children’s poetry

mary quattlebaum shivers ye timbers!

~ jama ~ 35 Comments

#3 in the Poetry Potluck Series, celebrating National Poetry Month 2012.

Mary and her husband Christopher David

 

Ahoy Mateys! Avast!

Isn’t it always the way? You throw a party and a plucky poetic pirate slithers ashore to stir things up. Award-winning D.C. area author Mary Quattlebaum and her husband Christopher David sure know how to make an entrance. Mary claims she dresses up like a buccaneer only for bookstore events and school visits, but we know better. Look at that pirate-y sneer. It’s in the blood for sure.☺

Ever wonder what pirates eat? Mary’s prized booty includes a poem about her favorite grog and — *wait for it*— Pirate Pie! I’d sail the high seas for ye, me crusty beauty. Arrrrrrr!

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going natural with april pulley sayre

~ jama ~ 40 Comments

#2 in the Poetry Potluck Series, celebrating National Poetry Month 2012.

April’s new picture book will be out in May.

Happy Poetry Month, and three big cheers for our first guest poet, Geisel Honor winner April Pulley Sayre!

Once again we’re calling upon an author named April to kick off our Potluck. You can see she’s pretty excited about Go, Go, Grapes!: A Fruit Chant  (Beach Lane Books, 2012), which is a companion book to her wildly popular Rah, Rah, Radishes!:A Vegetable Chant, released last year. Do I love a poet who gets kids excited about their fruits and veggies? You bet!

Many of you know that April and her husband Jeff are ardent, adventure-loving, world-traveling naturalists. April is so fond of vegetables, she’s been known “to clap with joy upon discovering a ripe tomato in her garden!”

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friday feast: kate coombs on water sings blue

~ jama ~ 28 Comments

 

Big heartfelt congratulations to Kate Coombs, everyone’s favorite Book Aunt, on the official release this week of Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems (Chronicle Books, 2012)!

This book is an absolute stunner — perhaps you’ve already read Marjorie’s fine review at Paper Tigers, or have seen the *starred* reviews from Kirkus or Publishers Weekly, which praises Kate’s “surprising personification and unexpected imagery.” This wholly captivating, gorgeously illustrated collection of lyrical, whimsical, and wistful poems will charm and delight readers of all ages, and is easily my favorite poetry book of 2012 thus far, and I dare say, one of the finest themed poetry collections for children ever. It’s a superb example of poetry as art, art as poetry.

We’ve got a real treat today, because Kate has graciously agreed to tell us about the genesis of Water Sings Blue, as well as share a little backstory for six sample poems. So,  get comfy under your beach umbrella, listen to the waves breaking on the shore, dig your toes in the sand, and let the wonder of these poems wash over you.

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friday feast: chatting with jorge argueta about guacamole: a cooking poem

~ jama ~ 54 Comments

Good News: Award-winning author and poet Jorge Argueta has just published the third book in his delightful bilingual Cooking Poem series!

Jorge first fed us warm and comforting Sopa de frijoles/Bean Soup, followed by a yummy batch of Arroz con leche/Rice Pudding (which I reviewed here), and now he celebrates the singular joy of making guacamole. Yum!

A young girl chef makes guacamole for her parents and two younger siblings — not just any guacamole, mind you, but an especially delicious one that will leave them begging for more. Just as with Jorge’s other cooking poems, everything about the process, from the careful selection of and reverence paid to the utensils and ingredients, to the anticipation of eating and sharing the final product, is seasoned with a generous measure of love, playfulness and magical realism.

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friday feast: the president’s stuck in the bathtub by susan katz and robert neubecker

~ jama ~ 38 Comments

 

Recently I’ve become quite the Presidential buff.

As much as I would love to impress you with an exhaustive list of critically acclaimed history books I’ve memorized while polishing the White House silver, I may as well confess my newfound obsession is all about discovering the “penchants and peccadilloes of the presidents.”

Feed me odd, quirky, funny, charming or cringe-worthy “factini” for breakfast and I’m a happy camper. (The term,”factini,” was cleverly coined by Mary Lee after posting her review at A Year of Reading.)

My appetite for fascinating factini knows no bounds. I grew up thinking our Presidents were boring white men in breeches who never smiled. Now, thanks to Susan Katz’s brand new poetry collection, I’ve discovered the naked truth: one of them (John Quincy Adams) didn’t wear breeches (or anything else) while swimming in the Potomac, several of them gave such long or confusing blabby speeches they probably didn’t have time to smile (Clinton, Harrison, Harding), and it couldn’t possibly have been the least bit boring to get stuck in a bathtub (Taft).

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