Three For Earth Day

Get Outside: The Kids Guide to Fun in the Great Outdoors
by Jane Drake and Ann Love
illustrated by Heather Collins
Kids Can Press, 2012
review copy provided by the publisher

This guide is organized first by season, and within each season by these categories of activities: Nature Lover, Outdoor Fun and Games, Snug Inside, and Look to the Sky.

Kind of sad that the sort of "mucking about inventing our own fun and games" stuff we did when I was a kid needs categories and step-by-step instructions, but we need whatever it takes to get this generation of kids outside!

This is a good book for kids, but also a good book for Environmental Club leaders (me), Girl Scout Leaders, Day Camp Leaders, Home Schoolers, and parents.

Energy Island: How One Community Harnessed the Wind and Changed Their World
by Allan Drummond
Frances Foster Books/Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011
review copy provided by the publisher

This picture book is good for many ages. The main text is embedded in engaging illustrations, but the sidebar information about energy is good for 5th grade and up.

The Danish island of Samso is very windy. This book chronicles the long process the residents of that island went through to make the transition to being almost completely energy-independent by harnessing the power of the wind.

Meadowlands: A Wetlands Survival Story
by Thomas F. Yezerski
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011
review copy provided by the publisher

This gorgeously-illustrated picture book reminds me of A River Ran Wild by Lynne Cherry. They both are environmental histories about places in nature that humans came really really close to completely destroying...but didn't...and the slow and hopeful recovery process. Both have border illustrations that extend or elaborate on the main illustration or information on the page.

West on I-70

4/18

Flickr Creative Commons photo by Chedder

WEST ON I-70

The horizon circles me

like a coyote

warily

watchfully

remotely

The road shoots me

like an arrow

impassively

relentlessly

directly

Pikes Peak greets me

with a nod

discreetly

solemnly

distantly

© Mary Lee Hahn, 2012

4/17 Song of Smart

4/17

SONG OF SMART
(inspired by Opening Minds, by Peter H. Johnston)


Smart is not a have / have not --
it grows.

Smart is not a can / can not --
it grows.

Increase and build and grow your smarts
Don't give up on the hard parts
Make a plan and plan on change
Risk mistakes -- they grow your brain, 'cause...

Smart is not a have / have not --
it grows.

Smart is not a can / can not --
it grows.

Smart takes work, don't get me wrong
And work builds brains, makes your mind strong
Work is fun, it makes you YOU
Become -- grow -- learn, it's what we do, 'cause...

Smart is not a have / have not --
it grows.

Smart is not a can / can not --
it grows.

© Mary Lee Hahn, 2012

4/16 Haiku

4/16

Flickr Creative Commons photo by Len Blumin

Fox, hawk, meadowlark,
Big sky, wide open landscape:
Welcome committee.

© Mary Lee Hahn, 2012

A Trip to the Ocean

I didn't get to go to the ocean for spring break, so I'm taking a virtual, book-based trip in this post!

At the Boardwalk
by Kelly Ramsdell Fineman
illustrated by Monica Armino
Tiger Tales, 2012
review copy provided by the publisher

Our Kidlitosphere pal Kelly Fineman takes us on a day-long rhyming visit to the boardwalk. We start with a jog in the morning fog, we eat plenty of yummy treats, play lots of games, and ride lots of rides. Oh, to be a kid again!

Three by the Sea
by Mini Grey
Alfred A. Knopf, 2011
review copy provided by the publisher

Three friends are living happily by the sea until a (sly shyster of a) Stranger shows up and sows seeds of discord. The friends ride out the storm in their friendship, and when the Stranger leaves, they plant some of the real seeds he leaves behind. In spite of the problems the Stranger caused, some of the change he brought turns out to be for the best.

Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems
by Kate Coombs
illustrated by Meilo So
Chronicle Books, 2012

I've never spent much time at the ocean, so without much experiential background, I wasn't sure I'd find a way into these poems. It was actually the gorgeous watercolor illustrations that drew me in, but the poems kept me there. Why bother with direct experience -- Kate Coombs teaches me about the ocean through her poems! And what a rich and varied collection this is! I'm not going to take it to school just yet. I'm going to keep Kate nearby as a mentor author. Not only will she be teaching me about the ocean, she'll teach me about writing poetry.

