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I love book sales, particularly library book sales, and last week I hit a gold mine at the annual Plano (TX) Public Library used book sale. Of course, I’m always digging for poetry, but I rarely run across any volumes that I do not already have. But this time… bingo!... I found nearly 30 fabulous out-of-print titles. This is a bittersweet moment, because I’m sad that they’re no longer on the library shelves and I wonder how often (or whether they’ve been) checked out and shared. But I’m tickled to give these orphans a home and will pore over them to enjoy poems that are new to me, even if the books are old.
In particular, I bought several collections written and/or edited by the Grande Dame of poetry for children, Myra Cohn Livingston, including:
No Way of Knowing; Dallas Poems (1980)
--can you guess why I love this collection and was so excited to get my own copy? Myra lived in my city for 12 years (1952-1964), and the poetry here is a tribute to a local woman and the African American community here
Poems of Christmas (1984)
I Like You, If You Like Me; Poems of Friendship (1987)
--although Myra published plenty of her own poetry, she was also a gifted anthologist who assembled beautiful collections with amazing range, like these two
Worlds I Know (1985)
--a child’s point of view on spending time with family, especially grandparents
Higgledy-Piggledy (1986)
--Peter Sis illustrates every page with tiny sketches of the perfect boy, Higgledy-Piggledy, lampooned by a contemptuous peer
Sea Songs (1986)
--if I remember correctly, these “song” collections (also Earth Songs, Sky Songs, Space Songs) were some of the first anthologies to appear in picture book form with double-page spread art (expressive paintings by Leonard Everett Fisher). Very visual, with only one poem on each double-page.
There Was a Place (1988)
--such poignant poems from the child’s point of view about living with divorced parents or in “broken homes” and coping with separation
If I had to pick only ONE of these to reissue, I think I’d go with this one. The short, rhyming poems are so true, so direct, and sadly timeless. Kids worry so much when their families hit a rough spot—sometimes we forget how much they observe and feel. Here’s the first poem from the book, just as a sample:
Lost Dog
by Myra Cohn Livingston
When I came home
and you weren’t there
I wondered,
worried—tell me where
you went
and why you
left
alone.
I’ve called and called.
Why are you gone?
Why did you leave?
Where did you roam?
When will you sniff your long way home?
from: Livingston, Myra Cohn. 1988. There Was a Place and Other Poems. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, p.1
Why are these wonderful books all out of print? Why is nearly impossible to find nearly any of Myra’s books in print? It’s just crazy! So many of today’s poets learned at her feet. And so much of her poetry (and her collections) feels so timeless.
Her birthday is coming up soon (August 17), and although she is no longer with us, please dig around for her work on the library shelves and in anthologies. (Check out my Aug. 17 posting in 2007 for a more thorough tribute to Myra.) By the way, the Children's Literature Council of Southern California presents a Myra Cohn Livingston award for outstanding poetry each year. Lovely legacy!
It's not too late to check out the Poetry Friday gathering at The Miss Rumphius Effect.
Posting and poem by Sylvia M. Vardell © 2009. All rights reserved.
Image credit: tularepubliclibrary.wordpress.com
I’m a dog person and a photography buff, so finding this new collection of dog poetry, Loose Leashes, illustrated with photographs was especially fun. This is a “first” book for both the poet, Amy Schmidt, and the illustrator, her husband, Ron Schmidt. It’s a picture book collection of 16 poems (plus a bonus poem on the back cover), with each poem presented in its own double-page spread. The poem appears on a solid color page on the left, with the clever color dog photo-portrait on the right (except for “The Battle of the Bone” which features dueling dogs on each side of the center fold). The book’s designer also deserves a nod, because the choices of color, font, and layout are equally appealing AND sophisticated, not an easy tightrope to walk.
The poems and pictures are pure fun, with 16 different dogs (and breeds) showcased in a variety of human-like activities, from driving to skating to reading to surfing to sledding. But they’re also depicted bathing, sleeping, and swimming in more dog-like poses. Still, in each photograph and poem, the personification is deadpan clever, with a stop-motion sense of personality. Each poem also includes a tiny name in parentheses in the bottom left-hand corner. I really wanted to know if these were the REAL names of these doggies. If not, they’re quite witty—as in the dueling Chihuahuas, Pip and Squeak.
The poems offer a fun variety of poetic forms, including quatrains, tercets, haiku, list poems, question poems, and even a limerick! An impressive debut effort. Here’s my favorite:
Monte
and the Demise of His Eyes
by Amy Schmidt
There once was a dog that could read
With amazing page-turning speed.
People thought it an act,
But it was a fact—
This dog was an uncommon breed.
One evening a strange thing occurred.
While reading, his sight became blurred.
He squinted his eyes
But was sadly surprised
To see lines blurred, word into word.
A vet claimed, “Your dog is all right.
Just weak eyes affecting his sight.”
The dog got new glasses,
Began taking classes,
And now he is learning to write!
