Category Archives: poetry

Jan18

The Classroom Bookshelf features NO VOICE TOO SMALL

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The Classroom Bookshelf features NO VOICE TOO SMALL

So honored that The Classroom Bookshelf, an SLJ blog, wrote an extensive article on how to use NO VOICE TOO SMALL in the classroom to lift student voices! A great resource and extension to the book’s free activity guide.

Honor your students’ voices with the poetry collection No Voice Too Small.
Honor your students’ voices with the poetry collection No Voice Too Small.
Nov21

Book announcement news!

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Book announcement news!

I am thrilled to announce Jeanette, Lindsay and I have a new book deal. The tenacious trio is at it again!

Nov1

Picture Books and Activism

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Picture Books and Activism

Read my article about introducing kids to activism through picture books over at the Nerdy Books Club blog. It includes a list. Happy reading!

Sep3

A Perfect Picture Book Pair – Girls Rule Dress-up

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A Perfect Picture Book Pair – Girls Rule Dress-up

What a fun perfect picture book pair about little girls who love to dress-up. But looking pretty is only one part.

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Girls

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Mary Had a Little Glam by Tammi Sauer (Author)

Vanessa Brantley-Newton (Illustrator)

Published by Sterling (August 2016)

Age Range: 4-8 years.

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Mary is a bit of a fashionista but she won’t let her goals interfere with her fun! The ending is delightful.

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Every-day Dress-up by Selina Alko (Author/Illustrator)

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers (October 12011)

Age Range: 3-7 years.

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Do all girls dress like princesses? Not this one. She dresses like famous female role models. [spacer height=”10px”]

A Perfect Picture Book Pair showcases two books with universal themes, but one must include a diverse setting, or life experience,  or main character. My goal is to support books in the market that helps contribute to diversity in children’s literature. [spacer height=”10px”]

Mark Twain said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness…” I believe reading is too! [spacer height=”10px”]

Kids love to see their reflections in books. Join me and #ReadYourWorld!

Aug19

A Perfect Picture Book Pair Based on a Cumulative Tale

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A Perfect Picture Book Pair Based on a Cumulative Tale

What a fun perfect picture book pair based on the cumulative story, “I Know An Old Lady That Swallowed a Fly”. And perfect for reading aloud!

Both books are modern adaptations of the old tale filled with lyrical language and wordplay. 

Capture dragon

One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree by Daniel Bernstrom (Author), Brendan Wenzel (Illustrator) Published by Katherine Tegen Books (May 2016) Age Range: 4-8 years.

A hungry snake fills his belly, but his captives are planning their escape.

There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight by Penny Parker Klostermann (Author), Ben Mantle (Illustrator) Published by Random House Books for Young Readers (August 4, 2015) Age Range: 4-8 years.

There was an old dragon who swallowed things in a kingdom, including a knight! That’s not polite!

Jul10

Reflections

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Reflections

“The mind of an adult begins in the imagination of a child.”

Kwame Alexander

 

It’s been a tough week. Violence, death, injustice. We can barely keep our heads above the flood of emotions.

 

Award winning Children’s author and poet Kwame Alexander spoke on NPR – Weekend Edition Sunday about the recent unrest in our country – Reflecting On Police Shootings, Author Kwame Alexander Focuses On Next Generation. His words helped calm the waters.  They enlighten and uplift.

 

What Kwame said is true for many of us in this kidlit business. It is more fulfilling to focus on children. Children’s authors have responded by sharing their creativity and focusing on the children. I too found an artful outlet by creating a meme using the character I introduced in my book, THE KING CAKE BABY.

 

He may be naughty & naked, but the ‪King Cake Baby loves all. I know he believes baby hugs are the best.

KCB hugs FB

It is times like these that literature is a way to help children feel safe and provide comfort. Kwame shared this poem he wrote fifteen years ago.

When

 

When the world is not so beautiful
The flowers waste water
The women can no longer find their song
The children refuse to play
There are no men to teach to love
The ground inside collapses
The coldest winter screams
The summer burns red
The sea is full of blues and the sky opens up
At least I’ll have poetry
A gathering of words
A get-together of emotions
A font of ideas
Hope with wings

 

~ Kwame Alexander, children’s author and poet

 

Read on and go forth and hug!