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If you are a dreamer, come in, If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar, A hoper, a prayer, a magic bean buyer, If you’re a pretender, come sit by my fire For we have some flax-golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in!
0 Comments on Web of Words: Where the Sidewalk Ends as of 1/1/1900
Here’s the next batch of free activity sheets from children’s book authors and illustrators! Happy creating, colouring and doodling!
Hannah Shaw has written 14 books, both picture books and chapter books, including the brilliant Great Hamster Massacre and School for Bandits (which I reviewed here). You can find out more about her and her work in my interview with her here.
Hannah’s website has plenty of excuses for getting the pens, pencils and scissors out including…
David Melling has created a really handy activity pack full of fun things to do including creating your own goblin family, designing and making your own shield and plenty of colouring in opportunities! He’s also got a useful Teaching Guide to his books which contains even more ideas for getting up to crafty fun.
Shel Silverstein was an American poet, cartoonist, singer-songwriter (he wrote A Boy named Sue, made famous by Johnny Cash) and more. He’s well known in the US, although his famous children’ book The Giving Tree is widely loathed as much as it is loved.
Once again, these activity sheets are great if you’ve read the books in question, but many also work well if you’ve not seen the book so don’t be put off from clicking on through if you’re not familiar with the author/illustrator in question. It’s a great chance to discover someone new to enjoy Display Comments
maggy, red ted art said, on 7/27/2011 1:22:00 AM
I can’t make the David Melling link work?
Thank you again for a lovely round up – we have the Giving Tree and we can’t work out whether we like it or not! But we do read it… a reasonable amount.. so maybe we do?
Maggy
Zoe said, on 7/27/2011 5:01:00 AM
Hi Maggy, the first david melling link is a zip file and the second is a pdf. I’ve just opened them both fine from this page… You could also try via his homepage http://www.davidmelling.co.uk/
I have just spent the day going through all my daughter’s notebooks, art projects, etc. that she brought home at the end of the school year. I came across her notebook entitled Poetry and in it was a poem that she had copied down along with comments on why she had chosen it as her favorite poem. It really struck a chord with me as well and, since it is Poetry Friday, I thought I would share it with you.
No Difference
Small as a peanut,
Big as a giant,
We’re all the same size
When we turn off the light.
Rich as a sultan,
Poor as a mite,
We’re all worth the same
When we turn off the light.
Red, black or orange
Yellow or white,
We all look the same
When we turn off the light.
So maybe the way
To make everything right
Is for God to just reach out
And turn off the light!
When I was teaching, I never entered a classroom without several of Shel Silverstein's wonderful books of poetry. Later, when I substituted, I carried them in my case. And whenever the lessons ran dry or we finished early, out came the hilarious poetry and illustrations of one of the most prolific and humorous authors of our age. When I got my first glimpse of Shel, the man, I wasn't surprised--he looks just like his poetry--odd and different.
In this posting, I just wanted to remind those who are familiar with him so you might find some of his books and read them again--just for laughs; and inform those who have never read him that his work is worth finding. And make sure there is a child beside you as you read and chuckle. Continue reading →
I feel like the White Rabbit here. No time, no time! We’ll have to do this round-up of Fusenews in a quick quick fashion then. Forgive the brevity! It may be the soul of wit but it is really not my preferred strength. In brief, then!
Dean Trippe, its creator, calls it YA. I call it middle grade. I also call it a great idea that we desperately need. COME ON, DC! Thanks to Hark, a Vagrant for the link.
This came out a little less than a year ago, but I find it useful. From American Indians in Children’s Literature, Debbie Reese presents her Top Ten Books Recommended for Elementary School.
The Scop is back! This is good news. It means that not only can author Jonathan Auxier show off a glimpse of his upcoming middle grade novel Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes but he also created a piece of true art: HoloShark with Easter Bunny.
If you know your Crockett Johnson (or your comics) you’ll know that long before Harold and that purple crayon of his the author/illustrator had a regular comic strip called Barnaby. What you may not have known? That it was turned into a stage play.
