A Perfect Day With Amy Krouse Rosenthal

When Amy Krouse Rosenthal was scheduled to visit our school in February, we had an ice storm and school was cancelled. It was a total bummer.  We were all so excited about her visit and kids were anxious to meet her.  The night before the visit, we had our annual art show and all of the displays were inspired by Amy Krouse Rosenthal's work.  Our 4th graders worked on a project, Made to Make a Difference as part of the show.  And the whole school contributed to a Things We Make board.  You can imagine how sad we all were when school was cancelled on that day.

Mrs. Knapp shows off her yellow bandana.

Amy was so gracious and was able to reschedule for last week.  I am sure it wasn't easy for her to do, as she is so busy.  But she visited Riverside on Thursday and it was a PERFECT day!  I have loved Amy and her work for a while but had never had a chance to see her with children.  WOW!  She had them glued to her words in every session.  Our kids were decked out in yellow bandanas.  Because we all loved her video, "Beckoning the Lovely", we decided to wear yellow to coordinate with Amy's infamous yellow umbrella. Many kids came decked out in yellow clothing. And everyone had a yellow bandana to wear as they pleased. Talk about creativity--some made neckties, others wore them as aprons. Headbands and belts were also popular.  It was great fun to look at all the ways kids thought of to wear the bandanas.

I should have known that Amy would speak in the same way she writes -- offering up invitations for people around her.  Her talks were filled with invitations and possibilities. She began talking to each group about why she loved words and I loved watching the kids' faces as they worked through anagrams, palindromes and more.  She also talked about how she loves ideas and let kids in on the secret that ideas are everywhere.  They just need to be on the lookout.  She read from her books. One of my favorite things that day, was the cheering that went on in the crowd every time Amy put up a slide of a cover to one of her books. It was true concert behavior as the kids yelled, clapped and hollered for their favorite book.  Spoon, Duck Rabbit and Bedtime for Mommy all got huge cheers from the crowd.  Seems that all of her books are their favorites!

Amy shared a video that I hadn't seen with our older kids.  The Money Tree:


Then she talked to kids about the surprises and asked them the question, "What would you have done had you walked past the money tree?"  It was a great conversation and a great invitation for reflection.

She shared some of her upcoming book with us that I am VERY excited about. It is called THIS PLUS THAT and is due out VERY soon!  It is a great story of word equations with great messages about life. I think the kids will have fun trying to write some of their own after seeing Amy's.

To thank Amy for her visit, our amazing friend, Karen Spector, created a special necklace for Amy.  Karen is our favorite jewelry artist and she was moved by Amy's work when I shared the site.  She created an amazing necklace that celebrated Amy's work.  We are finding that everyone is touched by Amy's work once they discover it.

As I said, it was a perfect day and I am loving all of the conversations and things that are happening because of Amy's visit.  Kids are not only continuing to enjoy her books, but they are talking about the things she invited them to think about.  This is an author visit that will live with our kids for a very long time.  Thank you, Amy!

Poem #4 -- Words With Friends Poem

Lemonade (And Other Poems Squeezed From a Single Word)
by Bob Raczka
illustrated by Nancy Doniger
Roaring Brook Press, 2011
review copy purchased for my classroom

You know Bob Raczka. He wrote the poems for Guyku.

In his new book, Lemonade, he uses the letters of the title word of each poem to make the words for that poem. For example, the poem "Bleachers" reads: "Ball / reaches / here / bases / clear / cheers".

Each poem is presented two ways. The first way is like a puzzle, the second way shows the poem clearly.

I tapped deep into my Words With Friends Word Making Skills and came up with this poem:

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2011

Go ahead and try one. I know you want to. Leave yours in the comments. Triple letter score if you use a Z.

Basketball Belles by Sue Macy

I am still looking for great picture books that are biography or fictionalized biographies of some sort.  I think so much can be done with great picture book biographies and the new ones being published let our kids in on some stories from history that weren't available when I was a child.  Biographies from my childhood all focused on presidents, inventors, etc.  Very famous people from history.  But lately, there have been biographies published about people who made contributions to the world in many different ways. Some went on to become famous and others did not. The fact that we now have these to share with our students is exciting.  Knowing how people throughout history made a difference is so important.

