Today is National Ice Cream Day, an unofficial day to celebrate summer with ice cream. In 1846, the hand-cranked ice cream churn was invented and ice cream cones first appeared at the St. Louis World Exposition in 1904. In honor of the occasion, I’d like to feature a brand new poetry picture book from Canada from the cow’s perspective, Buttercup’s Lovely Day, by Carolyn Beck (Orca, 2008). (Cow – milk – ice cream, get it?)
From the lilting end pages at the beginning with bees buzzing across a buttercup yellow sky and ending with stars twinkling across a deep blue one, this poetry collection is a gem. There are doublepage spreads for each poem with a shifting focus from a closeup on the cow to more pastoral landscape cow-scenes. There are 14 poems set from day to dusk-- with pages darkening from beginning to end-- a kind of lullaby of the day for the reader or listener.
But the poems are not just lyrical pastorals. This poet is not afraid to acknowledge the “cow pies,” cow dung, and the churning cud of cow life, often with clever and humorous details and wordplay. Beck uses a very effective and natural rhyme and a pleasing arrangement of words on the page. The poems’ structure fits the rhythm of the words and story perfectly and the illustrations by (sister) Andrea Beck offer an engaging complement that maximizes the picture book format. Here’s just one sample poem:
I love the dark.
It creeps up on me
like the rising tide
of a gentle sea.
A puddle of grey,
a drift of murk,
a hush, a twitch,
a shift, a lurk.
The mossy musk
of the darkening creek.
A bloop!
A swoop!
A flit. A squeak.
Beck, Carolyn. 2008. Buttercup’s Lovely Day. Ill. by Andrea Beck. Custer, WA: Orca Book Publishers.
If you remember Alice Schertle’s poetry collection, How Now, Brown Cow? (Browndeer/ Harcourt Brace, 1994), it’s the perfect companion to Buttercup’s Lovely Day. TWO cow poetry collections! Who knew?
Or if you’re looking for more Canadian poetry for kids, look for these comprehensive anthologies:
Til All the Stars Have Fallen: Canadian Poems for Children edited by David Booth (Kids Can Press, 1989)
The New Wind Has Wings: Poems from Canada edited by Mary Alice Downie and Barbara Robertson (1984; first published in 1968).
[Thank you, Susan Corapi, for this lovely gift and for helping me learn more about Canadian poetry for kids!]
Join the rest of the Poetry Friday line up hosted by Kelly Fineman today. Thanks, Kelly!
P.S. The brand spankin' new Poet Laureate has just been announced: Kay Ryan.
The new CHILDREN'S Poet Laureate will be announced later this summer. Stay tuned!
Picture credit: www.canlitforkids.com
new posts in all blogs
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Five o clock, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 2 of 2
By: Sylvia Vardell,
on 7/17/2008
Blog: Poetry for Children (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: cow, Canadian poetry, Carolyn Beck, Add a tag
Blog: Poetry for Children (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: cow, Canadian poetry, Carolyn Beck, Add a tag
0 Comments on Buttercup Poems for Ice Cream Day as of 7/18/2008 8:17:00 AM
Add a Comment
By: Valerie Walsh,
on 2/29/2008
Blog: ValGal Art (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: greeting card, Five o' clock, Leap, illustration, Illustration Friday, greeting card, Leap, Five o' clock, Add a tag
Blog: ValGal Art (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: greeting card, Five o' clock, Leap, illustration, Illustration Friday, greeting card, Leap, Five o' clock, Add a tag
My submission for Illustration Friday's "Leap" is from one of my Marisol Greeting Cards and it stems from my having worked in an office when I was younger. It takes a leap to live as an artist and believe in yourself.
27 Comments on Illustration Friday: Leap, last added: 3/16/2008
Display Comments
Add a Comment
Wonderful idea! I love this :) Too bad I don't have enough confidence and know-how to take such a big leap of faith! Great illo, Val!
Awesome!!! It has a very surrealist feel to it too. Great!
Stunning! I totally agree with you! Takes a lot of courage to be on the outside!
I'm so glad you are not working there anymore! Cute idea with the gift certificate for one hour in it.
AMEN!
absolutely beautiful, Val! While I'm not surprised, I'm always impressed with every illustration you create! Still want to live in one of the housed you've painted! Take care!
a : )
Give one to your boss so everyone gets to go home early!
Great concept! I'm sure every office could use it :)
I totally understand you.. I am the kind of person who really likes to go out if the day is nice.. the times I have been working in an office I feel like I am in a cage like your draw..
PS: Wow.. I didn't know that salty technique that you used in your last post.. :D
great take of the topic!
Wonderful! Love the certificate that goes with it.
It certainly is a leap and I bet you're glad you took it.
Great styling on this - I love that cage.
val, this is brilliant :)
we are so lucky to be able to do what we love, aren't we!!! :)
teri
Thank you. For this illustration.
How perfect it is a bird cage and we stretch our wings as artist so we can see if we can fly on our own.
Hey, where do I get one fo those little 'get out of JAIL free' cards!! Hhahha...not that I'm sayin' work is like jail...okay, maybe I am. OH NO!
What a great concept. Love the feet flying out of the picture. There are time that I wished my boss had given me a get-out-of-work-free card!
Super clever and oh so true! It's so encouraging to see someone become successful after taking that leap.
Thanks, I needed that.
Lovely idea... and aint it great to be free! (so to speak)
your stuff is always so interesting!
You're preachin' to the choir sister! Great job and concept, and hurray for you for making it on the 'outside!' Wonderful illo Val;)
Great take on the theme Valerie.
brilliant and beautiful! now that's a leap i need to take as well i guess.. (see im still doubting)
im so buried at work i almost couldnt hop thru all my fave artists at IF.. and more.. not able to draw and paint as much as i would like to..
heheh. so THAT's why the caged bird sings!
so true. i took this leap recently too. it's a bit scary sometimes but i'm happy with my decision. i love your illustration, valerie! :)
Great minds think alike. I just posted a birdcage illo this morning before I saw this one. Cool work!
I love it too!
You have a beautiful way of depicting situations and little adorable spaces!