J.K. Rowling wants to create a Hagrid hut in her backyard? She should get some tips from Laurie Halse Anderson.
Why do we never get sick of Shaun Tan? Because the man is without ego. So if you’ve a mind to, you can learn more about him through these 5 Questions with Shaun Tan over at On Our Minds @ Scholastic.
A lesson plan database? I’ve been saying for years we needed something like that. Smart AASL. Clever ducks.
Thanks to the good people of Lerner, I got to hang out a bit with Klaus Flugge at a dinner in Bologna recently. Not long after he showed The Guardian some of his favorite illustrated envelopes. Hmm. Wouldn’t be bad fodder for a post of my own someday. Not that I have anything to compare to this:
… bite they little heads off, nibble on they tiny feet.
Leila said, on 4/26/2011 3:41:00 AM
In filling my new bookshelves (hooray!) I actually got some of my Three Investigators up there. Where do you put yours? I considered shelving them by series title, since Robert Arthur only wrote the first few, and I thought about filing them under Hitchcock, since that’s who everyone associates them with (and because I have a bunch of those Hitchcock collections), but I ended up putting ‘em in the ‘A’s.
But I still might move them when we add more shelves.
david e said, on 4/26/2011 4:30:00 AM
what rams said. there’s no way i can hear those opening lines by b. kliben and not sing the rest of that song.
what a power-packed post. so much goodness shared, so much to check out!
Elizabeth Bird said, on 4/26/2011 6:11:00 AM
Leila I wish I had enough 3 Investigators to have that problem. Mine are all Arthurs, but if I had a Hitchcock or two I’d probably store ‘em with the Arthur like you did.
Boy, what I wouldn’t give if you did with them what you did with Nancy Drew *hint hint*.
And thanks, David!
Jennifer Schultz said, on 4/26/2011 6:16:00 AM
I love Cake Wrecks-I thought about sending you a link, but I was pretty sure that you were a Cake Wrecks reader!
Elizabeth Fama said, on 4/26/2011 6:27:00 AM
I love Dean Trippe’s and Daniel Krall’s concept for young Lois, too, but the adventures in the proposal aren’t, well, adventurous enough yet (book one: a respected pharmaceuticals representative has cheated on the asthma drug’s safety tests in order to get a promotion and a raise; book two: an elite boarding school is giving scholarships to children of celebrities and politicians…). Also, Clark is influenced by Lois, but they haven’t met at this point, so if Clark’s story is presented separately in the same book, it will sort of stall Lois’s action. There are kinks that need to be worked out, but it’s a great concept. Is DC the only publishing outlet, because they own the characters?
Leila said, on 4/26/2011 6:40:00 AM
Yes! That does make sense — I’d have never even considered shelving Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys under Stratemeyer instead of Keene/Dixon, so Arthur it is… until I dig out my Hitchcocks, that is. *Then* I’ll have to re-evaluate.
I don’t think I could bear to tear up one of the Three Investigators books, as I don’t have as many doubles. But maybe, someday…
Elizabeth Bird said, on 4/26/2011 7:40:00 AM
Agreed. The idea of young Lois is enticing but the writing needs some work. Frankly, I don’t think we need Clark in there at all. But a young gutsy girl reporter middle grade series? Love it! Like Kiki Strike but with some social awareness.
Oh! Not to tear up the 3 Investigators for bags, but rather to do a book by book analysis of the plots, Leila. There’s a lot to pick apart there. Like the fact that they win a week with a personal chauffeur . . . and that week somehow never ends over the course of the entire series.
Kristi Hazelrigg said, on 4/26/2011 10:51:00 AM
Someone suggested to me that Robert Downey Jr. would make a good Haymitch. The more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea. Then there’s the whole “easy on the eye” issue, as well.
Debbie Reese said, on 4/26/2011 11:44:00 AM
Thanks for pointing people to my site!