Last week, while visiting the Dublin Library, I noticed BASKETBALL BELLES:  HOW TWO TEAMS AND ONE SCRAPPY PLAYER PUT WOMEN'S HOOPS ON THE MAP by Sue Macy. This book was on the shelf of new children's books and I picked it up.  It is a great story of the first ever girls college basketball game.  The story is told through the eyes of Agnes Morley, a guard on Stanford's team that day.

This book is a great read. There is not a lot of text and it focuses almost exclusively on the actual game in 1896.  Readers quickly understand how big of a deal it was for women to play basketball and to realize how far we've come since then.  There are no men at the game because many believed it was not proper for women to perspire in front of men.  Even the janitors who had to come in during the game to fix a hoop were extremely uncomfortable.  In spite of all of this, the game was a huge success and this story tells about this important moment in women's sports.

The author's note at the end of the book includes more information about Agnes Morley as well as other information on women's basketball. Following the note, there is an interesting "Timeline of Women's Basketball". I was amazed as I studied it at how recently women's basketball has really been played officially.

This is a great book. Whether you are looking for books about women in history, great nonfiction read alouds or just great stories to share with kids, this is definitely a must have.

PoetQRy QResponse

I saw this poem at Father Goose...

and it made me think about this:

I saw this poem at The Poem Farm

and it made me want these:

Information about PoetQRy QResponse can be found here.
Information about QR-Codes can be found here.

2 Great New Early Chapter Books

Finding chapter books that are appropriate and engaging for younger readers is often a challenge.  For primary teachers who are looking for a chapter book length book for read aloud or for primary grade readers who are reading far above grade level expectations, appropriate chapter books are often few and far between.  I have been keeping my eye out for chapter books whose content is both accessible and engaging for young readers.  I was happy to find two new ones this week.

 I was soooo happy to recieve a review copy of Nana Takes the Reins from Chronicle Books this week. If you loved NANA CRACKS THE CASE (my blog review here)  when it was released, you'll be thrilled to see that Nana is back! And she is on another adventure with her grandchildren.  This time, they are off to a rodeo.  But they get sidetracked along the way when Nana's car breaks down.  This new book features the same characters we came to know in the first book (Nana, her two grandchildren, their very nervous mother) and we also meet some new characters.  I love the humor in this book and the way the author talks to the reader throughout the book.  At one point in the book, when Nana is very winded from climbing a very high hill, the text reads, "In fact, for your reading ease, all puffing and panting has been removed from the following sentence."  This book is due out in April and I couldn't be happier about this.

I picked up THE TROUBLE WITH CHICKENS by Doreen Cronin at Cover to Cover. This is a fun story about a retired search-and-rescue dog and his friends, the chickens. Even though J.J. merely wants to relax during his retirement, the chicken family on his farm need his help. They are missing two of the baby chicks and they won't leave J. J. alone until he finds them. From the information on the book, this is the first in a series and it sets the stage for a fun set of books. Kids will love the humor and the spy-like voice of J.J.  There is also another character (the villain dog) who made me laugh too.  You can hear more about the book in the trailer below.

Poem #3 -- Metaphor Poem (plus a Simile Book Review)

Mosaic Metaphors 

Moments, memories, mementos

Organized optic chaos, gridlocked visual clutter

Soundless soundtrack of days

Artistic arrangement of scraps: quilt of time

Incidents. Incidental. Incremental.

Catalog with pages missing

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2011

It took me three tries to make this acrostic do what I wanted it to do. It started out as an acrostic about the images, even though I titled it "Metaphor Acrostic" in my writer's notebook. Not a single metaphor. It was a fairly adequate acrostic, but it didn't do what I wanted it to do. I wanted metaphors that described a mosaic. The second try got closer, but it still tried to do what I require my students' acrostics to do (at least initially) -- SAY SOMETHING. I tried to give it narrative flow, so that it could be read aloud without the listener realizing (or needing to know) it was an acrostic. I like the third try, the one above, best. It is a just a series of phrases, but I worked really hard on my word choice, and I like the way alliteration decided to join the fun. 

This is a metaphor poem, even though I never say outright, "A mosaic is...", which I think makes it a more interesting poem. I imply the "A mosaic is...", trusting that the title will alert my reader to infer the meaning in my lines as they relate to the vertical word, "MOSAIC." Hopefully my March mosaic helps the reader visualize to construct meaning, too.

Speaking of the mosaic, don't you love how it starts out all blue and blooming and ends all white and frozen? "In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Lion."

