Small Reads Roundup for Winter
Here are some small reads just for winter. These Small Reads Roundups appear first in my Small Reads monthly e‑letter for educators. Subscribe here! My plan is to include only things that are easily accessible to you–if you find a link that’s no longer working, please let me know–thank you :>)
WRITTEN IN SNOW
Snowy pages,
steady track.
Tiny footprints
dipped in black.
Through the blizzard
stories roam.
They tiptoe bravely
out, then home.
–Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reserved
From BookSpeak. What’s the metaphor mean? Read my answer on Irene Latham’s site!
A triolet:
A terza rima:
Tarnished Silver
Temperature dives—four degrees
below zero. Snow blows
down the bare street, carelessly seizes
the emptiness, gives it a grey ghostly glow,
bathes this world in the twilight of semi-night.
There is no one new you will ever know,
just you, and the moon, and reflected light—
frozen in time, forever alone.
Sky dead above, ground eerily bright.
Black limbs of trees, like autumn’s bones,
etch endless sky as wind whistles and hones
its sharp, stripping skills in this bleak, leaden zone.
–Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reserved
A limerick:
Scarlet in Late Snow
With a flutter and flurry of wing,
Cardinal announces, “Spring!”
He’s the hopeful red heart—
a flash of fresh start.
Even nature appreciates bling.
–Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reserved
An acrostic:
Revenge of the White Dragon
A dragon wakes, his winter sleep disturbed. He
Vows to punish you, the intruder.
Air swells with a low rumble.
Land beneath you trembles.
Above, a wave of concrete snow thunders down. The dragon roars your
Name. But he can’t find you.
Chewing up trees and spewing them out, he searches for you.
His steamy, snowy breath clouds the sky, and the
Earth cradles you to its rocky chest as the dragon’s belly slides by. Safe!
—Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reserved
Mice on Skates
On the empty back deck
on a black autumn night,
the paper plate moon
sheds a soft, hollow light.
Chimneys and pine trees
spread deep, smoky spice,
and the patio table
is glazed with thin ice.
Two little brown mice
discover the rink,
and do figure eights
in perfect mouse-sync?
With tiny sharp skates
bearing gum wrapper blades,
they spin away shadows?
and emptiness fades.
–Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reserved
Hear me read the poem.
Hear me read the poem.
Inspired by a photo of snowman candleholders!:
Small Activities
Click on the image below for a downloadable activity sheet. Write a Snowperson list poem!
Make a Melting Snowman Art Project! Click on the image below.
Write a “Things To Do If…” poem with your students, like the one below. See a typed version by clicking the image below.
If you enjoy this roundup, please share it with your educator friends–thank you! And don’t forget to subscribe to my Small Reads e‑letter. Subscribe here!