And on the topic of creating houses… Romance fiction writer Cassie Edwards lives in a mansion modeled after Tara. Smart Bitches took her to task for plagiarism. She plagiarized from many, including N. Scott Momaday.
We reported earlier that HarperCollins will soon releaseEvery Thing On It, a new collection of Shel Silverstein poetry. To prepare, we’ve dug up a video of Silverstein himself reading his poem “Backward Bill” featured in the beloved book, A Light in the Attic.
If you were to ask this elementary teacher of thirty-three years what type of poetry has the biggest impact on students, the thumbs up winner is light verse. Light verse is defined as "poetry that is playful or humorous and usually rhymed." If we extend the umbrellas of "light verse" to include such poetry as what we find in the late Shel Silverstein's Where the Sidewalk Ends or Falling Up, which is full of quirks, surprise rhymes, and free verse, then light verse is music to soul of most elementary students.
Children love the poetry books of Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, Judith Viorst, Bruce Lansky, Jeff Moss, and Kalli Dakoa. At first glance their poems look easy to write. Just pick a topic — any topic — from apples to zebras, and write a poem. You don't have to worry...
A lot of people stop by this site because they’re curious to learn what it takes to not only write a children’s book, but to write a successful one. Some authors appear at workshops where they charge hundreds of dollars to dispense such insider tips. Not me. Today, I’m giving the good stuff out for free. I only ask that you thank me in your acknowledgements and cut me in on any foreign rights. It’s a fair trade for this invaluable wisdom. Let’s get down to it.
First off, the old advice is often the best advice. Write what you know. Do you know a puppy that’s a bit poky? How about some teenagers who hunt each other for sport? Connecting with children is about connecting with the world around you. A few monkeys don’t hurt either. That’s right. Forget wizards, vampires and zombies. Monkeys are what distinguish great children’s books. Try to imagine The Secret Garden without Jose Fuzzbuttons, the wisecracking capuchin whose indelible catchphrase “Aye-yaye-yaye, Mami, hands off the yucca!” is still bandied about schoolyards today? I don’t think you can.
Of course, the magic that is artistic inspiration must find its way in there. So how do you grab hold of it? Christopher Paolini swears by peyote-fueled pilgrimages to the Atacama Desert. I’m more of a traditionalist. A pint of gin and a round of Russian Roulette with Maurice Sendak always gets my creative juices flowing. Have fun. Experiment. Handguns and hallucinogens need not be involved. Though I see no reason to rule them out. Find what works for you.
Now, you’ll inevitably face a little writer’s block. There are two words that cure this problem and cure it quick. Public Domain. Dust off some literary dud and add spice to it. Kids dig this stuff. For instance, you could take some Edith Wharton and inject it with flatulence. The Age of Innocence and Farts. Done. Easy. Bestseller.
I give this last bit of advice with a caveat. Resist the temptation to write unauthorized sequels to beloved classics. I speak from experience. My manuscripts for You Heard What I Said Dog, Get Your Arse Outta Here! and God? Margaret Again…I’m Late have seen the bottom of more editors’ trash cans than I care to mention. Newbery bait? Sure. Immune to the unwritten rules of the biz? Hardly.
Okay, let’s jump forward. So now you’ve got your masterpiece, but how the heck are you going to sell the thing? Truth be told, you’re going to need an advanced degree first. As anyone will inform you, kid lit authors without PhDs or MFAs are rarely taken seriously. If you can’t work Derrida or Foucault into a pitch letter, then you certainly can’t survive a 30-minute writing workshop with Mrs. Sumner’s 5th period reading class. So invest 60-100K and 3-6 years of your life. Then let the bidding war begin.
In the off chance that your book isn’t going to sell for six figures, try blackmail. Sounds harsh, but the children’s book industry runs almost exclusively on hush money and broken kneecaps. I mean, Beverly Cleary doesn’t even own a car. So why is she always carrying a tire iron?
