CCBC April 2014 Newsletter: National Poetry Month
Contents
April Book List
Author Corner: An Interview with Robert Heidbreder
Classroom Activity Suggestion
Vimy Ridge Day Contest
Upcoming Events
Now on Sale – TD Book Week Materials
Out Now: Spring 2014 issue of Canadian Children’s Book News
INSPIRE! The Toronto International Book Fair – Opportunities for Teachers and Schools
Next Month…
April Book List
by Emma Sakamoto
To celebrate National Poetry Month, we have collected a list of Canadian poetry books for kids and teens. With collections of poems, stories told in verse and books about poetry and poets, there is something to appeal to everyone.
Interest Level (IL) is listed by age; Reading Level (RL) is listed by grade
Picture Books – Narrative
Boy Soup
Written by Loris Lesynski
Illustrated by Michael Martchenko
Annick Press, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-55453-560-6
IL: Ages 2-9 RL: Grade 2
When Giant wakes up with a giant cold, he turns to his home medical guide for help. The prescription? A bowl of Boy Soup. Catching the boys is easy, but what he doesn’t count on is Kate. Accidentally kidnapped along with the boys, clever Kate convinces Giant that what the guide really means is a soup made by boys, not one with boys in it. The happily-ever-after ending sees Kate and the boys opening up their own restaurant (minus Boy Soup) and Giant learning a valuable lesson. Older kids will enjoy Lesynski’s series of sports poems. Titles include Crazy About Soccer! and Crazy About Basketball!
Amazon
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The City Speaks in Drums
Written by Shauntay Grant
Illustrated by Susan Tooke
Nimbus Publishing, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55109-758-9
IL: Ages 6-10 RL: Grades 4-5
The sounds of the city create a fast-paced and exciting rhythmic poem as two boys from Halifax explore their neighbourhood. Basketball players, musicians, dancers and children bring the sounds of the city to life. Vivid, eye-catching illustrations capture the action and sights of this east coast city. Young readers will also enjoy Grant’s Apples and Butterflies and Up Home.
Amazon
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Mabel Murple
Written by Sheree Fitch
Illustrated by Sydney Smith
Nimbus Publishing, 2010 ©1995
ISBN: 978-1-55109-788-6
IL: Ages 4-9 RL: Grades 1-3
A zany tongue twister featuring Mabel Murple, a daredevil who rides a purple motorbike through purple puddles in her vivid purple world. Sheree Fitch’s classic is back in print with rich new illustrations by Sydney Smith. Originally published in 1995 by Doubleday Canada with illustrations by Maryann Kovalski. Youngsters will also delight in Sheree Fitch’s other classics which include Toes in My Nose and Other Poems, and There Were Monkeys in My Kitchen.
Amazon
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Old MacDonald Had Her Farm
Written by JonArno Lawson
Illustrated by Tina Holdcroft
Annick Press, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55451-456-4
IL: Ages 4-7 RL: Grade 2
This novel twist to the classic rhyme introduces an eccentric farmer who presents all the vowels in bursts of lively, tongue-twisting text. Watch as she whips her farm into shape, using wonderfully creative pulleys, catapults and flying machines. Kids will have fun discovering the dozens of zany details in the brilliant art.
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Illustrated Collections
Alligator Pie: Classic Edition
Written by Dennis Lee
Illustrated by Frank Newfeld
HarperCollins Publishers, 2012 ©1974
ISBN: 978-1-4434-1151-6
IL: Ages 4-7 RL: Grades 1-2
One of the first illustrated books published about Canadian children and featuring Canadian place names, Alligator Pie established Dennis Lee’s reputation as “Canada’s Father Goose.” This classic edition, featuring Frank Newfeld’s instantly recognizable original illustrations and book design, includes childhood favourites, such as “Willoughby Wallaby Woo” and “Skyscraper.” Originally published in 1974, by Macmillan Company of Canada. Young readers will also want to read Lee’s other classic collections which include Bubblegum Delicious, Garbage Delight and The Ice Cream Store.
