World of Words

Happy Dance!

2010-11-30T21:27:00.000-05:00

I did it! I really did it!

34 Picture Book ideas in 30 days!!

Some of them are more fleshed out than others, but I have 2 that are especially begging to be written NOW, NOW, NOW!!! I keep telling them to shush, I have a thesis to finish.

But there's good news. I finished that first FULL DRAFT of the thesis tonight too!!! Woo Hoo! Double happy dance.

Now, the real work begins with my thesis: revision, revision, revision.

What am I going to do with the picture book ideas?

1) I'm going to write those two that I can't get out of my head.
2) I'm going to sock the other 32 away and let them simmer. You see I plan to do the Picture Book Marathon in February 2011. I need to write 26 drafts during that month. So, my ideas are simmering now. My fingers should be flying in February.
3) I also have 5 more nonfiction picture book ideas that are going to require some research. These weren't even figured into my 34 fiction picture book ideas for this month. I am going to start researching these as well.

Many thanks to Tara Lazar for hosting and providing inspiration all month.

Packing an Emotional Punch

2010-11-22T19:41:00.001-05:00

I have been reading like a writer lately. In my current W.I.P., I am nearing the end. I know something horrible is coming. I know what it is. I have been dreading writing it. It will be very emotional for me. I know I need to write this part of the book, yet it's difficult.

One of the questions I've been thinking about is how much tragedy can a teen reader take? An agent wanted me to consider the fact that I have tragedy at the beginning and the end of my book. My first response is--tragedy happens in real life. I want to show a character who rises up from unspeakable tragedies. This agent wasn't telling me NOT to write this book, but merely wanted me to consider was I writing two stories or one? It was a valid point.

Unfortunately, multiple tragedies can happen in real life to real teens. It's horrible, but it happens. I don't want to skirt around tragedy or give my protagonist an unrealistic situation.

Over the weekend, I read a YA novel with incredible emotional punch. In Gayle Forman's If I Stay, Mia's family is in a car accident. She is close to death. She has to decide if she should hang on and try to live or if she should slip quietly from this earth. I don't want to give away all of the reasons she gives to stay or to die. Those heart-wrenching reasons are the very fabric of this story.

It made me think of why we read in the first place. We read because we want to feel something. We may want to laugh, cry, escape, or be touched. But in all cases, we want to be moved.

Forman's novel is gut-wrenching and emotional. It will make you cry. But I didn't feel teased or as though she'd played with my emotions. Mia goes through a life or death decision. She lives through something I pray I never do.

When I read this book like a writer, it gave me a better understanding of how deeply I can cut to an emotional core. I don't want to taunt my readers' emotions, but I want them to feel, even if it's a tragedy. But more than anything I want them to have hope.

Haiku in My Sleep

2010-11-11T20:52:00.000-05:00

I have been participating in PiBoIdMo. I have been faithfully coming up with a picture book idea every day. I keep thinking I'll be warmed up and ready to go when the Picture Book Marathon starts in February.

The good news is that I have had lots of ideas flowing. The bad news is, I didn't sleep last night. You know, when those crazy words run through your head and you can't get them out? That's the kind of night I had.

Here's how it happened:

I was composing haiku last night. I'm teaching haiku to my fourth graders right now. At night, I've been writing haiku and brainstorming ideas for my own haiku book. I was so tired, but I composed a haiku about earthworms when I was half-asleep. I tapped out the syllables with my eyelids. It was great. I was too lazy to roll over and write it down in the dark.

So I memorized it.

But you know how that goes.... You sometimes forget when the morning rolls around. Then sometimes, when the morning does roll around, what you wrote doesn't seem very good anyway.

That darn haiku kept me up all night. I woke up four times reciting it to myself. The cool thing? I remembered it this morning. I wrote it down as soon as I woke up.

Even better news? It seemed just as magical this morning as it did last night when I wrote it when my syllabic eyelids wouldn't leave me alone.

PiBoIdMo 2010

2010-10-31T14:57:00.000-04:00

Some of you may be participating in NaNoWriMo. Well, I can't even get a novel written in a year (but I'm trying).

But I was really excited when I heard about the PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month) hosted by Tara Lazar. The challenge? To come up with an idea for a picture book every day for a month. Then you have 30 ideas to get you through until the next time PiBoIdMo rolls around.

Last February I participated in the Picture Book Marathon, a challenge to be sure. I had to write 26 picture books in 28 days. It was tough. However, some of them are crap. But about half of them have been decent enough to revise and really work on. Worth a month's of work? You bet!

The hard part of that last year was that I had to come up with ideas. I started coming up with ideas about a week in advance, but when the middle of February came, I was tired of my ideas and really needed some more. And some of those ideas needed a little bit of research. I didn't have time to do too much of that.

So, as I see it, the PiBoIdMo challenge will give me time to generate the ideas. Then I have December and January to do any research needed. Then I can really write in February.

Did I say I have a novel to finish? Yeah, I want that done by December 31.

I've always liked a good challenge.

My Cup Runneth Over A.K.A. “How I Spent My Summer Vacation”

2010-08-19T14:36:00.000-04:00

When I attended an SCBWI event with Deborah Brodie, she talked about how writers needed to take a sabbatical from writing. She and Sarah Davies both emphasized the importance of living life to help feed your writing.
So I took their advice.

We went on vacation for 9 days. I unplugged for those 9 days. I took a cell phone, but used it rarely. I checked no e-mails, read no blogs, and only wrote because a character’s voice in my head wouldn’t leave me alone. When she’d kept me up for 2 nights, I finally gave in, wrote everything about her I knew so I could remember. I can’t write her story now, but I have some nuggets saved for after my current book is done.

We did a plethora of things. My husband likened it to a scavenger hunt. You know, the kind where you reach a destination, hop out, get what you needed, then hop back in the car and on to the next destination. I found it relaxing and it fed my writer’s mind. Here’s a few trip highlights and how they fed the writer within.

1. Thomas Edison’s Laboratory, West Orange, NJ: This man was amazing. He had a huge laboratory and was a pioneer in so many ways. This is a picture of a fraction of his library that reminded me a bit of the one in the UVA Rotunda. I was in awe of the amount of trials and failures it took for him to invent and improve so many technologies.

2. Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor: This was my second trip to see Lady Liberty, but I took away new things this time. The first time I saw her, I was on my honeymoon. This time I was introducing her to my daughter. Bartholdi, Liberty’s designer, wanted to have her ready in time for the 100th anniversary of our country, but he was 10 years late. It didn’t stop him. He kept pursuing the dream. And then there were the thousands of people who laid eyes on Lady Liberty before coming to Ellis Island. Each one of them has their own story.

3. Plymouth, Massachusetts: Since my daughter learned about the Pilgrims and the Mayflower in kindergarten this year, we thought we’d take her to the historic site. I learned so many things and dispelled many misconceptions I had. There are always many sides to every story. It made me want to make sure I consider all angles before telling my story.

4. Whale Watching and People Watching Cape Cod, MA: Whales are beautiful creatures. I got see a dozen or so in all of their glory. These pictures just don't do them justice. I was also on a boat for four hours which gave ample opportunity to watch people. People are sometimes as fascinating as animals.

5. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Amherst, MA: This place is a children’s book lover’s dream come true. I only wished I could have stayed longer. My kids were done in far too short of a time. Next time I will go alone. Plan to spend several hundred dollars in their bookstore—also a children’s book lover and scholar’s dream. Truly. If only I were an artist too...

6. Dr. Seuss Sculpture Garden Springfield, MA: To have your characters immortalized into sculptures? Well, that in and of itself is inspiring. They also had some fabulous museums around these garden. I sat on the mosaic bench and took it all in.

6. Norman Rockwell Museum Stockbridge, MA: (No Pictures except for one with all of my family in it. We were rushed because we got there 40 min. before it closed). Wow! An unplanned stop, but well worth it. The paintings are even more beautiful in person. And a bonus William Steig exhibit was there too. Jeanne Steig did some whimsical sculptures when she was having writer’s block because she had to keep her hands busy doing something. They were also on display. We also got to see Rockwell’s studio.

7. Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY: Another unplanned stop, but truly amazing. I love baseball (the only sport I watch). So many players with big dreams, who reached their goals. It was also inspiring to learn more about the players who faced much discrimination just to pursue their passion.

What did I do on my summer vacation? I left the "work" at home, and filled up my writer's cup.

Of Jellyfish and Happiness

2010-08-04T20:36:00.000-04:00

I went to a workshop all day today about teaching kids writing. As much as I love to write and as much as I love to teach kids how to write, I never get tired of adding another tool to my toolbox. Amanda Donnelly, of IRN, was there. We broke down the three domains (Composing, Written Expression, Usage and Mechanics) that Virginia’s students have to be able to master in their writing. We did a practice writing prompt, and I realized I haven’t mastered those domains either.

Something I learned in the Writing Project many years ago: we really don’t know how much we expect of kids in their writing until we try it ourselves. Writing teachers need to write themselves. We tried a writing prompt today. It was about the happiest memory. I make a list of possible happy memories to write about. I picked my favorite, then brainstormed some more about one particular trip. All things were going well….

THEN…I began to write my rough draft. Two pages into it, I realized something dreadful. I didn’t write to the prompt at all!!! I wrote about spearing jellyfish. Yes, a morbid, graphic, fictionalized tale. It was interesting. It had roots in reality, but it was fiction. It had some figurative language. It had some vivid verbs. It even had a central idea. It just wasn’t the central idea I was supposed to write about.

Author’s Share time came along. We were supposed to volunteer to share our writing. Now, we had been working on it for a whole 15 minutes. I am not a big fan of sharing writing immediately after it is written. It’s like eating bread dough before you’ve given it a chance to rise and bake. It just isn’t for eating. I was NOT getting up to share my OFF-TOPIC two page story beginning. First of all, it wasn’t a whole piece. It wasn’t on topic. And it certainly wasn’t happy. I shared among my small group, made up of people I know. They were so nice to me. They thought it was terrific. But it was off-topic.

As I thought about my dilemma, I realized how common this is for kids. How dreadful to realize you really like the story you are telling, but it isn’t the one you are SUPPOSE to be telling. A lesson learned for me.

I can’t change the state’s prompt. I can’t even change the fact that they will have to write to a prompt, but I CAN teach them what to do when this thing happens to them. I plan to tell them my experience, show them my writing, and brainstorm ideas with them on how to solve this problem.

By the way, I don’t plan to write anymore about the happy memory because frankly happiness and perfectness make very boring stories. I am planning to keep going with this story about the jellyfish maimer and find out what he plans to do next. He’s an interesting fellow.

Title Trouble

2010-07-19T12:47:00.000-04:00

I've been working feverishly on my thesis for my MFA all summer. I don't have a title for it yet. It hasn't been a problem so far. One of the online critique groups I belong to consists of other Hollins MFA students trying to finish their theses as well. I have just been calling my thesis by my main character's first name, Isla. Actually, I've called it "Isla Untitled". No big deal. It's a work in progress.

However, I'm filling out the paperwork to actually register my thesis. I have to give it a title!

I'm one of those people who typically develops titles last. I have to write my story in order to pull out a good line for the title. I once worked with a fellow teacher who told all of her students that when they started writing their rough draft they had to give their paper a title and write their name. I freaked out when I heard this! I told her, "Don't you know that real writers don't always do this?" For most kids (and writers like me), this would just force me to put a label instead of a title. You know like "My Summer Vacation" is really a label, not a title.

To me, a title is one of those essential tools of pulling the reader in. Just like a cover, it can determine whether someone even picks up your book and opens up to the first page.

There are some really interesting titles out there in the world. They make me want to pick up the book because I think the title is brilliant. Here are just a few I've noticed recently:

The Word Snoop
So Few of Me
After Ever After
The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman
Draw the Dark

I haven't read any of these books, yet I'm drawn to their titles. I particularly love a title that you don't really "get it" until you've gotten pretty far into the book.

So what am I going to do about this paperwork conundrum? Well, I am going to keep writing and see what kind of title I can come up with. I'm hoping it can be a "working title" that can always be changed.

The Kindness of Strangers--Fairies or Angels?

2010-06-30T15:42:00.000-04:00

I have been wanting to go to Fairy Stone State Park for a couple of years. I knew my daughter would love hunting for Fairy Stones, so I just had to pick a day to do it. Today was the day. When I know that I'm going to be gone all day, sometimes I worry if I'll get behind on my writing. For most people, summer is a time when they can slow down a bit. For me, summer time is the time I get most of my writing done. Sometimes it's during these times that my writing really is enriched. Or my life is enriched, which affects my writing. On days that I don't venture out, sometimes I find myself sitting down to the computer and wasting time because I don't know what to write. On days like today, I come back with my head so full of stories that I can't wait to get them down.