Money is now under the mattress and the editorial process begins. Don’t worry at all about this. Editors won’t even read your book. They’ll simply call in Quentin Blake for some illustrations and then run the whole thing through a binding machine they keep in the back of the o
2 Comments on How to Write an Award Winning, Bestselling Children’s Book, last added: 4/1/2011
Everyone getting ready for Poetry Month in April? What have you got planned? If you’re looking for last-minute ideas, we have just made available a brand-new Shel Silverstein Poetry Month Event Kit online! Check it out here.
And here’s the poem for today, just in time for spring – I think we’ve all been in this situation at one time or another:
GLUB-GLUB
by Shel Silverstein
He thought it was
The biggest puddle
He’d go splashing through.
Turns out it was the smallest lake –
And the deepest, too.
As mentioned last week, we’re sharing Shel Silverstein poems every Poetry Friday this month – we want to celebrate upcoming Poetry Month and Shel Silverstein’s upcoming brand-new collection of poetry and drawings, EVERY THING ON IT.
I flipped through A LIGHT IN THE ATTIC, looking for something perfect to fit this day or week. And then I thought this one captured the springtime weather perfectly. Here’s to warmer days ahead!
HERE COMES
Here comes summer,
Here comes summer,
Chirping robin, budding rose.
Here comes summer,
Here comes summer,
Gentle showers, summer clothes.
Here comes summer,
Here comes summer –
Whoosh — shiver — there it goes.
Call him the Tupac Shakur of children’s books. Or maybe that title should go to Margaret Wise Brown. In any case, it seems that every ten years or so we get a new Shel Silverstein book or collection of poems entirely out of the blue (I’m counting Falling Up, and Runny Babbit when I say that). At some point this will inevitably lead to an Elvis situation, wherein folks will start claiming that Silverstein never actually died and is currently holed up somewhere in Amherst, MA, biding his time, releasing his books on his own schedule. This is, of course, wishful thinking on my part since Silverstein is the author who was alive during my lifetime that I would have most liked to have met. Watch out, Steven Kellogg. You’re #2. In any case, here’s the scoop on the newest Silverstein. The man’s still got it / had it.
Sometimes you want to unlearn something you have learned. Beware then, my readers. Once you read this you can never go through life not knowing about it.
Now that is how it is done! Over the Atlantic the British blog Playing by the book has posted a quite remarkable little piece on an exhibit currently showing at the Imperial War Museum in Britain (where I once bought this poster). In the blog post How to explore war with children?, we are told that, “Once Upon a Wartime, an exhibition which opened earlier this month at London’s Imperial War Museum, takes five children’s novels about war and conflict and uses them as a starting point to explore what war can mean for children.” The five books in question include War Horse by Michael Morpurgo, Carrie’s War by Nina Bawden, The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier, The Machine Gunners by Robert Westall and Little Soldier by Bernard Ashley. Of these I am ashamed to say I have only read Carrie’s War (which is brilliant). The post then goes on to talk about the exhibits and shows copious photographs. It’s enough to make you pine, once again, for England. Thanks to Sara Lewis Holmes for the link.
I have this fantasy that someday I’ll conduct a video conversation with Travis Jonker where we converse entirely by holding up the titles of children’s books (after all, we know he’s ace with a video cam). I think of such things when he makes similar projects look easy. Take, for example, his latest book spine cento. It’s all in preparation to get you guys excited about making your own book spine poems for Poetry Month. I know I’m tempted. Spine it up!
So glad you liked my posts about the Imperial War Museum! The last space in in the exhibit was a library of (mostly) children’s fiction about war and conflict – I’ve now been provided with the list of books included in that section of the exhibition and will be posting the list next week in Playing by the book.
Tom Angleberger said, on 3/5/2011 4:59:00 AM
Re: Ralph Lauren: reminds me of a certain book by John Newbery.
Liz B said, on 3/5/2011 5:42:00 AM
I adore the book Silver Sword/ Escape From Warsaw. Love, love, love it. Almost enough to fly to London just to see that part of the exhibit.