In the Sea
by David Elliott
illustrated by Holly Meade
Candlewick Press, 2012

I was thrilled to see that David Elliott and Holly Meade have another book in their IN/ON THE... series (On the Farm, In the Wild). This (my humble opinion) is the best of the three, both in poetry and illustration. David Elliott is another of my poetry mentors. He writes short, but ever so strong. I love this:

The Urchin
Spiny.

The Sardine
Tiny.

The Mackerel
Shiny.

The Shrimp
Briny.

FORGET-ME-NOTS: POEMS TO LEARN BY HEART by Mary Ann Hoberman

I know I did a post last week on the poetry books I've added to my collection this year. But since that post, I added another that I just had to share.  Mary Ann Hoberman's new book FORGET-ME-NOTS: POEMS TO LEARN BY HEART is fabulous! It is a big anthology with lots of poems. The poems are chosen because they are all perfect for learning by heart. I am not a big "learning by heart" person but the introduction to this book made me think about it a little bit differently.  Hoberman says, "When you learn a poem by heart, it becomes part of you."  She goes onto say that the poems in this book were chosen because they are "memorable".  She says, "Memorable has two meanings: 'easy to remember' and "worth remembering'.  She shares pages and pages of poems to memorizing, starting with shorter poems that readers can memorize quickly.  She moves on with various categories and then ends with longer poems that readers may want to memorize.  She adds tips for memorization on the last few pages of the book.

My memories of memorizing poems in school are not good. When I had to do this, I had to choose a poem, memorize it and say it out loud to the class.  I don't remember much else. But this book introduces the idea of memorizing poetry in a fresh and inviting way.  Not only is Hoberman excited about the idea herself but the illustrations by Michael Emberley make poetry performance look like such fun!  The book makes this idea of memorizing poetry something kids might choose to do!

This book definitely needs a place in classrooms and libraries. I think it will be the perfect invitation for kids who want to give memorizing poetry a try.  Not only does Hoberman give great tips but she has chosen a great many engaging poems. Such a great variety too! And for those readers who want nothing to do with memorizing poetry, this is still a great anthology to enjoy!

IT'S MONDAY! What Are You Reading?

Thanks Jen and Kellee for hosting this weekly event at Teach Mentor Texts!

So, I have not been reading many books lately. Lots of online reading in little snippets. I've been busy finishing up my ebook project for Choice Literacy so I try not to get too caught up in many books--otherwise I won't do the writing I need to do.  But I did fit in a bit this week.

I read and LOVED NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern. What an amazing adult novel.  It was recommended by Jen and I am so glad I read it. I was worried at first, that it would be like WATER FOR ELEPHANTS which is not a favorite of mine.  But it wasn't.  This is a story of a circus--of magic, of love, of loss and of life. It is an amazing story-the characters will stay with me and I love the way the book is crafted. I'm not usually about setting but the setting in this book matters and I think it will live with me like no other setting has.  Brilliant.

I also read lots online. A few pieces stand out for me.   One of my favorite reads this week was a post by Kylene Beers.  In the post, "How Cancer Helped Me Find my Superficial Self" she shares a recent keynote she gave at a breast cancer awareness luncheon. A powerful piece by an amazing woman.  One I've shared with everyone I've talked to since I read it.

Another was a post by Jen at TEACH MENTOR TEXTS called WONDER REMINDS US THAT KINDNESS MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND. If you missed it, it is a must-read. I so wanted to attend the R.J. Palacio event at Anderson's this weekend but just couldn't fit it in. So glad so many of my friends posted all about it.  Sounds like it was a great day.

I've also been reading lots on the Boston Marathon which even I find amusing. I follow lots of running blogs these days and just like the Newbery Awards for reading teachers, the Boston Marathon is the topic of conversation on many of these blogs this week.  The race is today but with the predicted heat, the organizers are sending out lots of warnings to runners. I feel badly for people who have worked so hard for this--the weather is definitely a little bit unexpected. I loved this article about the technology piece of the Boston Marathon and I love that you can follow runners with their bib number. So fascinating how much technology has changed everything. I also enjoyed reading a little bit about fashion tips for the marathon. I also like this post about the day before the Boston Marathon by a mom/runner I follow. This mom has 12 kids--ages 3 to 16 and she is running the Boston Marathon. Amazing, really  :-)

I also thought this article on the Common Core was interesting and worth reading (from EdWeek).

And of course I read my regular blogs and tweets.  Heard about lots of new books, authors, etc.

