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Finding Family Is Not ONLY a STEM Book
This piece first appeared in my January 2023 Small Reads e‑letter for educators. Subscribe here. On March 7, my first 2023 book will come out: Finding Family: The Duckling Raised by Loons. Because it’s nonfiction, the publisher (Lerner Books) will probably emphasize the science aspect when it markets the book. That makes total sense! And
Figure It Out, Henri Weldon, by Poetry Friday’s Tanita S. Davis!
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Poetry Friday is famous!!! Okay, maybe not actually famous, but it’s got a big role in Tanita Davis’ (y’all know she’s one of my Poetry Sisters) JUST-PUBLISHED middle-grade novel, Figure It Out, Henri Weldon. From the publisher: “Seventh grader Henrietta Weldon gets to switch school
Oooh, It’s a Book Trailer!
I’ve got three books coming out in March, and I can’t wait to share them with you! Here’s the first one, coming out March 7 with Millbrook/Lerner. It’s a STEM book, but so much more, too! (More on that next week.) The book trailer goes live today! Lerner’s sharing the video (conceptualized by me and
Five Fall Favorites, a Poetryaction
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Whee! My blog MIGHT be receiving comments. If you’re willing, would you try commenting? It could be very brief! Thanks :>) I’ve really missed comments the past couple of weeks. [Note: If you get an error message, no worries. I’ll know the problem still exists.]
You Can Give Mittens, Even If You’re NOT Knittin’
The holidays may be over, but there are still kids who need mittens to warm their hands. There’s a fun feature in the Statesboro Herald from December that encouraged families to take a field trip to buy some mittens to donate. Give them to a homeless shelter or a school teacher to pass along to
How Could She Leave?
Trigger warning: This post contains content about suicide. Please, if you or someone you love is struggling, reach out for help. Suicide is preventable. People care about you, and there is help. One place to try is the Jed Foundation. It’s Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Although my topic today is
The Great Kindness Challenge
January 23–27 is the Great Kindness Challenge, and I hope you’ll read this beautiful article from Bookology about the kind of change this can inspire at your school. You don’t have to go all hard core, of course. Start small if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Maybe a simple bingo card or checklist of things students could
Box Your Shadow, Block the Sun — and Happy New Year!
Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) I hope you had a beautiful Christmas/Hanukkah/winter celebration! I’ll share a few pics from mine next week :>) So, this month, our Poetry Princess challenge was the box. I don’t remember who suggested this, but we decided we could use a poetic form
Happy Holidays, Teachers!
Classroom teachers, librarians, media specialists, volunteers, home schoolers, tutors, and educators of all kinds, I hope you are finding some well-deserved rest and joy during this busy time. As the old year spins into the new, please know that your work is so important, and I’m grateful for you. Classroom Connections will return in January!
No Degrees of Separation
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Howdy, poetry friends, and welcome! During November, lots of writers were doing NaNoWriMo. I don’t write novels nor want to, so I sometimes come up with some other challenge for November. This year, in my Facebook Group just for Patrons, I opened up a 30-day
Picture Books for Units on Family
Well, I had planned to share this book because I saw that National Family Week is coming up next month, but as I read more, I realized that that’s just a conservative political campaign of intolerance. Forget that! I hope in your own unit on family, you focus on diversity and love and support, not
Recipe for a Song
Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone, and I hope you had a delicious and cozy Thanksgiving, if you’re in the U.S. (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) This month, the Poetry 7 and I wrote recipe poems. I’ve written a few before and enjoy them, but I struggled with this one. I couldn’t think of
“So Much Love” — A Definito
Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Okay, friends, here’s another definito to go with Finding Family (coming in March from Lerner). I’m having a blast with these!
A Thankful Poem and Writing Activity
Teachers, I’ve got two things for you today. First, here’s a terrific YourClassical Storytime called “Lurkey Is Lost.” It’s a fun take on the “draw a turkey using an outline of your hand” activity. Make sure to have plenty of crayons ready and paper for everyone! Second, it’s the perfect time of year to share
“What Used to Be Whole” — A Definito to Go with a Forthcoming Book
Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) I’ve shared a couple of definitos recently, and I had so much fun I decided to write some to go with the challenging vocabulary in my forthcoming books. I’ve written several for Finding Family, which comes out in March. Wouldn’t it be fun
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Are You Looking For?
Go to my Poetry page for:
- National Poetry Month projects through the years
- Small Reads Roundups (poems grouped by topic)
- Introductions to several favorite poetry forms