Blog
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
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
A Virtual Storywalk for If You Were the Moon #ClassroomConnections
Did you see the full moon last night? Sigh…one of my favorite things in the world. Dakota County Library in Minnesota has created a virtual storywalk of my book If You Were the Moon (Millbrook Press, illus by Jaime Kim). It’s set up in a park so it’s as if you’re walking through the park
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,
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
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
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
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
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,
Animal Adaptations #ClassroomConnections
One of the science topics I am constantly fascinated by is animal adaptations: how animals’ bodies and behaviors adapt to their environments. My favorite facts from Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle: How Animals Get Ready for Winter (Millbrook, illus by Claudine Gevry) concern Northern wood frogs that freeze solid and earthworms that migrate vertically, just a few
Blow It Up, Pufferfish! Plus the Poetry Friday Roundup
Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Today, I’m sharing a poem I wrote during a March Madness poetry competition several years ago. When I initially signed up to host, this would have been a Poetry Princesses Friday, but then we changed our schedule. Sooooooo, you get a random poem
Back to School with Clover Kitty Goes to Kittygarten #ClassroomConnections
It’s almost time for school to begin—in one form or another! As a kid, one of my favorite things about school was spending time in the library (these were the days before media centers!). I’m so sad that this year, many school districts facing financial hardship have laid off librarians and media specialists. I’ve worked
Pandemic Summer: an Etheree
Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Hey, this part isn’t poetry, but it’s the LAST DAY for these two things, so I’m sharing here. First, there’s a Goodreads Giveaway. Win one of 20 copies–last day to enter is today. Second, it’s the last day to get CLOVER KITTY GOES
Dandelion Poems, Crafts, and Coloring Page
There’s something about a dandelion. I know many folks hate them, and I admit a yard over-run by them can be…intimidating. But a single beautiful dandelion seedhead…. I seem to have a number of dandelion poems. Here are two from two 2019 picture books, Snowman-Cold=Puddle and Lion of the Sky. The riddle-ku on the left
Obsession, a Cinderella Poem #PoetryFriday
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) First up, I’m over at Lydia Lukidis’ Blissfully Bookish with a post about my newest picture book, Clover Kitty Goes to Kittygarten–and there’s a giveaway (ends today)! Please stop by if you have a chance! Sometime in the last month or so, I answered a
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