The legend goes that the woods were enchanted with fairies. When an elfin told the fairies that Christ had died, they cried. Their tears crystallized and became the fairy stones. There is another Cherokee version of the story as well. I am going to look that one up.

The woods and hunting for fairy stones? There is a story in there somewhere. I thought about it all the way home. I took the road less traveled by (you know, the one with no lines on it) and I thought about my story, while enjoying the beautiful mountains. And it was totally quiet because the trip to the park wore both of my kids out and they were snoozing in the back.

I took both of my kids by myself for two reasons 1) the hubby had to work and 2) it's less crowded on a weekday. I packed a cooler full of water, fruit, muffins, and other snacks. I had the jogging stroller (which by the way, was made for camping). And we had a handful of picture books on CD. I listened, my daughter followed along with the text, and we had a fabulous time.

Usually my husband and I tag-team. We are able to handle two kids and all of their paraphernalia without too much trouble. On my own, I have to streamline it a bit, but I was feeling very comfortable with the whole trip. I was amazed by the kindness of total strangers. An elderly man who must live locally, came in to the visitor's center when we did (he didn't work there). He told us all about the fairy stones and explained some of the hands-on skulls and displays set up. He patiently and kindly answered all of my little naturalist's questions.

Then there was the retired principal who led us out to the fairy stone trail, who spent extra time with us helping us to identify which were fairy stones and which were not (and there were about 20 of us that went--we weren't the only ones).

On the way down to the trail, there was the lady who was fairy stone hunting with her grown siblings. She waited for me to get out of the car and asked if I needed help getting my stroller down the rough, steep terrain.

At lunch a young boy, about ten, saw me pushing a stroller and dragging a cooler. He offered to come over and help me.

Perhaps we had been sprinkled with fairy dust. Or maybe sometimes you entertain angels unaware. For whatever reason, I am indebted to the kindness of strangers who made my trip to Fairy Stone that much more enjoyable. As soon as possible, I will pay it forward.

Now, off to write my story.

A few links for your viewing pleasure...

2010-06-27T15:30:00.000-04:00

Several interesting links have come my way lately. I thought I'd share the most meaningful ones.

1) Check out an upcoming book entitled Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. You must, must, must watch the book trailer on her book's site. This book is about the Lithuanians that were killed during Stalin's reign. It's one of the riveting stories that has been mostly untold so far. The book trailer is very moving. I haven't read the book, but the story she shares is so compelling, I will be reading it when it comes out.

Thanks to Angie Smibert, fellow critique group member, for the link. Angie and Ruta are both Elevensies with books coming out in 2011.

2) I am a haiku nut, as you may have seen on this blog. I have been following the blog Cobalt Crow Productions. They have a new haiku journal appropriate for anyone but especially geared for students. I will be using this journal with my kids. It's called Berry Blue Haiku. Check out their first issue. It's free. Even if you aren't a teacher, if you like haiku, you will like this online magazine.

Reading Like a Writer

2010-06-24T11:02:00.001-04:00

One of the joys of summer is that I can finally start reading in that stack of "to-be-read" books that keeps getting taller and taller. My thesis-in-progress is about a young girl who is dealing with grief and lots of change in her life.

Two of the books I read this week are about characters that also are dealing with grief and lots of personal change in their lives. I didn't realize this when I picked these books out of the pile.

Bird Lake Moon by Kevin Henkes
Mitch's parents are getting a divorce and he is mad at the world. He and his Mom go to live with his grandparents on Bird Lake. He spends most of his time being angry and wanting his life to be normal again. Then Spencer and his family arrive at Bird Lake. Spencer's family is returning to Bird Lake after many years because this is where Spencer's older brother drowned. It has taken a long time for his parents to feel like they can try to return. Both of these boys are dealing with their own issues, but they become friends.

As I writer, I loved to see how Henkes developed the psyche of these two boys and showed so many details. His use of setting and emotions really helped me to see how a writer can portray grief and emotions through the physical place and objects around them.

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
This book is by a Virginia author. I had heard so many good things about it. I knew it was about a girl with Asperger's syndrome, but I didn't realize that it also was about this girl dealing with the loss of her brother who was killed in a school shooting. Like Erskine, I was touched by the Virginia Tech shootings. It was 30 minutes from where I live and I was terrified that something so horrible could happen so close to home. Erskine shows how Caitlin, the main character, deals with the loss of her brother and helps her dad also deal with his grief. Erskine portrays the grief honestly and uniquely as seen through the eyes of a child with Asperger's. There are no quick answers, but Caitlin and her dad began to heal.

As a writer, I was deeply touched by the emotions of this book. I loved how Erskine developed the relationship between Caitlin and her brother. We get to know Devon, the brother, after his death, through Caitlin's memories. Erskin weaves this in piece by piece in little details each time. Once again, like Henkes novel, we see how physical objects also hold great emotional weight.

Both of these novels I intended to read for pure pleasure. I had no idea they would help me see how different writers can approach the same subject. And they gave me momentum for pushing on with my own novel with a character in grief.

Running Race #2

2010-06-23T11:02:00.000-04:00

Last month (has it really been a month?) I reported that I was trying to finish up school. I was coming to the end of the race, only to start a new one.

I've been out of school since last Thursday. I've been running a writing race since then.

I love summer. I can make my own schedule. Work out in the mornings, write when my son takes a nap, go to the pool in the in between times, and stay up past my bedtime. The only problem with an unscheduled day is that sometimes things on the to-do list never get done. Before school got out, I made myself get organized in my writing life. I found these cool little to-do list templates on Microscoft's website. I personalized it for my writing. My categories are:
* Writing
* Research
* Correspondence/Send out
* Revisions
* Miscellaneous Tasks

Each week I make a new to-do list. When I found myself floundering, or stuck on one part of my writing or the other, I switch gears and do something different. I have gotten a tremendous amount accomplished and I feel very focused.

Things I've done so far:
1) Wrote a new story and sent it to a bedtime story contest. Here's the link to mine.
2) Revised an picture book I've been working on and submitted it to Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories Contest.
3) Revised another picture book I've been working on and submitted it to the Hunger Mountain Katherine Paterson Prize for Young Adult and Children's Writing.
4) Written and revised over 30 pages on my novel-in-progress (my thesis for my Hollins MFA).

I love deadlines and I thrive off of them. Having these contests to submit to gave me a deadline for revising (or writing) my work. I have to turn in a picture book to my picture book marathon group every month. I turn in pages of my work-in-progress to my SCBWI crit group every month. I also have to submit new pages of my thesis to my Hollins Thesis e-mail crit group every week. These deadlines have been really good for me.

Here's to Race #2. I've been training for this one all year. I hope I finish strong. I will cross the finish line the end of August when I return to my other job.

The Finish Line

2010-05-29T13:07:00.000-04:00

I really can see the finish line. You know the big ribbon marked "Summer is Here." You see, many people think summer begins with the Memorial Day weekend. Not me. I think summer begins when I officially get out of school. This year, I will burst through the ribbon on June 17. I can see it waving in the distance. By the time I get there, I hope to still be running instead of walking, out of breath.

This week I finished testing with my kids. That last day I sat out on my sweltering deck and ate a gigantic cupcake with my colleagues. I broke my diet, and loved it. That day I felt like I had a big cheering section saying, "You did it! You are almost there! Keep going!"

Even though the teaching finish line is so close I can see it, I can also see the next race I need to run. For many teachers I know the summer is spent relaxing by the pool, soaking up some good rays and devouring chicklit. Most of my last 10 years haven't been that way. I have spent time on and off since 2001 going to grad school and racking up almost 2 Master's Degrees and having two kids. I have my thesis left to go on the second degree.

It's a novel. I have been piddling with it for a year. But I joined a Hollins crit. group online and I have to turn work in every week. So even though I'll be gardening, swimming, camping, and enjoying the time off with my kids, I'll also be writing my butt off. I want that thesis done by the end of the summer!!!

So, just as one race ends, I will have a quick moment to catch my breath and run the thesis race.

I'm ready.

Critiquing Picture Books

2010-05-10T20:24:00.000-04:00

I'm in a new online critique group that came out of the Picture Book Marathon in February. We were having an e-mail exchange about what types of things we'd like to see in a picture book critique. I started making a list. I want it to be collaborative. I want my group members to add to it. And if you have any experience writing or critiquing picture books, I'd like you to chime in. What is missing from the list? I hope it will be a helpful list when self-critiquing or critiquing other's picture books. Here's what I came up with so far:

1) Does the story allow for illustration? You don’t want to be so specific that it leaves no room for the illustrator to interpret.

2) Word count: Must be less than 1500. Under 1000? Even better. Under 500? Awesome! However, these word counts will fluctuate with the type of content and age level.

3) Words must earn their place. Point out places the writer can cut unnecessary words. Every word counts in a picture book.

4) Read-aloud-ability. Does this book make a good read-aloud? Read it out loud and try it out. Mark the places that you stumble. Most picture books are meant to be read out loud to kids.

5) Language. Picture books are often very lyrical. Does the language have a rhythm, unique language, voice? Where does the language work? Where does it not work?

6) Unique premise. Does this story make something ordinary fresh? Unique? Funny? Aha moment? Will it stand out in the marketplace?

7) Does this story really work as a picture book? Sometimes it’s really a short story, or a novel, but just told in a few words. If it really isn’t meant to be a picture book, then it’s helpful for someone to point that out. Don’t be offended. If you agree with them, use it as a springboard for another project.

8) Story structure. Map out the story. What happens? A good way to plot your book or find the arc of the story is to do a storyboard. I recommend the one on Kim Norman’s site. There is also one in Anastasia Suen’s book Picture Writing.

Important: It’s ultimately your book. You decide whether the comments are something you want to incorporate. If one person mentions it, it may just be that person’s opinion. But if several people notice the same thing, then it’s probably something worth considering changing.

Disclaimer: I am no picture book expert. I have written a few, had some good comments from editors and agents, but nothing has been purchased to date. So, I’m still learning and obviously I need to work on my picture books a lot. Please don’t take the above ideas as gospel. These are just some things I’ve learned from other groups and workshop classes.

Your turn: What else do you want to add? I will add more to the list. I think it will help me keep my critiques more focused with some ideas to jump on. Obviously, we won’t hit each point with each picture book, but this might help if you aren’t sure what to comment on.

I'll compile a list including suggestions from others and post it.

Spreading the Awesome: 10 Stars for The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

2010-05-03T01:00:00.002-04:00

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

by Tom Angleberger

Amulet Books, 2010

I've been blogging about this great new book by local author Tom Angleberger.

I went to one of his book signings and blogged about it here.

He recently was on WDBJ7 for an interview. I linked to that here.

There was a great article about this book in The Roanoke Times.

But, I hadn't blogged about the book itself. Until today. My writing group friend, Angie Smibert, told me about blogging about a book that you think is awesome. It's called "Spread the Awesome" and we are supposed to blog about a book that deserves 10 stars. It's promoted by Elana Johnson. The big day is May 3, so I held out on my lovefest of this book until today.

Gist of the book: Dwight is a nerd and everyone knows it, but Dwight has this Yoda--an origami Yoda. Yoda gives advice and talks in that strange sentence structure that Yoda speaks in. The book is told from different character's points of view each giving their story about their encounter with origami Yoda and whether he really has powers. It's like a case file collection of Yoda and his advice and whether it worked or not. The whole book is filled with hilarious stories of what Yoda has done for each character and the healthy doubt that comes from believing a talking folded piece of paper.

Top Five Reasons I Love this Book:

1. It is hilarious. What is funnier than a nerdy kid carrying around an origami Yoda and giving advice to his friends? It's LOL funny.

2. Boys will love this book. I'm a teacher and I bought a "school copy" of this book from Scholastic Book Clubs. I do book talks about different books. I showed the video of Angleberger talking about this book, and showed them them the Roanoke Times article about it. The book literally flew out of my hands. I am taking my signed copy to school tomorrow (which I normally don't do) because so many kids want to read it. I also will be placing another Scholastic order for some more copies. And by the way, girls will love this book too.

3. The design of this book is kid-enticing. The cover jumps right out at you. The pages inside look crinkly--like some kid wrote his story, then crumpled it up and threw it in the trash can because he was so embarrassed. There are cool drawings and doodles throughout the book that make it fun and kid-like.

4. Angleberger is a master of characters. He makes these characters real and really nails the voice for each one. It would be difficult to write a distinctive voice for each kid that tells his story about Yoda, but he does it and does it well.

5. He's a local author. He writes for our local paper. I love seeing local authors become really successful. Need I say more??

NaPoWriMo Day #30

2010-04-30T19:12:00.000-04:00

One year ago today at 7:27 p.m. I gave birth to Ian. Today's prompt was a freebie, so I write about him.