Genevieve said, on 3/5/2011 5:43:00 AM
YES YES YES for the Nancy Eckholm Burkert illustrations for James and the Giant Peach. I don’t have my childhood edition anymore and I missed those pictures sorely when we got the book from the library and it turned out to have the Quentin ones. They just don’t have enough of the depth that lays just below the surface of this book.
Scope Notes said, on 3/5/2011 7:17:00 AM
Love your Silverstein/Tupac analogy. I look forward to the day when both return from the isolated islands they’ve been hiding out on since faking their own deaths. How else to explain their level of posthumous output? Also, thanks for the book spine poetry shout-out – it’ll be cool to see what folks come up with.
Emma Walton Hamilton said, on 3/5/2011 8:15:00 AM
Thank you so much for the shout-out, Elizabeth! I’d be honored to be a part of your children’s lit salon anytime – New York is an easy 2 hour drive from Sag Harbor.
Warmly,
Emma Walton Hamilton
Nathan Hale said, on 3/5/2011 8:41:00 AM
“Boys and girls can dress up and down, they can be sporty or elegant.” I won’t lie, I want to experience this R.L. Gang.
Joanna said, on 3/5/2011 11:00:00 AM
Fusenews andZoe thanks so much for the information on the Imperial Museum’s new Once Upon a Wartime exhibition. Sounds worth another trip to London to see friends. Loved Cacrrie’s War and the Silver Sword. Actually I did a blog review last week for an awesome picture book about War/peace called “The Enemy” by David Cali and Serge Bloch.
Please pursue your idea of a Children’s Literary Salon, and may I add support to your thoughts of inviting Emma Walton Hamilton. I came across Emma’s blog, Emmasaries, last year and have subsequently followed her online course on writing Picture books, Justwriteforkids and am a member of the ChildrensBookHub. The skills, information and encouragement I have received from all three resources have been phenomenal. Emma is not just an author but an individual gifted in, and motivated by, helping other writers reach their vision.
I now need to check out a Curious Collection of Cats.
Patricia Tilton said, on 3/5/2011 3:03:00 PM
Just read your comment about the good advice available to authors on Emma Walton Hamilton’s Blog. I just happen to be a member of the Hub, the very informative virtual literary salon Emma has created for both published and aspiring authors. Emma holds two teleseminars a month for members: one Q&A with Emma and the others are interviews with authors, agents, publishers and so on. For me, the Hub is laying a wonderful foundation for members. It is so nice to be part of a literary community where you can learn from an outstanding author, editor and educator, but at the same time develop a creatve and supportive bond with a group of writers. Hope others will check out the Children’s Book Hub.
elizabethanne said, on 3/5/2011 3:25:00 PM
Great post!
I’d like to alert you and your readers to a wonderful Canadian middle-grade trilogy about children evacuated to Canada during World War II — gives an excellent perspective on that aspect of the war and its effect on children: Look for “The Guests of War” trilogy by Kit Pearson. The individual titles are “The Sky is Falling”, “Looking at the Moon”, and “The Lights Go on Again”.
And I’m delighted to see your mention of Emma Walton Hamilton’s blog and Children’s Book Hub. I can highly recommend both — Emma has taught me so much as I progress in my writing career. She is a gem!
Are you Team Steinfeld? Team Lawrence? (Or Team Somebody New? Hailee Steinfeld leads the poll to star in “Hunger Games,” though finding an “unknown” to embody the role of Katniss might be pretty stellar. In other YA news,... Read the rest of this post
Hopefully all of you heard the buzz yesterday about the title and cover reveal at The Huffington Post for the new collection of poems and drawings by Shel Silverstein, EVERY THING ON IT. Here’s the fabulous cover:
It is on-sale September 20, 2011.