Now for the simile book review.

My Heart is Like a Zoo

by Michael Hall (his website is here)

Greenwillow Books, 2010

review copy provided by the publisher

A metaphor is a way of comparing that says this thing IS that other thing. ("A mosaic IS a catalog with pages missing.") Similes compare by saying this thing IS AS _____ AS that other thing, or this thing IS LIKE that other thing.

My Heart is Like a Zoo is a simile poem that compares the speaker's heart to different animals in the zoo.

"My heart is like a zoo--

eager as a beaver,

steady as a yak,

hopeful as a hungry heron

fishing for a snack..."

Not only is this a delightful simile poem that compares the heart to twenty animals, all of the illustrations are composed of hearts!

Also reviewed by Katie at Creative Literacy
Betsy Bird reviews Michael Hall's new book, The Perfect Square, at A Fuse #8 Production

Poem #2 -- Out Like a Lion

OUT LIKE A LION

I thought it was
going to be
spring outside.
Things were beginning
to grow.
When I looked out the window
expecting the sun,
all I could see was
SNOW!

It snowed left to right
and covered the ground.
My lone daffodil hung its head.
I want shorts! Not more coat...
I want sun! Not more scarf...

I want to
say goodbye
to
SNOW!

© Mary Lee Hahn, 2011

Poetry Friday -- NaPoMo and JPL

Huzzah!

Hooray!

He's on his way!

A poet is coming to school!

We've been reading 

And rhyming,

Our voices are chiming:

A poet is coming to school!

...Wait a second...

Look at the walls!

Check the displays!

I think it's fair to say:

500 poets come to our school

Every single day!

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2011

Today is our school's author visit. Local poet, and the 16th winner of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, J. Patrick Lewis will be our guest. Our students have written amazing poetry in preparation for his visit. The halls of our school are alive with rhythm, rhyme, acrostics, haiku, free verse, and more.

What a great way to begin NaPoMo -- by spending the day with a poet! I am going to attempt to I am GOING TO write a poem a day again this year.

Yesterday, I also launched a NaPoMo game I'm calling PoetQRy QResponse. Details are here, and you can find some helpful information about QR codes here.

Today's Poetry Friday roundup is at The Poem Farm, hosted by the AMAZING Amy LV, who started out writing a poem a day last NaPoMo, and wound up writing a poem a day ALL YEAR LONG!

Happy National Poetry Month, everyone!

A Little QR Code Help So You Can Join in the POETRY FUN!

For those of you who asked for more info on QR codes, here are two links from our blog that might help so that you can participate in PoetQRy QResponse:

Do You Know What This Is?

QR CODE Book Previews in the Library

National Poetry Month Plans

Again this year, I'll be writing a poem a day during the month of April.

I'm also inviting you to play a game I'm calling...

PoetQRy QResponse

Favorite Series: Tugg and Teeny

Tugg and Teeny: Book One (I Am a Reader)
by J. Patrick Lewis
illustrated by Christopher Denise
Sleeping Bear Press, 2011
review copy provided by the publisher

Yes, it's probably cheating to love a series when there's only one book out so far. But I'm willing to stick my neck out for Tugg and Teeny.

There are three short stories in this book, and they are all art-themed. In the first story, Teeny wants to become a musician. Tugg didn't buy her expensive lessons, he made sure she discovered a stick with holes in it, encouraged her to blow in it to see what happened, and then waited patiently as "her squeaks turned into peeps, and the peeps turned into tweets and toodles." Tugg is just as patient when Teeny wants to become an artist (Violet the Warthog helps out with this venture), and when Teeny wants to be a poet.

Why I love this series:
1. Tugg and Teeny are a great pair of characters. Elephant and Piggie great. Frog and Toad great. Henry and Mudge great.
2. They call each other "Monkeyface" and "Tuggboat."
3. The illustrations.


This post is the first in a SERIES of Wednesday posts about new/recent books in some of my favorite series.

Why I love series books:
1. I fall in love with characters when I read, and with a series, I get to revisit them in book after book.
2. I appreciate the way an author can keep enough things the same and at the same time, change just enough in each successive book in a series to keep me reading.
3. Other people collect baseball cards or beanie babies. I read all the books in a series as a readerly way of collecting.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING? A Book About Reading

We haven't added a book to our BOOKS ABOUT BOOKS AND READING booklist in a while. I just found a new one at Cover to Cover called WHAT ARE YOU DOING by Elisa Amado.   This book is a simple story with gorgeous illustrations by Manuel Monroy. (From the jacket flap, I learned that he is one of Mexico's most celebrated illustrators and from this book, I can see why!)

