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NPM2022 Day 6: A Loch Ness Rock #ClassroomConnections

On Wednesdays (when I share tips for educators related to my books) for Poetry Month, I’m planning to share poetryactions–that’s what I’ve called poems that use some book as a starting point for my inspiration. Usually I write these poems inspired by other people’s books, but this month, I’ll do a few based on my

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NPM2022 Day 5: The Opposites of Chickadees

Had fun watching a few bird videos last week! Thanks for reading, and happy National Poetry Month! And if you ended up here by chance, fantastic! Here are a few links you might find helpful. Intro to what I’m doing this National Poetry Month ALL the sticky-note poems I’ve written so far To see each

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NPM2022 Day 5: The Opposites of Chickadees

Had fun watching a few bird videos last week! Thanks for reading, and happy National Poetry Month! And if you ended up here by chance, fantastic! Here are a few links you might find helpful. Intro to what I’m doing this National Poetry Month ALL the sticky-note poems I’ve written so far To see each

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NPM2022 Day 4: Hyperspace

I always feel like I’m in the opening credits of Star Wars when I drive in the dark during a snowstorm! Here’s the drafting of it, written at breakfast.   Thanks for reading, and happy National Poetry Month! And if you ended up here by chance, fantastic! Here are a few links you might find

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NPM2022 Day 3: Bird Calligraphy

Here’s today’s sticky-note poem! Thanks for reading, and happy National Poetry Month! And if you ended up here by chance, fantastic! Here are a few links you might find helpful. Intro to what I’m doing this National Poetry Month ALL the sticky-note poems I’ve written so far To see each sticky-note poem as I post

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NPM2022 Day 2: Ukraine

The news can’t help but seep into my writing. Thanks for reading, and happy National Poetry Month! And if you ended up here by chance, fantastic! Here are a few links you might find helpful. Intro to what I’m doing this National Poetry Month ALL the sticky-note poems I’ve written so far To see each

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NPM2022 Day 1: Sandcastle

Hi there, readers, writers, poets, educators, and parents! Welcome to National Poetry Month 2022! This year, I’m keeping it simple. Every day, I’m writing and sharing one poem of some kind on a sticky note–so you know they’ll be short. Not that short is necessarily easy, but it feels more manageable. Each day, I might

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Secrets of the Loon Riverby Award!

I’m so excited to share the lovely news that Secrets of the Loon is a winner for the 2021 Riverby Award for exceptional nature books for young readers! Whee! I am hugely honored. This picture book launched right as the pandemic hit, all in-person events were canceled, and, like many 2020 books, it hasn’t had

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Artisan at Work — a Dodoitsu [Poetry Friday]

Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Last Sunday, we Poetry Sisters met on Zoom for live writing. Our challenge this month was an ekphrastic dodoitsu. Yup. A dodoitsu (new to me) is a Japanese poetic form with a bit of wry humor, usually around work or love. It has

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World Water Day! #ClassroomConnections

Happy World Water Day, friends, as we celebrate this essential part of our world! I donate 10% of my royalties from Water Can Be… to WaterAid. Thanks so much for supporting this book, and you can find all sorts of classroom materials (inc activity sheets, resources, and videos) here! Thank you for teaching about water

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Leaving Things Behind - Golden Shovel Poem

Leaving Things Behind–for Ukraine

Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) First up, if you’re an educator, please check out my template for writing a “We Belong” poem, which I shared a few days ago. :>) Now…the week before last, my husband and I took a staycation–unplugging from work and news and doing things we loved

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A We Belong Poem Template for Classrooms

My biggest hopes for We Belong are that it gets used to spark good discussions and to create community. So I’ve created a template for you to use with your students to write a classroom or family poem. I used this template at the book launch and on some recent author visits with K‑1 classes.

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We Belong Literacy Tutor

If You Want to Knit Some Mittens — Storytime Props

Okay, y’all might already know that I’m not the world’s best social media person—ha! But that doesn’t stop me from appreciating those who ARE able to both come up with fun ideas AND share them in wonderful ways. Check out these awesome images shared by Hanna from My Literacy Space. They show the cutest manipulatives

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One Egg–The Poetry Sisters Play With an Exquisite Corpse Poem

Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) It was so great to host last weekend, and thank you for all the kind comments and encouragement for my forthcoming picture book and virtual launch party! In case you missed it–or as a reminder–Please come to my book launch event, where we’ll write a

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