Library Matters: April 2018

30/30 Poem A Day Challenge: Writing Poetry With Children

Last week I worked at Dickens and introduced two different groups of children to writing Haynuku poems. The first group were grade 3 & 4 and the second group was grade 1 & 2. I was impressed by all their work.

For Today's post I am sharing some of these poems.

First I showed them a few examples I had written. Then we wrote a few together. Finally they went off to write individually or in pairs.

A few of my examples:

coffee
black bitter
elixir of gods

showers
power the
earth with flowers

The primary class had been studying shadows and light so while their student teacher was teaching, I wrote a few on that topic

shadow
and light
two best friends

shadow
in front
light behind me

I wrote this one on the spot for one of the little ones who came in looking like a good wash was in order.

dirt
on face
proof of fun

He went on to write his own and put in soccer is fun.

When we started writing together, at first I picked the first word. Together we brainstormed ideas about the word and while at first I put them in order, after a few, the group came up with ideas for what to put in.

Some poems we wrote together:

blue
is rain
falling inside me

blue
ocean sky
and blueberry pie

huckleberry
tart sweet
beware of bears

september
is back
to school time

Some of the students began by copying the poems we wrote together and then went on to writing their own. Here are some they finished that I managed to take pictures of. Unfortunately I didn't take photos of the older students poems and haven't been back to the school since.

I was fascinated to watch one of the primary students who seemed unable to stop writing poems. When the rest of the class had finished and were busily engaged in outputs activities, she moved to a quiet spot to continue writing. At one point she stared, unseeing, out the window before returning to her notebook and scribbling down another poem.

These are some of her poems.

Harper

can't stop

writing haynuku poems

According to Robert Lee Brewer at Writer's digest"

"Hay(na)ku is a very simple poetic form, and it’s also one of the newest. It was apparently created in 2003 by poet Eileen Tabios.

Hay(na)ku is a 3-line poem with one word in the first line, two words in the second, and three in the third. There are no restrictions beyond this.

There are already some variations of this new poetic form. For instance, a reverse hay(na)ku has lines of three, two, and one word(s) for lines one, two, and three respectively. Also, multiple hay(na)ku can be chained together to form longer poems."

#IMWAYR April 30, 2018

#IMWAYR time again, when readers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to in the past week. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. Whatever you are looking forward to in your next great read, these are fabulous places to start your search.

Thank goodness the April Poem A Day Challenge is over (well I just have to get today's poem done.) I go to bed at night with chunks of possible poems running round in my head. I have to yell at them to stop! Some books had to be returned back to the library because I had no time to read them. How wonderful it will be to be back in my reading groove again.

Poem A Day Challenge 2018

Promise

PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

The Little Red Fort by Brenda Maier & Sonia Sanchez (Illustrator)

I enjoyed this retelling of the story of The Little Red Hen. Ruby wants to build a fort but her brothers scoff at her ability to build it. They don't want to be involved in any aspect of the building process. When it is done however, they want to play in it, but Ruby won't let them. How the story is resolved is delightful.

5 stars

Mr. George Baker by Amy Hest & Jon J. Muth (Illustrator)

This is a beautiful book that shows a loving relationship between an elderly man and a young boy. They meet in the morning with similar bags and wait for the school bus to pick them up. There is so much to love about this book: the message of never being to old to learn something new, the love across color and age.

POETRY

5 stars

The Tale of Custard the Dragon by Ogden Nash & Lynn Munsinger (Illustrator)

I've read this poem and book more times than I can count. It has been fun this week sharing it with groups of primary students at the school I am working at.

Custard looks like a regular dragon, but at heart he is a timid creature. The contradiction between his appearance - who he is, and how he is treated by his housemates is what makes this book such a delightful read.

5 stars

Noisy Poems for a Busy Day by Robert Heidbreder & Lori Joy Smith (Illustrator)

I read this to a group of wild kindergartners. They calmed down and actually focused on the words and images. If this isn't proof that Robert Heidbreder, former kindergarten teacher and accomplished poet knows his stuff, I don't know what is.

The collections of poems take us through a day in the life of a very busy little person.

They are an absolute delight to read out loud as you can see from this poem here:

Treetop Climb

Shimmy-jimmy,

clutchy-creep.

Climb up tree,

scary-steep!

Whoa, down there!

Lori Joy Smith's joy filled illustrations are the perfect accompaniment for this collection.

NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library by Carole Boston Weatherford & Eric Velásquez (Illustrator)

With lyrical prose and stunning illustrations Carol Boston Weatherford and Eric Valesquez tell the story of Arturo Schomburg and his work collecting resources highlighting black history and achievements that eventually ended up as the Schomburg Collection. I appreciated that at the same time as it takes us on Schomburg’s journey, we are introduced to numerous important black characters across time. What was new to me wasn’t the breadth of intellectual and influential people, but rather those characters he identified as being whitewashed.

5 stars

Vincent Can't Sleep: Van Gogh Paints the Night Sky by Barb Rosenstock & Mary GrandPré (Illustrations)

From endpaper to endpaper this book, in both words and illustrations, is glorious. Van Gogh's life was a troubled one, nevermind that he was one of the most creative and innovative artists of time. His mental health issues are dealt with sensitively. Ultimately it is a joyful celebration of his accomplishments.

