It's Monday, with Poetry, too

  For April, Poetry month, still writing haiku and haiku-related poems. With a few exceptions, I've stayed with haiku.  Some of us are supporting each other using the hashtag #digipoetry. Join us.

Created by Leigh Anne Eck25)

this April morning

rumbling, rumbling rain -

clouds touch the roofs

  Linda Baie © All Rights Reserved

Link up with Jen at TeachMentorTexts and Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders. and Sheila at Book Journeys.  Come visit, and tweet at #IMWAYR. Thanks to Jen, Kellee, and Ricki for hosting!

Otto The Owl Who Loved Poetry - written and illustrated by Vern Kousky

           I found this at a recent bookstore visit, sat down and read it on the spot. Poor Otto keeps sharing poetry, and receives nothing but “hoots” at his performance. But one night, there is applause, and Otto finally gets the positive attention he deserves. It’s a lovely story, including some well-known poetry with sweetly soft illustrations, a good one to add to your “poetry love” shelf.

three marvelous books to “see”, poetic words to read, in English and in Spanish

I am participating in the award challenge at the blog, Gathering Books, (see the badge at the right) and haven’t paid much attention to it lately, but the following books have garnered many awards. I thought you’d like to know.

•  2014 "Call Me tree" by Maya Gonzalez

•  Kirkus Best Picture Books of 2014 that Celebrate Diversity

•  2009 "I Know the River Loves Me" by Maya Gonzalez

•  Américas Award Honorable Mention

•  International Latino Book Award, Best Children's Picture Book, 2nd place

•  ForeWord Book of the Year Award, Finalist

•  ReadBoston Best Read Aloud Book Award, Finalist

•  Notable Books for a Global Society Selection

•  2007 "My Colors, My World" by Maya Gonzalez

•  Pura Belpré Honor Award

•  Américas Award Commended Title

•  Texas 2x2 Reading List Selection, Texas Library Association

•  Críticas Magazine's Best Children and YA Books of 2007

The following books are all written and illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez.  

My Colors, My World - Maya longs to find the colors of the world, but when the wind blows hard, her world in the desert turns into the many colors of brown. Maya goes looking, ad finds her favorite pink in the desert sunset, purple in the irises, green in the cactus. Happy is Maya, wearing pink and finding colors in her every day search. Maya Gonzalez’ illustrations are the bold and wild pictures of Mexican muralists, whimsical and exaggerated and beautiful.

The same style occurs in I Know The River Loves Me, where Maya

shares all the different ways that she knows the river loves her. She says “When I jump on her back she holds me up.” and “The river takes care of me and I take care of the river.”

Finally, there is the book that was published last year, Call Me Tree, where Maya shows human affinity with trees, to be oneself, to be exactly who one is. Each page is filled with children close to a tree, ‘I reach and I rise”, one child says, standing, almost ‘being’ the tree. It too is filled with colorful, dream-like illustrations.

In the back matter, each time Maya writes an important letter to her readers, about her love for colors, the desert, rivers, and trees. Each one calls for at least a small connection to something personal, and connecting with nature. 

I’m still reading All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven and am not quite halfway, am finding it

increasingly hard to pull away from it. Great book so far! I’m leaving next week for a 10 day trip with my students to the DC/Chesapeake Bay area, so will take a break from posting, won’t be doing much reading of books I think, but of many other things in museums and in the out of doors. See you in a few weeks! And Happy Reading!