Welcome, and happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) I’m so happy you’ve dropped by. Whether you’re a regular participant in the Poetry Friday world, or you ended up here from a search or a link, please know that we’re a welcoming community! Read, comment, think, share, and enjoy!
Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement the past couple of weeks (months?), friends. I’ve been grim and moaning and groaning in much of my writing recently due to life events, and I’m sick of it. You probably are too :>D
This week, I’m going to share one page from my forthcoming picture book, Flurry, Float, and Fly! The Story of a Snowstorm.
Oh! Interrupting this post because my husband, Randy, just opened the mail and gave me this early birthday present! It’s (left, below) a phone skin with Chiara Fedele’s art from Flurry, Float, and Fly! Sigh. Isn’t that gorgeous? Looking at it calms me, as if I’ve just meditated and had some hot chocolate. On the right side is my current phone skin, which is also amazing art–this time by Elly MacKay, from Zap! Clap! Boom! Anytime I get new technology, wonderful Ran uses the opportunity to beautify my world by using art from a current book. How lucky am I?
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Okay, so this book comes out Nov. 11 with Bloomsbury, and it features stunning art by Chiara Fedele! I love to write rhyming nonfiction. When it goes well, the words sound effortless, even though they aren’t (oh, the many drafts I write). There are always one or two favorite lines or stanzas that mix fact and language in a way that I just love. Here’s I think my favorite bit from this STEM picture book:
In crushing, shushing, sparkling crowds,
frozen crystalsdrop
through
clouds.
This was just one of those times when everything came together to work, in my opinion. The interior rhyme of crushing/shushing, the metaphor of crowds of snowflakes, the science of frozen crystals falling toward the ground, the shape on the page of the dropping, and the alliteration of crowds / crystals / clouds–I know, there’s crushing, too, but it feels a little early to include it in the /c/ sounds. I love it (said totally immodestly)!
There are so many elements to juggle when writing poetry/verse that’s grounded in information. It’s so satisfying when it feels right. (By the way, I just got Margaret Simon’s Wood Duck Diary [cover art by Michelle Kogan]! Can’t wait to spot the perfect moments in that book.)
I have tons of auxiliary materials on my Flurry book page, including this video about balancing science and story. There are more videos, downloadables, etc. at the page.
And, pre-orders really help a book do well. If you might be so inclined, I’d be grateful for any pre-orders or requests to your library to purchase the book. You’ll find links for ordering the book (including signed, personalized copies–great for gifts) on my book page. Thanks!
And for lots of fantastic poetry, don’t miss the Poetry Friday Roundup with jovial poet and speaker Matt Forrest Esenwine! Note: I’ll be off the grid for the entire coming week, so I likely won’t make it around to everyone’s blog. Apologies in advance!
13 Responses
Love the phone cases, Laura. What a sweet gift. I look forward to the new book, which sounds great for my crew of 2nd graders. I will ask my library to pre-order!
Laura, your new book is a gem. I will add your trailer to my review because it is always good to have a video where the author gives readers a peek into the book, Furry, Float, and Fly. I am looking forward to reading the book to my little grandgirls. Relax and enjoy the weekend.
Congrats on the new book (including it in my November Cool Things Roundup)! Thanks for the peek — love the sample page, your new phone skin, and the video. 🙂
Wow, that *is* a beautiful stanza! You have every right to (immodestly) love it! 🙂
Ooh, swoon over the phone case. I think I need one of those for my upcoming board book. Thanks for the shout out in this post about the Wood Duck Diary. I can’t believe you got a copy before me. I think copies are in the mail?! I love your new book and will be looking to get one from you at NCTE (signed especially for my grandchildren).
Top notch word choices, Laura! Beautiful phone skin, too.
Pre-ordered! Can’t wait to read this to my grandson, Laura. It looks beautiful.
And will you share HOW Randy got your phone jacket created? I want to do that!
I retain strong memories of snowstorms from my NYC years, Laura. Thank you for helping me revisit those recollections through your writing and precise word choice. The phone covers are a bit special. Aren’t you lucky.
Your book is just gorgeous, Laura! I read it to my class this past week, and they, veterans of snowfall and snowflakes, received it most enthusiastically! I’m planning to post about it for next week’s Poetry Friday. What a gorgeous book and the perfect marriage of words and images! Also, your phone covers are fabulous–what great gifts!
That !S a snazzy phone case. What a great and loving idea. My goodness. Anything that brings the feeling of meditation and hot cocoa? It’s medicine for the soul.
Ooooh, that video is wonderful. I love a peek behind the scenes of what makes a PB come alive. Thank you for sharing that with us.
So excited to order your new book for my library!
I love it that you can highlight so many craft moves in a single sentence!
Love how your words float gently to the page, and Chiara Fedele’s art is lovely. Congratulations!