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Celebrating Fall Leaves!

Fall is my favorite favorite time of year, and fall color is one of the reasons for that. A couple of weeks ago, Randy and I tried out our inflatable kayak. We were on a small lake in St. Paul, and we got to admire a bit of fall color while a bald eagle hunted

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Petting Zoo [Poetry Friday]

Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) First off–a big thanks for the Poetry Friday folks who attended the Moving Words library event I participated in last weekend. It was WONDERFUL to see familiar names in the attendees list and see your comments in the chat box :>) If anyone’s interested in

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High-Stepping Hippo [Poetry Friday]

Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) [Reminder about a free local library program (via Zoom) THIS Saturday. It will be Michael Hall, Joyce Sidman, and me–each talking a bit about how a book of ours came to be–then Q&A. Please join us–you can register at https://thefriends.org/event/moving-words-writers-across-minnesota-center-city/ ] Well, dang.

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Traveling Together [Poetry Friday]

Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) You guys, I’m totally slammed from now through the end of October, so my posts will be uber-short. And I’ll still comment on other folks’ posts over the weekend, but I won’t get to everyone’s every week :>( [Hey, off-topic, but I’m part of a

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Ready for Talk Like a Pirate Day? #ClassroomConnections

It’s almost Talk Like a Pirate Day! I can’t believe my A Is for Arrr! A Pirate Alphabet, was published 10 years ago! If you don’t have that book, check out this roundup of pirate-themed picture books. And don’t miss Pirates, by David L. Harrison and Dan Burr. It’s one of my very favorite poetry

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New Mouse [Poetry Friday]

Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) School has started up in some form or another in most parts of the country, and I’m thinking that, even digitally, many kids (and teachers) are feeling lost in a maze of new rules, new technologies, new people, new platforms…Here’s a poem from my very

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Freedom Is a Word

Freedom Is a Word [Poetry Friday]

Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) I’m listening to The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo right now. Wow. I don’t know why I haven’t read it before, other than I don’t read a lot of ya, and I had some strange idea that it was related to Malcolm X, and the

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Writing to an Author #ClassroomConnections

 Last month, I got an amazing email from a kindergarten teacher in Belgium named Eleonora about my most recent picture book, Clover Kitty Goes to Kittygarten. She said that a friend recommended the book to her because: “(I’m autistic and very sensitive to sensory stimuli) and a kindergarten teacher. And I really, really loved it,

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Make Time Fly?

Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) So, this month, our Poetry Princess challenge was hindsight again — pick one of your old poems to revise and/or write a new poem in conversation with it… (any form). I am writing this on Wednesday and feel hopelessly behind. I almost didn’t

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Water Can Be...

Get Ready for Literacy Day! #ClassroomConnections

September 8 is International Literacy Day! This year’s theme is Teaching and Learning in the Covid-19 Crisis and Beyond. It’s a great time to thank all the teachers you know for the extra work they’re doing to reach and teach your kids during challenging times. Thanks, teachers! Here are just a few activities I offer

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Vacation Time, a poem from BookSpeak, by Laura Purdie Salas

Vacation Time #PoetryFriday

Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Thanks for all your empathy and sharing last week when I shared a poem about sad books. You guys are the best. This week, I’m sharing another poem written for BookSpeak, but this one is actually in the book!   This poem’s also in a

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Back to School Printables #ClassroomConnections

This year, the phrase “back to school” is raising anxiety levels to a new high. I’m not even a teacher anymore, and my kids are grown, but even I’m feeling the pressure. (On a less dangerous level, it’s a rather nerve-wracking time to be a children’s writer, too, as getting our books to readers is

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Why Aren't All Books Happy

Why Aren’t All Books Happy? #PoetryFriday

Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) I wished you a happy day, but the truth is, I’ve been feeling a bit down. I tend to be relentlessly optimistic and generally feel grateful and content. And here’s the thing. Although my career, like most writers’ is taking a beating with the pandemic,

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