POETRY FRIDAY

 WELCOME TO POETRY FRIDAY!

So glad you came by today!

I had a hard time deciding on a theme for today.

The flowers in Denver are gorgeous, 

but several variations on flowers

  has been done several times recently.

Then I thought about basketball

because I've been watching the NBA finals all week,

but I wasn't sure how many poet/basketball fans 

there were in the Poetry Friday crowd.

Finally decided I would just share

a plentitude of perfectly poetic picture books…

HOW TO

Julie Morstad

This quiet and poetic picture book has definitely jumped into my top five favorites for this year.  The one I looked at had a slide on the cover (as does the one on Amazon) but I couldn't find that one on the internet. Hmmmm. Anyway, each picture tells its own story. How to wash your socks (jump in a mud puddle). How to be brave (go down a big slide). How to get a good night's sleep (sleep on a bed that looks like something from Princess and the Pea). Some are whimsical, some are serious, all are absolutely perfect. You have got to find this book!

IF YOU WANT TO SEE A WHALE

Julie Fogliano

 Julie Fogliano is fast becoming one of my favorite picture book poets. I loved "and then it's spring" and her newest book "if you want to see a whale," is just as perfect. Both books have featured the gentle  art of Erin Stead, who won the Caldecott for Sick Day for Amos McGee. 

if you want to see a whale, you will need to know what not to look at.

Pink roses, pelicans, possible pirates…

If you want to see a whale you have to keep your eyes on the sea and wait…

and wait…and wait… 

 YOO HOO LADYBUG

 Classic Mem Fox! Only a little text 

but every single word is absolutely perfect. 

"Yoo-hoo, Ladybug!

Where are you?

There you are…

Afloat in the bath

with duck and giraffe."  

Kids will also love hunting for the ladybug in Laura Ljungkvist's bright collage like illustrations. Each page contains basically the same objects in a different context and arrangement. 

  

STRIPES OF ALL TYPES

Susan Stockdale

Toting a shell
Twisting on sand
Sprawled in a lair
and sprinting on land.

A safari of striped animals for the younger set. One or two lines of text and a striped animal  on each page. A two-page spread at the end shares a little information about the animals.  Kids are also sure to love the "Can you find these stripes?" invitation on the last two pages.

WHEN YOUR PORCUPINE FEELS PRICKLY 
Kathy DeZarn Beynette

"Shark"
If you make a rude remark
I hope it won't be to your shark.
Don't say, "That's a stupid sweater,"
Or "I like sharks but whales are better.
Keep your shark relations happy.
Rudeness makes us all feel snappy.

Short and silly poems about lots of different animals.


Leave your links in the comments!

The Poetry Friday Roundup is here. 

Snook Alone-- Marilyn Nelson

Another discovery from my evening at Tattered Cover (please note: I did not buy this one, I just ended up putting it on my wish list).

Snook is a dog, some kind of terrier, who lives on an island with his beloved companion, a monk named Abba Jacob. Snook, like any loyal companion, follows Abba Jacob on his daily rounds-- through prayers, and gardening, and meals. As Abba Jacob completes his daily activities, Snook works hard at keeping the island free of mice and rats.

 One day, the Society for the Presentation of St. Brandon's Atoll, asks Abba Jacob to help catalogue the plants and animals on a new island. Snook goes along and discovers that this island is full of rats and other small animals. When a storm comes up, Snook is so busy, that he doesn't hear Abba Jacob's voice and gets left behind. And then his waiting begins.

This is definitely a picture book for older kids. It's fairly long. It's full of rich, complex, and interesting vocabulary (atoll, carpace, handlebar mustache). The watercolor illustrations by Timothy Basil Ering (who also illustrated Necks Out For Adventure and Tale of Desperaux- how did I never put those two together?) perfectly evoke the moods of loneliness and loyalty. I could definitely see myself using this in study of theme (loneliness or loyalty).

