing a piece composed specifically for your book to be a success. So also check out his books' main site here, and poke around.

You can hear me now....

The Blog Squad is gonna get me out of my low-tech doldrums. No, it's not a podcast, and yes, it's talking about the teleseminar I'm doing with them, but still, it's me, I tell ya! (Thanks, Mom, cuz I know you'll click through! Right????)

Me on your speakers!


And hey, speaking of hearing, I got to hear Susan Patron, Doug Cooney, Julie Mammano, and Susan Goldman Rubin speak (and read) this morning. Great fun. More on that later, I hope, but now I gotta book.

The Cat. You know the one. Yeah, the one in the hat.

It was 50 years ago today
Dr. Seuss brought out the Cat to play....

Ahh, forget the Beatles riff. The point is, today is the Cat in the Hat's 50th birthday (though really... the Cat just doesn't age. No grey fur? It isn't fair), so for Poetry Friday, I want to put the focus squarely on Dr. Seuss.

How?

Well, by suggesting everyone go read a book of his. Read it to a child or 10. Read it to yourself. Revel in the language and the storytelling, and marvel at the illustrations. (Then maybe even donate that book to a school or shelter or friend.)

Or go to Dylan Hears a Who and hear Seuss sung!

Whatever you do, just make it a Seuss-y day. You'll be glad you did.

Now that's what I like to hear!

Good news in the kidlitosphere today: Chris Barton done gone and sold himself a picture book! Read about it here! Not only that, but he sold it to an editor who is also on my blogroll. This, I believe, is a first here on GottaBook, I'd note (quickly turning attention back to MY part in this whole thing).

Have you gone and said "yay, Chris!" yet? Go on. I'll be here when you get back.

Congrats, Chris!