Birth Day

One year ago
I gave birth to you,
both of us feverish
after a long day
of getting you here.
We met face to face
for the first time
hot cheek to hot cheek.
I unbundled you
to rub those kicking feet
that kept me up at night.
I counted fingers
and toes,
rubbed red, curly hair,
kissed a little nose
happy birthday.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 30, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #29

2010-04-29T20:47:00.000-04:00

Today's prompt was to write about something in the news, or to use it in a prompt, or to write the poem in the style of a particular type of article.

Picture reading this in the classified ads:

WANTED
One restful night's sleep
Eight hours per night
No cries,
No over-caffeinated wakefulness,
No three a.m. unaccomplished tasks list-making.
Will pay premium rates.
Call today before 8 p.m.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 29, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #28

2010-04-29T20:43:00.001-04:00

We're getting there...the month is almost over. And I'm behind again. I've had something going on every night this week, plus 2 birthdays (hubby turns 44 and baby boy turns 1). It's busy, busy, busy.

Yesterday's prompt was about intuition or an aha moment. Believe it or not, I had one of those just last night.

8:30 p.m.

Wednesday night

Brick-oven pizza,
dessert,
lingering conversation,
uninterrupted,
on the patio
full of people.

I look about,
patio spinning—
is this real?
Do people really do this
on weeknights?
Am I the only one
who pajamas-up
by eight-thirty,
too exhausted
on a
normal night?

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 29, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #27

2010-04-27T21:01:00.000-04:00

This last week has been the busiest (and will continue to be the busiest) of the month. When I get home late I wonder if I'll even have any energy to write to a prompt. Thank goodness today's prompt was to write an acrostic. I chose to write about junk mail.

Junk Mail

Jumbled piles of mail spill
Under
Newspapers from last week
Kept receipts never recorded
Magazines and catalogs never ordered
Aghast at the mound of paper
I accumulated in a week
Losing my mind amidst paper.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 27, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #26

2010-04-26T20:04:00.000-04:00

Today's prompt was to find a scrap of paper or receipt with a poem or part of a poem scrawled on it. Use a part of it to make a new poem.

The phrase I found to use was "robed in leaves".

Here's what I did with it:

Leaves

I found her
robed in leaves,
camouflaged,
shaking like a leaf.
Her mew
quieter than the piles' rustle.
She cowered
when the wind
created a tornado of leaves.
I carried her home
before she could leave.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 26, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #25

2010-04-26T20:01:00.000-04:00

I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date!

Yes, I'm a day late for Day #25, but yesterday I was in the bed with a fever and a swollen throat. I won't go into more detail, but as much as I wanted to post last night, I wasn't able to.

Yesterday's prompt was to take a phrase or a word just heard and use it in a poem. The first phrase I heard was "life has begun". It was actually in the song, "From This Moment" by Shania Twain.

Here's my poem.

Beginnings

Life has begun
again

on the peach baubles
reading to plump up with juice,
inside the next,
filled with quiet noise,
under the soil
where a seed sends down roots,
around the protective sepal
holding on to a peony
about to burst,
in the blown bubble
carried by the warm breeze.

Life has begun
again.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 26, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #24

2010-04-24T16:30:00.003-04:00

Today's prompt encouraged us to use a phrase, be it an idiom, cliche, saying. I used the Phrase Finder the prompt suggested and came up with a poem with multiple phrases in it. Growing up in Thailand, and being around people who didn't speak a lot of English, it becomes glaringly obvious how many idioms and sayings we really use in the English language.

Peas in a Pod

Kris and I

were two peas in a pod.

Most days
we were as good as gold,
but in the dog days of summer,
we ran around
like chickens with our heads cut off.

We’d trudge home
our mommas would say,
“Were you raised in a barn?”
For the rest of the day,
we’d toe the line,
lie low,
watching trash on TV.

The next day,
the wild goose chase
began again.
“Pipe down!”
our mommas would say,
“The babies are napping!”

We’d sneak off,
traipsing through the woods,
studying bugs,
wading in the creek,
skipping back for dinner,
making it in time,
by the skin of our teeth.

It wasn’t long
til we had to face the music
with long faces
begin school.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 24, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #23

2010-04-23T19:09:00.000-04:00

Today's prompt was to pair two unlikely things--a speaker and an event.

The pollen is killing me, so I wrote a limerick about a bee who is allergic to pollen.

The Bee Who Hated Pollen

There once was a pollen-hating bee
Every flower he touched made him sneeze,
Pollen stuck to him like glue,
So, what's a bee to do,
When he's allergic to the trees?

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 23, 2010

Origami Yoda on the Local News

2010-04-22T20:25:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I spent 13 hours with my fourth graders going on a field trip to Charlottesville. Most of the time on the bus was spent making trash-runs up and down the aisles, but I did sneak in a few chapters of The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger, local author.

Several of my boy students saw the book I was carrying and started asking lots of questions. They were intrigued. I told them about Mr. Angleberger and how they should go see him at Barnes and Noble this weekend. He'll be at Barnes and Noble, Tanglewood, Roanoke on April 24, 2:00pm.

The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda is also featured in a recent Scholastic Book Club order, so I ordered a copy for my classroom library. After I finished reading it, I quickly wished I'd ordered multiple copies because just like Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, I won't be able to keep this book on my shelves.

This morning, I was getting ready for school and Tom and his book were being featured on WDBJ7. You can read the newsstory and the watch the video clip here.

NaPoWriMo Day #22

2010-04-22T19:55:00.001-04:00

Today's prompt was brought to us by a wordle. It was suggested we use the words in the wordle (or some of them) to create a poem. If you've never played around with wordle, it's fabulous fun.

Dust Storm

Squall
from the east
brought dizzying wind,
peppering dust
across my face
making me flinch,
blushing my cheeks saffron.

Is this how a dust storm
whips,
rippling across the sand,
reverberating
upon a vast
openness,
corroding everything?

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 22, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #21

2010-04-21T19:54:00.001-04:00

I just spent the last 13 hours on a bus with a bunch of ten-year-olds on a field trip. I'm a bit worn out, so I hope this poem makes sense.

Today's prompt was to write about imperfections.

Vision of Imperfection

Sprawled out on the dentist's chair
every imperfection
highlighted
in fluorescent--
snow-capped zits,
bottle-cap glasses.

The dentist finished off the ugly painting
by adding
a mouthful of silver.

Me--
at my ugliest.

Two dental hygenists
with smooth brown skin
free of flaws
rubbed my arms
claiming I was
an American beauty.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 21, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #20

2010-04-20T19:59:00.000-04:00

Today's poem was about heroes. I give you an ode to my parents (heroes for many more reasons than just this one):

Ode to Book-Loving Parents

O, Mom and Dad,
you filled our house
with books,
encouraged the giggling
when Fudge finally turned Ben
into a story-lover,
stuffed mailbags
full of books,
paid exorbitant postage
so our new Thai home
would hold our favorite stories,
took extra time shopping
so I could speed-read
the latest Sweet Valley High
curled up in the store corner,
brought me every book you could find
when I was sick for a month--
forbidden to move
except to turn the page
of a book.
For all of these stories,
you are heroes.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 20, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #19

2010-04-19T20:03:00.001-04:00

Today's prompt was to write about a lightbulb moment--good or bad. I wrote about a chinchoke, a type of lizard that lives in houses in Thailands.

Here's my attempt:

Chinchoke

He scurried,
scaling walls,
dipping behind curtains,
wrangling mosquitoes.

I wanted to catch him.

I jumped high,
smacking walls,
flittering curtains,
poking sticks.

Then once
his lizard instincts
experienced a delay.
I held him in place,
finger on his tail.

He escaped--

leaving me,
with his tail
and guilt.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 19, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #18

2010-04-18T19:03:00.001-04:00

Today's challenge was to write about cats--cute and cuddly or ferocious.

Here's my kitty haiku:

sandpaper kisses
content motorized purring
you're the cat's meow

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 17, 2010

Reflections of a Poet's April Challenge

2010-04-17T20:15:00.000-04:00

I love to write poetry. I am not particularly skilled at it, but I like to write it. I have been writing poetry since middle school. Seventh grade to be exact. I had to write a poem, so I wrote one about a cat and Mrs. Griep gave me an A+, and she even wrote positive comments on it. The last day of school, she gave me a thesaurus and wrote a note on the inside. She said something along the lines of: I can't wait to get a signed copy of your first book.

Wow! What a vote of confidence. I have never forgotten that little bit of encouragement. I don't have a published book yet, but I am working very hard toward that goal.

The poetry? Well, it's just fun. I don't have formal poetry training. But I love writing it anyway.

In February, I did the picture book marathon. I rose to the challenge and completed the marathon. But I didn't have to post my writings online. Thank goodness. Some of them are not fit for anyone's eyes. I have been working my way through some of the manuscripts with potential, one-by-one, to get them into better shape.

For this NaPoWriMo challenge, however, I have been posting my poetry online daily. I have about an hour to write. Not much time to eek out a good poem. I have been posting them though because I can't stand not meeting a goal I set for myself. I have been drafting and posting. Each poem goes through 2-3 passes, at best. It feels sort of like letting someone read your diary. Some of the poems I've posted need LOTS of work. I may rewrite them many, many more times before they would every see a real published page. I was feeling sort of strange about the whole thing--sending out my poem "drafts" for the whole world to see.

Then I read this article about poetry by Janet Wong in Hunger Mountain. She is truly one of my favorite poets of all time. I relate so well to her poetry because she has written about living between cultures so honestly. I have written a lot of my poetry about being an American kid living overseas and feeling like I was also between cultures.

Her article discussed how she wrote after her child went to bed at night (ditto) and felt like she couldn't produce anything worthwhile (ditto), but she sat at that computer every night (ditto) and did the best she could to draft some poems.

She talks about how much she has written compared to how much was actually published, but the poems that weren't published were still valuable because they were PRACTICE. They made her better.

So cheers! To practice! Thank you Janet Wong.

NaPoWriMo Day #18

2010-04-17T15:56:00.001-04:00

Today's prompt was to be elemental: Earth, Wind, Fire, or Water. I really wanted to write about water, but picked fire instead, since it was more of a challenge for me. I also have really been wanting to try a new form. I tried the Zeno, which is a new form of poetry that was featured on The Miss Rumphius Effect a few months ago. The Zeno is a 10 line poem with the syllable structure of 8, 4, 2, 1, 4, 2,1, 4, 2,1 and a rhyme scheme of a, b c, d, e, f, d, g, h, d.

Here's my attempt:

Fire

ignition fired, fueling passion
intensity,
will to
fight
where darkness reigned
now is
light
pathways paved to
run to
write.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 17, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #16

2010-04-16T19:42:00.000-04:00

Today's prompt was to remember smells. I have always thought that smells really brought back memories, and Read Write Poem's prompt today talks about that. This was probably my favorite prompt yet. Probably because I have so many smell memories.

Here's my attempt:

Fried Rice

I remember the garlic air
drifting in every corner
and out the screened, barred windows
to me.
I biked toward the scent.
The scrape of the metal spoon
clanking against the wok
lured me back for dinner
with its music of stir-fry.

Ten years later,
eight thousand miles away,
the same garlic-layered symphony
woke me in an airport,
haunting me with its rice

for a wafting second
I smelled home.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 16, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #15

2010-04-15T20:06:00.003-04:00

I'm not terribly musically inclined, so today's prompt was interesting. I had to pick out a stanza or a few lines from a poem that didn't work. Hum those lines. Find a tune. Sing them aloud, then write two or more stanzas that go with that same tune.

Here it goes:

Famous

I'm three words away
from famous
but I just don't know
which three.

I'm a bus ride away
from town
but I just don't know
which line.

I'm a brick wall away
from a real life
but I just don't know
how to climb.

I'm a poem away
from sanity
but I just can't find
the words.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 15, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #14

2010-04-14T20:42:00.002-04:00

Today's challenge required a little bit of reading and research, but it was well worth it. I am working out of town, so I didn't have as much time as I had hoped. The prompt was to write a cleave poem. It's a unique 3-in-1 poem. Read the bold-faced lines on the left as their own poem. Then read the regular print words as one poem. Then read the whole line as one poem. I find it fascinating. For more about cleave poems, check out this page.

I want to love this place, I hate it here
inhaling the smells I don't recognize
triggering fond memories the lure of place
listen to the language, babble I can't comprehend
understand with my soul why my mother loves
call this city home again

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 14, 2010

Okay cleave, I'll be back again.

NaPoWriMo Day # 13

2010-04-13T20:11:00.000-04:00

Today's prompt was to borrow a first line of a poem by Norman Dubie and create your own poem from it.

The first line I picked was: "Worlds are being told like beads."

