Small Reads for Brighters Days
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) As I type this, I’m watching the sun rise over the horizon of townhomes, and the trees on our backyard retention pond are all frosted in white. Bare ash and aspen turned into lace–so beautiful. We had our first snow yesterday that has actually stuck […]
It’s almost winter! I find myself writing about the seasons over and over again. I circle back to that topic the same way the seasons themselves circle around each year. That’s so comforting to me. Here’s a riddle-ku from Lion of the Sky: Haiku for All Seasons. Can your students guess the answer without looking […]
As time flies faster and faster, sometimes whole seasons seem to disappear in a blur of whirling calendar pages! We’ve just moved, and home is chaotic. But summer is short, and I want to make sure I don’t miss the whole thing. So I’m looking at my book, Lion of the Sky, to identify iconic […]
I so love it when kids (or grown-ups) do their own writing inspired by something I wrote! A virtual book club of 2nd graders at Spradley Elementary in Frisco, TX, read Lion of the Sky and wrote their own zoo-ku in response. Aren’t those fabulous? Can you guess the animals? I love seeing how students […]
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Quick announcement: Monday is the second Write Alone Together free event I’m hosting. Want to write individually, but in community? Check out the details here. The first one, earlier this week, was just lovely! Now, on to Poetry Friday! Y’all might know I love mentor […]
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Howdy, everyone–thanks for your warm thoughts last week. My sister was briefly out of the hospital but is back in 🙁 The yo-yoing back and forth is wearing her down. Anyway, your kind thoughts here and other social media really touched me and my sisters. […]
There’s something about a dandelion. I know many folks hate them, and I admit a yard over-run by them can be…intimidating. But a single beautiful dandelion seedhead…. I seem to have a number of dandelion poems. Here are two from two 2019 picture books, Snowman-Cold=Puddle and Lion of the Sky. The riddle-ku on the left […]
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Well, we won’t be going to see any fireworks this year, but the ones Mercè López created for Lion of the Sky are more glorious, anyway! Now if we could just create a world where the only explosions were fireworks… And for lots of wonderful […]
The world is topsy-turvy right now. My schedule has changed, my income-earning events are being canceled, future family and travel plans are up in the air, and more. But my family is healthy, and I’m focusing on that. I’m also continuing to focus on creativity, flexibility, and kindness. In addition to practical measures, these help […]
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) I am gob-smacked to share that I have THREE books on the 2020 NCTE Poetry Notables list! I am so happy! The committee is made up of teacher educators, poets, and poetry lovers, and I know they spent much time and discussion on creating […]
