Call for Poetry Friday Round Up Hosts

In an effort to keep this great good thing we know and love as Poetry Friday running as smoothly as possible until such time as its founder, Kelly Herold, is able to take the reins again, and under the advisement of Greg (GottaBook), Tricia (Miss Rumphius), Susan (Chicken Spaghetti), and Diane (Random Noodling), I am putting out a call for Poetry Friday Round Up Hosts for the next three months.

I will post the schedule on our blog, on the calendar of the Kidlitosphere Yahoo group, and on the Kidlitosphere website. In addition, I will make the code for the schedule available to whoever requests it so that you, too, can have the schedule in your blog's sidebar if you so desire!

Leave your requested Friday in the comments or email me directly at mlhahn at earthlink dot net.

EDITED: Dates are filling up fast -- see schedule in sidebar. Thanks to all who have (and will) volunteer!!!

Poetry Friday -- Veterans' Day Coincidence

Tricia's Poetry Stretch this week at The Miss Rumphius Effect was to write a rictameter, which is an unrhymed nine line poetry form with a syllable count of 2,4,6,8,10,8,6,4,2 and the first and last lines the same.

Here's my rictameter, and then I'll tell you the rest of the story behind it:

Two books,

both about war,

both read on Veterans Day.

Coincidence. First, MARE'S WAR by

Tanita Davis, then CROSSING STONES by

Helen Frost. War's no solution,

and it's not the only

problem in these

two books.

MARE'S WAR

by Tanita S. Davis

Alfred A. Knopf, 2009

review copy provided by the publisher

Mare's war was WWII. She joined the African American Women's Army Corps at the age of 17 (lying that she was 21) to escape the dead end of 1940's life in rural Alabama, where the best jobs she could hope for as a Black woman who hadn't finished high school were being the house girl for Mrs. Ida Payne and busing tables and cleaning the kitchen of Young's Diner.

In this book, Mare is taking a road trip from California to Alabama with her two teenage granddaughters. The narrative switches between chapters about "then" when Mare is telling her life story to her granddaughters, and "now" as we see the two girls' reluctance about the trip change to interest in their grandmother's experiences and finally appreciation and admiration for her strength and independence.

By listening in on Mare's stories, I learned things about WWII, the WAC, segregation, and Civil Rights that are never included in history books.

Besides the coincidence of finishing this book on Veterans Day, I was tickled to note that Mare's full name is Marey Lee Boylen (closest I've ever come to finding a book character with my name!) and one of the granddaughters is named Talitha, which is the name of one of my great grandmothers.

More reviews at ACPL Mock Newbery, The Miss Rumphius Effect, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, Jen Robinson's Book Page, A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy, Charlotte's Library...and there are probably more...if I missed yours, leave a link in the comments!

Here's Tanita's blog and here's more about the African American WACs.

CROSSING STONES

by Helen Frost

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009

review copy provided by the publisher

I couldn't believe it when the next book I picked up after finishing MARE'S WAR on the afternoon of Veterans' Day was a book about WWI.

Remember how Frost's amazing diamond poems in DIAMOND WILLOW added so much to the story? (Bill's post at Literate Lives convinced me to read the book, and Tricia's Poetry Makers post featuring Helen Frost elevated her to One Of My Favorites!) Frost describes the poetry forms that she uses in CROSSING STONES this way:

"I've created a formal structure to give the sense of stepping from stone to stone across a flowing creek. I think of this kind of writing as painting with words, a process involving hands, eyes, ears, thought, and emotion, all simultaneously working together.

The relatively free style of Muriel's poems represent the creek flowing over the stones as it pushes against its banks. Ollie's and Emma's poems represent the stones. I "painted" them to look round and smooth, each with a slightly different shape, like real stones. They are "cupped-hand sonnets," fourteen-line poems in which the first line rhymes with the last line, the second line rhymes with the second-to-last, and so on, so that the seventh and eighth lines rhyme with each other at the poem's center. In Ollie's poems the rhymes are the beginning words of each line, and in Emma's poems they are the end words.

To give the sense of stepping from one stone to the next, I have used the middle rhyme of one sonnet as the outside rhyme of the next. You will see that the seventh and eighth lines of each of Emma's poems rhyme with the first and last lines of Ollie's next poem, and the seventh and eighth lines of Ollie's poems rhyme with the first an last lines of Emma's next poem."

