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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
Dino [15 words or less poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! I had an amazing time in Sheboygan for the Children’s Book Festival. Will share a few highlights next week. Meanwhile, here’s a pic I took at Bookworm Gardens, my new favorite place!? This image makes me think of: 1) what would dinosaurs read?
Meet the Zeno (a great poem form for classrooms)
You guys know Michelle Heidenrich Barnes’ Ditty of the Month Challenge at Today’s Little Ditty, right? Where she features a guest, who issues a poetic challenge? This month she featured J. Patrick Lewis, who shared a poetic form he created, the zeno. You can read all about the zeno (and Pat) here. I encourage you
poetryaction to The Promise, by Nicola Davies
I’ve been doing something new. 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
Why I Don’t Usually Share Press Clippings
I had a great time at the Sheboygan Children’s Book Festival! Will share stories and photos this week or next:>)
This Merry-Go-Round [by Laura Purdie Salas]
Happy Poetry Friday! In person today, I’m sharing poetry and picture books with students at two Sheboygan, WI-area schools–fun! Tomorrow, I’ll be presenting at the Sheboygan Children’s Book Festival. If you are going, I hope you’ll find me and say hi! I’m sharing a riddle-ku today: This merry-go-round spins upside down: I’m singing the
Hidden [15 words or less poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! Here’s a pic I took while walking the dog the other day. This image makes me think of: 1) a cemetery 2) hiding places 3) lying on the floor by a Christmas tree And here’s my?first draft. Hidden Worlds stolen????????? mornings leaves ????????
A riddle-ku revision
I already mentioned that the second book in my 30 Painless Classroom Poems series is going to be Riddle-ku: Haiku for Very Close Reading. You might remember that I shared these poems here during National Poetry Month earlier this year. What was cool as I went through editing the riddle-ku to be part of this
Scroll [15 words or less poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! Here’s a pic I took when we were in New Orleans in May for the International Reading Association conference. I loved the architecture there. This image makes me think of: 1) a swan at night 2) Faberge egg 3) fancy fonts And here’s
Scarecookies [15 words or less]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! Here’s a pic from the bakery. I love frosted cookies! But scarecrows…hmmm. I think I’ve seen too many horror movies/TV shows where a scarecrow comes to life. This image makes me think of: 1) The Wizard of Oz 2) Halloween costumes 3) scary
Poetry Friday — A Daughter Can Be…
Happy Poetry Friday! I don’t often write poems or verses for specific people. Well, I do, occasionally, but I don’t give it to them–I’m too self-conscious to do that. I’ve written poems for/about both my daughters but don’t think I’ve ever shared them. However, inspired by Renee LaTulippe’s lovely take on my Can Be… books
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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