Small Reads for Brighters Days
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran is a poet I don’t know a lot about. I often hear lines of his quoted, and they’re gorgeous. But then I go to read a full poem, and I’m not as entranced. I like short poems, and I dislike prose […]
It’s almost Talk Like a Pirate Day! I can’t believe my A Is for Arrr! A Pirate Alphabet, was published 10 years ago! If you don’t have that book, check out this roundup of pirate-themed picture books. And don’t miss Pirates, by David L. Harrison and Dan Burr. It’s one of my very favorite poetry […]
I love Joyce Sidman’s work, and her new book Round is no exception. The magic is in how she takes a concept as huge and simple and universal as roundness and makes me as a reader feel the emotions conjured up by roundness while sharing many specific instances of roundness. My favorite is the spread […]
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) I’m excited for the upcoming publication of my friend Joyce Sidman’s Before Morning! It publishes on October 4, and it’s just gorgeous. This winter poem is set to stunning illustrations by Beth Krommes, and it’s racking up the stars, folks. Five of them! Here are […]
Happy spring! Yesterday was the first day of spring, and birds were cheeping outside my window in the early morning, despite the frost on the ground. I celebrated by reading Amy Ludwig VanDerwater’s new rhyming picture book, Every Day Birds (Orchard, 2016). Have you seen it? A single fact, poetically shared, and lovely cut paper […]
Back in September, I shared Heather Montgomery’s wonderful book about bug bad behavior, How Rude! (Scholastic, 2015). Remember that? Anyway, the giveaway of Nancy Bo Flood’s lovely water book was a big success, and not too hard to do, so I’m giving away my signed paperback copy of Heather’s fabulous picture book. Interested? Go back […]
Teachers, last week I posted about a picture book I love, My Blue Is Happy, by Jessica Young. It would be fun to take this book and then brainstorm what you see each color as and write a list poem based on it. You could dim the lights and project a solid screen of each […]
? My Blue Is Happy by Jessica Young ill by Catia Chien Candlewick Press, 2013 I’m drawn to this book because my blue is happy, too! I always think of blue as a happy, calm, beautiful color. It starts out with, ?My sister says that blue is sad / Like a lonely song.? […]
The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli Disney/Hyperion, 2013 [Read part 1.] He looks very alarmed about this, and I find out why?he thinks it’s going to grow a watermelon inside of him. He imagines all sorts of horrible things. I love how he gives a big burp and the seed flies out. ?Oh. Here’s the […]
The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli Disney/Hyperion, 2013 This book is so bright and simple looking. I know I can read it even though I only have a few minutes. When I was a kid, I loved the Lyle, Lyle Crocodile books, by Bernard Waber, and the main character on the cover reminds me of […]