(Monte)
Schmidt, Amy. 2009. Loose Leashes. Ill. by Ron Schmidt. New York: Random House.
Loose Leashes is reminiscent of the work of William Wegman and communicates the same love for the canine species, beginning with the “furry” endpages front and back. A final component is the inclusion of “Furry Facts” on each featured dog, noting favorite songs, pet peeves and secret facts for each subject— continuing the sense of nonsense. (I had wished for a bit more info about the dogs, their names, and their breeds, but that may be just me.) A photo of a bright red fire hydrant opens and closes the book, too. Wink. Wink.
There are many other puppy poetry books to connect with this one (and I’ve posted that list before), so I would suggest that kids share photographs and stories about their own dogs-- and consider posing them in human-like activities (with parental permission and guidance) to inspire further creative writing and photography. It’s irresistible! (I put a tiny sombrero on my son’s little Yorkie just last night!)
If you haven’t already done so, join the Poetry Friday sharing at Lisa Chellman’s blog at Under the Covers.
Image credit: http://looseleashes.com/index.php
Posting (not poem) by Sylvia M. Vardell © 2009. All rights reserved.
Last Friday, I posted "A Puppy for the White House" by J. Patrick Lewis, an original, unpublished poem he wrote alongside his friend, poet Rebecca Kai Dotlich, in response to her challenge to "Write me a poem from a puppy's point of view for the new position in the White House. I'll do the same thing. Let's don't share until we're both done. We'll call it a poetry game in honor of the Obama girls and the new puppy they will be choosing :)." What fun!
Now, I'd like to showcase Rebecca's poem, which she says takes place after the dog has settled into the first term. Fun thought! This time, I've experimented with VizzVox in trying to incorporate both images AND audio in creating an audiovisual poem presentation for Rebecca's poem, "Tales from a White House Puppy." Enjoy!
Just in case there's a technical glitch, here is the poem in its entirety, used with permission.
Tales from a White House Puppy
by Rebecca Kai Dotlich
It's all brand new to me, this place
on Pennsylvania Avenue.
My girls are sweet, the cook is jolly.
The treats are tops, and what a view.
The White House rocks on holidays,
strings of lights, real Christmas trees.
I was in charge of bows and holly,
Allowed to nap through ritzy teas.
My days are packed with pooch surprise
at 1600 on the Avenue.
A princely place for a pup, by golly.
The girls are calling! -- Toodle-oo.
And for more Poetry Friday, thank you, Laura Purdie Salas!
Image credit: www.petshed.com
Thanks to Sondra LaBrie at Kane/Miller books, I know that today, Friday, June 20th, is TAKE YOUR DOG TO WORK DAY. Who knew such a “holiday” existed? Being a dog lover, I think this is a fun, if not so practical (if we ALL took our dogs to work) idea. I love the idea of “therapy” dogs at hospitals and health care facilities and found this such a comfort a few years ago when my mom was in the hospital. And when I taught sixth grade years and YEARS ago, I desperately wanted to get a dog and my students helped me find one, so I brought him (“Luther”) to school one day. He was a HUGE hit with the kids and they loved taking care of him. It made me a big fan of classroom pets, too, by the way—a great way to develop nurturing and responsibility skills in kids.
In honor of today’s occasion, I’d like to feature a new collection of dog poetry: Stella, Unleashed; Notes from the Doghouse (Sterling, 2008). Linda Ashman has written a fun and frolicking collection of rhyming poems about a much-loved dog’s life all told from the dog’s (Stella’s) point of view. This colorful picture book collection includes 29 poems organized along seven topics from “meet my family” to “the neighborhood pack.” In the illustrations, we see one family adopting a dog from a shelter in the opening poem, “Lost & Found,” and follow their adventures and their new dog, Stella’s, along with an assortment of other dog and human characters. Stella’s poems focus on her relationship with each family member and family pet (cat, fish), as well as her favorite pastimes and pet (!) peeves.
Paul Meisel’s illustrations across single or double page spreads are delightful, singing with a primitive Norman Rockwell-style narrative pull. The font, poem placement, and use of space create a very pleasing whole worth revisiting many times. Stella, her adopted family, and her poems, all have a lot of personality, with lots of kid appeal. Here’s a sample poem from near the end of the book with a sweet message communicated in a fun way.
Someone for Each of Us
by Linda Ashman
Tall and stately.
Short and stubby.
Brindled, spotted, speckled, shaggy.
Small and perky.
Large and bulky.
Wiry, curly, droopy, saggy.
Sporty, active.
Rough and tumble.
Moody types inclined to brood.
Pampered sorts
who crave attention.
Loners who need solitude.
Humans come in many forms—
different styles, sizes, traits.
Life is sweet,
and much less lonely,
when we find our perfect mates.
From Ashman, Linda. 2008. Stella, Unleashed; Notes from the Doghouse. Ill. by Paul Meisel. New York: Sterling, p. 38-39.
A Teacher’s Guide for this book is available at the author’s Web site.