Here's my attempt:

Memorized

Worlds are being told like beads,
each one
with its own story,
its distilled backstory.
She rubs each bead,
a comfortable smoothness
like a familiar memory.
She counts every bead,
over and over
trying to remember
which one is missing,
rediscovering the pain
ripping off
a scab.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 13, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #12

2010-04-12T19:45:00.000-04:00

Today's prompt: write in secret code. In other words, think of a message and give it to something unusual.

Here's my attempt:

Hope Floats

Clouds act out,
charading—
not movies,
or book titles,
but puffed up
with sage snippets,
corralling birds
into formation.
Together
they paint
the sky
with hope.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 12, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #11

2010-04-11T20:19:00.000-04:00

Today's prompt was to write about the thing you didn't chose and write directly to it.

Here's my attempt:

What Might've Been

Your winds

might have carried me off
whipping off Lake Michigan
chilling me
to my tropical
bones.
Old friends
might have warmed me
like a cup of lemon tea,
but the sour taste
of being far from
home
would linger
reminding me
that this big city
isn’t mine.
Skyscrapers
pushed to the sky
can’t substitute
for the mountains
that I would have missed
if I had made
a different choice.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 11, 2010

Spring Haiku Makes the Roanoke Times

2010-04-11T19:58:00.000-04:00

Last month, I had a haiku published in So Salem. Today, one of my haikus was published in the Roanoke Times.

Here's the link. Scroll down (mine is sixth on the page with the animal haikus).

NaPoWriMo #10

2010-04-10T15:15:00.003-04:00

Today's prompt was to write about a celebration recently. I experimented with an ABeCedarian form because it seemed fitting for the subject matter.

Easter Egg Hunt

April
Baskets
Carried
Dyed
Eggs
Finding
Grabby
Hands
Instantly,
Jostling
Kneeling
Little
Monsters
Nestled
On
Pillows
Quilted
'Round
Spring
Tulips
Until
Very
Weary
eXtraordinary
Yolk-finders
Zonked out.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 10, 2010

Origami Yoda on a Saturday

2010-04-10T14:01:00.000-04:00

I'm always excited when a local author does well. Tom Angleberger and wife, Cece Bell, are two of my favorites.

Tom Angleberger's new book is out, and he was doing a local signing at the very awesome independent bookstore, Ram's Head Bookshop. Even though his new book is too old for my five year old daughter, I took her anyway and I bought the book for myself. Tom kindly showed her how to make an origami Yoda. Here are the pictures.

Makenna makes an origami Yoda. Mommy thinks she needs a new camera. These pictures look a little fuzzy.

This week, I get to go to a Debbie Diller conference in Richmond--alone. I will be taking The Strange Case of Origami Yoda with me to read in the hotel.

I did a review of Tom's (aka Sam Riddleburger) first book The Qwikpick Adventure Society. You can read the review here.

NaPoWriMo Day #9

2010-04-09T21:01:00.002-04:00

I've always thought the more you write, the more you get into the habit, the easier it gets. I don't struggle with sitting down everyday to write. But everyday these poetry prompts seem to get more difficult for me. Today, I felt my students' pain when I say write sentences and you must use all of the spelling words.

Today's prompt included a word list, and then a few other rules. I had to use twelve of the suggested words, include something that tastes terrible, include some part of another poem that didn't pan out, and include a sound that makes you happy.

Doing one or two of these things might not have been so bad, but doing all of them was really tricky. Kind of like a puzzle. When you are fresh, it can be kind of fun. On a Friday evening, I was brain dead.

Here's my sad attempt:

On the Fringe

Winter wind scrubs my face
raw
like a pumice stone
against a callous.

I stow hand warmers
inside the flap
of my jacket,
strumming my fingertips
against their heat
until I bruise.
I click my tongue
over the bitter cold.

A campfire by the swishing river
wattles through my mind.
The fringe of my scarf
flapping
startles me back to reality--
I am a marionette
in the talons
of Old Man Winter,

ready for spring
to robe me in sunshine.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 9, 2010

Poetry Stretch: My Own Reverso

2010-04-08T19:32:00.000-04:00

The Miss Rumphius Effect put out the challenge to write a Reverso this week. This is a Marilyn Singer special. She wrote this lovely book of reverso poems called Mirror, Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse. They are poems that when you read them down, they say one thing. When you reverse the words, changing punctuation, they can mean something else. All of the poems in Singer's book are based on common fairy tales. It's like getting two sides to each story. She is a master at this technique. She has carefully crafted each poem so that even though they have the same words, the pair of poems means the opposite. I have to take my copy back to the library, but I have to have a copy of this book for my own because this whole form fascinates me.

This week's Monday Poetry Stretch from The Miss Rumphius Effect was to try your hand at it. It was just serendipitous because I had this on my list of things to try this week. I read Mirror, Mirror last weekend and knew I had to try it. Reverso is hard, but very, very fun. I tried several and I am having trouble getting the right effect, but I am going to keep at it.

Here's my attempt:

Poem #1

Rain

washes away remnants of

pollen,
clogging my throat.
I cough
spring
rather than singing
and
flittering about
in the flowers.

Poem #2

In the flowers,
flittering about
and
rather than singing
spring,
I cough.
Clogging my throat?
Pollen—
washes away remnants of
rain.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 8, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #8

2010-04-08T18:44:00.000-04:00

Today's prompt was to write about unusual love connections. I don't think I've written a love poem since I was a teenager, and here I've written two in one week. These prompts are definitely making me stretch.

Here's today's attempt:

you are the pictures

coloring my pallid words

us=complete story

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins

April 8, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #7

2010-04-07T16:35:00.000-04:00

Today's prompt was to write a humorous love poem using the tanka form. I found this pretty hard. Normally, I like forms, but this was hard for me. I wasn't supposed to use punctuation, but this needed it. I wasn't able to stick with the syllabic form of 5/7/5/7/7, but that wasn't required. I do want to try this form again, but with a different subject matter.

If you greet me with roses,

there will be no second date.

You show up with a houseplant,

call it a housewarming gift--

I end up keeping you both.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins

April 7, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #6

2010-04-06T08:38:00.000-04:00

Today's prompt is to "converse with images". Use an image and see what kind of poem it leads to. I checked in my "haiku pictures" folder on my computer and wrote a haiku for a picture I haven't written about before.

Peony, dressed up

waits in her frilly ball gown

wind asks her to dance

photograph and haiku by Marcie Flinchum Atkins

April 6, 2010

The Small Stuff

2010-04-05T19:26:00.000-04:00

When you pay attention and look around, you might see things you never noticed before. At least that's what my husband said when he tried to convince me to keep my nose out of a book on our weekend trip. You see, I had a Vera Bradley bag full of books. I only got to one of them.

Instead I soaked in some "paying attention"--to the small stuff. For the small stuff is what poetry is made of.

butterfly wind-whipped
caught in highway speed tunnel
stroke of luck--escape

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 5, 2010

abandoned farmhouse
weathered gray boards tell stories
etched into wood grains

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 5, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #5

2010-04-05T19:21:00.000-04:00

Today's prompt is to make your poetry personal--giving it a personality and even a name. I had trouble with the naming part, but decided to go with a poem of address.

Here's my attempt:

Poetry

You grow inside the cherry blossoms,
droop down from the blueberry bushes.
You squirm in the dirt,
wrestle with the roses.
You flip-flop down with the helicopter seeds,
flirting with the bees.

You keep me awake at night,
running your words
through my head,
pestering me til
I scrawl them down
in the dark,
hoping I can decipher them
in the morning

when you dangle like dew
from the spider's web.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 5, 2010

A Literary Easter

2010-04-05T16:25:00.000-04:00

Literary Things We Did Over Easter:

1) Check out our kids' Easter baskets.

Our 11 month old son got Duck in a Truck by Jez Alborough and Hot Rod Hamster by Cynthia Lord (which my husband declared a "very awesome" book at 7:00am on Easter morning).

Our 5 year old daughter got Jan Brett's new The Easter Egg, several I Can Read books, and a cool doodling book.

2) Hubby and I got away for an anniversary trip to Charlottesville. I usually stick my head in a book while he drives on long trips. He was sleepy, so I had to try to keep him awake, and he says I always "miss things" with my nose in a book. So I spent my time "paying attention". I'll post the poems that I wrote post-paying attention.

3) Charlottesville is the host of the Festival of the Book. I didn't get to go this year because I had to work, but I can see why Charlottesville can host such a wonderful event--it's such a literary town. Our little getaway took us to the Historic Downtown Mall area. I love, love, love their bookshops.

Read It Again, Sam is a very neat (and by this I mean clean and orderly) used bookstore. It had a small, but treasure-trove of children's lit. All of the books were in impeccable shape and were reasonably priced.

New Dominion Bookshop was larger, but is an independent bookseller of new books. Also, very neat (clean and orderly) and had a large and phenomenal children's book section. I spent a fortune.

O'Suzannah is a great little gift shop, and had an extraordinary selection of kids' books.

There were several other bookstores, but my wallet and time were insufficient.

I will definitely be going back to Charlottesville soon. The bookstores alone are worth the drive. But there are plenty of good restaurants and other local shops to enjoy too.

I love short and silly books!

2010-04-04T16:40:00.001-04:00

Books I Wish I Had Written #2: Billy and Milly Short and Silly

Perhaps I should change this series to "Books I Admire and Want to Learn From". I'm featuring books I think are brilliant--books that I want to learn more about what I think makes them great. Last summer Candice Ransom encouraged us to type up the text of favorite picture books and study them. It helps to see the text without the pictures (if you are a writer-only) to see what makes these books "tick".

Billy & Milly Short & Silly

by Eve B. Feldman

illustrated by Tuesday Mourning

Penguin, 2009

This book comes in at a whopping 49 words. In the class I took last summer on picture books, we had to keep our manuscripts under 500 words. You can see why. So many of the phenomenal picture books being published are super short.

This text is told in individual words, grouped in threes or fours that tell the story. "Tee Tree Bee Flee" is on one spread. The illustrations show Billy hitting a golf ball off a tee, smacking the ball into a bee's nest in a tree, then running away when the bees come after him.

The first time I read this book I honestly thought it was an author/illustrator book. I thought--this text is brilliant, but I know it didn't sell on text alone because the pictures tell way more than a typical picture book. But I was wrong. The text and illustrations are by different people. Then I thought--even more brilliant!

Each set of words rhymes, and each set of words tells its own episode in Billy or Milly's world.

WHY I WISH I HAD WRITTEN IT: It's amazingly short, but each word works perfectly. The text allows for a lot of illustrative interpretation.

I definitely want to give this super-short text idea a whirl.

Spring Tulips

2010-04-04T14:00:00.000-04:00

thirsty for sunshine

tulips stretch open and drink

spring satisfaction

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins

April 4, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #4, Second Dose

2010-04-04T13:14:00.001-04:00

In my last post (this morning), I received a kind comment from Ron. It made me think...perhaps I should do a follow up poem. It seemed sort of fitting on this Easter Sunday.

So, here's my second inside out poem

my tea stain is clean

not because of my good deeds
but because of grace

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 4, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #4

2010-04-04T08:37:00.001-04:00

Today's prompt is to write about something inside-out or outside-in.

Here's my attempt:

Words

As soon as I said those
words

I wish I hadn't.

They tumbled out
quickly, irrationally

like overturned tea
that can't be returned to its cup
leaving a stain on a beautiful tablecloth.

I wish I could push
rewind.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 4, 2010

Looking for an Agent?

2010-04-03T15:26:00.000-04:00

I'm looking for an agent. Amy Tate and Becky Mushko, in my local critique group, mentioned checking out Chuck Sambuchino's blog Guide to Literary Agents. From March 31, 2010 to April 14, 2010, Chuck is sponsoring a "Dear Lucky Agent" contest. Submit your first 150-200 words of your middle grade or young adult novel for a chance at getting a critique with judge/literary agent Regina Brooks of Serendipity Literary.

NaPoWriMo Day #3

2010-04-03T14:58:00.000-04:00

Today's prompt was to write about something that you fear. Immediately, I knew I had to write about roosters.

Here's my attempt.

Roosters

Fluffy, yellow chicks
tap out of their shells
in time for Easter,
receive coos and aahs
from onlookers.

But not from me.

Those fluffers
morph into
spur-packing,
leg-whelping,
sharp-pecking
roosters!

I stay away.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 3, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #2

2010-04-02T20:11:00.000-04:00

Day's 2 Poem includes a cool web tool. I headed over to Acronym Attic, typed in the acronym RWP (for Read Write Poem--sponsor of the NaPoWriMo), and used one of the phrases associated with RWP in a poem. My phrase was "Regular White Paper".