Pardon My French -- a poem about language

PARDON MY FRENCH

Do I parlez-vous Français?
Well, I really couldn't say.
I know that checkers are passé,
And what a fencer says: "Touché!"

Merci gives someone my thanks.
Money used to be called francs.
(Now they've euros at their banks).
Beyond these words, my mind's a blank.

No, wait! A lot is said "beaucoup,"
And ballerinas wear tutus.
When you're mad, shout, "Sacrebleu!"
That's enough of French -- "Mon Dieu!"

© Mary Lee Hahn, 2012


Poem #15, National Poetry Month, 2012

This poem goes out to Josie's husband, Jim. He gave me the title...or should we say, gave it BACK to me, since I'm the one who said it first?!?

The poem has nothing to do with the original context, but that's probably for the best...




Cathy, at Merely Day By Day, is joining me in a poem a day this month. Other daily poem writers include Amy at The Poem Farm, Linda at TeacherDance, Donna at Mainely Write, Laura at Writing the World for Kids (daily haiku), Liz at Liz in Ink (daily haiku), Sara at Read Write Believe (daily haiku), Jone at Deo Writer (daily haiku)...and YOU?

Found Poem -- Steven King -- 11-22-63: A Novel

For a moment,

everything was clear,

and when that happens

you see that the world

is barely

there

at all.

Don't we all secretly know this?

It's a perfectly balanced mechanism

of shouts and echoes

pretending to be wheels and cogs,

a dreamclock

chiming beneath a mystery-glass we call life.

Behind it?

Below it and around it?

Chaos, storms.

Men with hammers,

men with knives,

men with guns.

Women who twist

what they cannot dominate

and belittle

what they cannot understand.

A universe of horror and loss

surrounding a single lighted stage

where mortals dance

in defiance

of

the

dark.

from 11-22-63: A Novel

by Steven King

Scribner, 2011

p. 615-616

Poem #14, National Poetry Month 2012

I was listening to 11-22-63 in the car this morning, and when I heard this, I shut off my iPod and just let King's words soak in. 

Later, during Saturday errands, I took the print copy of the book off the shelf at B&N, found my spot, and (like a spy or something) took photos of the text on the two pages.

On Thursday night (at the cake pop event), Cathy was talking about how she was living with her eyes wide open for the next poem. Yeah, me, too. And apparently, we should have our ears open as well. Thank you, Mr. King, for today's poem.

Cathy, at Merely Day By Day, is joining me in a poem a day this month. Other daily poem writers include Amy at The Poem Farm, Linda at TeacherDance, Donna at Mainely Write, Laura at Writing the World for Kids (daily haiku), Liz at Liz in Ink (daily haiku), Sara at Read Write Believe (daily haiku), Jone at Deo Writer (daily haiku)...and YOU?

GREEN by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (**gush alert**)

Green
by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Roaring Brook Press, 2012
review copy provided by the publisher

If it's by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, I know I'm going to be surprised and amazed. This book takes surprise and amazement to a whole new level.

GREEN is an homage to the color green, to all of its shades and hues. Each spread is a painting that goes with the text, and each page has one or more cut-outs that include color from the next spread. The text seems to be a simple rhyming list, but as one who has worked really hard on the endings of my poems, I so admire the fact that her text is far from "simple" and her ending...perfect.

I read GREEN the first time for the language, barely noticing Seeger's signature cut-outs. I got to the end and said (aloud, to myself, in the still-sleeping house), "Wow."

Then I read it again and noticed the cut-outs. How the art in THIS page links magically to the art in the NEXT page. One page turn that makes me absolutely shake my head in wonder: The cut-out that describes the green of the jungle where the tiger is hiding says "Jungle" beside the text "green," but when you turn the page, the word "Jungle" disappears into the background of the salamander and the word "khaki" appears in the cut-out...wait a minute...that means the word khaki was hiding somewhere back in the tiger picture!!!

I read it a third time with my fingers. Finding every cut-out. Exploring what the exposed color means in this picture, turning the page and exploring what the color means in the next picture, and going back again.

This book is astonishingly, amazingly, delightfully BEAUTIFUL in every way.

I hesitate to even give you a link to the book trailer. It shows you the WHOLE book. I want you to hold the book in your hands and experience the surprises in the tactile way that only the real live book provides. But if you must...it's here.