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By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 6/8/2014
I have finished the 48 Hour Book Challenge 2014! I read from Friday, June 6, 7am to Sunday, June 8, 7am. I read 8.5 hours on Friday, 8.25 hours on Sat., and 2.25 hours on Sunday morning, for a total of 19.25 hours. That is the most I have read in one weekend in over 11 years!! My eyes are tired but I am happy. I am looking forward to spending today and tomorrow reading all the blogs of other
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 6/8/2014
by Bethany Crandell. Running Press Teens, 2014. Review copy. Cricket Montgomery, a teen used to a privileged life, is sent to work at a summer camp for special needs middle schoolers. She can't be more dismayed and disgusted, until she meets the hottie who becomes her summer love. This is a fun, fast read that reveals healing and a hopeful, empathetic turn around for our princess. The language
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 6/7/2014
by Varian Johnson. Arthur A Levine / Scholastic. 2014, Review copy. This is a fun read about a crew of Middle School kids trying to win a Student Council election. The have a history of pranking and conning the adults at school, but are determined to reform their ways and play by their own version of an honor code called "Rules of Conduct". It's a fast and clever story full of fun and games. A
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 6/6/2014
This is my starting line for Mother Reader's 48 Hour Book Challenge 2014! I am going to spend as much time reading as possible in the next 2 days. I've already blocked off my calendar and prepped my kids. I can't wait to dig in! here's my TBR book pile: And here's my spot: What are you doing this weekend? It's not too late to Drop Everything And Read!!
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 6/3/2014
It's been a while since I've blogged here, but I have been reading, honest! I am coming back to blog about the 9th Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge organized by Mother Reader. It's happening this weekend, June 6 - 8. Basically you read as much as you can for the whole weekend. I am going to be focusing on early Friday morning through Sunday morning, and plan to skip as much housework as possible
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 11/1/2013
Edited and with reflections by Katherine Paterson, Illustrations by Pamela Dalton.Chronicle Books, 2013. (review copy) I was delighted to receive this lovely, timely book in the mail the other day. It is absolutely gorgeously illustrated with paper cut done by Dalton in a sixteenth century German and Swiss technique called "Scherenschnitte" or "scissor cuts," which was brought to the States by
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 10/11/2013
We've been at it again. My poetry sisters have been up to hijinks once again. I've been privileged to be schooled in several poetic forms by these fabulous and talented women before, when we challenged each other to write a crown sonnet , villanelles, and rondeau redoubles. Liz got us going this time by challenging us to write pantoums sparked by the line "I've got better things to do than
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 10/4/2013
Last weekend we went hiking in a state park where there is a large outcropping of rock towering above a creek that winds through the valley. We ate lunch on the top of the ridge with a view that scanned the clouds floating on the horizon, the forest hills, and the tumbling whitewater far below. could be trout far out of casting distance; rushing stream We climbed down the trail
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 9/27/2013
our cherry tree turns yellow; last time you were here tight buds newly green -Andromeda Jazmon Haven't done Friday Poetry in a while but with the changing seasons I am inspired again. I always enjoy a good melancholy haiku. Today's Friday Poetry round up is hosted by Amy at The Poem Farm. Enjoy!
