Happiness (Monday Poem)

by A. A. Milne
taken from When We Were Very Young 
(1924, E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc.)


John had
Great Big
Waterproof
Boots on;
John had a
Great Big
Waterproof
Hat;
John had a
Great Big
Waterproof
Mackintosh--
And that
(said John)
Is
That.


from Time for Poetry: A Teacher's Anthology, compiled by May Hill Arbuthnot, 1951, Scott Foresman and Company

Little Red Sled (Monday Poem)

by Jocelyn Bush

"Come out with me!" cried the little red sled.
"I'll give you the wings of a bird," it said.
"The ground is all snowy;
The wind is all blowy!
We'll go like a fairy,
So light and so airy!"



from Time for Poetry: A Teacher's Anthology, compiled by May Hill Arbuthnot, 1951, Scott Foresman and Company

A Popcorn Song (Monday Poem)

by Nancy Byrd Turner


Sing a song of popcorn
When the snowstorms rage;
Fifty little round men
Put into a cage.
Shake them till they laugh and leap
Crowding to the top;
Watch them burst their little coats
Pop!! Pop!! Pop!!


from Sing a Song of Popcorn: Every Child's Book of Poems, selected by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers, Eva Moore, Mary Michaels White, Jan Carr, 1988, Scholastic 

Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (FAMILY magazine reviews)

Among the heroes in our nation’s history, we recognize one whose adult life invites us to think about the important freedoms we cherish. The Reverend Dr. King, Jr. led a movement that inspires us today. Many civil rights we now often take for granted required work to pass laws that guarantee us those freedoms today. These books are among many that tell us stories about the often hidden history of people and their struggles for freedom. Take time to share these inspiring picture books, and have a conversation about our country’s history. Enjoy!

Hope’s Gift by Kelly Starling Lyons 

Illustrated by Don Tate

            When Papa goes to fight in the war against slavery, he gives Hope a conch shell. He tells her to hold it to her ear and listen for the sound of freedom. “Nothing can stop it from coming. Nothing,” he tells her. Time passes but he has not returned. Hope, her brother, and her mother miss Papa terribly. Life is hard, especially when Hope has to work in the cotton fields. There is whispering among the slaves about freedom coming.

            Colored pencil and gouache illustrations are simple, but beautifully rendered with faces and bodies expressing sadness, fear, love, anger, hope, and celebration. The story highlights the contrasts and similarities between Papa’s leaving to fight for freedom and the Master’s leaving his daughter to fight for slavery. Each leave-taking is painful for each child. Award-winning art seamlessly matches the matter-of-fact text.

            One day Hope sees soldiers dressed in Union blue, among them, Papa! Finally back, bringing the promise -- freedom is near. This is a gentle but powerful story of separation, love, and sacrifice. An Author’s Note is at the end.

Putnam, $16.99

Interest Level: Grades 1-3

Belle, the Last Mule at Gee’s Bend: A Civil Rights Story 

by Calvin Alexander Ramsey and Bettye Stroud 

Illustrated by John Holyfield

            Based on a true story from the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s, a small African American community in Alabama is featured in this low-key story with powerful change at its center. While he’s waiting on his mother, young Alex watches an old mule eat collard greens from a neighboring garden. An older woman tells a story to explain why Belle, the mule, is a hero and can eat what she wants.

            The residents of Gee’s Bend (called “Benders”) were very pleased when the Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr came to encourage them to register to vote. They took the ferryboat across the river to Camden in such great numbers that the local authorities closed the ferry. So, with help from the mules, they arranged heir own transportation. They had to do it again when they went to vote. When some of them lost their jobs as a result of voting, together they created beautiful quilts.

Vibrant colorful acrylic artwork pairs with the carefully researched and well-written language of the story. Following Dr King’s assassination, the Benders were once again called on for assistance. Dr King had requested that mules pull a farm cart carrying his casket. The Benders took two mules, one of them Belle, and found a solution to barriers the authorities once again put in their way.

This thoughtful story includes readers, as we listen to Miz Pettway, along with young Alex, showing how ordinary people can change the world. At the end is an Author’s Note.

           

Candlewick Press, $16.99 (hardcover) 

$7.99 (paperback)

Interest Level: Grades 1-3

Preaching to the Chickens: The story of young John Lewis 

by Jabari Asim 

Illustrated by E. B. Lewis

            Living civil rights legend and Georgia congressman John Lewis was once an Alabama farm boy who cared for his family’s flock of chickens. He knew them by name and recognized them by their actions. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” he would tell the ones fighting over breakfast.                         

As their protector, he rescued them when they fell into the well, and even brought back to life a nearly drowned chick. He also figured out a way to trade with a local businessman without losing one of his chickens.

Sunlit spring mornings are featured in illustrator Lewis’ signature watercolor illustrations. The lively chickens and young John’s tender care are highlighted in this engaging picture book. Appealingly blended impressionistic art and affectionately written text feature young Lewis’ faith and family as cornerstones in his growing years. At the conclusion of the story is an Author’s Note about his conversations with former Freedom Rider and U.S. Representative John Lewis.

Penguin, $17.99

Interest Level: Kindergarten – Grade 4

Snowflakes (Monday Poem)

by David McCord


Sometime this winter if you go
To walk in soft new-falling snow
When flakes are big and come down slow

To settle on your sleeve as bright
As stars that couldn't wait for night,
You won't know what you have in sight --

Another world -- unless you bring
A magnifying glass. This thing
We call a snowflake is the king

Of crystals. Do you like surprise?
Examine him three times his size:
At first you won't believe your eyes.

Stars look alike, but flakes do not:
No two the same in all the lot
That you will get in any spot

You chance to be, for every one
Come spinning through the sky has none
But his own window-wings of sun:

Joints, points, and crosses. What could make
Such lacework with no crack or break?
In billion billions, no mistake?


from Sing a Song of Popcorn: Every Child's Book of Poems, selected by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers, Eva Moore, Mary Michaels White, Jan Carr, 1988, Scholastic 

Sea Fever (Monday Poem)

by John Masefield


I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking
And a gray mist on the sea's face and a gray dawn breaking.

I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must down to the seas again to the vagrant gypsy life
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And a quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.



from Time for Poetry: A Teacher's Anthology, compiled by May Hill Arbuthnot, 1951, Scott Foresman and Company