Seeds, Bees, Butterflies, and More!: Poems for Two Voices by Carole Gerber, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin (Henry Holt & Co., 2013) Perfect for spring, these poems for two voices introduce the “blooming, bursting, and buzzing” world of plants and insects. Students will find inspiration to write their own conversation poems for two voices based on these whimsical offerings. With poems… Read more »
Dianne White
Hi, Koo! … Haiku
Haiku – a short, traditional Japanese poem, usually about the seasons or nature – is a form that often finds its way into elementary classrooms. Invite students to write Haiku poems – traditionally written in English using a pattern of five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second, and a third line of five syllables… Read more »
Poetry Tools
Poetry is the language of our hearts and souls. It’s both meaning and music. It’s rhyme and rhythm, surprise and sound. Poetry is language compressed. It’s precision, image, and part of our common cultural language. For all these reasons, kids need poetry as much as anyone. Search the keyword “Poetry” on the Common Core State Standards Initiative… Read more »
Firefly July and a Poem for Every Season
Most kids are familiar with the accessible verse of Shel Silverstein’s Where The Sidewalk Ends and Jack Prelutsky’s The New Kid on the Block (or his poem, a regular classroom favorite, “Homework! Oh Homework!”). But for many kids, that’s as far as their poetry knowledge goes. And in a time of tightened school budgets and… Read more »
Not Just Ordinary Friends
“Lulu and Mellie were seven years old. They were cousins and they were friends. Their houses were so close that it took less than five minutes to run between the two. They could visit each other easily without getting lost or squished on the road. That was a good thing, because Lulu and Mellie were… Read more »
To Share or Not to Share?
IT’S NOT YOURS, IT’S MINE! by Susanna Moores (Child’s Play, 2013) Blieka’s been given a ball. It’s big. Round. And red. It’s hers. Forever and always. Blieka doesn’t care if her friends keep asking to borrow it. She won’t share and, worried that someone might take the ball without asking, Blieka carries it with her… Read more »
The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker
Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell, illustrated by Christian Robinson (Chronicle Books, 2014) Josephine is not your usual picture book. Nor is her story the typical subject matter of a children’s biography. And yet, Josephine will dazzle readers. This extraordinary book chronicles Josephine Baker’s life from her birth in “honky-tonk town… Read more »