It is Chepito's first day of school, but before the day begins, he walks around town and finds lots of people reading. To each one he asks, "What are you doing?".  He then follows up with the questions, "Why?". Each reader is reading something different--from a newspaper, to the comics, to a manual, to a fashion magazine. And each reader has a different reason for reading.  The story ends with Chepito going to school and discovering the joy of books.  This simple story will start lots of great conversations around books and the reasons we read.  The repeated phrases and predictable storyline make it perfect for young readers.  An added bonus for our family was to discover that the author, Elisa Amado is a Guatemalan-born author and translator.

3:15 APP LISTEN-READ-WATCH

If you have not made time to read Patrick Carman's multimedia books, I would highly suggest doing so. Patrick Carman is committed to creating multimedia books that hook readers and keep them reading. He has really done some amazing work and he has created some great stories that use so many types of media. The first book I read was SKELETON CREEK. I reviewed it on the blog right away and was excited to see how seamlessly Carman had integrated the various forms of media.  This series has been hugely popular in the library since its publication.  The newer series that Carman created is the TRACKERS series. This one was more of a spy novel and I reviewed the first book in the series on the blog last year.

Patrick Carman's new project is very exciting.  He has created a series of short stories called 3:15. These stories require that you LISTEN, READ AND WATCH.  This 3:15 series is published as an APP.    The first episode, "Buried Treasure" has been released.  There is a new episode due to be released every 2 weeks through summer.  Then Season 2 Begins with more episodes.  If you enjoyed Jon Scieszka's EXQUISITE CORPSE ADVENTURE creation, where you wait for a new online episode to be released, this follows  a similar idea.  One big difference in this and The Exquisite Corpse is that each episode in 3:15 is a stand alone story. The first episode is free and the second episode of 3:15 is due out tomorrow--March 29. It is called, "Reflecting Pool".  It sounds like all of the stories will be published in a book this coming fall from Scholastic.  Lots of ways for kids to discover these stories. I love that about Carman-he seems to be committed to giving kids many ways into reading.

A 20+ page text tells most of the story and
leads the reader to the video ending.

I spent some time with the first episode, "Buried Treasure" and really enjoyed it. I also handed it to my 11 year old daughter when I was finished it and she thoroughly enjoyed it and wondered when the next episode was due out.  Here is how it works.  When you get to the app on the ipod/iphone, you have 3 things to do. First, you LISTEN to the set up of the story told by a narrator.  Then you READ for about 10 minutes. The text is about 22 ipod size pages and this part tells the bulk of the story. When you are finished with the text, you go to WATCH and view the video that tells the ending to the story.  I love this.

When I first read SKELETON CREEK, the only part that bothered me was moving from book to computer.  I hated putting my book down to get to the computer. But Patrick Carman has perfected all of this and has figured out how to put all parts of the book into an app so you can experience each on the ipod or ipad.

These stories are a bit scary. Ghost stories.  I have had difficulty lately finding enough "Scary Stories" for kids in the library who love them. These will definitely appeal to kids who love the SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK series and authors like Mary Downing Hahn.

I think there are so many more possibilities for reading today and I am so glad that Patrick Carman has committed to this work with Multimedia. He has a great video on his website that better explains all of this called, How a Multimedia Book Works. He also has a great clip on his thinking about Books and Tech.

Patrick Carman really seems to have discovered new possibilities for storytelling.  Whether you are already a fan of his work or not (I am, can you tell?), check out his new series of apps, 3:15. I am already looking forward to Episode 2 which is available on March 29.

CAN WE SAVE THE TIGER? by Martin Jenkins

I have been using Goodreads since January pretty regularly. I use it to log my own reading and to pay attention to what friends are reading.  I am finding that this is a huge resource for finding great new books.  When I get an update, I check for books my friends have added and I keep my eyes open for those books that people give a 4 or 5 rating too. I add all of those to my list.  Last week, this was exactly how I discovered the book CAN WE SAVE THE TIGER? by Martin Jenkins.  Donalyn Miller had read it and given it a high rating.  Since I am always looking for good nonfiction for children, I knew this was one I had to read.  I should have noticed that it was written by the author of another of my favorite nonfiction books, THE EMPEROR'S EGG but I didn't right away.