And as a dog lover, I especially loved the ending.

THE MYSTERY OF DARWIN'S FROG

This afternoon, I was wandering through Tattered Cover. I told myself that I was NOT going to buy books, I was simply going to buy a coffee and listen to an author. If I really, really, really liked her book, I might consider buying it. But I was definitely not going to buy any other books today. My resolve held firm until I found THE MYSTERY OF DARWIN'S FROG, written by Marty Crump, a Utah herpetologist, and illustrated by Steve Jenkins and Edel Rodriguez.

Crump invites readers into the world of scientists, tracing the evolution of the body of knowledge about a tiny frog with a pointed noise, who was discovered by Charles Darwin in Chile in 1834. After watching this frog for several decades, scientists made an interesting discovery. The frog, who they first assumed was the mother, held its tadpoles in its mouth. After further research, scientists determined that the holder of the babies was actually the father, who slurps up the eggs, or sometimes the baby tadpoles, a few minutes after they are born, holds them inside his vocal sac, feeds them with the lining of his vocal sac for approximately two months, and then opens his mouth and burps up the young frogs.

There is so, so, so much to love about this book. First, it's full, full, full of interesting information, first about frogs, but then also about the work of scientists. I loved learning how generations of scientists built upon each other's work, gradually accumulating more and more knowledge about this strange but wonderful species. I also loved learning about Crump's process-- her questions and wonderings, and how she and her niece went to Chile and studied the frogs. I loved the gorgeous full color photographs, taken, I'm pretty sure, by Crump, and the watercolor paintings of the scientists. And of course I loved Steve Jenkins' collages (but so I don't mislead you, most of the book is illustrated with photographs, which perfectly match the text, there are only four or five illustrations by Jenkins).

I really was not going to buy books tonight, but this is one I have to own!

THE MYSTERY OF DARWIN'S FROG

This afternoon, I was wandering through Tattered Cover. I told myself that I was NOT going to buy books, I was simply going to buy a coffee and listen to an author. If I really, really, really liked her book, I might consider buying it. But I was definitely not going to buy any other books today. My resolve held firm until I found THE MYSTERY OF DARWIN'S FROG, written by Marty Crump, a Utah herpetologist, and illustrated by Steve Jenkins and Edel Rodriguez.

Crump invites readers into the world of scientists, tracing the evolution of the body of knowledge about a tiny frog with a pointed noise, who was discovered by Charles Darwin in Chile in 1834. After watching this frog for several decades, scientists made an interesting discovery. The frog, who they first assumed was the mother, held its tadpoles in its mouth. After further research, scientists determined that the holder of the babies was actually the father, who slurps up the eggs, or sometimes the baby tadpoles, a few minutes after they are born, holds them inside his vocal sac, feeds them with the lining of his vocal sac for approximately two months, and then opens his mouth and burps up the young frogs.

There is so, so, so much to love about this book. First, it's full, full, full of interesting information, first about frogs, but then also about the work of scientists. I loved learning how generations of scientists built upon each other's work, gradually accumulating more and more knowledge about this strange but wonderful species. I also loved learning about Crump's process-- her questions and wonderings, and how she and her niece went to Chile and studied the frogs. I loved the gorgeous full color photographs, taken, I'm pretty sure, by Crump, and the watercolor paintings of the scientists. And of course I loved Steve Jenkins' collages (but so I don't mislead you, most of the book is illustrated with photographs, which perfectly match the text, there are only four or five illustrations by Jenkins.

I really was not going to buy books tonight, but this is one I have to own!

THREE BOOKS ABOUT FRIENDSHIP

 WOOBY AND PEEP by Cynthia Liu

Wooby and his pet goldfish live in a peaceful, ordinary, (ok, maybe a little dull) neighborhood. Wooby has a 547-year-old tree (do not lean!) in his backyard. He has a favorite flowing fountain and a prized petunia patch. And that is just the way he and his neighbors like it.

