Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.)
I’ve shared Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell’s awesome Poetry Friday Anthology for Science here before, and now there’s a new edition. Teachers requested a non-grade-level-edition for kids, and Janet and Sylvia delivered.
Introducing The Poetry of Science: The Poetry Friday Anthology for Science for Kids! It’s a Children’s Book Council “Hot Off the Press!” title, and the National Science Teachers Association said, “This is a treasury of the greatest science poetry for children ever written, with a twist.” Well, I’m sure not going to argue with that. AND, it has illustrations, too! Clearly, this would make a great holiday gift for your favorite teacher or science lover!
I’m super proud to have 8 poems in this anthology (I LOVE science and poetry together)–here’s one:
Things to Do in Science Class
Look at labels.
Ask advice.
Be sure to check directions. Twice! WearSolid shoes to shield your feet,
And keep your table clean and neat.
Follow rules that you are given.
Explore
The startling world
You live in.–Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reserved
Here’s (I hope) audio of me reading this poem. I’ve been having Sound Cloud issues, so we’ll see if it works!
Librarian, haiku and haiga creator, and Random Noodler Diane Mayr has the Poetry Friday Roundup today over at Random Noodling, and she’s sharing a really funny prose poem! Be sure to check directions twice and visit some great poetry posts:>)
20 Responses
Congratulations on another great poetry collections. 8 poems in this collection is awesome! So happy for you!
So happy to be part of Sylvia and Janet’s projects. This one is particularly awesome, in my opinion:>) Thanks, Linda!
Thanks for sharing Laura. Was lovely to hear your voice!
Thanks, Sally:>)
I’m not usually a fan of acrostics because they often feel forced — but this flows along very nicely! Well done.
Thanks, Matt! I adore acrostics, but I find they either work fairly quickly for me, or not at all. If I spend 30 minutes on an acrostic and don’t have something pretty close to finished, it ain’t gonna happen!
Janet and Sylvia hit this one out of the ball park, didn’t they?!?!
They did! So fun to be in their projects, right?
I can’t even dream of writing an acrostic that works this well. The rhythm and rhyme are perfect. I’m anxious to get hold of this book!
You can! (Rhyming makes an extra layer of difficulty–but acrostics don’t generally rhyme.) Thanks for the kind words–it’s a wonderful book. Hope you enjoy it!
So clever and deceptively simple-looking. How does she do that–pull a poem out of a lab coat pocket with such apparent ease?
Aw, thank you Violet! I love it when they look easy–it means I’ve done my job:>)
Quite wonderful, Laura. I will send this on to the science teachers at school. They also should buy the book!
Thanks, Linda, for sharing!
I’d forgotten this was an acrostic, until the unusual break after ‘Wear’. Nice one! I like how the title of the poem isn’t ‘Lab Safety’ — but extends the poem further.
Thanks, Kathryn–I always try to title my acrostics (one of my favorite forms!) something other than what the word(s) down the margin spells. So that that word becomes a little bonus for the reader if they notice it:>)
Thank you for reminding me I have to order this version of the Science anthology. Your poem is terrific, Laura! Love that last bit of advice to “Explore/The startling world/You live in.” Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Catherine! That was my favorite part to write:>)
How wonderful that your poems are included in Janet and Sylvia’s anthology. The poem you featured is a good one to start a science class year off. Happy Holidays!
Thanks, Carol! It was quite a fun one to do:)