To celebrate the reveal and next month’s celebration of poetry, it makes sense to share a Shel poem today. This is a poem that I actually recited in a poetry competition in fifth grade so it has a special place in my heart – it’s a personal favorite:
SICK
by Shel Silverstein
“I cannot go to school today,”
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
“I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I’m going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I’ve counted sixteen chicken pox
And there’s one more – that’s seventeen,
And don’t you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut, my eyes are blue –
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I’m sure that my left leg is broke –
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button’s caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle’s sprained,
My ‘pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb,
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow’s bent, my spine ain’t straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is — what?
What’s that? What’s that you say?
You say today is…Saturday?
G’bye, I’m going out to play!”
I found that hilarious in fifth grade…but, even as adults, don’t we all want to claim all these illnesses to get a day off work! Still hilarious.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
“Sick” from WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS, 30th ANNIVERSARY EDITION
by Shel Silverstein
ISBN 9780060572341
HarperCollins has revealed the cover and title of a posthumously published Shel Silverstein poetry collection: Everything On It. The publisher will print one million copies of the September release.
Here’s more about the book: “With more than one hundred and thirty never-before-seen poems and drawings completed by the cherished American artist and selected by his family from his archives, this collection will follow in the tradition and format of his acclaimed poetry classics.”
Silverstein passed away in 1999, but his children’s poetry collections(Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic) have a dedicated audience. The poet, illustrator and songwriter hesitated to enter the children’s market until he met the legendary children’s editor Ursula Nordstrom and she convinced him to try.
When I first started to work for New York Public Library I was placed at an amazing near 150-year-old part of the system called the Jefferson Market Branch in Greenwich Village. My husband once shot a fantastic short film there in the clocktower, and I believe a Law & Order episode took place there once involving a man and a sword. This little PSA is also set there and takes advantage not only of the architecture (gorgeous, right?) but also my former boss Frank who takes great glee in his role as Library Ghoul. Love you, Frank!
I’m not entirely certain the universe is big enough for me to imagine Weird Al and Shel Silverstein having a conversation with one another. But huge thanks to Mr. Schu for this amazing piece of info.
I would have watched Uncle Shelby’s Corner. Absolutely, you bet!
Recently I was asked to blurb a new edition of Oscar Wilde’s The Selfish Giant. Now normally I’d think twice about that kind of request because, let’s face it, Oscar Wilde was one weird children’s author. We sometimes think of Hans Christian Andersen as an odd duck (Red Shoes, anyone?) but I doubt he ever created much of anything to compare to The Happy Prince and its ilk. The Selfish Giant has always been way too didactic for my tastes (too much of an allegory) but there is a way to make it palatable. First off, you give the book great art. Then, if possible, you hire an orchestra and turn the book into a kind of Peter and the Wolf type gig. Here’s a taste.
Cool, eh?
I wouldn’t call this next video of a jazzed up version of The Three Bears any real threat to Hey There, Little Red Riding Hood, but it’s still interesting.
This week I was pleased to be asked to come up with a list of great Black History Month titles for our local channel NY1’s coverage of what to read with your kids. Fellow librarian Robyn Mutnick did a top notch job of presenting the books themselves.
I should note that there was one change made to the books I recommended
0 Comments on Video Sunday: Uncle Shelby’s Corner as of 1/1/1900
Publisher Black Ocean has made an unconventional offer to its most unconventional fans–if you get a tattoo inspired by one of the press’ books, you will receive a lifetime subscription to its titles.
Here’s the deal: “If you’d like to get a tattoo inspired by a Black Ocean title, you too can receive a lifetime subscription and become a Black Oceanographer for life! Just send us a picture of you getting your tattoo (so we know it’s not simply a magic marker), or find one of us in person and expose yourself to us (with fair warning).”
Three readers have already received lifetime subscriptions for tattoos, including Rebecca H.’s tattoo inspired by “The Center of Worthwhile Things” from The Man Suit (pictured, via). UPDATE: Earlier this year, we found out that Kurt Vonnegut, e.e. cummings, and Shel Silverstein are the most popular literary tattoo inspirations.
Twilight tattoos are not the only contenders on the literary tattoo playing field. Novelist Justin Taylor and literary agent Eva Talmadge collaborated on a nonfiction compilation of literary tattoos based on their blog, tattoolit.com.
