I found the perfect book in my poetry archives to cover Earth Day and poetry month. From the unusual type font to the illustrations painted in watercolor on primed paper bags with collage, Douglas Florian (a poet and artist), created a strikingly gorgeous book of poetry. Pick an insect on the list, and I can … Continue reading insectlopedia – Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF
When Shannon Bramer began work as a lunchroom supervisor in a kindergarten classroom in Toronto, her job unexpectedly flowered into sharing her passion for writing poetry "during the tiny window of time they had before going outside." She introduced children to the work of many writers, including Gwendolyn Brooks, Emily Dickinson, Frederico García Lorca, Dennis … Continue reading Climbing Shadows – Perfect Picture Book Friday – #PPBF
What better book to feature for National Poetry Month and Perfect Picture Book Friday than this story about the first Black person to win a Pulitzer Prize for her poetry. An achievement made even more phenomenal given the year she won—1950. The thread that winds its way through this book is one of a flower … Continue reading A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks – #PPBF
The folks at Wordsong, an imprint of Highlights, remain at the forefront of picture book poetry. Take this fabulous bedtime book by Laura Purdie Salas, for example: What do toys, boring old kleenexes, clothing, overdue books, toothpaste, toilets, pencils, kitchen utensils, foods, and yard implements do while you're asleep? These poems provide answers: toys stage … Continue reading Middle of the Night – Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF
In honor of National Poetry Month and Perfect Picture Book Friday, I'm shining the spotlight on a brilliant Caldecott and Coretta Scott King Award Winner from 1997: "They took to the road in Waycross, Georgia Skipped over the tracks in East St. Louis Took the bus from Holly Springs Hitched a ride from Gee's Bend … Continue reading Harlem: A Poem by Walter Dean Myers
Marcy Erb, a poet/illustrator turned me on to a poem this morning: In Memoriam John Coltrane by Michael Stillman "Listen to the coal rolling, rolling through the cold, steady rain, wheel on wheel, listen to the turning of the wheels this night black as coal dust, steel on steel, listen to these cars carry coal, … Continue reading Rhythm and Margaret Wise Brown
Tick! Tick! Tick! Just sent my short story submission to the good people who direct the Squaw Valley Community of Writers. If you've got a story or a chapter (5,000 words or fewer) from a novel lying about the house, you've got until MIDNIGHT TODAY to apply for this summer's workshop. Hope to see you … Continue reading Hitting the “Send” Key — Squaw Valley Community of Writers
Jilanne Hoffmann 