Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.)
Last week, my final picture book of 2019 published (I blogged about it here), and it’s a rhyming nonfiction book. I thought I’d share the opening two quatrains as my poem this week and invite you to enter a giveaway that ends Sunday evening. It’s been dark and rainy the past couple of days here in Minnesota, and streetlights have been on as I leave for the gym at 6:45 in the morning, so the days are definitely shortening. I love fall, even the cold, grey days, and I’m busy doing my own kind of preparing for winter–gathering soup recipes, unearthing sweaters and scarves, etc. But wildlife has a lot more work to do than me!
Soak up the sun, breathe in the breeze,
munch crunchy apples that fall from the trees.
Enjoy every morsel you feast on today:
the banquet of autumn will soon fade away.
So plump up or burrow or journey before
frosty winds rattle and batter your door.
Snowstorms and dark nights are next to arrive.
Here comes winter.
PREPARE,
SURVIVE!
–Laura Purdie Salas, from SNACK, SNOOZE, SKEDADDLE — all rights reserved
These lines set the stage for the rest of the book, in which each spread features one animal getting ready for and then surviving during winter. Each animal gets just a couplet (plus a one-sentence prose sidebar), so I had to write tight. Here’s one of my favorite spreads, both in text and art:
You probably can’t read the sidebar in my image, which says, “This black bear’s fall feast sustains his body all winter.”
School Library Journal called this a “well-organized, clearly written, and delightfully illustrated work. Too charming to miss.” Whee!
Maybe you’d like to win a free, signed, personalized copy? Easy peasy. Just share how YOU prepare for (or enjoy/survive) winter on this Padlet. You can just leave a comment, which is totally fine. Or you can make a rhyme, share a photo…be as creative as you like! But make sure you leave your name on your post, and enter now–I’ll be announcing 5 winners here on Monday morning.
You can also see the book trailer, download some activity sheets, and learn more about the book on my website.
Thanks so much for joining in my little celebration of Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle today! Now it’s time to skedaddle on over to some other poems! Mr. Linky is rounding us up, so please fill out the doohickey below to both leave your link and to check out all the other links you can explore. Thanks for being part of Poetry Friday, and I look forward to reading all of your posts throughout the weekend:>)
52 Responses
Your book is delightful in words and images, congratulations Laura, I’m looking forward to reading all of it! And thanks for hosting the roundup.
Thanks, Michelle!
Oh yum! I want hazelnut dreams — because all I can think of now is Nutella!!! This book looks like it tastes delicious, Laura. Congratulations!
Kind of strange that that’s my favorite spread (haha), since I don’t even like Nutella nor hazelnuts! Thanks, Kat!
Haha.
So excited to read this story! The only way to survive the winter is with a blanket, cup of tea, and a good book. ‑Kathy Rahoy
Thanks, Kathy–please make sure to put this on a post in the Padlet so that you’ll be in the drawing for a free book! And I agree on all three counts ;>)
Thank you for hosting! Your new book looks so lovely! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
Thanks, Ruth!
“Too charming to miss” is wonderful! Congrats!
Thanks for hosting 🙂
Thanks, Tabatha–I was grateful for that lovely bit to quote!
Another gorgeous book, Laura! I want to read more!
Thanks, Linda :>)
Laura, what an incredible reward for the time and work and revision and polishing you’ve give your beautiful book and bookS! Many congratulations on your success — and cheers for the words and illustrations that now belong to so many children and their reading supporters. I hope this success feels good and leads to many more. This week, I’m reviewing a prose book by pairing it with ‘Kindness,’ by Naomi Shihab Nye. It’s a different kind of review for me.
Thank you so much, Linda! And I really enjoyed your mash-up!
Your new book looks wonderful, Laura. A “banquet of autumn” sound so inviting as it leads us into the mantra, “Prepare Survive!” I created an acrostic poem for the padlet.
Thank you, Carol–I’m having so much fun seeing how people share their thoughts on winter preparation!
What a beautiful intro to your new book, Laura! Congratulations!!! No doubt it will be another wonderful addition to any home, classroom, or library. 🙂
Aw, thank you, Michelle!
Congratulations again, Laura — your book looks (and sounds) so beautiful and fun! Claudine really captured your words with those colors. (and thank you for hosting!)