The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide came out this week from Harper Perennial and the trailer is embedded above. We caught up with the authors to talk about how the book came to be.
E = Eva Talmadge
J = Justin Taylor
Q: From your experience, which book/author receives the most tattoo requests?
E: Kurt Vonnegut and e.e. cummings are probably the most popular authors when it comes to literary tattoos.
J: And of course, if we had wanted to we could have done an entire book of just Shakespeare.
Q: Which children’s book illustrations are most popular?
E: Shel Silverstein, by far.
Q: What was the most interesting “story” behind a tattoo?
E: Best story by far is how Jamie Garvey of Gainesville, Florida, came to copy his e.e. cummings tattoo (“how do you like your blue-eyed boy now, mr. death?”) off the one and only Harry Crews.
Poems for Advanced Children and Beginning Parents
by John Ciardi
illustrated by Becky Gaver
Houghton Mifflin 1975
A somewhat lackluster collection of poems for children by an otherwise great American poet who might have been caught in the trade winds of children's poetry...
I have read various collections of Ciardi's poems over the years and find him to be rather sturdy when it comes to
Kids’ books: This ‘March Madness’ is literally playing by the book
“School Library Journal is sponsoring a “Battle of the Kids’ Books.” Patterned after the wildly popular NCAA March Madness, the “Battle of the Kids’ Books” pits 16 topnotch children’s books against each other and asks popular children’s-book authors to choose a winner.”
10 of the best: heroes from children’s fiction
Don’t miss this photo essay featuring 10 heroes and heroines from children’s fiction including Huckleberry Finn, Anne Shirley and Petrova Fossil. All-New Shel Silverstein Poetry Collection Due in 2011
This week HarperCollins Children’s Books announced the fall 2011 release of a collection of never-before published Shel Silverstein poems and illustrations.
Alabama youth reading Mark Twain to promote literacy
Throughout Alabama, children, big kids and families are reading or re-reading Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ event The Big Read.
Author Name Pronunciation Guide
Ever wondered how you pronounce tricky authors’ names? This site offers a collection of brief recordings of authors & illustrators saying their names. Check out the recording from Adam Rex, a favorite of First Book staff member and author Erica Perl.
1. intended for instruction; instructive: didactic poetry.
2. inclined to teach or lecture others too much: a boring, didactic speaker.
3. teaching or intending to teach a moral lesson.
4. didactics, (used with a singular verb) the art or science of teaching.
If you were to read Scarlet Whisper’s origin story (Action Comics #666), you’d learn that as a child, I attended Sunday School every week.
In these moral fiber knitting sessions, sweet little old ladies shared a lot of “application stories.” Some sort of flip chart, poster board, flannel graph, or book story was presented in order to “teach a lesson.”
These stories were didactic by design.
They were also usually boring.
Take a gander at some of the lovely illustrations from actual examples.
Look closely: Are they children or frolicking Stepford robots?
In these stories, the pictures and words are all about telegraphing an explicit message. Ala After School Special mode, the reader is told how to think about a given situation.
One of the more “edgy” stories…
Maybe that’s why I always hated those stories. When a book does all the heavy lifting, by answering all the important questions, what is left for the reader to do?
The best stories allow the reader to grapple with questions and issues for themselves. The message is oblique and awaits discovery.
Maybe that’s why my favorite application story was never Grandma Takes Rainbow Kitty to the Dentist or Too Much Candy for Tommy Tuttle.
Instead, I always prayed the little old ladies would read The Giving Tree again. The spare illustrations and simple words leave a lot the imagination, but it’s Shel Silverstein’s message which stayed with me all these years.
Once there was a tree...
I’d love to know what you think about the modes and messages of books.
Hungry for more?
Check out this wonderful discussion on didactism in children’s literature. And you might enjoy my Seven Layer Bars. These gooey sweet treats are a lot to chew on.
