The New Colossus (Monday Poem)

by Emma Lazarus


Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles, From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"




from A Poem of Her Own: Voices of American Women Yesterday and Today
Edited by Catherine Clinton
2003, Harry N. Abrams

The Milky Way (Monday Poem)

by Michael Hettich


If we could imagine that every word we speak
were an animal or insect, the last of the species
ever to be born, that the very act of speaking
brought extinction even before our words
had been heard and replied to, we might get a feeling
for the vanishings we witness but don't see. And if every
conversation were understood as a kind
of holocaust denuding whole landscapes, some people
would simply fall silent--as far as they could--
while most others would keep chattering on. Just imagine
the vast forests of lives, the near-infinity of forms
brought to a halt with a simple conversation.
And I would be one of the talkers, despite
the fact that I knew what my talking destroyed.
And so I would mourn every word I said,
even while I argued passionately for silence
and for learning to honor the sacred diversity
of life. Just imagine watching the stars
go out on a dark night in the far north, a clear night,
one after another until the sky was black.

Once, when I was taking out the garbage, just walking
dully across my backyard, a huge bird--
as big as a vulture but glittering and sleek--
rose from the grass and flew into my body,
knocked the breath out of me, then flew up and away
with a powerful pull of its wings. I could hardly

see it in the darkness. And then it was just gone.

From The Frozen Harbor by Michael Hettich

2017, Red Dragonfly Press

On the Hunt for Bear (Stories) - FAMILY magazine reviews

 

The strength and power of bears have intrigued humans for generations, from teddy bears to bears living in wild lands and in zoos. The books included in this small collection show the humor that children’s book writers and children themselves feel in the enjoyment of inventive stories to delight our imaginations.

 

Big Bear, Small Mouse 

by Karma Wilson

Illustrated by Jane Chapman

            Once again Wilson’s delightful rhymes grab attention, this time with a focus on opposites. The rollicking rhythms of this jaunty picture book are captivatingly simple and engaging for the youngest listeners. Bear and Mouse, Badger, Hare, Wren, Owl, Mole, Gopher and Raven are all involved in demonstrating opposites; cold/warm, quiet/loud, high/low, slow/fast, small/big.

            Chapman’s breezy acrylic illustrations are an animated back and forth of white space that shows the contrast between the opposites demonstrated in this story and the happy animal adventurers as they romp through the blue and green woods to bear’s lair where everyone comes in out of the weather for a cozy conclusion.

Simon & Schuster, $16.99

Interest Level: Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 1

There’s a Bear on My Chair 

by Ross Collins

            Another perfect story for the nursery set begins with a large polar bear seated on small mouse’s chair. Collins matches his playful rhymes with large double-page digitally created spreads, that show the mouse doing nearly all the talking about the bear: “I understand that bears are rare. I know they need the utmost care. I know all that. I am aware. But still I cannot stand this bear.”

            This book is great fun to read aloud. The text is printed on one side of each spread, with a large font to magnify the intensifying drama. Solid color backgrounds concentrate attention on the expressive faces, body language and perplexing situation for the two characters.

When finally, the mouse has had it, and leaves, the bear wordlessly gets up off the chair and heads home to his igloo. The final page spread is the twist that makes the story - at last the bear speaks - for a satisfying conclusion!

Candlewick Press, $7.99 (board book) $16.99 (hardcover)

Interest Level: Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 1

How to Share with a Bear 

by Eric Pinder

illustrated by Stephanie Graegin

            When Thomas makes a cozy cave, it attracts a small bear. Clever Thomas uses blankets, pillows, and cushions to create this comfy den in the living room. But when he leaves to get a flashlight to read, bumping and thumping noises from inside lead to the discovery of a bear when he returns.

            Thomas makes a trail of blueberries “leading away from the cave” because “Everyone knows that bears like berries.” It works! – For a while. But when he gets back with his books. He’s too late! The bear is there!

            Thomas tries to think like a bear – and lures him away with a back scratcher, fish bath toys in the bathroom sink, a bowl of honey oat cereal in the kitchen – all of which are fleetingly successful. But once Thomas is inside the cave, there’s no room for the bear, who begins to cry. Fortunately, there’s a cave-in!

The bear and Thomas giggle, and rebuild a bigger cave! Youngsters can finally see the bear is Thomas’ younger brother!

Pinder uses simple engaging language to tell of the kindness of this older brother. Graegin’s blue and gold palate of absorbing details in the accompanying illustrations guides the youngest listeners along this sweetly generous journey. This captivating story includes simple instructions at the end, for the nursery crowd, on “How to Build a Cave.”

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $17.99

Interest Level: Pre-Kindergarten – Grade 1

 

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Hurry (Monday Poem)

by Eve Merriam


Hurry! says the morning,
don't be late for school!

Hurry! says the teacher,
hand in the papers now!

Hurry! says the mother,
supper's getting cold!

Hurry! says the father,
time to go to bed!

Slowly, says the darkness,
you can talk to me . . . .




from Forget-Me-Nots: Poems to Learn by Heart
Selected by Eve Merriam
2012, Little Brown and Company

I Am a Mirror (Monday Poem)

by Nikki Giovanni


I am a mirror.

I reflect the grace
Of my mother
The tenacity
Of my grandmother
The patience
Of my grandfather
The sweat
Of my great-grandmother
The hope
Of my great-grandfather
The songs
Of my ancestors
The prayers
Of those on the auction block
The bravery
Of those in the middle passage

I reflect the strengths
Of my people
And for that alone
I am loved.



from  I Am Loved
by Nikki Giovanni
2018, Atheneum