Amazon
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Driftwood Dragons and Other Seaside Poems
Written by Tyne Brown
Illustrated by Tamara Thiebaux Heikalo
Nimbus Publishing, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55109-893-7
IL: Ages 5-10 RL: Grades 2-4
This collection of 34 lyrical seaside poems for children is inspired by the Martimes’ coastline and accompanied by whimsical illustrations. With poems that are celebrations of the coastal environment, such as an ode to a beach flea and a short conversation with a snail, this book captures the beauty, diversity and joy to be found at Maritime beaches.
Amazon
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Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems
Written by Marilyn Singer
Illustrated by Josée Masse
Dial Books for Young Readers, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3769-3
IL: Ages 9 and up RL: Grades 5-6
Once upon a time, a brilliant book of fairy tale-themed reversos – a poetic form in which the poem is presented forward and then backward – became a smashing success. Now, a second book is here with witty double takes on well-loved fairy tales such as “Thumbelina” and “The Little Mermaid.” This is the companion to Mirror Mirror.
Amazon
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Lasso the Wind: Aurélia’s Verses and Other Poems
Written by George Elliott Clarke
Illustrated by Susan Tooke
Nimbus Publishing, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-77108-050-7
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grade 5
This is the first collection of children’s poetry by renowned poet and playwright George Elliott Clarke. By turns absurd, witty, playful and profound, Clarke’s poems speak to the vivid wonder, the bright joys and the secret pains of growing up in this world.
Amazon
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Noisy Poems for a Busy Day
Written by Robert Heidbreder
Illustrated by Lori Joy Smith
Kids Can Press, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55453-706-8
IL: Ages 3-7 RL: Grade 2
Chock full of playful pocket-sized poems that capture adventures big and small in a child’s day, this collection begs to be read aloud from sun-up to sundown! Join the delightfully illustrated cast of characters as they watch the clouds, wade through mud puddles, swing sky-high and then snuggle into bed for story time.
Amazon
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Junior/Intermediate
The Eco-Diary of Kiran Singer
Written by Sue Anne Alderson
Illustrated by Millie Balance
Tradewind Books, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-896580-47-0
IL: Ages 8 and up RL: Grade 3
Kiran Singer is worried. What can a kid do to help preserve the earth? Her grandmother introduces her to the wonders of Vancouver’s Camosun Bog. Poems and rich illustrations celebrate life and our ability to make a difference.
Amazon
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Libertad
Written by Alma Fullerton
Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-55455-106-4
IL: Ages 9-12 RL: Grade 4
This stunning free verse novel tells the story of Libertad and his little brother, who, after the tragic death of their mother, leave their home near the Guatemala City Dump to head out on a long and dangerous journey to cross the border to the United States and find their father. Older readers will want to check out Fullerton’s YA novel Burn.
Amazon
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My Letter to the World and Other Poems (Vision in Poetry)
Written by Emily Dickinson
Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Kids Can Press, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-55453-339-8
IL: Ages 10 and up RL: Grades 5-6
Isabelle Arsenault has created a sublte meditation on Emily Dickinson’s life and its intersection with her verse. In the dream-like illustrations, the poet – sometimes serene, often sad and always enigmatic – is an omnipresent figure in her ghostly white dress. Other classics in the Vision in Poetry series include The Raven with illustrations by Ryan Price, The Highway Man with illustrations by Murray Kimber, The Lady of Shallot with illustrations by Geneviève Côté, Casey at the Bat with illustrations by Joe Morse, and The Owl and the Pussycat and Jabberwocky, both with illustrations by Stéphane Jorisch.
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Think Again
Written by JonArno Lawson
Illustrated by Julie Morstad
Kids Can Press, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55453-423-4
IL: Ages 10 and up RL: Grade 6
First love can be confusing and difficult. In this collection of beautiful four-line poems, author JonArno Lawson explores the thrills and disappointments of first love. Julie Morstad’s simple, understated line drawings add strength and visual depth to the poems.
