Children’s picture book Samuel T. Moore of Corte Magore (written in rhyme) tells the adventurous story of Sam, a tenacious land and sea fiddler crab (complete with fiddle and bow) who finds himself on the sandy shores of an idyllic island named Corte Magore. This book teaches children about courage and tenacity; to stand up to bullying; and to fight for that they believe in, while also teaching them about the concept of “home” – all told in one big epic poem. This book is geared towards children ages 3-7.
As promised, here are compelling reasons this book should be in your school’s library:
The book is written in rhyme:
Rhyming verse aids in early-development learning and recall.
By playing with the short texts of rhymes, children explore the mechanics of the English language. They find out how language works and become familiar with the relationship between the 44 sounds of English and the 26 alphabet letters – information which helps them when they begin reading to decode the sounds that make up words. The value of this type of language-play with rhymes in early learning is both underestimated and undervalued.
The book utilizes many different poetic devices that can be difficult to teach like alliteration, point-of-view, stanza, meter, reputation, assonance, personification, and my personal favorite, Onomatopoeia, which utilizes words which imitate sound.. Poetic devices are used to take the reader to a different time or place and helps with imagery.
Poetry can follow a strict structure, or none at all, but many different types of poems use poetic devices. Poetic devices are tools that a poet can use to create rhythm, enhance a poem’s meaning, or intensify a mood or feeling. These devices help piece the poem together, much like a hammer and nails join planks of wood together.
Books Written in Prose May Be a Dying Art:
Authors like Seuss and Silverstein paved the way for poetry in children’s literature, yet it’s hard to find new children’s books today written in prose. Carol Hurst at http://www.Booksintheclassroom.com intimates why it’s best to not let this great art die.
…along came Shel Silverstein (Shel Silverstein’s website). He wrote poems about picking your nose and selling your baby sister and adults (some of them) winced and kids guffawed and kids’ poetry was changed forever. Now we’ve got the gamut of emotions and subjects in kids poetry. Poetry, of course, be it for child or adult (and the distinction is not always clear) is very much a matter of perception. Poems speak to the individual, even more than stories do, and some are not speaking to you — at least not right now. The rules of poetry selection are the same as for the selection of any kind of literary material that you’re going to use with your kids. It must speak to you as the living breathing adult you are before you can help it speak to kids. If it’s supposed to be funny, it should make you laugh or at least smile. If it’s supposed to be sad, it should choke you up a bit. If it’s a description of a thing or a feeling, it should help you see it or feel it in a new way.
So, which of all the books of poetry will you choose for your classroom? Every one you can afford.
And, that’s all just a start. Tomorrow, you can expect to see me add to my list. Rather than saving this post as a draft, I think I’ll go ahead and publish it now.
As always, thanks for the ear!
Tonia
I’ve arranged a special hardcover book price for October. You can order an autographed book for $12.99 + shipping.
Stock up for the perfect holiday gift for that little loved one in your life.
Cheers!
Tonia Allen Gould
Check out our video to learn more about Team Finding Corte Magore’s first visit to the agricultural area of La Dalia, Nicaragua. When we arrived at the schoolhouse on a reputable coffee plantation, we began to understand the educational needs of the children who live there. Many of these children held a crayon in their hands for the very first time.
Our goal is to crowd-fund a “social good” island in Nicaragua to raise awareness to the children who may drop out of school before reaching the sixth grade. In an effort to promote dreaming amongst children at home and abroad–our goal is to rename the island Corte Magore, after a fictional island in the children’s picture book, Samuel T. Moore of Corte Magore. The main character in this story had to overcome a lot of challenges to accomplish his goal of building a life for himself. We believe, with a little help from students and teachers in the US, crowdfunders, and the Finding Corte Magore project, the children in Nicaragua too can dream of a better life for themselves.
See you on Corte Magore!
Tonia Allen Gould
Author and Founder of the Finding Corte Magore Project
Thanks to Connie, the proprietor at Mrs. Figs’ Bookworm for the great book signing today! If you haven’t checked out her delightful bookstore in Camarillo, please do so and don’t forget to ask for your copy of Samuel T. Moore of Corte Magore while you are there.
Children’s picture book author, Tonia Allen Gould, wants to crowd-fund an island to bring awareness to the children of Nicaragua who drop out of school, on average, by the sixth grade.
The Finding Corte Magore Project works virtually to connect a global community of students and crowd funders in real time with the plight of educationally and economically repressed Nicaragua. The project incorporates social entrepreneurialism, gamification, and augmented reality and involves showcasing, purchasing and managing, through collective voting processes, one of the country’s own small, yet beautiful islands to create awareness, coupled with sustainable, positive and long-term impact on the country’s people.
Samuel T. Moore of Corte Magore Original Musical Score by Robby Armstrong, Copyright (C) Tonia Allen Gould, All Rights Reserved.
Hello,
I am pleased to recommend Tonia Allen Gould as a speaker for child related events -and adults as well.
I am a den leader for a group of Tiger Cub Scouts (first graders). Our meeting plan was how media is used to reach large audiences. I read about Tonia and her book Samuel T. Moore of Corte Magore on our neighborhood Facebook page and decide to contact her about speaking to the boys.
Tonia accepted and her presentation was more than I could hope for. The other dens (2nd and 3rd grade) joined us. She told the boys how she got the idea for her story, and how she turned the idea into an interactive and animated children’s book. She showed them the story that had music, narration and pictures. The story itself is wonderful for kids (and adults) about overcoming adversity to make your dreams come true and Tonia’s personal story is living proof. It was a great experience on many levels. All of the boys were engaged and interested. They were thrilled to meet an author and have signed books to take home.
I highly recommend Tonia and feel honored to know her.
Sincerely,
Victoria Turk
The “proposed” layout for the Samuel T. Moore of Corte Magore soft-cover book jacket came back from my publisher today. I’ll see the hard-cover version soon. I’m sure we’ll make some changes, but this sure is exciting!
