I read Georgia Heard? and Jennifer McDonough’s A PLACE FOR WONDER: READING AND WRITING NONFICTION IN THE PRIMARY GRADES (Stenhouse, 2009) last month. It made me wish I was either back in the classroom or back in 2nd grade. There are so many wonder-ful bits in this book, but one of my favorites is something they share from a picture book by Byrd Baylor, THE OTHER WAY TO LISTEN (Atheneum, reissue 2014):
Do thisgo get to know
one thing
as well
as you can.
It should be something small.
Don’t start
with a mountain
don’t start
with the whole Pacific Ocean.
Start with
one seed pod
or
one dry weed
or
one horned toad
or one handful
of dirt.
Isn’t that beautiful? Great advice for all of us, and a great starting point for a small piece of nonfiction writing or poetry. Don’t be overwhelmed and don’t overwhelm your reader. Just start small. Very small.
Byrd Baylor’s books have a magic hold on me. EVERYBODY NEEDS A ROCK was the first one that charmed me, and it was one of the first books in my consciously established children’s book collection. Peter Parnell’s drawings certainly add to their joy. The lines you quote are of particular note, as my current project, a children’s picture/counting/search&find book, includes many illustrations of small things. Last night I spent about two hours drawing and coloring a single butterfly. Before beginning and after completing the drawing, I did several additional hours researching butterflies and their flight. To write and draw for our young readers, we must put in the time and incorporate the wonder. Draw like a butterfly: work like a bee!
I don’t know Byrd Baylor’s books, but I just put LISTEN, ROCK, and ONE SMALL BLUE BEAD on reserve at my library. Looking forward to meeting his(?) work. It is AMAZING the amount of time that goes into picture books, isn’t it? I bet your butterfly is spectacular:>)
HI Laura. I’ll post the butterfly in a few minutes on my site Pi-SunyerNaturally.com. I am working on a revised dummy, as the next publishing company on my list accepts dummies. The book is so much father along than when we met last summer. I think it is almost ready. Thanks for your support and encouragement.
Gorgeous! And congratulations on the progress you’re making! (I love that sparrow? in the upper right corner, too. I’m bad with bird names.)
The bird is a Carolina wren. They are delightful little creatures to watch and they have a lovely song. They are featured in my book. Still on target for getting the new proposal out to a publisher this Friday! YIKES!!! That’s tomorrow. Off I go!!
Fingers crossed for you!
Byrd Baylor’s books have a magic hold on me. EVERYBODY NEEDS A ROCK was the first one that charmed me, and it was one of the first books in my consciously established children’s book collection. Peter Parnell’s drawings certainly add to their joy. The lines you quote are of particular note, as my current project, a children’s picture/counting/search&find book, includes many illustrations of small things. Last night I spent about two hours drawing and coloring a single butterfly. Before beginning and after completing the drawing, I did several additional hours researching butterflies and their flight. To write and draw for our young readers, we must put in the time and incorporate the wonder. Draw like a butterfly: work like a bee!
I don’t know Byrd Baylor’s books, but I just put LISTEN, ROCK, and ONE SMALL BLUE BEAD on reserve at my library. Looking forward to meeting his(?) work. It is AMAZING the amount of time that goes into picture books, isn’t it? I bet your butterfly is spectacular:>)
HI Laura. I’ll post the butterfly in a few minutes on my site Pi-SunyerNaturally.com. I am working on a revised dummy, as the next publishing company on my list accepts dummies. The book is so much father along than when we met last summer. I think it is almost ready. Thanks for your support and encouragement.
Gorgeous! And congratulations on the progress you’re making! (I love that sparrow? in the upper right corner, too. I’m bad with bird names.)
The bird is a Carolina wren. They are delightful little creatures to watch and they have a lovely song. They are featured in my book. Still on target for getting the new proposal out to a publisher this Friday! YIKES!!! That’s tomorrow. Off I go!!
Fingers crossed for you!
Byrd Baylor’s books are all treasures I think. I’ve used them so often when my class was out, day trip or overnight. I know the Heard book, but don’t have it yet. Maybe soon! Thanks for the reminder, Laura.
The Wonder Book is awesome! Such a challenge for teachers to incorporate all the things you’d like to do along with all the things you have to do. But if I were still in the classroom, I would definitely be using some of the ideas in this book. Thanks for the add’l vote on Baylor–I can’t wait to read the books I’ve put on reserve:>)
I rely like this poem do you think this might be
To old fro preschoolers and as a writer would i benfit from reading this book
I think preschool teachers could really get lots of great ideas from this book! Young kids wonder about so many things. And there are great activities and statements in here that could totally influence your writing–although it’s not a how-to write book at all. I find writing help in so many places.
Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets Paperback, by Paul B. Janeczko (Compiler), for example, is one of my favorite books on writing poetry, even though it’s aimed at kids.
Byrd Baylor’s books are all treasures I think. I’ve used them so often when my class was out, day trip or overnight. I know the Heard book, but don’t have it yet. Maybe soon! Thanks for the reminder, Laura.
The Wonder Book is awesome! Such a challenge for teachers to incorporate all the things you’d like to do along with all the things you have to do. But if I were still in the classroom, I would definitely be using some of the ideas in this book. Thanks for the add’l vote on Baylor–I can’t wait to read the books I’ve put on reserve:>)
I rely like this poem do you think this might be
To old fro preschoolers and as a writer would i benfit from reading this book
I think preschool teachers could really get lots of great ideas from this book! Young kids wonder about so many things. And there are great activities and statements in here that could totally influence your writing–although it’s not a how-to write book at all. I find writing help in so many places.
Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets Paperback, by Paul B. Janeczko (Compiler), for example, is one of my favorite books on writing poetry, even though it’s aimed at kids.
Yes, Byrd Baylor’s books are wonderful. I used them often when I taught elementary school. I still have Everybody Needs a Rock. Her books seem so simple, but have many layers. Many of her books have a desert theme, as I recall. They are quiet, and so beautifully written. I know you’ll enjoy her work.
Yes, Byrd Baylor’s books are wonderful. I used them often when I taught elementary school. I still have Everybody Needs a Rock. Her books seem so simple, but have many layers. Many of her books have a desert theme, as I recall. They are quiet, and so beautifully written. I know you’ll enjoy her work.