Here's today's attempt:

Regular White Paper

I'll take
regular white paper--
no lines,
no colors,
no holes,
no bindings,
no percentage of post-consumer recyclability.
Just regular white paper
to make my
mark.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 2, 2010

NaPoWriMo Day #1

2010-04-01T20:34:00.000-04:00

Today is the first day of April, and the first day of my poem-a-day challenge. I am reading the Read Write Poem prompts. Some days I'll try them. Other days, I might just do my own thing.

Today's prompt was to "Shuffle a Poem". You can view the details here, but the gist is that you shuffle your iPod. Write down the first 5 titles that pop up and use them in a poem.

Here's my attempt.

Fellow traveler--
Do you hide behind your
       book,
       earbuds,
       laptop?
So much for my sad song...

Do you miss
      hearing,
      noticing,
      wondering
what might have been if you
let the words escape?

Do you want to
     see,
     connect,
     believe?

Pardon my dust...
You can sit here.
What I've witnessed is
indescribable.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 1, 2010

Playlist:
Fellow Traveler--Ginny Owens
Indescribable--Chris Tomlin
Let the Words Escape--Chris Rice
Pardon My Dust--Chris Rice
So Much for My Sad Song--Chris Rice
(So much for shuffling--3 of them by the same artist--sorry)

Animating the Inanimate

2010-03-29T20:53:00.000-04:00

The Miss Rumphius Effect has issued a Monday Poetry Stretch to animate the inanimate.

On Wednesday, my parents will disembark a plane from Thailand and see their two grandsons, now 9 months and 11 months. They are very different boys from when they saw them last at 1 month and 3 months. They will also see their two granddaughters, ages 6 and 5, who have grown a lot too.

Airplane
by Marcie Flinchum Atkins

Airplane,
poses like a great winged bird
who never flaps his wings.
Airplane,
poised for take-off
goes from 0 to 600
quick enough
to make your ears pop
and your sinuses dry out.
Airplane,
closes up
like a Tupperware container,
preserving people
from one destination
to the next.
Airplane,
nose dives and screeches
to a halt,
spitting out people,
stretching and anxious
to hug awaiting necks.

Time Marches On

2010-03-29T20:08:00.001-04:00

I realized last summer that if I wanted to write, really write, I was going to just have to make time. No more excuses. See, I have been involved in these wonderful MA and MFA programs of Children's Literature at Hollins Unversity. Every summer, I became a writing maniac. I banged out a lot of writing, but I had a hard time keeping motivated after Hollins. When September hit and school got into full swing, I would taper off.

My life has gotten busier, and since I have two kids, I don't think it will settle down for many, many years. I made a determination. Write. Write. Write. Even if it is only for 15 minutes everyday.

Things I've learned about myself in this process:

1) Deadlines help me. I joined a local critique group. I must turn something into them every month, so I'm accountable.
2) Challenges help me. I did the picture book marathon in February. I have spent much of March rewriting and writing some more. I will be doing a poem-a-day in the month of April.
3) Little bits of time do add up. I write in the evenings after my kids go to bed. I am a morning person, but so is my son. So unless I get up before 4:30am to write, I have to write after he goes to bed at 7:00pm. I always have a journal in my bag so I can write when I have short snippets of time. When my daughter has ballet, I throw Cherrios at my son, and revise my writing. When she has Daisy Scouts, I leave my son with my hubby, and I write in my car while I am waiting for her to come out. It does add up.
4) I really don't need to watch TV that much. The best Christmas present I bought myself is a DVR. I record things I want to watch. I'm not beholden to that stupid TV. I watch it without commercials when I have time on the weekends.
5) Sometimes writing is serendipitous. I feel like ever since I made the commitment, I have found lots of articles about this very idea. Apparently it's a very common thing.
* Kristi Holl at Writer's First Aid talks about using "hidden time" to write.
* Kim Norman talked about "squeezing creativity into an overbooked life" at her talk at the VSRA conference (which I didn't get to go to, but her handout is on their website). She gives a dozen habits to foster creativity.
* Eileen Spinelli talks about this on an e-mail I just received from Highlights Foundation. I couldn't find this online, so I'll quote from the e-mail. Spinelli says, "In terms of 'writing time'—it's not a matter of finding it. It's a matter of making it." She also talks about finding snippets of time in your day.

6) Taking a day off is okay. I have worked 12 out of the last 14 days. I was exhausted, mentally and physically. Yesterday I cleaned my house, took care of two sick kids, and I read a book! I read the last 250 pages of the latest Jodi Picoult novel called House Rules. I was about halfway through yesterday morning and it was already two days overdue. I never turned my computer on all day. And I don't feel one bit guilty about it.

Now...off to practice what I preach. I will be writing...

Throwing My Hat in the Ring...

2010-03-24T19:59:00.000-04:00

Call me a glutton for punishment... or just a person who thrives on deadlines. In any case, I'm joining Read Write Poem's NaPoWriMo for the month of April.

The challenge? Write a poem a day in the month of April.

I recently participated in the Picture Book Marathon in the month of February. It was a struggle, but I eeked out 26 picture books. And I'm still working on them--one by one. It will take me a long time to make my way through them all, but it was worth it. I have a huge folder full of material to work with.

I hope this poetry challenge will be good for me too. I bought a new journal at Michael's for a dollar for all of my little poems to go into.

What do I think will be challenging? It will be spring, so I'll probably want to be outside more than inside. That being said, many of my poems might be about my garden, spring, etc because I'll probably take that journal outside with me.

Also, my parents will be visiting, so I may alter my writing schedule a bit. I don't get to visit with them very often, so I will be taking advantage of getting to spend some time with them.

But...it's a poem a day. Even if I get a draft or two of each poem done, I think that's an accomplishment.

I'll publish a few here, but I might try to work a few into my novel-in-progress which has poems in it.

Eat Your Greens for St. Paddy's Day

2010-03-15T20:55:00.001-04:00

The Miss Rumphius Effect issued another Monday Poetry Stretch. Today it was all about flowers in spring. I didn't write about flowers exactly, but I did write about something we discovered this weekend while getting ready to plant our spring veggies.

Greens

Last year’s lettuce
seeded itself,
after July's growth spurt.

Seeds huddled together
under snow
popping up in time

for salad on St. Patrick’s Day.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins

Writer on the Move

2010-03-14T18:44:00.000-04:00

I have been in a good mode lately--writing everyday. I've been writing something, even it's something very small. This weekend, however, didn't work. For the next two Saturdays I have to work my day job. My parents are coming in 3 weeks. They live in Thailand, so when they come to visit, they stay for a couple of months. After my youngest took over the guest room, we've had to move my parents to my office. It gives them some privacy, but I have to relocate my writing location temporarily.

The good?
I cleaned out a LOT of stuff. I pared my writing paraphernalia down to the absolute necessities to bring upstairs. I can always get things out of my office, but I didn't want to clutter up my bedroom with more stuff than needed. I brought up my laptop, my printer, my basket of pens and markers, sticky notes, and two file boxes of books and files. That's it. And when I move back into my office in June, I will be going back to a clean space with little clutter of files, papers, and such.

The bad?
This writer didn't write all weekend. She spent time cleaning out. Fourteen hours to be exact. I didn't spend all of that time in my office, but my office, plus my entire upstairs got a deep clean and reorganization. The downstairs will still hasn't been fully cleaned and decluttered.

I did do some writerly things though. I cleaned up my writing stuff and I went to my writing critique group. So, I have a mission for the week--work on what they suggested.

The second part is that I will have to redo my routine. Normally, kids to bed, then I go down to write in "the cave" (as my hubby calls it). Now, I'll have to write in my room. Change of place, but hopefully my mindset will still be there.

Book Spine Poetry Challenge

2010-03-10T20:02:00.000-05:00

100 Scope Notes put out a challenge to do a book spine poem.

I took at a look at my Hollins writers shelf where all of my friends and professors from Hollins have their own designated shelf in my office for their fabulous books. There are a lot of them, but I picked a bunch and then rearranged them to try to make a poem. So, here is my book spine poem made from some of the Hollins' friends books.

My photography skills are lacking, so I have the text below too.

Border Crossing

The Boy Who Dared

Worth

Seeing Sky Blue Pink

Send Me Down a Miracle

The Other Side of Blue

Something Beautiful

With thanks to the brilliant authors of the books: Jessica Lee Anderson, Susan Campbell Bartoletti, A. LaFaye, Candice Ransom, Han Nolan, Valerie Patterson, Sharon Dennis Wyeth.

Local paper publishes haiku

2010-03-08T18:05:00.001-05:00

One of my haiku is featured in our local paper. We were given the challenge to write about Salem in the spring.

Bradford pears burst white
raining petal confetti
celebrating spring

Here's the link to the So Salem blog where it is featured.

Haiku to Welcome Spring #2

2010-03-07T15:40:00.002-05:00

first day of sunshine

wraps its blanket around me

promising spring

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins

Haiku to Welcome Spring

2010-03-07T15:39:00.000-05:00

dormant, twiggy bush

trades brown bark for a red coat

coming soon: blueberries

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins

LMBO at Chicken Cheeks

2010-03-06T16:10:00.000-05:00

Books I Wish I Had Written: #1
I begin a new series of reviews on books entitled "Books I Wish I Had Written". While I was writing in the picture book marathon in February, I read lots of picture books to keep my mind in the "picture book mode." I came across quite a few books that I thought were utterly brilliant and I wish I had written. I will feature them and more as I come across them.

Chicken Cheeks
Written by Michael Ian Black
Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
Simon & Schuster, 2009

My ten-month-old was fighting a nap. I sat down with a pile of picture books I had requested from the library. He loves to listen and look at the pictures of books. In fact, he gets down right vocally angry if you leave him out of a book. If my daughter and I are reading a book, he will crawl over and grunt and make loud noises until we let him in.

Chicken Cheeks was next in the pile. I hate chickens. They are my one intense fear in life. I'll save my sob story of roosters clawing at my legs and leaving welps for another time when we talk about why I'm scarred for life over chickens.

But I was willing to give Chicken Cheeks a chance because the cover is so darn funny. Really funny. And my son was enthralled with the bright colors.

This book is HILARIOUS--LMBO hilarious!!!! It's all about BUTTS of animals, but not in explicit detail. In fact you will never find the word BUTT in the book. Instead you see "moose caboose" and "toucan can" and "flamingo fanny" among others. In this 43 word picture book, you will probably read nearly every CLEAN word for butt you can think of. All paired with Kevin Hawkes bright, silly animal illustrations.

This book has to go back to the library soon because I owe nearly $30 in fines for overdue books. But, my little ten-month-old, who kept pointing and smiling at EVERY picture will probably find his very own copy of this book in his Easter basket.

WHY I WISH I HAD WRITTEN IT:
It's brilliant. It's short. It's funny. ALL IN ONE BOOK!

Poetry Stretch--Pantoum

2010-03-02T20:04:00.000-05:00

Miss Rumphius Effect handed out a tall order this week--a Pantoum. I wrote two--I'll share one here. The other I might work into my current novel-in-progress. For a clear explanation of this form, see this link.

A Plead for Spring

Vanish, never-ending sub-zero chills,
Perpetual sledding, constructing igloos,
Enough of the snow days, I've had my fill.
Disappear, winter weather in view.

Perpetual sledding, constructing igloos,
Closets cleaned, to-do lists done.
Disappear, winter weater in view.
We must feel the summer sun!

Closets cleaned, to-do lists done,
Skip over March, windy spring days.
We must feel the summer sun!
Enter three months of soaking up rays.

Skip over March, windy spring days.
Enough of the snow days, I've had my fill.
Enter three months of soaking up rays.
Vanish never-ending sub-zero chill!

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins

March Madness

2010-03-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

I just ran that writing marathon, and I am tired, but riding on the coattails of some good momentum. I am in the habit of writing everyday now, and that's GOOD. I want to keep at it! I will not be spending my March watching basketball. But I do have quite of bit of "madness" planned for March.

1) Submit poetry--specifically haiku--to two different places.
2) Rewrite the beginning of my novel (my thesis for my MFA). I got some great feedback from my critique group and I will be working hard on this in March.
3) Rewrite at least one picture book. I know I just wrote 26, but that doesn't mean 26 good ones. I want to pick one or two to really rewrite. It's going to take some time and a sharp eye and pen.

I ran a marathon in February!

2010-02-27T15:39:00.000-05:00

Okay, it wasn't a running marathon, but a picture book marathon. Lora and Jean spearheaded the Picture Book Marathon in the month of February. The idea was to write 26 picture books in the month of February--like running the 26 miles of a marathon.

I was very skeptical. First, to write 26 picture books in a YEAR is stretching it. Picture books take so much time to hone and make perfect. But I threw my hat in the ring, just for the challenge. I knew I needed to write everyday, and this was a great way to try it.

I created a journal just for the occasion (which I bought for a dollar at Michael's).

