hotTEAs of Children’s Poetry: David Elliott

April 25, 2016September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 16 Comments

David Elliott is the NY Times bestselling author of many books for children, including the picture books, AND HERE’S TO YOU!, FINN THROWS A FIT, THIS ORQ(HE CAVE BOY) and the poetry series ON THE FARM, IN THE WILD, IN THE SEA, and ON THE WING. He is also the author of the middle grade novels, THE TRANSMOGRIFICATION OF ROSCOE WIZZLE, the EVANGELINE MUDD books, and JEREMY CABBAGE. David lives in NH with his wife and their Dandie Dinmont mix, Queequeg.

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: My wife and I are dedicated francophiles: French toast, French fries, and of course, my beloved French Press. Oooo-la-la!

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESSES: This Orq. (he say “Ugh!”), illustrated by Lori Nichols (Boyds Mills Press, 2015); Nobody’s Perfect, illustrated by Sam Zuppardi (Candlewick, 2015); On the Wing, illustrated by Becca Stadtlander (Candlewick, 2014). Forthcoming: The Two Tims, illustrated by Gabriel Alborozo (Candlewick, May 2016); This Orq (he #1), illustrated by Lori Nichols (Boyds Mills Press, September 2016); In the Past, illustrated by Matthew Trueman (Candlewick, Spring 2017); and Bull (a YA novel-in-verse that is a retelling of the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur) published by HMH, April 2017.

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOKS: Well, I’ll always have a fondness for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs because my son, now 29, loved that book. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, of course. And who doesn’t shiver when she is offered a piece of Turkish Delight?

☕ Visit David Elliott’s Official Website.

☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Enjoy a poem from David’s forthcoming poetry book, In the Past.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Rest in Peace,
Old Meat-eater.
No list would
be complete
without you.
Tyrant! King!
You thought
(if you could think)
you’d live forever.
The great T. Rex
would never die!

But even kings
are vanquished
when stars fall
from the sky.

☕☕☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Enjoy this video featuring several poems from On the Wing:

☕☕☕☕ STILL THIRSTY: Here’s the trailer for This Orq. (he say “Ugh!”):

☕☕☕☕☕ ONE LAST SIP: Trailer for Nobody’s Perfect:

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Laura Shovan’s Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary + Poetry Friday Roundup

April 21, 2016September 7, 2017 ~ jama ~ 54 Comments

*Please help yourself to some matzo with cream cheese and strawberry jam.*

HAPPY POETRY FRIDAY

AND

HAPPY PASSOVER!

Today we’d like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Laura Shovan on the official release of her first middle grade verse novel on April 12! Hooray for Laura!!

The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary (Wendy Lamb Books, 2016) is a captivating story told entirely through a series of poems written by one fifth grade class over the course of a year. We meet 18 diverse, distinctive, quirky, totally believable kids navigating the changes that come with friendships old and new, first crushes, and other relatable challenges such as divorce and stepfamilies, death and illness of family members, being the new kid, homelessness, assimilation and identity.

Though each has his/her own hopes, dreams, and concerns, these students form a special bond over one big change that affects them all: their beloved school is facing closure at the end of the year. Inspired by their teacher’s political activism in the 60’s, they are determined to make their voices heard to help save Emerson.

Continue reading →

hotTEAs of Children’s Poetry: Tamera Will Wissinger

April 21, 2016September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 11 Comments

Tamera Wissinger is an author who writes stories and poetry for children. She grew up in Iowa and currently lives on a sleepy river bay in South Florida where she is consistently amazed by the unique wildlife. Sharing poetry and stories with children is one of the great joys of her life. (photo by Peter Wissinger)

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: Coffee with a splash of whole milk is my current favorite hot beverage. I drink it with breakfast and my morning reading.

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESSES: There Was an Old Lady Who Gobbled a Skink, illustrated by Ana Bermejo (Sky Pony Press, February 2016), Gone Fishing: A Novel in Verse, illustrated by Matthew Cordell (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013). Forthcoming: Gone Camping: A Novel in Verse, illustrated by Matthew Cordell (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, early 2017).

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOK: Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren. Although Pippi lives alone and struggles with manners, she recognizes the importance of cooking and sharing good food. Oh I would love to sit down to pancakes or a picnic with Pippi, Annika, and Tommy!

☕ Visit Tamera Will Wissinger’s Official Website. You can also find her on Twitter: @TameraWissinger, and at her FB Author Page.

☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Hear an excerpt from Gone Fishing in this trailer:

☕☕☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Foodie poem by Tamera!

