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Leaping Hare [15 words or less poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! I took this pic at the Walker Art Center’s Outdoor Sculpture Garden on my birthday. It’s been years since I’ve been there! This image makes me think of: 1) a classic “Once upon a time” story 2) rabbits that do agility courses
poetryaction to Number One Sam
—————————————————————————————————————————– Poetryaction: After reading a picture book, sometimes I jot down a quick poem based on something in the book. It could be inspired by the entire book, the setting, a character, or even just a tiny detail in a picture or a single phrase from the text. I’m using picture books as
poetryaction to Peggy: A Brave Chicken on a Big Adventure
—————————————————————————————————————————– Poetryaction: After reading a picture book, sometimes I jot down a quick poem based on something in the book. It could be inspired by the entire book, the setting, a character, or even just a tiny detail in a picture or a single phrase from the text. I’m using picture books as a
poetryaction to Dinosaur vs. School, by Bob Shea
I’ve been around those kids who take over a room with explosive voices and actions, and so I was totally sympathizing with the nervous classmates in Dinosaur vs. School, by Bob Shea. —————————————————————————————————————————– I’ve been doing something new. After reading a picture book, sometimes I jot down a quick poem based on something
My Little Free Library
I wanted to share some pictures from the process of my family putting together my Little Free Library birthday present:>) It’s one of the best presents I’ve ever gotten! Thank you to my thoughtful and talented family:>)
Scary Hands [15 words or less poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! Usually, I post my own pics, but it’s almost Halloween, and I like this kinda creepy hand picture. This image makes me think of: 1) a scary funhouse 2) a cross between a demon and a bull 3) shadow puppets And here’s
A scary poem video for K‑4
I love scary books and poems (and movies, even though I cover my eyes a lot during them). Here’s a cheesy video of me reading my poem “Midnight,” from a jack-o-lantern’s point of view. Midnight See my spooky, blank eyes staring? Like the crooked teeth I’m baring? Feel my wicked candle flaring? Am I smiling?
poetryaction to The Flat Rabbit, by Bardur Oskarsson
To say that The Flat Rabbit, by?Bardur Oskarsson, is an odd picture book is an understatement, since it’s about a rabbit that is…roadkill. Ugh. But, somehow, this ends up being a kind of sad, beautiful statement on life and what we do for each other, even those we don’t know that well.?Here’s my poetryaction for
School Library Journal Summit
I had a great time at the School Library Journal Summit in St. Paul, MN yesterday. Thought I would share just a few highlights. Click on any of the photos above to see my photo album of 15 pictures on Facebook (you don’t have to have a FB account to view). A few highlights: My
poetryaction to Chengdu Could Not, Would Not Fall Asleep
Happy Poetry Friday! I’m sharing another poetryaction today. I sometimes have trouble sleeping. Lately, my back has been aching–I don’t know why. Long car trips to blame? Anyway, I felt bad for Barney Saltzberg’s Chengdu and wrote this cinquain in his honor. Here I am reading my poem: [soundcloud url=“https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/173369541” params=“color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=“100%” height=“166” iframe=“true” /]
Empty Liner [15 words or less poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! After eating a tasty vanilla mini-cupcake the other day, I thought the empty liner looked kind of sad and lonely. This image makes me think of: 1) what do the other cupcakes think when they see this evidence? 2) what is that ghostie
poetryaction to Super Sniffers, by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
My little nonfiction book group is talking about some of Dorothy Hinshaw Patent’s books today, and one I read and loved was Super Sniffers: Dog Detectives on the Job. Very. Cool. Nonfiction. Book. I decided to do a poetryaction for it, and at first I was going to write about what it must be
poetryaction to Take Away the A, by Michael Escoffier
I love the concept of Take Away the A, by Michael Escoffier. It pairs words together, showing what one word becomes if you take a letter out of it. ? One of the pairs in the book (the “i” pair) turned “stair” into “star.” I especially liked the illustration for that, and it made me
My Little Free Library! and a poetryaction to Fall Leaves, by Loretta Holland
Look what I got for my birthday! More on my Little Free Library next week! And here’s another poetryaction, this one inspired by a beautiful book that Mary Lee Hahn at A Year of Reading raved about, Fall Leaves. After I read this gorgeous book, I brainstormed a list of simple words that
poetryaction to The Tree House That Jack Built, by Bonnie Verburg
Happy Poetry Friday! I’m sharing another poetryaction today. In this one, I just was intrigued by the monkey that’s pictured in much of the book, and I went off on a little tangent imagining how much trouble one monkey could make. So this is a poetryaction that does NOT summarize the book or plot, just
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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