I created a calendar that fit on the inside cover for recording my progress.

And I made a long list of ideas that I had. I started the month with fourteen ideas and ended the month with 40 ideas. Needless to say, I didn't use them all. I have enough ideas to keep going.

My goal was just to simply get a draft down--not a manuscript fit to be sent off to a publisher, but a promising draft. And I did--26 of them. Now, I don't think I will ever even polish half of them, but there are a good 5-6 that I want to work on to see what happens.

I read picture books--loads and loads of them. It helps to have a five year old who devours books. I would read them to her before bed, then run off to my computer after both kids were asleep to start the new draft.

Lora and Jean did a great job of sending encourage blog posts to keep us motivated--like good coaches. Last weekend I got sick with a bad sinus issue, then two days later the stomach flu hit hard and bad--fever, vomiting and all. I got behind. I got discouraged. I wondered if I would finish.

But I did! I have a folder full of drafts, a journal full of ideas and lines jotted down. It was a very productive month. I wrote nearly everyday and it felt great!

What I didn't have time to do--write some nonfiction ideas. I have several great ideas for nonfiction picture books, but I didn't have time to research them and keep up the pace of writing a draft a day. So, those are on the horizon. With some more time to research, I hope to start writing some of those ideas down.

I'll be having my own version of March Madness--revise, revise, revise. I have a folder full of things to work on.

Poetry Friday--A Kyrielle

2010-02-26T16:20:00.002-05:00

Thanks to The Miss Rumphius Effect for the Poetry Stretch on Monday. One of my goals is to do as many as I can. I love the challenge. I even started a journal just for this purpose. BTW, if you have a Michael's craft store in your area, they have some of the best journals for $1!!!!! Everytime I stop in, I buy a few.

The poetry stretch for this week is a Kyrielle. See the link above to see what that is. Here's mine:

Nepalese Monsoon

Steaming tin roof, sloped and plain
echoes the drumbeat of the rain

waiting beneath for the rumble to wane
while downpours puddle up the rain

my thoughts jumble in my brain
scrambled by deafening onslaught of rain

a conversation I try to feign
but give up shouting over the rain

I'm back--from a long hiatus!

2010-02-26T16:11:00.003-05:00

I have no idea if anyone even sees my blog anymore, but I'm back--after a VERY long hiatus. In 2008 I stopped blogging, thinking it was just temporary, but it ended up being much longer than I anticipated. I became pregnant with my son. I was quite ill the entire pregnancy and managed to basically go to work, take care of my daughter, and go to bed each and every day. Six weeks after he was born I went back to Hollins University to finish my coursework for my MFA in Children's Literature. I only had two classes left, so I needed to finish. I did. Whew! Then I went back to work--teaching. I feel like I have finally come up for air after about a year and a half. I have finally gotten back to reading, writing, and living like a normal human being. I have been back to reading blogs--yippee! I have missed blogging. However, I don't think I'll be able to blog as much as before. I'm going to keep my expectations reasonable for myself. I do plan to share at least once a week though.

Memoir Monday: Drumroll please...

2008-07-21T08:41:00.004-04:00

On Friday I posted about reading at the Francelia Butler Conference at Hollins University. It was the first time I shared my poem publicly. I know, I know, I post poems here all the time. BUT there is a net of safety there. I don't have to see your faces when you read my poetry. I don't hear your comments like "She thinks she's a POET?!" And of course, I share my poetry with all of my fourth graders all of the time. But once again, there is a net of safety there. They think everything I write is wonderful, which is probably why I've continued to write poetry all of this time.

This summer I have been writing poems, not just for me, but I got brave enough to share with other people. I grew up overseas and the collection of poems I'm working on is based on some of my experiences trying to fit in and be comfortable in multiple cultures, yet still be who I am. The poems are set in Salem, Virginia, ChiangMai, Thailand, and Penang, Malaysia--three places I have spent significant time.

A few weeks ago I submitted some of these poems for consideration in the Francelia Butler Conference. My poems were chosen, which meant that I would be one of seven people with creative submissions to read aloud at the conference. Seven critical papers were chosen also.

I was a bundle of nerves because I knew there were poets in the audience, and I wondered if they would know I didn't know what I was doing.

This year's theme was a Dr. Seuss theme, because Philip Nel, author of The Annotated Cat:Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats and Dr. Suess: American Icon, was the keynote speaker. Fellow students performed a Suessical Musical between readings, and it kept the day lively and fun. There was a silent auction, in which I won three things: a picture from The Tale of Despereaux, a lovely photograph of a clemetis donated by Sharon Dennis Wyeth, and a book of poetry by Billy Collins.

There is always a winner for each category: creative, critical, and art. After listening to the amazing stories crafted by my six other fellow readers, I knew I didn't stand a chance of winning. That's what's so amazing about Hollins--being in the company of so many good writers that you admire. I am always very impressed at how much good writing is produced in such a small group.

But when the winners were announced, they called my name! Yes, I won the Shirley Henn Award for Creative Scholarship. Wow! I was humbled and surprised!

Even if I hadn't won, this reading gave me a chance to share my work publicly. Several people came up to me during the break and shared how much they liked it. Two people introduced themselves: one is from Taiwan, and one lived in Malaysia, and both said they related to my poems. What a huge compliment. That's what I was hoping for. Other people were kind enough to just give me words of encouragement. Thank you! Thank you!

Hollins students are the ones who actually narrow down all of the submissions to a list of finalists. Then other writers actually judge the finalists. When I read the list of judges, I was so excited. The judges were: Bruce Coville, Steve Jenkins, Kerry Madden, Claudia Mills, and Janet Wong. I'm fans of all of their work, and it was an honor just to have them take the time to read something I had written.

The Memoir Monday prompt was to write about something that you did that you didn't think was possible. Believe it or not, this was it. I really never imagined I would share my poetry with anyone but my students. Now, thanks to a lot of encouragement from my friends at Hollins, I have the courage to share it with others.

Nonfiction Monday: Two Tales of Ben

2008-07-21T08:23:00.002-04:00

Now and Ben: The Modern Inventions for Benjamin Franklin
Written and illustrated by Gene Barretta
Henry Holt, 2006

How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning
Written and illustrated by Rosalyn Schanzer
Harper Collins, 2003

Recently I wrote about another book I used in my electricity unit in fourth grade science. In Virginia, fourth graders have to know about Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Michael Faraday and their contributions to electricity. I have been using Schanzer’s book for a few years, but this year I discovered a new book about Ben Franklin.

Both of these books cover what my students really have to know: 1) that Benjamin Franklin proved that lightning was really electricity in his kite experiment, and 2) that he invented the lightning rod which protected buildings from damage and fires from lightning.

Now and Ben talks about how things we use today are things that Ben Franklin invented. So many things we use today began with Ben. Barretta sets up the book by saying “Now…” (insert one of the inventions we use today) and “Ben” (insert how Ben Franklin created this). The text is simple and short, but still goes through many of the inventions and contributions that we know Franklin for.

How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning actually covers some of the same material, but it spends a little more time on Franklin and his experiments with electricity. Schanzer goes into detail about the kite experiment, the lightning rod, but also the way that people used to perform electrifying tricks—actually shocking people.

Both books are very light in tone. They are humorous to read and are nothing like reading a textbook. They present the information in a very interesting way.

This would be another great pair of books to use with kids to do “Text-to-Text Connections.”

Nonfiction Monday roundup is over at Anastasia Suen's Picture Book of the Day.

Francelia Butler Conference

2008-07-18T14:18:00.003-04:00

For the last five weeks I've been taking an Advanced Writing Tutorial at Hollins under the brilliant tutelage of Sharon Dennis Wyeth. I'm writing, critiquing, and moving forward with my class which consists of only five students. Our motto for the tutorial is "Write On!" and Sharon and my tutorial-mates have really pushed me to write on.

I'm working on a collection of poetry about growing up between cultures, which I have posted some of those early drafts here and here.

Hollins has a conference every year where students can read both critical and creative works. Only seven students are chosen for each category. I was surprised to learn I'll be reading my poetry tomorrow for the conference. It's the Francelia Butler Conference and this year, Philip Nel, Dr. Seuss expert, will be speaking.

The last time I read for the Francelia Butler Conference was when I was working on my M.A. Thesis on Vinnie Ream in 2003.

This is the very first time I've read this poetry out loud to adults (except for my tutorial). I read my poetry out loud to my students frequently, but this public poetry reading is all new.

Thanks to Nikki, Sharon G., Elissa, Jenette, and Sharon Wyeth for supporting my poetry beginnings!

Poetry Friday: Monday Poetry Stretch

2008-07-18T13:33:00.005-04:00

The Miss Rumphius Effect posted a very challenging Monday Poetry Stretch this week. It is Climbing Rhyme. See her page for details. I started, but stopped several poems. Here is my stab at this form:

'Neath the shade tree
calls to me: Hide
here free. Read, write,
words find flight in
the sight of peace,
in notebook's crease you
will cease your pain.

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins

Today's Poetry Friday roundup is at Writing and Ruminating.

Butterfly garden

2008-07-14T11:46:00.004-04:00

We recently added a few plants to our butterfly garden.

It’s opening day
for the coneflower chorus
butterflies attend

Memoir Monday: Crab Lookout

2008-07-14T11:22:00.004-04:00

Two Writing Teachers sponsors Memoir Monday. Here is their inspiration/charge for the week. I wrote about a "mundane" family memory. This is about my brother, when he was a toddler. We went to Jacksonville Beach, he got crabs in his swim trunks, and no one believed him while for awhile. His little bum got eat up. It's a story my mom still tells today.

BTW, sorry for the sing-songy rhyme. I've been reading a lot of rhyme to my daughter lately and it's catching up with me.

Crab Lookout

It wasn't ants in his pants,
but he was doing a dance

my brother the swimmer, the sand castle builder,
had trouble in the depths of his swimming trunk filter

He pranced all around the sand castle moat,
He flopped his whole body in front of the boat

"Get them out! Get them out!" he yelled at our mom,
"There's nothing in there, now just remain calm."

They're biting my butt, I just cannot stand it,
You must get them out of my trunks, this minute.

She peeked in his shorts, as he wiggled some more,
Out popped three crabs right onto the shore.

"I told you! I told you!" he said in dismay,
then he ran off and returned to his play.

All day he kept checking to be sure the crabs had cleared out,
for the rest of the day, he was on crab lookout.

Jacksonville, Florida

Nonfiction Monday: Wired

2008-07-14T10:06:00.003-04:00

Wired
By Anastasia Suen
Illustrated by Paul Carrick
Charlesbridge, 2007

I loved this book so much, that my grade level recently bought it to use in our electricity unit. It’s very hard to find good trade books about electricity that are written on a kids’ level, give the basic information, but aren’t too basic. Our textbook is okay, but I wanted something more. I found it in this book.

This book begins by talking about what electricity is and how electrons dance. Then it explains how electricity gets from the power plant to your house. Details of step up- and step down-transformers are explained. It talks about substations, transmission towers, and even what all those wires behind a light switch are. The text is easy to read, but doesn’t talk down to kids. Suen even uses interesting language, so that it doesn’t feel like you are reading a textbook. The heading of each page actually becomes a poem if you read just the headings from beginning to end.

The illustrations in this book are pretty, yet informative. They are simple, but detailed. Contradiction? No, they are perfect for this book. They are not the common diagrams and drawings you see in a textbook. Instead they are acrylic mixed media illustrations that are pleasing to the eye, uncluttered, and very detailed for showing the different parts that is talked about in the text.

As a science teacher, I give it an A+. I will be using it every year with my electricity unit!

The author of Wired, Anastasia Suen, has the Nonfiction Monday Roundup at her blog.

Poetry Friday: Strawberry Haiku

2008-07-11T09:18:00.008-04:00

Red, ripe strawberries,
Eaten before pies are made
By the little berry thief

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins

Poetry Friday roundup is at Under the Covers.

Poetry Stretch: "Coke Man"

2008-07-08T09:46:00.002-04:00

The Miss Rumphius Effect posted a Tuesday poetry stretch that challenged us to use the terms "loose change" in a poem. I must confess, I cheated. I wrote this poem the other day, but I knew the words "loose change" would fit better than the phrase I used. So I exchanged two of my words for two of her words and wah-la! Here it is:

Coke Man

The Coke man
parks his cart
by the school gates
waiting
for droves of children
hot, tired,
thirsty,
coins ringing
in their pockets.

Bottle pops open,
fizzy liquid flows into a
bag,
secured with a rubber band
in one corner,
a straw hole in the other.

I hand over my loose change,
and begin the hot walk home,
my bag of Coke bobbing
with each step.