Hot Dogging

I ate a foot-long dog today for lunch –
the perfect size.
I added mustard, onion, relish,
side of curly fries.

I gobbled down my hot dog feast
enjoying every bit,
but when I tried to stand and leave
that hot dog had a fit.

Twelve hot dog inches knotted up and
caused my gut to quake.
It whimpered, growled and then it roared
to one big bellyache.

I’m feeling bitter and betrayed –
that dog had been polite.
At lunch it never barked or begged,
so why’d it have to bite?

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hotTEAs of Children’s Poetry: Marilyn Singer

April 19, 2016September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 6 Comments

Marilyn Singer is the author of more than 100 books in many genres, but poetry is her favorite thing to write. Winner of the 2015 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry, she co-hosts the ALA Poetry Blast at the annual conference. She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY and Washington, CT with her husband and pets. (Photo by Steve Aronson)

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: Tea, tea, tea, especially Yunnan and various oolongs. I love the fact that I can take my time and drink a cup slowly, while chatting, watching TV, reading, writing, or just ruminating.

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESSES: My most recent book is Echo Echo: Reverso Poems About Greek Myths (Dial, 2016), illustrated by Josee Masse. Coming this fall are several books that mention or deal with food: Miss Muffet, Or What Came After (Clarion, September 2016), illustrated by David Litchfield; and What’s an Apple? and What’s a Banana? (Abrams, August 2016), illustrated by Greg Pizzoli.

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOK: I adored Sydney Taylor’s All-of-A-Kind Family books, in part because of the yummy descriptions of Jewish food in them: pickles, sweet potatoes, hot chick peas, chicken soup, rye bread, etc. Here’s a blog that delves into the food in the series: http://www.suannelaqueur.com/great-food-great-books-all-kind-family/

☕ Visit Marilyn Singer’s Official Website.

☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: A poem from The Superheroes Employment Agency (Clarion, 2012), illustrated by Noah Z. Jones!

WEATHERGIRL (AKA CYCLONE)

From up in space to down in Hades,

there are villains who are ladies.

They wear white gloves and fancy hats.

They like to knit. They’re fond of cats.

They’re always planning something sinister

against a monarch or prime minister

over cake and cups of tea.

But then they have to deal with me,

a welcome guest, one of their ilk,

spooning sugar, pouring milk,

until my powers spoil their plot.

I raise a storm in their teapot.

Before they even utter, “Darn,”

I wrap them tightly in their yarn.

Then, whoosh, I blow each one away,

still sopping wet from their Earl Grey.

☕☕☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Marilyn is the April Spotlight Author at Today’s Little Ditty. Read her wonderful interview with Michelle Barnes and then take this month’s challenge by writing your own poem(s).

☕☕☕☕ STILL THIRSTY: Marilyn is also Chicago Public Library’s Author of the Month. Enjoy this short video where she explains what a reverso is and reads a poem from Echo Echo. There’s also a written interview at the CPL site.

☕☕☕☕☕ JUST ONE LAST SIP FOR THE ROAD: Check out Marilyn’s post about writing reverso poetry at Brightly!

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[review + recipe + giveaway] Will’s Words by Jane Sutcliffe and John Shelley

April 15, 2016April 6, 2024 ~ jama ~ 53 Comments

Back in my salad days, I crushed on Will Shakespeare. In high school I swooned over Romeo, in college I hissed at Iago’s villainous schemes, and as a starry-eyed rookie teacher did my best to convince my students that when it came to reading and studying the Bard of Avon, their labours of love were never lost.

I wish there had been a book like Will’s Words (Charlesbridge, 2016) to share with them then. The naysayers who struggled with and questioned the practical value of Shakespeare’s seemingly antiquated language could have seen (much to their amazement), how Will’s words weren’t so archaic or esoteric after all. In fact, many phrases have since become household words, regularly popping up in modern everyday speech. I like to think Will Shakespeare has made poets of us all. 🙂

Author Jane Sutcliffe begins by confessing to the reader that she fully intended to write a book, in her own words, about the Globe Theatre and Shakespeare’s wordsmithing and storytelling genius in penning “the most brilliant and moving plays ever written.” But aye, there’s the rub: no matter how hard she tried, Shakespeare’s words kept bumping into hers — they were simply everywhere and impossible to ignore. So she did the next best thing: wrote a marvelous book cleverly incorporating Will’s colorful turns of phrase in her narrative. As an added treat — since when it comes to Will’s words it’s impossible to have too much of a good thing — she explains what his phrases mean and cites the plays in which they appear.