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Winterberries and Apple Blossoms: Reflections and Flavors of a Mennonite Year
Written by Nan Forler
Illustrated by Peter Etril Snyder
Tundra Books, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-77049-254-7
IL: Ages 8 and up RL: Grades 4-5
Join Naomi, a young girl who leads a simple country life, as she offers a glimpse into the life of a Mennonite family. Naomi shows us the similarities and differences between her lifestyle and that of those who live outside her community. The poems and recipes are beautifully complemented by Peter Etril Snyder’s paintings.
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Young Adult (Novels in Verse)
The Apprentice’s Masterpiece: A Story of Medieval Spain
Written by Melanie Little
Annick Press, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-55451-190-7
IL: Ages 14 and up RL: Grades 8-9
Ramon Benvenistes has a secret: he’s from a family of conversos, Jews who have converted to Christianity. Amir wears the robe and red patch of a Muslim. The boys come to know each other but then they are separated. One boy is enslaved, and the other takes up service for the Inquisitors. Their paths cross again in a chiling scene.
Amazon
Counting Back from Nine
Written by Valerie Sherrard
Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55455-245-0
IL: Ages 13 and up RL: Grades 8-9
Laren Olivier knows you shouldn’t be attracted to a friend’s ex-boyfriend, but her feelings for Scott are quite strong. She tells herself that if they can keep their new romance a secret, no one will get hurt. But Laren is not the only one with something to hide. When Laren’s father is killed in a car accident, a shocking discovery is revealed that rocks her world.
Amazon
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Fishtailing
Written by Wendy Phillips
Coteau Books, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55050-411-8
IL: Ages 14 and up RL: Grades 9-10
This very intriguing collection of poems, emails and notes will keep teenagers flipping from page to page to see how the story ends. The voices of Natalie, Tricia, Kyle, Miguel, Mrs. Farr and Ms Nishi are cleverly interwoven to tell the story of these four high school students who are desperately trying to find their place in the world. As Natalie manipulates her friends, dangerous consequences ensue.
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Karma
Written by Cathy Ostlere
Puffin Canada, 2011
ISBN: 978-067-006452-6
IL: Ages 14 and up RL: Grades 7-8
Fifteen-year-old Maya and her father arrive in India on the night the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, is killed. As the city plunges into chaos, Maya and her father are separated and she must accept the help of Sandeep, a boy she’s just met, if she is to stay alive and make it home. Told in verse, this is the story of how Maya straddles two cultures and discovers what home really means.
Amazon
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Nix Minus One
Written by Jill MacLean
Pajama Press, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-927485-25-5
IL: Ages 12 and up RL: Grades 7-8
In this free verse novel, readers are introduced to the character of Nix. Quiet, out of shape, and bold only around his neighbourhood’s neglected dog, Nix is the polar opposite of his vibrant sister, Roxy. But he’d do anything for her, even hide her late-night partying from their parents. When Roxy goes too far, Nix feels like it’s his life that’s spiralling out of control.
Amazon
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Non-Fiction
“I Did it Because…”: How a Poem Happens
Written by Loris Leysinski
Illustrated by Michael Martchenko
Annick Press, 2006
ISBN: 978-1-55451-018-4
IL: Ages 7-10 RL: Grade 3
Lesynski offers favourite poems and new ones, too – plus tips for writing in rhyme, illustration ideas and more. Martchenko’s energetic art adds to the fun!
Amazon
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Remembering John McCrae: Soldier, Doctor, Poet
Written by Linda Granfield
Scholastic Canada, 2011 ©2009
ISBN: 978-0-439-93560-9
IL: Ages 8-12 RL: Grades 4-5
More than 100 photos, paintings and documents enhance Granfield’s intimate and fascinating portrait of McCrae (1872-1918). Though he was a doctor and soldier, he is best know for his poem “In Flanders Fields,” which has been called the most popular poem of the First World War. The book also contains a timeline, a glossary and an index. Young readers will also want to read Granfield’s In Flanders Fields: The Story of the Poem by John McCrae.