Pair Stella, Unleashed; Notes from the Doghouse with the new picture book by the fun-loving sister team, Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel, Help Me, Mr. Mutt!: Expert Answers for Dogs with People Problems, for more fun from the dog point of view.
My poetry-loving colleague, Elaine Magliaro, also reviewed Stella, Unleashed on her blog, Wild Rose Reader. Check it out for more insights. (Hint: we agree!)
For more Poetry Friday fun, go to Semicolon.
Picture credit: www.sterlingpublishing.com
From http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1321273390/bctid1334407164
Okay, Woody, I so want to love you again despite your earthly faults (and despite sitting at the table next to yours at the lovely restaurant in the city and watching you let Soon Yi do all the talking while you did all the eating and watching you ignore your table mates-- and, ahem, me as I sang a funny song I wrote for my parents' anniversary and calculated these thoughts as I performed: "Me. Woody. Me being Hilarious. This Could Be my Big Break. Me. Woody's New Muse.") ;>
This clip, a raw glimpse at what happens in a world without writers, made me laugh. Sardonically.
I suppose that's the point.
Our family dog, Caesar, has been with us for over 10 years and saw my kids grow from elementary school to college age. He’s a medium-sized mutt (mostly cocker spaniel), a gentle and sociable soul. We thought we lost him a month ago when he had a major stroke, but he has made an amazing recovery and we are even more grateful to have him around. In honor of Caesar (pictured here) and to commemorate the founding of the American Kennel Club on September 17, 1884, I am showcasing doggie poetry today. Here’s one poem that reflects my own tendency to provide voiceovers for my dog’s behavior and actions:
Pekingese
by Maya Gottfried
MEMO
To: My Person
From: Your Little Friend
Re: My Apologies
I’m sorry about the stain on the piano bench. Accident,
won’t happen again.
And my most sincere regrets about hair on that nice wool suit.
I feel terrible about chewing on your custom-made leather shoes. Though,
they were on the floor.
P.S. Have you seen my chew bone? I was sure that I’d left it on your pillow?
From: Good Dog by Maya Gottfried (Knopf, 2005)
Just for fun: Kids can investigate the drawing contest sponsored by the American Kennel Club. They could make their own drawings of their dogs, another pet, or a pet they might like to have some day. Also for more information about adopting pets that may not be “pedigreed,” they can investigate how to find homeless dogs or cats from area animal welfare organizations across the country. Or some kids may simply want to adopt a virtual pet, or for just plain puppy silliness, choose their favorite dog picture!
Dog poem collections to dig for:
*Arnold Adoff. Friend Dog (HarperCollins, 1980)
*Douglas Florian. Bow Wow Meow Meow (Harcourt, 2003)
*Kristine O’Connell George. Little Dog Poems (Clarion, 1999) and it’s sequel, Little Dog and Duncan (Clarion, 2002)
*Charles Ghigna. Good Dogs/Bad Dogs (Hyperion, 1992)
*Maya Gottfried. Good Dog (Knopf, 2005)
*Lee Bennett Hopkins. A Dog’s Life (Harcourt, 1983) and Pups, Dogs, Foxes, and Wolves: Stories, Poems, and Verse (Albert Whitman, 1979)
*Tony Johnston. It’s about Dogs (Harcourt, 2000)
*Myra Cohn Livingston. Dog Poems (Holiday House, 1990)
*Jack Prelutsky. Dog Days: Rhymes Around the Year (Knopf, 1999)
*Joyce Sidman. The World According to Dog: Poems and Teen Voices (Houghton Mifflin, 2003) and Meow Ruff: A Story in Concrete Poetry (Houghton Mifflin, 2006)
*Marilyn Singer. It’s Hard To Read A Map With A Beagle On Your Lap (Holt, 1993);
A Dog’s Gotta Do What a Dog’s Gotta Do: Dogs at Work (Holt, 2000); The Dog Who Insisted He Wasn’t (Dutton, 1976)
*Amy E. Sklansky. From the Doghouse: Poems to Chew On (Holt, 2002)
*Jane Yolen. Raining Cats and Dogs (Harcourt, 1993).
Hey, poetry lovers, check out the Poetry Friday round up at HipWriterMama's!
I love book sales, particularly library book sales, and last week I hit a gold mine at the annual Plano (TX) Public Library used book sale. Of course, I’m always digging for poetry, but I rarely run across any volumes that I do not already have. But this time… bingo!... I found nearly 30 fabulous out-of-print titles. This is a bittersweet moment, because I’m sad that they’re no longer on the library shelves and I wonder how often (or whether they’ve been) checked out and shared. But I’m tickled to give these orphans a home and will pore over them to enjoy poems that are new to me, even if the books are old.
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Sylvia,
Myra was truly one of the "greats" of children's poetry. I learned so much from her writings--especially her book POEM-MAKING: WAYS TO BEGIN WRITING POETRY. It's a shame that the book is now out of print.
I got some of her older collections when they were discarded from our school library.
Elaine,
Thanks for stopping by. Great to connect over Myra and her work!
Sylvia