ChiangMai, Thailand

Memoir Monday: A poem from my childhood

2008-07-07T10:21:00.002-04:00

Beech Street

I pass by the red brick house
where I climbed in the dogwood tree,
crashed my sled into a fence,
caught frogs in the creek,
danced to the high school band,
transformed into Princess Lea,
hunted for Easter Eggs,
first got stung by a bee.

Now, it’s no longer my tree,
my fence,
my creek,
my band,
my imagination,
my eggs,
my hurts.

Someone else lives there.
I feel like someone crawled
underneath my skin
and tried to be me.

Copyright Marcie Flinchum Atkins, all rights reserved.

Head over to Two Writing Teachers to read other Memoir Monday posts.

Writing Challenges

2008-07-07T10:13:00.003-04:00

I'm so excited about all of the people who do "challenges" for those of us who love to write. I'm taking some of the challenges. Some I'll just do in my journal. Others I'll share with the blog readers.

Here's some of challenges I'm taking on:
1) Laurie Halse Anderson's Write 15 Minutes a Day Challenge. She gives writing prompts/exercises too.
2) Two Writing Teachers Memoir Mondays. I'll try to write some memoir piece and post it when I think it's postable.
3) Monday Poetry Stretch with The Miss Rumphius Effect.

Why am I taking the challenges? Well, I work well under structure and deadlines. So, if that means it will help "prime the pump", then so be it.

Do you know of another good challenge I should participate in? Leave me a comment.

Nonfiction Monday: Nic Bishop's Spiders

2008-07-07T09:10:00.002-04:00

Spiders
Written and photographed by Nic Bishop
Scholastic Nonfiction, 2007

Ever since this book began winning awards left and right, I knew I wanted to read it. I love interesting, beautiful nonfiction books. This book fits both of those descriptions. Perhaps I’ve lived in a hole, but this is the only book that I know of that I’ve read by Nic Bishop. I don’t think I have EVER seen a book with pictures as exquisitely detailed and fascinating as the photos in this book.

The book is all about spiders. It gives the basics about spiders: body parts, characteristics, etc. You know, all of those basic things I learned about spiders from E.B. White in Charlotte’s Web. However, Nic Bishop introduces readers to spiders and facts about spiders that I have never heard of. The text is not overly simple, but each spread is also not covered with heavy text. This is a book that kids will pick up, read and stare in awe at the pictures. It contains about a paragraph on each page about spiders. An entire page is a magnified picture of a spider. We see spiders’ eyes, hairs, and body parts up close and personal. Each picture is accompanied by captions about that specific spider.

The color layout is beautiful too. Each page with text has a colored background that coordinates with the colors in the photograph. It’s not a visually busy book. It’s simply laid out, but the pictures are anything but simple. Bishop is a master at photographing these hard-to-spot arachnids. In fact, in the back of the book he writes an author’s note about how he photographed the spiders. In some cases it was quite complicated.

This book won a well-deserved Sibert Honor.

Nic Bishop's website

Haiku on a Sunday

2008-07-06T14:06:00.003-04:00

Here's a haiku I wrote a few weeks ago, when our garden was first starting to take off.

Red among green
No more grocery tomatoes
First taste of summer

What I've Been Up To...

2008-07-06T13:51:00.007-04:00

I have done very little posting the past few months. I have had a lot going on and it seems blogging took a back seat. So, I'm determined I'm going to continue blogging, even if I don't crank out book reviews at good speed. I have stacks of books sitting on the floor waiting to be reviewed. But I've been using my time lately to write, and write, and write, and revise, and revise, and garden, and read, and enjoy summer a little bit. I'm taking a class which is helping me to push forward with a writing project that will eventually be my thesis for my M.F.A. It's been good to get back to writing more and more.

Even though I haven't been blogging, I have been doing some fun things. Here are some things I've been doing:

* Strawberry picking--which gave us with lots of frozen berries and strawberry jam

* Blueberry picking--which garnished pies, frozen berries, jam, and syrup

* Sun bathing--at Virginia Beach and at our local pool

* Camping--at Lake Roberstson. Lots of relaxation, book reading, writing took place there.

* Cooking--I've been getting a produce box weekly from a local organic farm. I've also gone to the farmer's market every week, and we've been growing our own veggies. I have only been the grocery store for milk and the occasional thing like flour or sugar. It's a been a fabulously healthy, creative way to enjoy the summer. I have had to figure out new ways to cook things.

* Shopping--We went to the Green Valley Book Fair this last week. I got several new books (J. Patrick Lewis' new book The Brothers' War and Artist to Artist.

Which book are you?

2008-07-04T09:40:00.004-04:00

While posting for Poetry Friday, I found this quiz over at In Search of Giants.

So, which book am I? Anne of Green Gables. Probably the book I read over and over and over and over again as a kid. It was the book that prompted me to go to Prince Edward Island. This book influenced me in so many ways. What the description says about my personality, I don't necessarily agree with, but I think it's weird that this was THE book the quiz chose.

You're Anne of Green Gables!

by L.M. Montgomery

Bright, chipper, vivid, but with the emotional fortitude of cottage
cheese, you make quite an impression on everyone you meet. You're impulsive, rash,
honest, and probably don't have a great relationship with your parents. People hurt
your feelings constantly, but your brazen honestly doesn't exactly treat others with
kid gloves. Ultimately, though, you win the hearts and minds of everyone that matters.
You spell your name with an E and you want everyone to know about it.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Poetry Friday: Between the Lines

2008-07-04T09:34:00.003-04:00

I am taking Advanced Writing Tutorial from Hollins University for my MFA in Children's Literature. My project, which will eventually be my thesis, is a collection of poetry about living between cultures. It is titled, Between the Lines. In the spirit of 4th of July, I'm sharing a poem about something that always comes to my mind when I think of summer--baseball.

World Series

I watched the World Series on videotape
long after the first pitch landed in the catcher’s mitt,
long after the victory parties ended,
long after I read the final scores in the paper.

I watched the World Series on videotape anyway,
because it made me feel like an American
in a land where they play cricket.

Penang, Malaysia

by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
All rights reserved

Poetry Friday roundup is by In Search of Giants.

Poetry Friday: Twelve Rounds to Glory

2008-06-27T16:26:00.003-04:00

Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali
By Charles R. Smith, Jr.
Illustrated by Bryan Collier

Candlewick Press, 2007

This book is for upper middle grade readers and young adult readers. But the layout of the book is like a picture book. It’s obviously not a picture book because of the length and the content. It is intended for older readers.

This is a biography written in verse. The book is divided into twelve chapters, or rounds. I was truly amazed at what a rhyming wizard Smith is. He has the poems rhyme, but they don’t appear sing-songy or cutesy. We learn much about Muhammad Ali through Smith’s verse. The dust jacket says that it was inspired by rap. It’s also written in second person almost like the author is talking directly to Ali about himself.

Bryan Collier has such a distinct style of illustrating. I enjoyed seeing the poems illustrated in full color. Many of the biographies in verse that I have read in the past weren’t illustrated in full color, so Collier’s illustrations added another dimension.

Smith writes about Ali’s fight with Joe Frazier:

“You have ascended the mountaintop
and must now reach its peak;
your body is tired
but your spirit is not weak.
Your rubbery legs
carry you to meet Joe,
but your weighted-down fists
manage to strike blow
after blow
after blow
after blow
to your opponent…”

This book won the Coretta Scott King Honor Award in 2008.

Hear Smith read some of his poems here.

Biblio File has the Poetry Friday Roundup today.

Candice Ransom on Transitional Readers

2008-06-26T10:42:00.003-04:00

I heard Candice Ransom speak at the Roanoke Valley Reading Council's Literacy Tea on May 29, 2008. I am very far behind on posting reviews and notes from speakers I've heard, so I'm attempting to catch up.

Candice Ransom has written over 100 books for children including Finding Day's Bottom, Tractor Day, Seeing Sky-Blue Pink, and her new series for children, Time Spies Series.

I read the first book in the Time Spies series, Secret in the Tower, before it was published. I immediately loved it for two reasons: 1) it would appeal to my students who were unable or unmotivated to read longer chapter books, and 2) it took place in Virginia and snuck in Virginia history. Since I teach fourth grade and fourth graders study Virginia History, this was a big draw for me. You can read a chapter of Secret in the Tower here.

So, what are transitional readers? They are kids who are past the easy reader books, but aren't ready for middle grade chapter books. They are newly independent readers. As a teacher, I'm glad Candice is trying to appeal to this age group. There are some kids who try to make that leap to regular chapter books and just can't plow through the entire book. They aren't ready. The Time Spies series books are ones that have chapters that can be read in one sitting, and have a "hook" at the end of the chapter, to make the reader want to keep reading.

Ransom describes her books as a mixed genre, combining adventure, fantasy, mystery, biography, history, set in a comtemporary setting, and put it all in a series. She says that this series is a tribute to "everyday fantasy" where a kid feels like something magic could happen to you. She pays homage to E. Nesbit and others. In this series, modern day kids go back in time to an important moment in history. But as Ransom says, she uncovers a piece of history in each of the books that hasn't been "done to death." The social studies teachers in my school were excited that Secret in the Tower talked about Jack Jouett, known as the "Paul Revere of the South" who warned Jefferson that the British wanted to capture him.

There isn't an author's note at the end of each books, because "kids don't read them." Instead there is a travel guide at the back of each book with the historical information in it.

The Time Spies series has a wonderful website with lots of information for kids. You can check it out here.

Other links:
Candice Ransom's website
Candice Ransom's blog

The Lotus Seed

2008-05-28T20:10:00.002-04:00

The Lotus Seed
By Sherry Garland
Illustrated by Tatsuro Kiuchi
Harcourt Brace, 1993

I stumbled across this book when I was looking for picture books to make “Text-to-World” connections with my students. It was used in a lesson in Strategies that Work by Stephanie Harvey and Anne Goudvis (2nd edition).

The book is about a young girl from Vietnam who wanted to remember the emperor when he lost his throne. So, she took a seed from a lotus flower in the emperor’s gardens to remember him by. When the Vietnam War tore apart her country, she moved to America, but she took the lotus seed with her to remember her country. She kept in near her family’s alter, wrapped carefully.

Many years later her grandson found the seed, wondered what it was, and took it outside and planted it without telling anyone. The girl, now a grandmother, cried and cried over her lotus seed. Soon it bloomed into a lotus flower and they were able to share the seeds among the family members to remember their home country of Vietnam.

I loved this story. I didn’t use it for a text to world connection lesson though. I am putting it in my files for next year to use this book with Red Butterfly, which I recently reviewed here.

If you are interested in other text-to-text connection books I use together, see my list here.

Bilingual Travel Books

2008-05-27T19:16:00.003-04:00

Postcards from Chicago: Postales desde Chicago
By Laura Crawford
Raven Tree Press, 2008

Postcards from New York City: Postales desde New York City
By Laura Crawford
Raven Tree Press, 2008

Postcards from Washington, D.C.: Postales desde Washington, D.C.
By Laura Crawford
Raven Tree Press, 2008

These books are part of a “Traveling with Anna” bilingual series by Raven Tree Press. Each book features a big city. Anna sends postcards to her friends and family from each city. Each spread consists of Anna’s postcard where she tells what she visited that day. The picture side of the postcard is featured of the real places. These photos are high quality and show what each tourist destination really looks like. Then each page features key facts about each place. They are short, but factual and easy to read. Anna’s postcards are more conversational and reveal some personal side to her travels.

The bilingual portions of these books feature the facts translated into Spanish. The postcards are written in English only. The facts feature more difficult words that might be hard to explain and understand for an ELL student, so it is helpful to have those facts translated.

Anna is featured through the book in drawings on each page.

I love this series of books because it blends fiction and non-fiction, Spanish and English. There are so many things that could be done with these books in the classroom. What helps is that they feature interesting, updated pictures, kid-friendly facts, and a simple, uncluttered layout.

Mosaic of Thought

2008-05-16T21:11:00.002-04:00

This past semester at school I have been part of a Teachers as Readers group reading Mosaic of Thought by Ellin Oliver Keene and Susan Zimmerman. It has really changed the way I think about reading and the way I plan for reading. I have been doing a series of lessons on Making Connections (text to self, text to text, and text to world). During that time, I compiled books that I used in my literature circles and in guided reading groups. I used these books with fourth graders, but keep in mind, you could adapt them to any grade level. I have posted the lists on the menu bar to the right. Each list is a PDF file, so they will be easy to download and open.

Bilingual Books: Paco and the Giant Chile Plant

2008-05-14T20:22:00.002-04:00

Paco and the Giant Chile Plant: Paco Y La Planta De Chile Giganta
By Keith Polette
Illustrated by Elizabeth O. Dulemba
Raven Tree Press, 2008

This is a bilingual retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk. It is set in the Southwestern United States. The text is told in English with a lot of Spanish words embedded in the text. Readers who are bilingual will enjoy this tale that flips back and forth between Spanish and English. Students who are somewhat familiar or not familiar at all with Spanish will be able to use the glossary at the back of the book or discover the meaning of the word from the context of the sentence. The Spanish words included are mentioned in context and highlighted in red.