WOW! This book is amazing.  There are so many reasons I like it. First of all, it is a great nonfiction narrative--one that is meant to be read cover to cover. One of the things that has me concerned lately, about kids' nonfiction reading, is the fact that so much skimming and scanning, without ever reading whole texts, is happening. So, finding books that are meant to be read from cover to cover has been a goal for me. Also, I am always looking for great nonfiction read alouds. This one BEGS to be read aloud. As a matter of fact, I made my family listen to much of it once I realized how amazing it was.  And, yes, they loved it too.  And, this is a great mentor text for kids who are writing nonfiction.  The writing is powerful and every line is crafted well. A great model for nonfiction writers.

But most importantly, this book taught me so much about endangered animals. The author pulled me in from the first page and told me stories about animals. He helped me understand the complexity of the many reasons animals become extinct.  And he shared ways people have helped and are now trying to help the animals who are in danger. No matter how much you know about a topic like this, there is so much complexity to the issues and Jenkins does a great job at sharing many of those.

This book is accessible to kids and I am confident they will love it.  It is packed with information embedded in stories that help you care deeply about each animal discussed.  The illustrations are mostly sketches that add powerful images to the text. The illustrations show the beauty of the animals as well as the dangers they face.  At the end of the book are web resources to go to for more information.

This is my favorite book of the moment-one of the best nonfiction books I've read in a while.  I want everyone I know to buy it and to read it.  It really seems like the perfect nonfiction book to me. I am so happy to have discovered it! Thanks, Donalyn:-)

Poetry Friday Roundup is Here!

Wild Atrocity

by Mary Lee Hahn

Glory be to God for silly things --

For running-dives all in a pile of musky autumn leaves;

For rollercoaster rides in the first car alone;

Wet late-March snowball fights; frisbee flings;

Junk food caloric and sweet -- pizza, french fries, sundaes;

And all jokers, their plots and puns and funny bones.

All things humorous, playful, joking, tickly;

Whatever is unplanned, spontaneous (who knows why?)

With smile, grin; laugh, shout; giggle, groan;

They maintain sanity whose beauty is past lunacy:

PRAISE THEM!

Last week I shared PIED BEAUTY by Gerard Manley Hopkins. Above is my take on his classic (last shared May 2008). I'm thinking I might try a new version for Poetry Month...

...Speaking of Poetry Month, I'm cooking up an idea that involves, of course, poetry (writing or finding), along with a little bit of "tag, you're it," and a little bit of treasure hunt...using QR codes. If you're interested in playing along, let me know in the comments or via our blog email (see sidebar).

Now let's get on with the roundup for this week! Leave your link in the comments, and I'll round them up throughout the day. Happy Friday!

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Heidi is "making lemonade" today at My Juicy Little Universe with Taylor Mali and "What Teachers Make."

Charles has a gift for a troubled world at Father Goose -- "Be Still in the World."

Ben continues his Women's History Month countdown at The Small Nouns with a spotlight on Elizabeth Bishop.

Speaking of Women's History Month, Tara, at A Teaching Life, has a poem in remembrance of the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.

April, at Teaching Authors, shares a thank you poem for an amazing doll and an amazing author visit.

Amy has poem #359, "Eating Reading," at The Poem Farm, the final poem in her series of poems about books and reading and words, and the 360th poem in her poem-a-day-FOR-A-YEAR project that started last year on April 1!

At The Opposite of Indifference, Tabatha has a poem in honor of her grandmother. It will make you smile!

Marjorie's sharing a call for original haiku to benefit the Artists Help Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Fund. Check it out at Paper Tigers. Then submit your haiku.

Travis has a spine poem mystery thriller at 100 Scope Notes, and he invites you to submit yours for his Poetry Month Gallery.

Blythe combines buttons, words, rain, indexing, and poetry in her post, "At the Storm Door," at Blythe Woolston.

Ruth, at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town, shares a sutra (check her post for the definition) that will encourage you to live abundantly.

Toby has an original poem and a photo to match at the Writer's Armchair, "After Late Snow." Come on, Spring! Get here already!!