Despite the seeming complexity of the structure of this book, the form NEVER gets in the way of the story. Muriel's free-flowing poems match her free thinking about her own future (NOT as a farm wife, as everyone else seems to expect of her) and the suffrage movement. Emma's and Ollie's poems are solid and almost invisibly interconnected, bringing their two families and their own lives closer and closer.

Again in this book, I learned things that are never found in history books about WWI, the suffragettes, the Spanish Flu Epidemic, settlement houses in Chicago (Hull House) and Washington, D.C., and the ability of body and soul to heal from the ravages of war.

Put both these books on your "must read" list. They are too good to pass by.

Greg's doing the Poetry Friday round up this week at GottaBook.

Where Else in the Wild?

Where Else in the Wild? More Camouflaged Creatures Concealed...and Revealed

Ear-Tickling Poems by David M. Schwartz and Yael Schy

Eye-Tricking Photos by Dwight Kuhn

Tricycle Press, 2009

review copy provided by the publisher

This book has everything! There are fabulous poems, things to search for in the stunning photographs, flaps to lift that reveal the hidden animal in case you couldn't find it, and more information about the hidden animal to balance the information in the poem and photograph.

Apparently, I missed the first book, Where in the Wild? and David Schwartz writes on the I.N.K. blog about another book, What in the Wild?, that will accompany these two. Fun books that you will definitely want for your nonfiction collection...or your poetry collection...or both!

Making Plans for Newbery Announcement Day

100 Scope Notes has the scoop on where to watch the live webcast of the ALA Newbery/Caldecott Awards and how to stay in touch on Twitter. (Yes, I just gave you the links, but you need to go to his post to see the FABULOUS picture of him and his 1984 computer!)

Hopefully there won't be another Terrible Twitter Technology Fail like last year...not that anyone remembers...

And while you're waiting for the Newbery/Caldecott announcement, check out the list of 2009 *best of* lists that Susan, aka Chicken Spaghetti, is collecting.

Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story From Afghanistan

Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan

by Jeanette Winter

Simon and Schuster, 2009

review copy provided by the publisher

This book is based on a true story of a girl in Afghanistan who loses both parents to the Taliban and who is being raised by her grandmother. Seeing that her granddaughter has retreated into a mire of silent grief for her parents, the grandmother enrolls her in a secret school for girls. This book is a testament to the power of a teacher, a friend, and books to bring this little girl back to life and hope.

In the author's note, Winter writes: "Even now, after the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001, danger remains. Still, schools are bombed, set on fire, and closed down. Still, there are death threats to teachers. Still, girls are attacked or threatened if they go to school. And STILL, the girls, their families, and their teachers defy the tyranny by keeping the schools open. Their courage has never wavered.”

For more on the importance of educating the women of the world, see this New York Times Magazine article. Be sure you watch the audio slide show "A Powerful Truth" that can be found in the sidebar about halfway down the page, and view this montage of photographs submitted by readers "that illustrate the importance of educating girls and empowering women." (Thank you to @karenszymusiak for these links via Twitter.)

Thank You Ink Spells!

A Year of Reading has been awarded a Kreativ Blogger award by Susan at Ink Spells. Thank you so much, Susan!

We've been looking for an excuse to share a little linky luv with a couple of new blogs you should check out, so we'll pass this award on to:

Read...Write...Talk, a new blog that is taking a smart look at reading and writing workshop. Her classroom is 8th grade, but her thinking is universally sound. Head over and take a look -- great stuff going on there!

AND

Some Novel Ideas. Stacy is also a middle school teacher, but she's thinking about technology, school libraries, Scholastic Book Fairs, and more. Add her to your reader and watch for great things to develop on her blog!

Here are the rules for passing on this award, but we are going to fudge a few of the steps since things are pretty crazy in both of our lives this week.

1) Copy the pretty picture and post it on your blog. √
2) Thank the person that gave it to you and link to their blog. √
3) Write 7 things about yourself we don't know. (gotta pass this time, but here's an old meme that might tell you a few things about each of us that you don't know...)
4) Choose 7 other bloggers to pass the award to. (we'll stick with two...)
5) Link to those 7 other bloggers. (or two, as the case may be...)
6) Notify your 7 bloggers. (or two, as the case may be...)

