by James S. Tippett
Over the mountains,
Over the plains,
Over the rivers,
Here come the trains.
Carrying passengers,
Carrying mail,
Bringing their precious loads
In without fail.
Thousands of freight cars
All rushing on
Through day and darkness,
Through dusk and dawn.
Over the mountains,
Over the plains,
Over the rivers,
Here come the trains.
from Time for Poetry: A Teacher's Anthology, compiled by May Hill Arbuthnot, 1951, Scott Foresman and Company
Monday, December 26, 2016
Monday, December 19, 2016
Sea Gull (Monday Poem)
by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth
The sea gull curves his wings,
The sea gull turns his eyes.
Get down into the water, fish!
(If you are wise.)
The sea gull slants his wings,
The sea gull turns his head.
Get down into the water, fish!
(Or you'll be dead.)
from Time for Poetry: A Teacher's Anthology, compiled by May Hill Arbuthnot, 1951, Scott Foresman and Company
The sea gull curves his wings,
The sea gull turns his eyes.
Get down into the water, fish!
(If you are wise.)
The sea gull slants his wings,
The sea gull turns his head.
Get down into the water, fish!
(Or you'll be dead.)
from Time for Poetry: A Teacher's Anthology, compiled by May Hill Arbuthnot, 1951, Scott Foresman and Company
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Winter Holiday Books to Share (FAMILY magazine reviews)
Holidays come and go, but time spent reading wonderful
stories together with young ones most dear to us makes memories that remain to
comfort us in dark times and to cheer us on happier days. Merry, merry!
Hanukkah in Alaska by
Barbara Brown, illustrated by Stacey Schuett
Although nothing in the title of
this unique and tantalizing tale gives it away, a certain animal’s head is on
the cover. A gorgeous painting of this same animal in acrylic and gouache
spreads across the copyright and dedication pages, before the words of the
story even begin. Noting these details, an attentive reader will likely expect
a moose to be involved in this picture book.
The story does not disappoint, showing
what it’s like to live in Alaska where winter is high on snow and low on
daytime. Also, where a large and lonely moose might decide to eat the trees in
someone’s backyard.
An unnamed young girl shares her
experiences. She worries about her blue swing, hanging from the same tree,
which the moose has begun to use for dinner. Carrots, cookies, or even apples
tossed his way by the girl and her mother do not distract the moose. Neither is
the narrator distracted by Hanukkah presents in the mail. Nor when she and her
friends act like dreidels spinning in the snow.
On
the last night of Hanukkah, her father takes them outside to watch a stunningly
colorful display. The girl has a clever idea of how to lure the moose out of
the yard.
Both
visual and textual climaxes of the story come together in her ending
observation, “Hanukkah can be pretty funny in Alaska, and miracles can happen
in a lot of different ways.”
Hanukkah
facts and information about the aurora borealis are included in an Author’s
Note at the end.
Henry Holt, $16.99
Interest Level:
Kindergarten – Grade 2
Although
Edward is good in math, he’s having trouble learning to read. His teacher is
concerned, but his mother suggests, Patience.
On Christmas Eve, as his dad is reading a story about Santa delivering
presents, Edward wonders how Santa remembers names. Perhaps the names are
written in a book, guesses his mom.
That
night Santa invites Edward to help him deliver presents. On this fantastic
adventure, Santa loses his glasses, when they fall into the sea. Edward must help
by reading from Santa’s book, the names and what each child’s gift is.
Beautiful
watercolor and ink paintings feature cozy indoor Christmas scenes in contrast
with snowy moonlit winter nightscapes. Shadowy darkness gives way to a “dawning
sky.”
Sounding out the words, Edward is
able to give Santa the help he needs. In the morning Edward wakes up on the
sofa with a book from Santa on the floor nearby. When Dad offers to read it,
Edward smiling, says, “Let me read it
to you.”
Little, Brown and
Company, $6.99 (paperback)
Interest Level: Junior
Kindergarten – Grade 2
Boris and Stella and the
Perfect Gift by Dara Goldman
In
this retelling, for youngsters, of O’Henry’s classic tale, “The Gift of the
Magi,” Boris and Stella are a perfect match. “They both like hats and scary
movies.”