Diane's Poetry Friday offerings are "Little Ships" at Random Noodling, "Wild Geese Among the Reeds" at Kurious Kitty, a quote by Jakushitsu (author of "Wild Geese Among the Reeds") at Kurious K's Kwotes, and Emily Dickinson at The Write Sisters.

Laura, aka Author Amok, shares a rich, green, warm, grassy (make-believe) poem by Maryland poet-in-the-schools Vonnie Winslow Crist.

David shares a very silly, very punny original poem, inspired by Joyce Kilmer's "Trees" at Fomagrams.

Pentimento sends out a haiku by Issa to our suffering world.

At Carol's Corner, Carol's poem choice this week,"What to Remember When Waking" will get you thinking about accidents and possibilities.

Laura, at Writing the World for Kids, shares a poem from a new book of elephant poems by Tracy Vaughn Zimmer. The week's 15 Words or Less Poems are here.

Sara's original poem grew out of Laura Purdie Salas' (see above) and Susan Taylor Brown's weekly online poetry book club. Sara's commercial for the book club and her poem are at Read, Write, Believe.

Jama's got a veritable smorgasbord for us today at jama rattigan's alphabet soup: a spine poem, a kitchen utensil poem, drool-worthy photos, and news about her second annual Alphabet Soup Poetry Potluck for National Poetry Month.

Debbie Diller shares a lullaby by Christina Rossetti this week.

Linda's got a review of the first book in J. Patrick Lewis' new series, Tugg and Teeny, at Write Time.

The folks at the Stenhouse Blog (Bill, was that you?) have picked the perfect poem for spring, featuring optimists, old women, and dogs.

Katie, at Secrets and Sharing Soda, has a review of The Tree That Time Built and the cd that accompanies the book.

Anastasia, at Picture Book of the Day, reviews Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku. (...methinks a must-have for my classroom library...)

For a moment of meditation, go visit a wrung sponge: beautiful images of cherry blossoms and some of Andi's favorite Basho cherry blossom haiku await you there.

Carol, at Rasco From RIF, reminds us that it's cherry blossom time in Washington, D.C., too! She's got a haiku and some gorgeous pictures to remind us of the hope spring brings and to encourage us to continue to support the rebuilding of Japan.

Kelly takes us to Germany for the first violets of spring in German, English (her own translation!!), and song at Writing and Ruminating. Don't miss the chance to bid on her auction for the Kidlit4Japan fundraiser.

At Wild Rose Reader, Elaine riffs on crocuses with 5 poems in 5 different forms!  At Blue Rose Girls, she has 4 poems in 4 different forms about silkworm cocoons and pupae, along with links and a video about silk-making. Fascinating!

Jeannine, at Views from a Windowseat, shares her thoughts about a new novel in verse (Orchards, by Holly Thompson) that is set mostly in Japan.

At The Blog With the Shockingly Clever Title (I love typing that!), Karen shares "Prayer for Our Daughters" by Mark Jarman.

At Picture Books & Pirouettes, Kerry has a "Read it. Move it. Share it." post based on Dr. Seuss' My Many Colored Days. She combines the poetry in Seuss' book with creative movement for wee ones.

In the book Janet shares, Where is Spring?, a kite is searching for signs of spring. Find out more at All About Books.

Jenny, at Bibio File, has an original haiku about the cherry blossoms in D.C. during her second favorite time of year there.

Loree Griffin Burns has two Taylor Mali video entries for Poetry Friday this week at A Life in Books.

Sylvia, at Poetry For Children, has exciting new information about her (and Janet Wong's) e-book poetry project PoetryTagTime.

Martha Calderaro shares a silly grammar poem today -- "The Grammar Lesson" by Steve Kowit.

Carlie, at Twinkling Along, has an original (and hopeful) spring tanka.

Jone, at Check It Out, gives us a sneak peek at some student poems like the ones she'll be sending out on poetry postcards.

Joyce, at Musings, has an original haiku today.

Sarah, at Books, Dogs and Frogs, has some Edward Lear silliness for us today.

Sherry, at Semicolon, suggests the poetry and sermons of John Donne for our "lenten edification."

Nicole Marie Schreiber, at The Quill and Crayon, shares a poem about the planets that goes nicely with her WIP. (How lucky for a writer to have a last name that means "writer"!!)

At the blog Learning to Let Go, you can read a poem about hawthorn in spring in Ireland.