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 5/13/2013
by Mary Holland. Sylvan Dell, 2013. (Review copy). This charming book is packed with gorgeous close-up photographs of a fox kit in his first summer. Holland is a nature photographer and environmental educator doing a fine job of introducing children and adults to the secret lives of foxes . You may think there are no foxes living near you, but if you are in the Northern Hemisphere you might be
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 4/30/2013
Here is a collection of my Instagram photos, updated daily. I am afraid you will have to click on the photo to go to Instagram to read the haiku. Unless I find a photo editor that works on my iPod and figure out how to put the haiku directly onto the image, that is. Anyone help with that? If you are using Instagram and know how to do it can you share? <!-- SnapWidget -->
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 4/18/2013
Today is that rollicking good time day when you are encouraged to carry a poem and share it with friends, family, strangers - pass it around like a smile! It started in NYC several years ago and now is celebrated all over. Go to poets.org for ideas of how to celebrate and poems you can print to carry or share. At my library I am postings and passing out some of my favorites by Langston
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 4/12/2013
I am continuing to post haiga on my Instagram account every day in April, as an exercise for National Poetry Month. The whole collection is gathered here on this post. You can follow me on Twitter or Instagram also. I am experimenting with using Phonto and the Flickr photo editor Aviary to add text so the haiku is directly on the photo. So far I like what I am getting. I wish my iPod
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 4/10/2013
Last month I took part in the Hilary McKay blog tour with an interview focused on her Lulu books. It was such a fun interview - we got to have a fascinating conversation about how she worked with illustrator Patricia Lamont to portray her character Lulu. The publisher, Albert Whitman & Co sponsored the tour and promised to give away copies of the Lulu books to two lucky commentors on my
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 4/8/2013
Every Monday the Kidlit blogosphere hosts a round up of posts about children's and young adult nonficiton books. Today I am hosting with links from all over. If you have a post up leave a comment and put your unique URL in Mr. Linky below. Then come back later in the day or tomorrow to visit all the blogs. My contribution is a recommendation of the book Hand in Hand; Ten Black men Who
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 4/1/2013
Happy April Happy Spring Happy Poetry Month!! In years past I have used this space to post daily haiku and photos all through April. This year I am not going to use the blog to do it. I feel the need to change things up and be more mobile. I want to use my iPod touch to take photos and post haiku on Twitter. I am finding several hashtags in use today, the first day of National Poetry
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 3/29/2013
I had to clear out the text messages in my cell phone this week. I found a poem there! You know how disjointed a text conversations can be, and reading it over you are going backward in time? There is something about the layers of meaning and the unique undercurrents in a conversation between familiars. There is no body language like f2f but there is a flavor, a vibe. It calls to the heart.
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 3/27/2013
I am very excited today to be part of the Hilary McKay Blog Tour! Today she is stopping by for an interview focused mainly on her books Lulu and the Duck in the Park and Lulu and the Dog by the Sea. These two endearing early chapter books are a delight to read. I will be giving away copies to two lucky commentors on today's post, so make sure you stick around and put in your two cents at the
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 3/22/2013
by Carl Sandburg, illustrated by William A. Smith. (First published by Curtis Publishing Co., 1936). Harcourt, Brace & World, 1960 edition. Library discard. I found this sweet little volume titled Wind Song in a pile of library discards once upon a time. In the front is a note in his own handwriting from Mr. Sandburg: "Dear Young Folks, Some poems may please you for half a minute and you
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 3/20/2013
The True Story of the Triple Nickles, American's First Black Paratroopers by Tanya Lee Stone. Candlewick Press, 2013. (Review copy). Excellent nonfiction reading for grades 5 and up. During WWII America's first black paratrooper unit, the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, nicknamed the "Triple Nickles", was lead by First Sargent Walter Morris. Stone's fascinating book tells the story
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 3/15/2013
Last week I posted a Haibun focused on my Clivia plants. Haibun is a Japanese haiku form made famous by Basho's 17c. book A Narrow Road to Deep North, a travel journal filled with haiku. Haibun combined prose writing with poetry; it is haiku wrapped in story. I'd like to continue the story of our Clivia plants in another haibun this week and share what happened at the Longwood Gardens Clivia show
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 3/8/2013
The format for this post is "Haibun", which is a series of haiku wrapped in story. I've added photos from my Flickr set Clivia. Several years ago my dad gave me a Clivia plant that was a young offshoot from the plant my aunt had given my folks. I didn't know anything about Clivia but I like new plants. I just put it in the back of the porch all summer and under the window in the fall/winter. It
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 2/22/2013
by Charles R. Smith, Jr., illustrated by Floyd Cooper. HarperCollins, 2012 (F& G reader's proof) This lovely picture book (all I'm saying is Floyd Cooper, ladies and gentlemen...) tells the story of the building of the white house. In 1792 workers were needed to construct the White House. There weren't enough free labors so the government rented out the work of slaves from Virginia and Maryland
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 2/20/2013
I've been reading two great books on the Great Migration. Between 1915 and 1975 more than 6 million African Americans moved from Southern states to the North and West. Cities like Philadelphia, Washington D.C., New York, Cleveland, Detriot, Chicago, St. Lewis, San Diego and Los Angeles swelled in numbers of Black residents. This phenomena was bigger than the gold rush and the dust bowl as far as
By: Andromeda Jazmon Sibley,
on 2/18/2013
Home Court by Amar'e Stoudemire. Scholastic, 2012. I bought this paperback for my fourth grade son. He loves all kinds of sports but is especially interested in skateboarding and basketball. Both of these sports are featured in an interesting combination of passions in the main character in Stoudemire's opening book of the series. "STAT" (standing tall and talented) is well written and fun to
Sign me up for it! :)