Another Great Lego Book: COOL CARS AND TRUCKS by Sean Kenney

I was thrilled to find one more LEGO book at the bookstore this weekend. This one is a small book for younger readers. It is called COOL CARS AND TRUCKS written by Sean Kenney, a Lego Certified Professional. (There are less than 10 of these in the world!) After reading about Sean and watching a videoclip in which he talks about the book, I am hoping he does more of these great books for kids.

This book is fun on many levels. So many interesting cars and trucks to look at. And I can see many kids starting to create some of these with the book as their guide. There are instructions in the book that help kids see the steps used to create the cars. The text is simple and the photos are up against a white background so you can clearly see the pieces that go into creating each vehicle. Between the book and Sean Kenney's website, I am again reminded about what is possible with Legos. I loved the Lego Book Set that I purchased a few weeks ago and the Lego Star Wars Book is definitely a popular one in the library. But this one is different. The other books share lots of great information, history, etc. But this new book by Sean Kenney really invites kids in on the process--these are things that kids can sit down and make and then hopefully revise based on their own ideas. A great addition to the few Lego books available.

There are several building options available to our students in the library this year. We have spent a lot of time talking about the library as a place that has a variety of tools for your learning. Legos are definitely in use most of the day and I continue to be amazed watching kids play and create with these. The conversations they have, the ideas they share, and the thinking they do continue to remind me how important these building tools are.

Jerry Pinkney's THE LION AND THE MOUSE

The Lion & the Mouse

by Jerry Pinkney

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 2009

review copy provided by the publisher

You've really got to see this book, to hold it in your hands and look closely at the illustrations for yourself.

First you'll look at the lion on the title-free front of the dust jacket. You'll follow his eyes to the back of the dust jacket and smile at the mouse you find there. Next, you'll open the book and look at the endpapers. In the front, they'll speak to you of the African setting of the story. Flip to the back, and you'll be thinking of the importance of family. Just for fun, you'll take the dust jacket off and be delighted to find two different paintings on the front and back covers of the book. (How on earth are libraries going to make all of these before-you-open-the-book parts of the book accessible to patrons?!?)

This wordless retelling of Aesop's fable of the Lion and the Mouse begins with the mouse escaping by a whisker from an owl. In her distracted state, she runs up the back of a lion who uncharacteristically allows her to go free. When she hears the roar of the lion captured in a rope net, she doesn't think twice. She runs to his aid and chews the ropes until he's freed. Watch for the mouse (and her whole clan) on the back of the lion again at the end of the book. And make sure you save a giggle for the lion cub holding onto dad's tail as they walk.

In the artist's note, Pinkney writes about the big hearts of both of these characters, about the power of both the life-changing decisions of the lion to free the mouse and of the mouse to reciprocate and free the lion. He writes of the importance of the setting, the African Serengeti of Tanzania and Kenya, for which he has curiosity, reverence and concern, and of family (so obvious in the endpapers).

I'll be surprised if this book is passed over by the Caldecott committee...

Also reviewed by 100 Scope Notes and A Fuse #8 Production.

Poetry Friday -- Beyond Surrounding Clouds

SONNET

by James Weldon Johnson

My heart be brave, and do not falter so,

Nor utter more that deep, despairing wail.

Thy way is very dark and drear I know,

But do not let thy strength and courage fail;

For certain as the raven-winged night

Is followed by the bright and blushing morn

Thy coming morrow will be clear and bright;

'Tis darkest when the night is furthest worn.

Look up, and out, beyond surrounding clouds...

(the rest of the poem is at the Poetry Foundation)

This poem goes out to all who are struggling right now along ways that are dark and drear and that make their hearts utter deep despairing wails. "...do not let thy strength and courage fail..." and remember, "Thy coming morrow will be clear and bright..."

This, too, shall pass.

The round up this week is at Wild Rose Reader. Thank you, Elaine, for stepping in and gathering us together!

New Gingerbread Man Book

I just got a copy of GINGERBREAD MAN SUPERHERO! by Dotti Enderle. I think kids are going to love this one. As with most of the gingerbread stories, the Little Old Woman makes a gingerbread man as a treat for her husband. But before popping him in the oven.."remembering how grumpy The Little Old Man has been lately...she pressed a nice plump prune in the belly." And the story continues. The gingerbread man escapes, finds a dishtowel to wear as a cape and soars over town and finds someone who needs help. This is a fun superhero story and a fun new version of this favorite story. There is a refrain, as you would expect and the art is almost comic booky with talking bubbles and text boxes. A fun addition to our gingerbread collection!