Then Peep moves into the neighborhood. Peep is not quiet and ordinary. She throws wild parties. She is rambunctious and a more than a little accident prone. And she wants to be Wooby's friend.

I loved the message about friendship and differences in this book. I also loved, loved, loved the busy, captioned (think Scaredy Squirrel or Henkes X10) illustrations.  This one will be a sure winner with primary kids, but I also think intermediate kids are going to love the humor.



RIBBIT - Rodrigo Folguiera

Another great new picture book about an unlikely addition to the neighborhood. A group of frogs wake up one morning to find a large pink pig sitting on a lily pad, ribbiting, in the middle of their pond. The frogs are a little undone by the pig, and go off to consult a wise old beetle about their problem. They return to find that the pig has decided to take on a whole new group of friends…

A BIG GUY TOOK MY BALL- Mo Willems

Finally, my favorite friends, Gerald and Piggie, are back with a new book. Piggie finds a ball. A big guy takes it away from her. Gerald is determined to solve this injustice, until he sees how big the "big guy" actually is. 

SLICE OF LIFE

Early May. A Thursday morning. 7:50 a.m. I am paged to the office. There is a minor emergency. I need to put aside my literacy coaching duties and cover the eighth grade music class.The students are waiting for me. The secretary hands me the lesson plans, and I hustle upstairs, wondering what I know about teaching eighth grade music.

I am pleased to discover that I do not have to sing or play recorders, instead, students will be writing reflective pieces about an upcoming performance. The eighth graders are not so pleased. They do not want to write during music. They do anything they can to avoid getting started-  try to catch a little more sleep,  argue with me about the purpose of writing in music class, poke at each other,  argue with me some more, horse around with each other, argue with me again.

M is sitting on the right side of the room, surrounded by a group of drooling admirers. She is darling- petite, long dark hair, large dark eyes, and a quick smile and ready laugh. Her fan club is large and loud, and I make my way toward that side of the room to try and initiate some kind of order. The boys grumble as I encourage them to find paper and pencil and get started. M doesn't need my help, however. Despite the uproar, she has almost a full page of writing. I am struck by her integrity, her desire to do the right thing when it would be so much easier to succumb to peer pressure.

******
Noon recess. Late May. Three eighth grade girls approach me with a special request.  The administration at our school has a strict no phone policy and they want to know if I will them them use music from one of the girl's phones, just this once, so they can practice their dances for M's upcoming quinciñera. I send them to the far corner of the playground, where they spend the next thirty minutes happily dancing. Again, I am struck by the girls' integrity. They probably could have just gone to the corner of the playground and not even asked about the phone and I never would have known…
*******

Early June. Eighth grade continuation. I am on crowd control in the library with 45 eighth graders. M is darling in a short black skirt, bright orange blouse, and high, high heels. As always, she is the center of an adoring fan club. Sometime during the continuation ceremony, the office gets a call. M's mom, a long time lupus struggler,  hospitalized right after the quinciñera, has passed away.

 ********
Yesterday. The funeral, at 4:00, is all in Spanish. About a third of the eighth grade class, along with five staff members, attend.  M sits next to her dad and high school brother. My heart breaks as I see her tear-stained face and mussed hair. There are no words to say to this sweet, sweet girl on this hard, hard day.

Poetry Friday

Parker Palmer posted this poem on Facebook a little while back. This has been a year of many unexpected (and mostly unwanted/unwelcome) visitors. I'm trying to "meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in, believing that there may be some new delight, just waiting to come in."  THE  GUEST  HOUSE This being human is a guest house Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they're a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thoughts, the shame, the malice meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whatever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond. Rumi I'm publishing the whole poem today. I found it lots and lots of places on the internet and am thinking it must be in the public domain? I hope that's right.  Stop by and smell the Poetry Friday roses at Tabatha Yeatts at The Opposite of Indifference.