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Author Corner: An Interview with Robert Heidbreder
By Kate Abrams
Robert Heidbreder is the author of several poetry books for children, and was a teacher for 30 years before retiring in 2005. He talked to us about his writing process and introducing poetry to children.
What inspired you to start writing poetry for children?
The shortest answer is children.
My first year of teaching Grades 1 and 2 in 1975 was the stuff dreams are made of—bad dreams. Here I was before a delightfully mixed class of bouncy children and I hadn’t a clue what to do. Really! Well, maybe just one clue, the most important one it turns out: listen to the kids.
The children spoke many languages, came from many cultures and many economic and educational backgrounds, but what they all shared was the desire for fun, smiles and laughter, and happiness.
To escape the dreary “prescribed” readers and to match their lightness of being, I turned to my own love of language and poetry. I racked my brain and the library to find poets I knew, to uncover those I didn’t know and to re-discover Mother Goose and the playground rhymes of my own childhood. Children took to these like rain to Vancouver and our class became a lively puddle-paddle of words.
This led me to writing my own rhymes to fit the subjects we were studying and to encourage “say it out-loud, say-it-again” reading, which is a gratifyingly energetic route into literacy for young children. In fact, my first book of poetry, Don’t Eat Spiders, reflects the children I taught in my early years and the subjects we covered.
Can you tell us a little about your writing process? How does a book come together?
My writing process is kind of like that old Model T Ford truck my grandpa and grandma had on their farm. You had to walk around it, find the crank, rally your energy, crank it up, jump back, crank it up again, talk soothingly to it, hope that the engine would start humming along, get it in gear and hope again that it would take you where you where you wanted to go.
Writing for me takes a lot of time, energy and patience. It’s also a lot of hit and miss, I feel. Since it’s not always a planned activity, I don’t really have a favourite pen, or place, or routine. I start thinking, cranking up the brain engine, playing with language and see where it will take me before it stalls. I trust some ageless muse in some form will eventually brighten, enliven, engage my thoughts. And it often does.
But then, of course, even if I end up going somewhere with the idea or the language, it may not be where publishers want to go. That’s where it may ultimately stall and linger. Like many writers, I get more rejections than acceptances. If the book is accepted, then the editors help immensely. They fine-tune the writing engine and set it off on its winding journey into the world. Personally, I’ve been so lucky with sensitive, talented editors. A book or the idea of a book emerges (even if it’s never published) by a lot of re-writing, re-thinking and re-shaping—and time. WB Yeats thought that he knew a poem was finished when he heard a kind of click, like the snap some old-fashioned boxes have on closing. I think I feel that too.
And of course writing poetry is very different from writing prose. It is so much about language, about compactness, about connotation, about the sound of the air, not just the air. One of my favourite books is Lickety-Split, which only has 31 words, all sound words, all suggestion, all playful. That book, short as it is, took me over 400 hours to write, I reckon.
You were a teacher for 30 years and continue to give presentations at schools and festivals. What do you think is the best way to introduce poetry to kids, and to keep them engaged?
Show your enthusiasm for poetry’s voice. Catch its rhythm and beat. Read it aloud with vigor, vim, oomph galore and have the children join in the reading. For example, I use this poem of mine from Eeenie Meenie Manitoba with all age groups, from pre-schoolers to adults:
Inken Tinken wildlife
Lost your horse in Yellowknife.
Inken Tinken gander goose
Rode instead a hairy moose.
Inken Tinken moose got stuck,
Took a Tuktoyaktuk truck.
And there is always laughter and surprise at the end. The audience just wants to say it. (And young children want to move to it.) Poetry cries to be read out loud. Start by choosing lively, playful, engaging poems that draw the listeners in and as you present the poems,
Shove your shyness out the door.
Play, play, and play some more.
Be kid-happy, silly and show you believe in poetry and its power to enchant.
Do you have any tips for teachers who would like to get their students started on writing their own poetry?