Thanks, Matt! Yes! There are three or four spreads where the color is just so wonderful I want to dive into them (at least on the fall side!).
Fall/Winter prep for me: firewood and cooking! I love having fire pits in my back yard, enjoying the cooling weather, making food for everyone. Fall is a time for people to connect with people around food and stories. Winter keeps that going but the food is warmer in your belly, the stories longer into the night.
This is awesome, Tim–I hope you put it in the Padlet!
Congrats on the new book! Looks adorable!
Thank you! I tried to comment on your post–loved the lyrics excerpt you shared and it also put me in mind of “Wake me up!” from Evanescence. So many ways we want to be woken…
Congratulations on Snack, Snooze, Skedaddle, Laura! Those opening stanzas are so inviting. I know our Kindergarten students will LOVE this book! Thank you for hosting us today!
Thank you, Catherine:>)
This is such a cozy book! And I love fall here in Western New York, so it’s perfectly timed for this month. Congratulations! This evening, Mark brought in some hazelnuts — first from our tree — so we’ll be dreaming our own “hazelnut dreams.” Happy celebrating, all wrapped up in wool and drinking cocoa (take all the mini marshmallows you want!) Thank you for hosting. x
Thanks, Amy–and I just had a mug of hot cocoa this morning, with about 1/2 cup of mini marshmallows. Ahhh. I love fall!
Well, sea grape leaves & lemon leaves dear Laura! I have memories of orange-autumn I do. And this sweet rhyme takes me back, thank you. And brava! for the super review. What a new-book-ful 2019 you are deservedly celebrating! Wishing more joy to your world. xox
Thank you so much, Jan! Funny how different autumn is in different places. I grew up in Florida and…blah. I enjoy fall intensely every year here in Minnesota:>)
You know how much I love your book, Laura! We actually have our first cool day today and even cooler tonight, so exciting! Thanks for sharing lots of it today and for hosting. That padlet is fun!
Thank you, Linda, for your constant enthusiasm and support!
Thanks so much for the sneak peek at your upcoming book. What a wonderful collaboration of verse and illustration! I imagine that being limited to couplets for each spread must have been challenging, but you’ve created a wonderful example of the power of well-selected words and images–a mentor for “writing tight”! Thanks also for hosting this week. (I still can’t see the comments, so I’m going to cross my fingers that this comment reaches you and that it isn’t totally repetitive of previous ones.)
I see you, Molly, even though you can’t see me! Thank you:>)
What a wonderful opening! I must read the rest!
Thanks, Liz :>)
Dear Laura, so many congratulations on your newest book! What a word-filled year you’ve had… winters in Alabama are generally mild, so much of our preparations are for fun rather than necessity — a nice stack of books, quilts, hot chocolate, ingredients for making chicken and dumplings and other comfort foods… and this year, we are getting wetsuits so we can more comfortably enjoy our kayaks and paddleboard even during the coldest months. xo
That is amazing! I would love to be out kayaking or paddleboarding in the beautiful autumn, but winter…not so much!
“Hazelnut dreams”? How wonderful! Congrats on a year filled with fun and beautiful poetry books, Laura.
Thanks, Kate!
Congrats on your new book, Laura! I just received the copy I requested my library carry, and I love it. Such a clever topic! Speaking of clever, love the Padlet idea too!
Thanks, Michelle! Looking forward to reading your collection!
Laura, congrats again on the new book. I love everything about it! Thanks for sharing the opening with us!
Thank you so much, Karen!
Congratulations on your new picture book, Laura. The illustrations on the spreads you share are gorgeously rich! I want a hazelnut dream! Thank you for hosting and for helping us get our brains in gear to prepare for what’s ahead.
Thanks, Joyce! I should have been sharing this before it published, but it’s hard to get people excited about a fall/winter book before Labor Day–haha!
Congratulations, Laura. What a lovely book–can’t wait to see it in person/paper! Thanks for sharing some of it with us–and thanks for hosting, too.
Thank you, Susan!
I survive winter with warm woolen socks, thick mittens and scarves for cold evening walks.
Lovely, Danielle–please make sure to post this in the Padlet so that you’ll be entered in the drawing!
I’m afraid I don’t know how 🙁