Paco and his mother need money, so they must sell their cow. Paco sells the cow to a man who gives him seeds in exchange for his cow. He plants the seeds to the chile plant and thus the Jack and the Beanstalk story begins. Here is an excerpt from the story where Paco meets the man who gives him the seeds:

Paco harnessed la vaca and led it down the dusty road.
At a dip in the dusty camino, Paco met an old man with bright eyes. Los ojos del viejo twinkled like stars. He held a walking staff and a small bag. El Viejo said, “Good afternoon, joven. That is a fine vaca, young man.”
“Buenos tardes, señor,” replied Paco. “Si, yes, it is a fine cow, but I must sell her. My mother and I have no money.”

This Jack and the Beanstalk story bears much resemblance to the traditional version, but of course a Mexican-American flare has been added. I especially love the surprise ending.

Elizabeth O. Dulemba’s digital illustrations give it an animated movie feel. Ms. Dulemba has lots of freebies on her website connected to this book. There are coloring pages (which she also features weekly on her blog), wallpaper, recipes, and a word search.

I would recommend this book to teachers and librarians who have bilingual children in their classrooms.

Poetry Friday: Boshblobberbosh

2008-05-02T08:10:00.000-04:00

Boshblobberbosh: Runcible Poems for Edward Lear
By J. Patrick Lewis
Illustrated by Gary Kelley
Harcourt, 1998

I have recently begun a fascination with Edward Lear since I was trying to teach my students about limericks. I stumbled across this picture book biography of sorts by J. Patrick Lewis. The story is told in poems as a tribute to Mr. Lear. Lewis includes an author’s notes with a few facts about Lear’s life. Then in the back of the books there are notes on each poem and how it relates to something in Lear’s life. And yes, Lewis includes a few limericks himself.

The one I will share today is “A Day in the Life”. It has a companion poem “A Night in the Life” in the book.

A Day in the Life…

Mr. Lear
Wakes at ten
Walks six miles
Paints a glen
Points his cat
Home again

Picks an olive
Plucks a flower
Takes a bath
By thundershower
Hears the cuckoo
Cluck the hour

So at four
Sips his tea
Takes a nap
Later
he
Tickles high
Society

Pats his bed
Snuggles in
Opens
mail
With a grin
Reads a book
By Tennyson

Lays it down
Wonders long
Understands
What is wrong
Hums a little
Silly
song

Hums a little
Silly song
Hums a little
Silly…

Sadly, this book is out of print, but I found it at my local library.

Poetry Friday roundup is at Big A Little a

What I've Been Reading: March and April 2008

2008-04-30T09:02:00.002-04:00

Things have been crazy this year. I have been teaching an undergraduate class, taking a graduate class, teaching fourth graders all day, and my parents have been visiting from overseas. I have had very little time to read voraciously, like I normally do. I have been reading for my classes, with little time or energy to read for other things. But the nice thing is I can see the end of the horizon. By next week, almost everything will be done. Whew! Then I can gear up for the summer class I’m taking and the one I’m teaching. But hopefully, I’ll have more time for pleasure reading.

March

Picture books
Doctor Ted by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre (my review here)
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

Middle Grade
Steal Away Home by Lois Ruby
The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron

Young Adult
The Game of Sunken Places by M.T. Anderson
A Pack of Lies by Geraldine MacCaughrean
The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (my review here)
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick

Rereads
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Hitler Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

April

Picture books
City Lullaby by Marilyn Singer
Nettie’s Trip South by Ann Turner
Stand Tall, Abe Lincoln by Judith St. George
The Secret of the Great Houdini by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Leonid Gore
Cinderella’s Rat by Susan Meddaugh
Nothing Ever Happens on My Block by Ellen Raskin
Jazz Baby by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Laura Freeman
So Few of Me by Peter H. Reynolds
The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
The Butterfly by Patricia Polacco
Dolley Madison Saves George Washington by Don Brown (my review here)
Young Jim Thorpe: Bright Path by Don Brown
Red Butterfly: How a Princess Smuggled the Secret of Silk Out of China by Deborah Noyes, illustrated by Sophie Blackall (my review here)

Poetry
Family Reunion by Mary Quattlebaum
Boshblobberbosh: Runcible Poems for Edward Lear by J. Patrick Lewis
Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Eric Velasquez (my review here)
Mother Goose’s Little Treasures collected by Iona Opie, illustrated by Rosemary Wells (my review here)

Nonfiction
Miracle: The True Story of the Wreck of the Sea Venture by Gail Langer Karwoski
Ox, House, Stick: The History of Our Alphabet by Don Robb, illustrated by Anne Smith
What Do You Do When Something Wants to Eat You? By Steve Jenkins (my review here)
Vulture View by April Pulley Sayre, illustrated by Steve Jenkins

Young Adult
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie

Adult
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Made from Scratch: A Memoir by Sandra Lee
Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult

Red Butterfly

2008-04-30T08:14:00.003-04:00

Red Butterfly: How a Princess Smuggled the Secret of Silk Out of China
By Deborah Noyes
Illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Candlewick, 2007

First of all, I must say this book is stunning. The illustrations look like an intricate Chinese painting. The details are beautifully imagined and portrayed. I picked this book out because I just fell in love with the illustrations. When I got the book home, I noticed it was on my “to read” list from a few months ago. I love when that kind of serendipity happens at the library.

You can visit Sophie Blackall’s website for some samples of her work from this book.

For as beautifully as this book is illustrated, it is matched by poetic writing that also brings out the beauty of this story.

The story is about a young girl in China who loves the silkworm that feeds on the mulberry tree on her father’s land. China is known for its prized silkworms and the thread it provides. But the young girl is soon to be married off to royalty in Khotan, and she is sad because she will miss her silkworm and her beautiful land. The red butterfly is her outfit that makes her look like a butterfly when her arms are outstretched. She sneaks some silkworms, some leaves, and some seeds of a mulberry tree in her hair and carries it off to her new home.

Here is a passage by Noyes that describes the beauty of the land:

“In my father’s kingdom
there are many splendors.
As we cross the wide
countryside
to the summer palace,
sunbeams slice through dark
woods,
spilling on moss. Monkeys wail
in maple groves along the
river.
Sparrows peck mud
for their nests.”

I just wanted to read parts of this book over and over again to soak up the poetry of the story. Mixed with the illustrations, this is one of my favorite books I have read in a long time!

This story is based on a true story and the author’s note in the back explains the history behind the story.

Nonfiction Monday: What Do You Do When Something Wants to Eat You

2008-04-28T20:08:00.004-04:00

What Do You Do When Something Wants to Eat You?
Written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins
Houghton Mifflin, 1997

I don’t know HOW I have missed this book before. It was published in 1997!! And I just discovered it a few weeks ago. I love Steve Jenkins’ books. They are great for many ages, from toddlers who love the pictures and the shorter text, to upper elementary readers, who love to read the fine print full of facts, and really still love his illustrations.

This book is about animal defense mechanisms. What do animals do when something tries to eat them? Well, Steve Jenkins chooses animals that kids will know, like the octopus that squirts black ink and the puffer fish who puffs out. But he also chooses lesser known facts that kids will find interesting like this one: “The basilisk lizard is known in South America as the Jesus Chris lizard. It can escape its enemies by running across the surface of ponds and streams, using its large feet and great speed to keep it from sinking into the water.”

This book has Jenkins stunning signature cut paper collage illustrations. It doesn’t include extra facts at the back of the book or within the text, like many of his other books do. Still, a fun, fact-filled read. I will be using this with my fourth graders in my animal adaptations unit.

Nonfiction Monday roundup is at Picture Book a Day.

Poetry Friday: Jesse Owens, Fastest Man Alive

2008-04-25T07:43:00.000-04:00

Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive
By Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Eric Velasquez

I recently got to meet Carole Boston Weatherford at the VSRA conference. I really enjoyed hearing the stories behind many of her books. One of my favorite genres is picture book biographies. And I really enjoy poetry. Weatherford has composed all three into one book.

Each poem in this book tells the story of Jesse Owens. It doesn’t begin with his childhood, but it does give us a glimpse into where he was from. Jesse Owens was a track and field star during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, at a time when Hitler was the dictator of Germany. Jesse Owens crushed Hitler’s expectations of the Germans sweeping the Olympic medals. Weatherford gives some historical background in her author’s note.

Here is one of Weatherford’s poems about the day Jesse Owens received his fourth gold medal.

Medal #4: The 400-Meter Relay

With three gold medals,
you could rest on your records,
but the Germans have saved
their fastest for last.
Your coaches need
a secret weapon—
you.

You run the first leg of the relay,
passing the baton and the lead
to the next runner.
By the finish line, the race
and your fourth medal are won.
Who’d have thought
that a sharecropper’s son,
the grandson of slaves,
would crush Hitler’s pride?
Who knew that you would trample
German might like a clod of dirt
in a field of glory?
Who’d have thought your star
would burn so bright?

This week's Poetry Friday roundup is at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

Eric Rohmann: Day 6

2008-04-24T19:19:00.003-04:00

A Kitten Tale
By Eric Rohmann
Knopf, 2008

I had to wait FOREVER to get my paws on a copy of this book at my local library. Someone else snatched it up before I did. This book is perfect for preschoolers.

Four little kittens are talking about snow in the middle of the summer. Three of them are dreading and worrying about the coming snow. The fourth kitten can’t wait. Then the fall comes. They continue to talk about snow with trepidation. The fourth kitten is so excited about the possibility. Finally, the snow comes. The fourth kitten jumps right out into the snow and has a rollicking good time. Of course, the others follow out and enjoy themselves too. It is a simple story, told with fun language that reminds me of little kittens frolicking.
Here’s an excerpt of the short, frolicking dialogue that takes place between the kittens:

When autumn winds ruffled the trees, the first kitten said, “Soon the snow will
fall and fall. We’ll be cold and wet and snow will cover everything!”
“Piles and drifts!” said the second kitten.
“Heaped to our whiskers,” said the third kitten.
Still the fourth kitten said, “I can’t wait.”

Eric Rohmann: Day 5

2008-04-24T19:15:00.003-04:00

This post is a day late. I was having difficulty with blogger last night. It wouldn't let me post at all. So today, you get the last two installments of Eric Rohmann.

My Friend Rabbit
Written and illustrated by Eric Rohmann
Roaring Brook Press, 2002

This book won the Caldecott Medal in 2003. I remember buying this book and thinking: WOW. The illustrations are so bold and so toddler-minded. The text is simple and has a wonderful cadence to it. Rabbit’s toy airplane is stuck in the tree. He tries to come up with an inventive way to get it out, so he gathers, pushes, and shoves his animal friends on top of one another until they form a tall tower. This of course comes crashing down!

I love his use of perspective in the illustrations. On one spread rabbit is in the far corner of the page pulling on an elephant’s tale. Everything looks so small and the spread is rather bare. Then the next page explodes with a giant elephant taking over the entire spread. When all of the animals are piled on top of one another, you must turn the book vertically to view it correctly. Then they all come crashing down and we see wild animal eyes of every sort as they looked surprised, shocked, and flabbergasted. Then we see those same animal eyes all glaring at rabbit. Every spread is full of surprises and delight. The illustrations are appealing to a very young audience. In fact, a non-reader could figure out what is going on in the story even without the text.

A romping fun read and so well-deserving of the Caldecott Award.

Eric Rohmann: Day 4

2008-04-22T19:18:00.001-04:00

Pumpkinhead
By Eric Rohmann
Knopf, 2003

This is a funny book. It would appear on the outside to be a book that really, really young kids would like. However, I think some upper elementary kids would find it funny. There is a boy name Otho who has a pumpkin for a head. His family doesn’t seemed to be worried by it, but one day a bat comes by and wants to scoop up the pumpkin for a place to live. He seizes upon Otho’s head and runs away with it. Otho’s head makes quite a journey. It flies in the air, gets dropped into the ocean, gets eaten by a fish, is found by a fisherman, and finally bought by his own mother at the fish market. It’s an unusual tale. It could be read any time of the year, but would be particularly interesting at Halloween with the bat and the pumpkin (even though it’s not about Halloween). The language Rohmann uses is interesting and would not bore an older reader.

The book itself is small in size and square. Rohmann’s illustrations are small boxes with heavy lines (like My Friend Rabbit--to be reviewed tomorrow). The font cover has a cut out that reveals the pumpkinhead on the title page. The book was an unexpected (and pleasant) surprise.