First of all, read as much poetry as you can to your class. Aim for a poem a day or a week. Just read the poems and let the language flow over the class. Ask the children to repeat some phrases or poems after you in different voices and tones. And don’t hesitate to repeat poems that you or that they especially like. This weaves poetry into their brain waves.
Then you can pull out some phrases from a poem they know and write a group poem with the kids. For instance, I often use the phrase “Don’t eat spiders” from one of my poems and then write a poem about not eating something else “yukky.” We write a four or five line poem modelling the “Don’t Eat spiders” poem. What is essential I’ve found is to model poetry writing with the class as much as possible before you ask the students to write their own poems.
I also mention to students that poetry is about language more than about story. So as we write a group poem or as students write their own poems, I say to think of language. Play with it! Let it fly free! How does it surprise? How does it refresh? How does it enliven? It can surprise, refresh, or enliven simply by a new arrangement of words or lines on a page; or by combining unusual words (toothbrush comb, rose toes); or by its fresh ideas. In fact in discussing poetry with children it often works to simply ask, “How does this poem surprise you?”
After children (and teachers!) have written some poems, I introduce what I think of as the 3 Rs of writing poetry.
Rhythm: How does the poem move along your tongue? Does it make you want to move?
Risk: What surprises of language or ideas have you put in the poem?
Repetition: Have you repeated some phrases to unify, bundle the poem into a whole?
I try also to have the students keep in mind that poetry, though controlled, can offer a kind of playful freedom in expression, in punctuation and capitalization, in placement on the page. The rules are fewer and freer.
In one workshop I was giving, a Grade 4 child said to me, “I get it—prose marches, poetry dances!”
Yes, ‘poetry dances.’ So try to let poetry dance in your class.
Are there any poetry books or poems that you think should be required reading for kids today?
You can probably tell by my other responses that ‘required’ was and is not a BIG word in my teaching vocabulary. But I do think the wonder of Mother Goose with its cast of characters, its sharp, still-fresh language, is slipping away. I’d love young children to know more of them by heart.
There are also lively playground rhymes that are part of childhood culture, part, in fact, of the heritage of childhood. These are important to connect children to their own history, their collective past. Some of these now are dated and even offensive, but some excellent collections are around—Doctor Knickerbocker and Other Rhymes, for instance, collected by David Booth and illustrated by Maryann Kovalski. Collections in various languages also exist. (Street Rhymes Around the World, edited by Jane Yolen, is one I think of.) These connect culture to culture.
Having children listen and respond to poetry that you like, that touches you, is also a good way to interest children in poetry. As children grow up, I think using a wide range of classic poems in English helps foster a life-long love of poetry and its language. But we can ‘murder to dissect,’ as William Wordsworth wrote about ‘our meddling intellect.’ So, as you discuss a poem with the students, I find it’s good to keep the questions simple and meaningful: “What surprises you about this poem? How is its language fresh?” What we all want is for kids to feel as comfortable with poetry as with its sibling, song. Handling poetry in the schools with a light-touch, with ‘a heart/That watches and receives,’ (to quote Wordsworth again) fosters this, I feel.
Robert Heidbreder was born on the wet, muddy banks of the Mississippi River in 1947. In 1970 he moved to Vancouver, BC to pursue his degree in Classical Languages. While teaching primary school, Robert began writing because he wanted the children in his class introduced to a liveliness of language that matched their natural bounce, energy, imagination and playfulness.
In 2002 he won the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence and in 2005 he retired from teaching after 30 years. His newest book is Black and Bittern Was Night (a Hallowe’en story), published in the fall of 2013.
Classroom Activity Suggestions
By Sandra O’Brien
By using Robert Heidbreder’s books of poetry, See Saw Saskatchewan and Eenie Meenie Manitoba, teachers can integrate poetry into their Social Studies curriculum when studying Canada and make learning about Canada’s provinces a lot more fun. In See Saw Saskatchewan, Robert writes poems that mention the provincial flowers and birds of various provinces. If you have access to this book, read the poems to your students and then challenge them to find the names and pictures of the flowers and birds that represent the rest of the provinces and territories. Post a map of Canada on a bulletin board and attach pictures of the flowers and birds that represent each province or territory or, better yet, have students draw the flowers and birds to create a stunning display. Students could also create a virtual map and create links to pictures of the flowers and birds.
