Posts Tagged ‘poetry’
Black History Month begins in a few days. There is so much wonderful poetry out there celebrating African American culture. I have listed a number of our books full of poetry.
Check one out today!
Here is one of my favorite children’s poems by Nikki Giovanni.
The Reason I Like Chocolate
By Nikki Giovanni
The reason I like chocolate
is I can lick my fingers
and nobody tells me I’m not polite
I especially like scary movies
’cause I can snuggle with Mommy
or my big sister and they don’t laugh
I like to cry sometimes ’cause
everybody says “what’s the matter
don’t cry”
and I like books
for all those reasons
but mostly ’cause they just make me
happy
and I really like
to be happy
From the book:
The Block. Poems by Langston Hughes. The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Viking. 1995.
(includes 1 audio cd. *hear Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, Queen Latifa, and more…)
Happy New Year from your KidSpace Librarians!
Start it off with a poem!
Hooray! Hooray! It's New Year's Day! Hooray! Hooray! It's New Year's Day! The day we start anew. So this year I've decided to become a kangaroo. Or maybe I will learn to fly, or how to walk through walls, or how to turn invisible, or surf on waterfalls. I'll make myself elastic and I'll teach myself to shrink. I'll turn into a liquid and I'll pour me down the sink. I'll visit other planets and meet aliens galore. I'll travel to the distant past and ride a dinosaur. I've got so many wondrous plans. I'm starting right away. Yes, this will be the best year yet. Hooray! It's New Year's Day!
–Kenn Nesbitt
Retrieved from http://www.poetry4kids.com/poem-190.html on January 3, 2011.
FIRST NIGHT OF HANUKKAH
By Ruth RostonI shouldn’t tell you this, BUT
sometimes we fight! Why does Julie
get to light the shammash candle
every time?
Josh grabs the shield we painted
blue and white – he says he’s ALWAYS
Judah Maccabee because
he’s oldest. (We can be the brothers.)
NOT FAIR!
I’m the one who found the dreidles
for our game. I’m the one who knows
the names on all four sides –
NES GADOL HAYAH SHAM
Sunset now. December’s early
dark. No one remembers what we
quarreled about – or why. We love
each other in the shining light
of one brave candle.
Mother’s the one who looks around and says,
“A MIRACLE HAS HAPPENED HERE
TONIGHT.”
From Poems for Jewish Holidays. Selected by Myra Chon Livingston
For more books, crafts, music, and movies on Hanukkah, check out our catalog!
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Whether you prefer to celebrate the holiday in a goofy way, traditional way, or a little bit of both, enjoy these poems!
Happy Turkey Day!
November
*
Thanksgiving and
the Pigs rejoice-
so many pies!
And so much choice!
Peach and apple,
cherry, ample
mincemeat, pumpkin-
just a sample,
Peach and apple,
cherry, ample
mincemeat, pumpkin-
just a sample,
crumb or nibble
of each kind,
our gracious hostess
will not mind
in November.
~From Alligators and Others All Year Long: A Book of Months by Crescent Dragonwagon
Happy Thanksgiving!
November
The stripped and shapely
Maple grieves
The loss of her
Departed leaves.
of each kind,
our gracious hostess
will not mind
in November.
The ground is hard,
As hard as stone.
The year is old,
The birds are flown.
And yet the world,
Nevertheless,
Displays a certain
Loveliness-
The beauty of
The bone. Tall God
Must see our soulds
This way, and nod.
Give thanks: we do,
Each in his place
Around the table
During grace.
*
It’s Halloween
by Jack PrelutskyIt’s Halloween! It’s Halloween!
The moon is full and bright
And we shall see what can’t be seen
On any other night.
Skeletons and ghosts and ghouls,
Grinning goblins fighting duels,
Werewolves rising from their tombs,
Witches on their magic brooms.
In masks and gowns
We haunt the street
And knock on doors
For trick or treat.
Tonight we are
The king and queen,
For oh tonight
It’s Halloween!
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The Sea is Our Mother
The sea is our mother
rocking,
rocking.
See how she fills
her blue arms
with gifts –
with slippery bits,
weed,
white
shells,
fish
as bright as
wisps
of moon.
Hear how her voice
lifts,
falls,
lifts
while she sings our
life.
~By Tony JohnstonFrom the Tree That Time Build: a celebration of nature, science, and imagination.
Each week, I post poems for parents and teachers to read and share with their kids. Poetry and rhyme are important tools for early literacy. Whether you read them to your children, with your children, or listen as they read, it is a fun way to build phonological and vocabulary skills. Here is a poem to read together, adult and child each taking a part to form the story. Have fun!
The Telephone
Ding-a-ling!
Ting-a-ling!
(The telephone
Begins to ring.)
Hello!
Hello!
Hello!
Hello!
It’s me.
I know.
It’s me.
I know.
Are you in bed?
Not yet. Are you?
I’m almost there.
I’m almost, too.
I’m in pajamas
I’m not yet.
I took a bath.
My hair’s still wet.
Did you do
The spelling list?
I did. Did you?
There’s one I missed.
I missed two.
I had to look.
Have you read
The chapter book?
I’ve just started
Chapter three.
I have, too.
So read with me!
Read together,
Not alone,
While we’re on
The telephone?
It won’t take long
To get it done.
I’ll get my book.
It sounds like fun.
Back and forth
Until we’re through.
You read to me!
I’ll read to you!
*
~From You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You: Very Short Stories to Read Togeterh. By Mary Ann Hoberman. Illustrated by Michael Emberley
*
Check out other read-togethers!
Can You Haiku?
Haiku is one of the simplest, yet most popular forms of poetry in the world. Originating in Japan, one of the most famous haiku poets is Mastsuo Bacho (1644-1694). Here is one of his poems:
old pond-
frog jumps in
sound of the water
As I said, haiku is popular still today! Here is a modern example of the poetry:
Nose out the window,
ears flapping, hair pushed straight back.
Adventures in smell.
One of the best things about Haiku is that anybody can create a poem! Here is the pattern:
1st line = 5 syllables
2nd line = 7 syllables
3rd line = 5 syllables
That’s it! So, take a breath, notice a moment, scene, or feeling around you and put it into words.
Make up a haiku poem and post it as a comment to the blog! I will then post all of the submissions next week. Come into the library and make a haik at FunSpace Monday-Thursday 3:30-5:30!
Checkout these books for more haiku poetry.
*
Haiku for little ears
On of my favorite picture books tells a story of Wabi Sabi, a cat who lives in Japan and goes on a journey to learn the meaning of her name. Haiku poetry is woven into the tale with beautiful artwork to complement the story.
KidSpace Blog 