by Paul Laurence Dunbar
I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass:
When the first bird sings and the first bud pes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals--
I know what the caged bird feels!
I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting--
I know why he beats his wing!
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me.
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,--
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings--
I know why the caged bird sings!
from Jump Back, Paul: The Life and Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar by Sally Derby, 2015, Candlewick Press
Monday, December 28, 2015
Monday, December 21, 2015
Disappointed (Monday Poem)
by Paul Laurence Dunbar
An old man planted and dug and tended,
Toiling in joy from dew to dew:
The Sun was kind and the rain befriended:
Fine grew his orchard and fair to view.
Then he said: "I will quiet my thrifty fears,
For here is fruit for my failing years."
But even then the storm-clouds gathered,
Swallowing up the azure sky;
The sweeping winds into white foam lathered
The placid breast of the bay, hard by;
Then the spirits that raged in the darkened air
Swept o'er his orchard and left it bare.
The old man stood in the rain, uncaring,
Viewing the place the storm had swept;
And then with a cry from his soul dispairing,
He bowed him down to the earth, and wept.
But a voice cried aloud from the driving rain:
Arise, old man, and plant again!"
from Jump Back, Paul: The Life and Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar by Sally Derby, 2015, Candlewick Press
An old man planted and dug and tended,
Toiling in joy from dew to dew:
The Sun was kind and the rain befriended:
Fine grew his orchard and fair to view.
Then he said: "I will quiet my thrifty fears,
For here is fruit for my failing years."
But even then the storm-clouds gathered,
Swallowing up the azure sky;
The sweeping winds into white foam lathered
The placid breast of the bay, hard by;
Then the spirits that raged in the darkened air
Swept o'er his orchard and left it bare.
The old man stood in the rain, uncaring,
Viewing the place the storm had swept;
And then with a cry from his soul dispairing,
He bowed him down to the earth, and wept.
But a voice cried aloud from the driving rain:
Arise, old man, and plant again!"
from Jump Back, Paul: The Life and Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar by Sally Derby, 2015, Candlewick Press
Monday, December 14, 2015
The Sun Never Says (Monday Poem)
by Hafiz
Even after all this time,
the sun never says to the earth,
"You owe me."
Look what happens with a love like that.
It lights the whole sky.
Even after all this time,
the sun never says to the earth,
"You owe me."
Look what happens with a love like that.
It lights the whole sky.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Books for Festive Holiday Celebrations (FAMILY magazine reviews)
Making memories can be one
treasured part of holiday preparations and celebrations. One important piece of
holiday memory making is remembering what is best from previous holidays. Choose
some favorite stories from the past and match them with some new stories --
like the books featured on this page -- to share with young ones most dear to
you this season. Merry, merry!!
Miracle on 133rd
Street by Sonia Manzano
Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman
It’s
Christmas Eve and the roast is too big for the oven in Jose’s family apartment.
Everything is too small; the Christmas tree, the oven, the apartment, Mama
complains. She’s homesick for Puerto Rico. To make her laugh, Jose says, “We
need a pizza oven!”
Jose’s
Papí thinks it’s “Not a bad idea!” So they box the roast and carry it
downstairs, through the neighborhood and across the bridge to the Pizzeria. On
the way, they meet up with neighbors in the building and on the street who are
all having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit. Kids are fighting,
grownups are sad (missing family), scared (of muggers), or worried about money.
Ray
from Regular Ray’s Pizzeria, is lonely because his customer’s only come for
take-out. He let’s them use his oven for the roast. Then, when it’s ready, he
accepts Papí’s invitation to join the family to share the roast to celebrate
Christmas. On the way back, they meet the same people, who decide to accept Papí’s
invitation. Everyone follows the “miraculous aroma” to Jose’s small apartment.
The
colorful gouache and ink illustrations are busy with energy and crowded with
action. Both names and skin tones, suggest a variety of cultures. The
expressive faces and body language in the artwork partner with lyrical text and
well-placed dialog to create generous movement in the story.
“It’s a miracle,” says Mama,
greeting the two Jose’s at the door. It smells like Puerto Rico, home. Even
more amazing --“this apartment is big enough to hold all our friends.” This is
a warm and ultimately happy holiday storybook.
Atheneum Books, $17.99
Interest Level: Junior
Kindergarten – Grade 4
The Best Parts of
Christmas by Bethanie Deeney Murguia
Fritz
chooses the best tree for his family’s Christmas. He “knows the ornaments want
to be close” not spread out, as his mama suggests. This leads him to discover
that “almost anything can be an ornament!” So, the tree has a soccer ball,
pawprint paintings from the dog, a teddy bear, and of course candy canes and
gingerbread cookies all hung on its branches.
Pen and ink and watercolor feature
the tree as the center of each double page spread, until the final page. Plenty
of white space accents the tree with all its decorations and presents. Fritz knows
that what happens around the tree - ornaments, presents, wishes, reading, naps
– are the best parts of Christmas.
But, the tree loses its needles and
is almost bare. And, although Fritz is NOT ready for Christmas to be over, Mama
puts away the decorations and Papa takes the tree out.
The final page, set in Fritz’s
bedroom, includes what he realizes. With a stick in a vase on a bedside table,
“almost anything can be an ornament.” This delightful, cheery story offers a
creative conclusion to a dilemma faced by many families with young children - how
to end the holiday season without tears.
Candlewick Press,
$14.99
Interest Level:
Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 1
Baking Day at
Grandma’s by Anika Denise
Illustrated by Christopher Denise
This
rollicking, rhyming picture book is perfect preparation for holiday baking.
Three little bears tramp through the snow to grandma’s house. Together, they
create a perfect cold weather treat.
The team of Anika and Christopher
Denise has created a playful, merry story. Lively language matches the glowing
illustrations, created using Adobe Photoshop. Sensory text and dancing pictures
remind readers that one of the joys of the season is time to spend with those
we love.
Philomel Books, $16.99
Interest Level:
Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 1
More wonderful
holiday book choices:
Certain Poor
Shepherds: A Christmas Tale by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
Illustrated by Jonathan Bartlett
Candlewick Press,
$15.99
Interest Level: Grades
3-6
The Smallest Gift of
Christmas by Peter Reynolds
Candlewick Press, $10
Interest Level:
Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 2
Brother Giovanni’s
Little Reward: How the Pretzel Was Born
by Anna Egan Smucker
Illustrated by Amanda Hall
Eerdmans Books, $17
Interest Level: Kindergarten
– Grade 3
Monday, December 7, 2015
WILD GEESE (Monday Poem)
by Mary Oliver
from Wild Geese: Selected Poems by Mary Oliver, 2004, Bloodaxe
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
from Wild Geese: Selected Poems by Mary Oliver, 2004, Bloodaxe
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