The backmatter contains an informational page about Van Gogh. There are also copies of his paintings and quotes from the artist.

GRAPHIC

4 stars

I Am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina, John Jennings (Illustrator) & Stacey Robinson (Illustrator)

Alphonso is a gifted black teen with plans for a creative, successful future. He is in the process of purchasing his first suit when he is killed by a white police officer. Alfonso ends up on a ghost train with other black victims who have never had justice for their murders.

This book showcases what it means to be black in America today. It's a powerful indictment against a deeply flawed and racist police system. If you have been paying attention at all to the Black Lives Matter movement, what is revealed won't be a surprise. It's an important read.

NOVELS

3.5 stars

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, Jeff Woodman (Narrator)

I enjoyed this audiobook, but figuring out all the characters was a bit challenging at first. The ending was just delightful and I loved finding out how everyone ended up.

CURRENTLY

I'm a little farther along in Scythe by Neal Shusterman but managed to renew it so I put it aside to read American Panda which has to be back at the library in a few days.

UP NEXT

I'll start listening to The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore. If I finish that, I'll start We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I'm still trying to track down a copy of Ravensong by Celia Maracle so I can get it read for our next book club meeting.

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2018 14/25

#MustReadNFIn2018 4/12

25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 7/25

Goodreads Reading Challenge 151/333

29/30 Poem A Day Challenge

April 29, 2018

Over the past week or so I have been watching the rhododendron bush outside our front room window. The buds, at first inconsequential, are now burgeoning and ready to burst forth. Today, with the first hints of this display, I wanted to honour its seasonal glory.

bloom soon rhododendron
buds
thrive
spike
skyward
buds
crack
open
pink
buds
soon rhododendron bloom

A Skinny is a short poem form that consists of eleven lines. The first and eleventh lines can be any length (although shorter lines are favored). The eleventh and last line must be repeated using the same words from the first and opening line (however, they can be rearranged.) The second, sixth, and tenth lines must be identical. All the lines in this form, except for the first and last lines, must be comprised of ONLY one word. The Skinny was created by Truth Thomas in the Tony Medina Poetry Workshop at Howard University in 2005.

It wasn't til after I finished this poem and was reading more about this format that I realized they are poems about social issues. I will try one of those soon.

Previous Posts

28/30 Poem A Day Challenge

April 28, 2018

Becoming a grandparent has been the most exhilarating and humbling experience of this phase of my life. Our two sons became fathers three days apart. Their little ones, now 10 1/2 months old, embolden me to reflect on who I am and encourage me to become a better person, to do what I can to make the world a safe, healthy and loving place for them to grow up in. Today's poem is for them.

promise

oh babies,
i want to promise
you everything
that we'll protect you
from everything
that no matter what
we'll be
here for you
but i know better

when your fathers
were young
i believed
i could protect them
from everything
i had no idea
that i couldn't
even protect them
from myself

Previous Posts

27/30 Poem A Day Challenge & Poetry Friday

April 27, 2018

These days I’m connecting up with Kidlitosphere Central for Poetry Friday. Today’s host is Irene Latham at Live Your Poem.

I have been reading poetry for as long as I can remember. Before I could read it, my mother used to recite Wordsworth to us. I started this poem earlier this month after finishing up a couple of powerful books of poetry back to back. I realize as I post this, that I should have included Dr Seuss in here as one of my first poetry mentors, but for today, here is my homage to at least some of my unwitting mentors.

under the influence

if only
i were a real poet
i would write you a love poem,
but the those poems
have already been written
decade by Amy Lowell
somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond
by e.e. cummings

if only
i were a real poet
i could sing
dragons into existence
like Ogden Nash
and make you laugh
and happy to be me
with Dennis Lee

if only
i were a real poet
I could write words that bite
with sharp wit
my resumé
like Dorothy Parker's,
would give you reasons for living

if only
i were a real poet
like Sylvia Plath
scrivening sentences
into strands of black diamonds
glimmering and glittering
as they slit into bare skin

if only
i were a real poet
punching out poems and
staccatoed sentences
like those of
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
and his cronies
who first made me
fall in love
with words

if only
i were a real poet
i could show you what it's like
to be inside and outside
at the same time
and how poetry is discovered
but Marilyn Nelson
has already been there

if only
i were a real poet
perhaps I could
wrangle words
like Bao Phi
who writes weather poems
about raindrops with more humanity
and promise
than many people I know

if only
i were a real poet
i might write
about being invisible
and under attack
at the same time
but Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
has already wordsmithed them

if only
i were a real poet
like El Jones and Shane Koyczan
I would pen passionate
spoken word sonnets
of truth and activism
and wake you up

if only
i were a real poet
i could whisper words
like the best of them
and you would see the world
how i see it

if only
i were a real poet

Previous Posts for 2018 Poem A Day Challenge

1. Easter Sunday Rumination on Eggs
2. Tulips
3. Untitled
4. Waiting
5. Truce
6. Thaumaturgy
7. Untitled dodoitsu
8. To Do List
9. Anniversary
10. Tribulation
11. Story Is Who We Are
12. Fears
13. Another Poem
14. Morning Headache
15. Love
16. Greg
17. Gift
18. Ceremony
19. Waiting
20. Storm
21. Ada
22. Haiku
23. Haiku
24. things
25. Funeral
26. Light