children’s poetry

friday feast: gearing up with poem-mobiles by j. patrick lewis, douglas florian and jeremy holmes

~ jama ~ 40 Comments

Ahem. I’ve known for some time that poets J. Patrick Lewis and Douglas Florian are both crazy. Crazy talented, that is.

Ebullient wizards of comedic timing and wordplay, these two pun meisters should be arrested for having way too much fun. Having tickled the funny bones of kids everywhere for decades, they’ve each published dozens of award winning books that celebrate the many wonderful possibilities of poetry. Such joy! Such cleverness! Such vigorous versifying! Veddy veddy good.

Now, a new book by either one of these beloved poets is a real treat, but having them write a book together is like having your cake and eating it two, three, maybe five thousand times. In Poem-Mobiles: Crazy Car Poems (Schwartz & Wade, 2014), Mr. Lewis and Mr. Florian have set their engines at full throttle, pulling out all the stops when it comes to inventing 21 crazy dazy cars of the future.

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friday feast: s is for sea glass by richard michelson and doris ettlinger (+ flip flop cookies)

~ jama ~ 52 Comments

#49 in a series of posts celebrating the alphabet

Put on your bathing suit and flip flops. Grab your pail, shovel and shades. Let’s go to the beach!

Poet Richard Michelson and illustrator Doris Ettlinger celebrate the sights, sounds, smells, fun and mystery of a joyous day by the sea in their charming new picture book, S is for Sea Glass: A Beach Alphabet (Sleeping Bear Press, 2014).

Written in a variety of poetic forms (ode, haiku, free verse, rhyming couplets), Michelson’s poems range from lyrical to light, capturing the many moods, rhythms, and emotions associated with ocean and shore from A to Z.

Have you ever made a sand angel? Or maybe you’d rather show off your castle-building skills, stroll the boardwalk, or comb the beach for shells or sea glass, letting your imagination run wild with possibility. Was this piece from a “king’s cup/Or medicine bottle” — maybe even a pirate’s decanter? Whatever you decide, there’s nothing quite like a tossed and tumbled “gift from the ocean.”

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2014 Poetry Friday Archive

~ jama ~ 9 Comments

1. “Cranberry,” A Commonplace Book of Pie by Kate Lebo and Jessica Lynn Bonin

2. “The One and the Other” by Hayden Saunier

3. “Sugar” by Barbara Crooker

4. THE POEM THAT WILL NOT END by Joan Bransfield Graham and Kyrsten Brooker

5. “Teatime Grouch,” “Teddy Bear Tea,” “Tea Around the World” from TEA PARTY TODAY by Eileen Spinelli and Karen Dugan

6. “Tea” by Carol Ann Duffy

7. “Color” by Christina Rossetti

8. “The Work of Happiness” by May Sarton

9. ANTIQUE PIANO & OTHER SOUR NOTES by Barbara Etlin

10. WHY DO I CHASE THEE by Jessica Swaim and Chet Phillips

11. Emily Dickinson flower poems

12. “My Party” and “You Are Going Out to Tea” by Kate Greenaway

13. “Song of the Flower XXIII” by Kahlil Gibran + Roundup

14. “Calvin Coolidge” from RUTHERFORD B., WHO WAS HE? by Marilyn Singer and John Hendrix

15. IF DOGS RUN FREE by Bob Dylan and Scott Campbell

16. “My Mother’s Handwriting” by Julia Wendell

17. S IS FOR SEA GLASS by Richard Michelson and Doris Ettlinger

18. Interview with Julia Wendell (Take This Spoon)

19. POEM-MOBILES by J. Patrick Lewis, Douglas Florian and Jeremy Holmes

20. ANNA’S GARDEN SONGS by Mary Q. Steele and Lena Anderson

21. MISS EMILY by Burleigh Muten and Mac Phelan

22. DEAR WANDERING WILDEBEEST by Irene Latham and Anna Wadham

23. STRINGS ATTACHED by Diane DeCillis

24. “Oreos” by J. Patrick Lewis

25. “My Teddy Bear,” from “Adventures of Isabel,” and “Furry Bear”

26. Four Food Haiku from Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico! by Pat Mora and Rafael Lopez

27. “Last Night I Dreamed I Stole the Croissants” by Diane DeCillis

28. BAKING DAY AT GRANDMA’S by Anika and Christopher Denise

29. “Monet Refuses the Operation” by Lisel Mueller

30. “The Look” by Sara Teasdale

31. “Parkin” by Diane Wakoski

32. “Each Time” by James Rumford

33. PIE SCHOOL by Kate Lebo

34. 21 Cool Gifts for Poetry Lovers

35. “Grace” by Alice Walker

36. A COOKIE FOR SANTA by Stephanie Shaw and Bruno Robert

37. “Alternative Santa” by Roger McGough

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friday feast: a spot of vintage tea

~ jama ~ 38 Comments

MY PARTY

I had a little tea party, this afternoon at three.
‘Twas very small, three guests in all, I, Myself, and Me.
Myself ate up the sandwiches, while I drank up the tea.
‘Twas also I who ate the pie and passed the cake to Me!

(Traditional)

Children have been enjoying their own little tea parties since at least the early 19th century. They know a good thing when they see it. Shall we join them?

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friday feast: eileen spinelli’s tea party today (+ our giveaway winner!)

~ jama ~ 63 Comments

“I received my first tea set — blue-and-white willowware — on my fourth Christmas . . . I remember feeling so excited on the occasion of my first tea party that my hand shook as I poured tap water into my doll’s tiny teacup.” ~ Eileen Spinelli (Introduction, Tea Party Today)

Put on your best bibs and bonnets, there’s a tea party today!

I must confess I only just discovered this charming poetry collection last week. I know, I know. Slap me with a big fat wet noodle. How did I miss it?

After all, I’ve enjoyed Ms. Spinelli’s work for quite some time. In fact, whenever I see her name on a book cover I automatically smile :). Could be because this highly popular, critically-acclaimed author and teacher has published dozens of cool books over the years (poetry, picture books, chapter books), including my personal fave, The Dancing Pancake. *licks lips*

How could I not love a person who has a teddy bear in her office, is fond of the “sights, sounds, and aromas” of diners, bakes peach pie for her husband, and sips tea while writing her wonderful stories and poems?

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