Seven Layer Bars
Ingredients:
1/2 cup real butter
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup milk choc. chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet choc. chips
6 Comments on D is for Didactic, last added: 3/11/2010
I totally agree that Tommy Tuttle’s candy binge is way too heavy handed to be interesting. To anyone!
I love the subtle messages that books hold and despise being beat over the head with moralistic tales.
Thanks for bringing this very important consideration to mind. I have one manuscript that needs a bit of tweakiing to take out the teaching and leave it to my characters to learn their way through the piece.
jmartinlibrarian said, on 3/10/2010 10:30:00 AM
Thanks! You wouldn’t believe how many times I get book donations for these types of books. Yech.
Jamie said, on 3/10/2010 12:44:00 PM
It’s HANDS down my all time favorite book. Every time I read it, I cry.
Jemi Fraser said, on 3/10/2010 4:33:00 PM
I hate being battered over the head with the moral. Readers are not stupid and should not be led around by the nose. My students prefer more complex stories and issues as well. No patronizing allowed!
jmartinlibrarian said, on 3/11/2010 6:02:00 AM
I know. Simple doesn’t mean shallow. I heart that story.
jmartinlibrarian said, on 3/11/2010 6:03:00 AM
Amen, Jemi. Your students are so lucky to have a teacher that realizes that.
Today we have a figuring-it-out high five from Karl Jansky, the father of radio astronomy.
I think listening is one of the hardest things to do: to listen to characters, to listen to your critiquers, to listen to your editors, to listen to your own heart. I came across this story recently and was deeply inspired by it. This story illustrates the importance of listening.
In 1932 Karl Jansky was investigating the vast amount of static found in transatlantic radio telephone service. In the silence he heard a hiss of unknown origin. This hiss rose and fell once a day. He rotated his antennae in every direction searching for the source of the sound. It wasn't coming from Earth, but from space. He realized the sound was coming from no nearby source like the planets or the sun.
It was coming from the heart of the Milky Way. This discovery was the birth of radio astronomy. It changed the way we view the universe.
So stop and listen today. What do you hear? What does it mean? Will it change everything? I hope so.
That's today's cup of java. Come back tormorrow for another cup of the hot stuff. :) Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be. Shel Silverstein
0 Comments on Day 22 of the Golden Coffee Cup: Listen as of 1/1/1900
In honor of the way I feel today (which is not so great), I thought I would write about one of my very favorite wacky poems–”Sick” by Shel Silverstein. I remember this poem from my first grade teacher, Ms. Bauer, when she shared Where the Sidewalk Ends with us. As soon as I became a teacher, I had my own copies of Shel Silverstein’s books to share with my students. Children and adults are so scared of poetry, but poetry is really not that scary–especially Shel Silverstein poetry. So share it with your children, students, fellow teachers, and your favorite pets.
“Sick” is a great, funny poem with one of those twist endings. Little Peggy Ann McKay makes up several reasons why she cannot go to school today from having the mumps to a hangnail. At the end of the poem, she discovers that it is Saturday; and believe it or not, all of her illnesses just disappear. That genius Shel Silverstein does it again!
Read this poem to your students, and talk about the twist at the end. Can they think of another way the poem could end–another twist? You can also talk to them about the rhyme scheme and word choices that Silverstein made when writing this poem. Children will enjoy illustrating this poem, also.
Share your favorite Shel Silverstein poem with us! When did you first learn about this poet? Let us know in the comments below.
LEGO Star Wars Character Encyclopedia
You Have to Stop This (Secret) 
The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories 
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Here’s the next batch of free activity sheets from children’s book authors and illustrators! Happy creating, colouring and doodling!
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I can’t make the David Melling link work?
Thank you again for a lovely round up – we have the Giving Tree and we can’t work out whether we like it or not! But we do read it… a reasonable amount.. so maybe we do?
Maggy
Hi Maggy, the first david melling link is a zip file and the second is a pdf. I’ve just opened them both fine from this page… You could also try via his homepage http://www.davidmelling.co.uk/