Boris is from a Russian family,
which celebrates Hanukkah. Stella’s Italian family celebrates Christmas.
A
baker with only a few coins, Stella decides to sell her potted pine tree, a
gift from her family, to buy Boris something special for Hanukkah. She wants
him to know that she cares, choosing a dreidel from Israel as a gift.
Boris,
a pianist, is so glad to have Stella in his life; he wants to show her by
choosing something special for her tree as a Christmas gift. Also, without many
coins, he sells his dreidel collection, yearly Hanukkah gifts from his parents.
This rare and generous blending of
Jewish and Christian holiday traditions features two cuddly bears. Warm golds
and blues light up the illustrations concluding with a celebratory dinner on
the last night of Hanukkah, also Christmas Eve.
When they realize what they have
done, Boris knows “exactly what to say to make Stella feel better.” This is the
beginning of our magnificent “new dreidel collection,” he says.
When Stella notices a small
pinecone with seeds “that had dropped from
her tree,” she also knows how “to make Boris feel better.”
She tells him, “We will grow a new Christmas tree!”
Sleeping Bear Press,
$15.99
Interest Level: Junior Kindergarten – Grade 3
Interest Level: Junior Kindergarten – Grade 3
More Outstanding
Holiday Titles:
by Eric A. Kimmel
Illustrated by Matthew
Trueman
Disney Hyperion Books,
$16.99
Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3
Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3
by Lisa Wheeler
Illustrated by Jerry
Pinkney
Dial Books, $17.99
Interest Level: Junior Kindergarten – Grade 2
Interest Level: Junior Kindergarten – Grade 2
by Delia Huddy
Illustrated by Emily
Sutton
Candlewick Press,
$16.99
Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3
Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3
by Lauren Thompson
Illustrated by Jon
Muth
Scholastic, $16.99
Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3
Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3
by Eric Kimmel
Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
Holiday House, $17.95
(hardcover)
$7.99 (paperback)
Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3
$7.99 (paperback)
Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 3
by Gary Soto
Illustrated by Ed Martinez
G. P. Putnam’s Sons,
$16.99 (hardcover)
$7.99 (paperback)
Interest Level: Junior Kindergarten – Grade 2
$7.99 (paperback)
Interest Level: Junior Kindergarten – Grade 2
Monday, December 12, 2016
Wild Geese (Monday Poem)
by Elinor Chipp
I heard the wild geese flying
In the dead of the night,
With the beat of wings and crying
I heard the wild geese flying,
And dreams in my heart sighing
Followed their northward flight.
I heard the wild geese flying
In the dead of the night.
from Time for Poetry: A Teacher's Anthology, compiled by May Hill Arbuthnot, 1951, Scott Foresman and Company
I heard the wild geese flying
In the dead of the night,
With the beat of wings and crying
I heard the wild geese flying,
And dreams in my heart sighing
Followed their northward flight.
I heard the wild geese flying
In the dead of the night.
from Time for Poetry: A Teacher's Anthology, compiled by May Hill Arbuthnot, 1951, Scott Foresman and Company
Monday, December 5, 2016
Cat (Monday Poem)
by Mary Britton Miller
The black cat yawns,
Opens her jaws,
Stretches her legs,
And shows her claws.
Then she gets up
And stands on four
Long stiff legs
And yawns some more.
She shows her sharp teeth,
She stretches her lip,
Her slice of a tongue
Turns up at the tip.
Lifting herself
On her delicate toes,
She arches her back
As high as it goes.
She lets herself down
With particular care,
And pads away
With her tail in the air.
from Time for Poetry: A Teacher's Anthology, compiled by May Hill Arbuthnot, 1951, Scott Foresman and Company
The black cat yawns,
Opens her jaws,
Stretches her legs,
And shows her claws.
Then she gets up
And stands on four
Long stiff legs
And yawns some more.
She shows her sharp teeth,
She stretches her lip,
Her slice of a tongue
Turns up at the tip.
Lifting herself
On her delicate toes,
She arches her back
As high as it goes.
She lets herself down
With particular care,
And pads away
With her tail in the air.
from Time for Poetry: A Teacher's Anthology, compiled by May Hill Arbuthnot, 1951, Scott Foresman and Company
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