Another idea would be to have students write their own poems about Canadian flora and fauna. You could then add the poems to the bulletin board display or virtual map you had your students create. Have fun and get creative!
Vimy Ridge Day Contest
As many of you know, TD Canadian Children’s Book Week is approaching (May 3-10) and the theme this year is Read to Remember. To inspire students in the weeks leading up to TD Book Week, the CCBC would like to honour Vimy Ridge Day on April 9th by encouraging children and teenagers to visit or create a war memorial in their community or school.
Send us a picture of a local cenotaph or war memorial statue and we will showcase these pictures on www.bookweek.ca. Alternatively, you can create a memorial at your school—students could make a paper project, a mural image, a wall of paper poppies, etc. Veterans Affairs Canada has suggestions for activities with younger children.
One participating school’s name will be drawn at random to win a collection of war history-themed books. Please send us your photos by April 11, 2014 to camilia@bookcentre.ca and include information about your school and where the photo was taken.
Please note: Photos may feature the memorial alone or include students and teachers, but we need parental permission to post any photos that include minors.
Visit Veterans Affairs Canada for information about Canadian war memorials. For more information about TD Book Week, visit www.bookweek.ca.
Upcoming Events
April 6 – Burlington, ON: Book Launch for Sylvia McNicoll's Revenge on the Fly (More info)
April 26 – Toronto, ON: Book Signing for Nancy Runstedler's Pay It Forward Kids: Small Acts, Big Change (More info)
All events are submitted by CCBC members. Visit the CCBC Book Events Calendar for more information.
Now on Sale – TD Canadian Children’s Book Week Materials
You can now purchase TD Book Week bookmarks and posters, featuring original artwork by illustrator Brian Deines, directly from our website. All the materials are currently on sale at 20% off.
Click here to browse our TD Book Week shop.
Out Now: Spring 2014 issue of Canadian Children’s Book News
“Remembering Not to Forget”– why Linda Granfield writes about war; “Finding the Humanity, Telling the Story” – how Sharon McKay explores friendship, loyalty and even laughter in conflict zones; new and classic titles on World War I, Book Week news and much more.
Plus three writers who are also editors share how they balance their two roles — and reviews of 40 new books.
Check your local newsstand or purchase it on our website.
INSPIRE! The Toronto International Book Fair – Opportunities for Teachers and Schools
The CCBC is excited to share this information with you from our friends at INSPIRE! The Toronto Internatonal Book Fair.
Come one, come all: join book lovers at the inaugural INSPIRE! The Toronto International Book Fair, the latest celebration of all things literary to hit Canada! (Nov 13—16, 2014).
From the Children’s Courtyard & Activity Zone, full of lively, interactive programming including readings, creative crafts, song and dance, to the Young Adult & New Adult Area, jam-packed with author chats, signings, writing workshops and more, there’s something to inspire readers of all ages, abilities and interests!
Other Featured Areas sure to educate and enthrall include the Digital and New Media Zone, and the First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literary Circle. Enroll your class into one of the Creative Writing workshops, or bring them down for a chance to meet authors, learn about all facets of the book industry, and participate in events just for them!
A full list of INSPIRE’s dynamic workshops and programs will be available in the coming months.
Any teachers who are interested in bussing their classes down should contact Nicola Dufficy, Director of Programming & Operations, at nicola@torontobookfair.ca.
For more information, visit www.torontobookfair.ca, tweet @InspireTIBF or contact Maddy Curry at maddy@torontobookfair.ca.
Next Month…
Our May newsletter will be inspired by Asian Heritage Month. What do you have planned for your class or library? Email us and we’ll share some of your suggestions or event information!