Iroquois Prayer (Monday Poem)

Anonymous


We return thanks to our mother, the earth, which sustains us.
We return thanks to the rivers and streams, which supply us with water.
We return thanks to all herbs, which furnish medicines for the care of our diseases.
We return thanks to the corn, and to her sisters, the beans and squashes, which give us life.
We return thanks to the bushes and trees, which provide us with fruit.
We return thanks to the wind, which, moving the air, has banished diseases.
We return thanks to the moon and stars, which have given us their light when the sun was gone.
We return thanks to our grandfather, He-no,
  that he has protected his grandchildren from witches and reptiles, and has given to us his rain.
We return thanks to the sun, that has looked upon the earth with a beneficent eye.
Lastly, we return thanks to the Great Spirit,
  in whom is embodied all goodness, and who directs all things for the good of his children.



from  A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children
Selected by Caroline Kennedy
Hyperion, 2005

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening (Monday Poem)

by Robert Frost


Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little house must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy falke.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.



from  A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children
Selected by Caroline Kennedy
Hyperion, 2005

Something Told the Wild Geese (Monday Poem)

by Rachel Field


Something told the wild geese
It was time to go.
Though the fields lay golden
Something whispered, ---"Snow."
Leaves were green and stirring,
Berries, luster-glossed,
But beneath warm feathers
Something cautioned, -- "Frost."
All the sagging orchards
Steamed with amber spice,
But each wild breast stiffened
At remembered ice.
Something told the wild geese
It was time to fly,---
Summer sun was on their wings,
Winter in their cry.




from  A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children
Selected by Caroline Kennedy
Hyperion, 2005

Ready for Reading! (FAMILY magazine reviews)

Tempting to young readers is this small but delightful collection of early chapter books. With irresistible characters and eye-catching illustrations, these cheery stories grab readers’ attention and keep them coming back for more. Dog fans or cow pokes are hooked by short chapters, well written text, unforced language, and print that is easy to read. Adult caregivers may want to take turns reading chapters with youngsters to keep the story flowing. Have fun!

Slingshot and Burp 

by Richard Haynes

illustrated by Stephen Gilpin

            The two title characters are cowboy enthusiasts; also, best friends, neighbors and double cousins. And, they each have an older sister -- who are also best friends with each other. The two pairs are not in agreement about the use of their “shared” clubhouse.   

            Complete with cowboy slang, wild adventures into the southwestern desert they call The Boneyard (really their backyard), jail time, blood-squirting zombie skulls, and even a ghost cat, this early chapter book is perfect for young readers and cowboy junkies. When the sisters change up the boys’ bunkhouse with pink streamers, curtains, flowers and dolls, Slingshot and Burp are outraged.

Using their Double-Barreled Spitball Blaster loaded with grapes, the two cowboys massacre the dolls and stuffed animals in the pink hair salon. Peppery mad Ma McKenzie and cross Calamity Kate charge the cowboys, who are marched into Mom-and-Dad court, where they are charged with four counts of doll murder and destruction of doll property, pronounced guilty and sentenced to two whole days of being grounded.

            As it turns out the girls have opened a dog sitting and grooming business in the clubhouse and were practicing on the dolls and stuffed animals. The two cowhands are camping overnight outside when one of the dogs escapes. The adventure to save Jackpot, the pup, while it’s still dark, has the boys exploring, as tall-tales fill their minds. They lose their bikes, flashlights, and Super X. But they rescue the dog, and make a deal with the Scorpion Sisters to “borrow” Jackpot until they can visit Big Jim at the Boots and Saddle Tack Shop to show him the treasure they’ve discovered during their adventure.

            Occasionally included are a map and vigorous black and white illustrations to accompany the lively text.

Candlewick Press, $14.99

Interest Level: Grades 1-4

Lulu and the Dog from the Sea 

by Hilary McKay

illustrated by Priscilla Lamont

            Lulu, an animal lover with pets, and her neighborhood friend, Mellie, go with Lulu’s parents on vacation to a cottage by the sea. Lulu’s dog, Sam, goes too. When they arrive, however, the owner of the cottage warns them about a “dog from the sea” who is a thief and has already taken a “whole roasted chicken” from a family staying in the house last week. Even the dogcatcher hasn’t been able to grab him!

            Although the others are not happy about this dog, for Lulu, the unnamed dog is a challenge. She and Mellie learn about the dog in town from unhappy restaurant owners. And along the path to the beach that day, Lulu follows behind the others and drops dog biscuits. That night after everyone else is asleep Lulu goes out to take the rocks off the trash can so the dog from the sea can eat the burned sausages. She gets a bucket of water for the dog to drink, and even sits down to pet him.

            Over several nights and trips to the beach they become friends. Then the cottage owner sees them playing together and calls the dogcatchers, scaring the no name dog away.

            Periodically, expressive black and white pictures illustrate this charming and completely dog-focused chapter book for young readers. Text and illustrations combine to keep readers engaged.

            During the early morning hours of the last day of vacation, the two girls run off to fly Mellie’s kite, hoping to attract the dog’s attention. But, it’s an accident that finally gets everyone focused. And the dog from the sea gets a new home!

            This is another perfect early chapter book for young readers along with other titles in this series.

           

Albert Whitman & Company, $13.99 hardcover, $4.99 paperback

Interest Level: Grades 2-4

Good Dog, McTavish  

by Meg Rosoff

illustrated by Grace Easton

             A playfully witty and wily early chapter book is this story of McTavish, a shelter pooch, who adopts the Peacheys, an inept family, after Ma resigns from being a mother. Boycotting the often “boring, thankless jobs” like “cooking meals that get cold,” “keeping track of appointments,” and “finding lost keys,” Ma now decides to take time to practice yoga. No one else in the family cleans, cooks, or keeps everyone organized, and before long the household is falling to pieces, Pa Peachey is cranky, Ava (14) grumbles, and Ollie (12) complains. Even the youngest, Betty (8) who is the most sensible, feels “lost, lonesome, and lacking in love.”

            Betty manages to get the family - minus Ma, who is practicing her tree pose - to the animal shelter where Betty and McTavish (a mix of Scottish terrier, Jack Russell, poodle, Tibetan spaniel, and Bichon Frise) connect. Soon McTavish has made his home in the Peachey household and, in consultation with Betty, has begun a three-step process that gets the laundry done, the mess decluttered, and everyone out the door on time for school and work. Soon, the family has even figured out a way to begin cooking meals instead of eating tiresome pizza every night.

            Although the book doesn’t directly approach the problem of Ma feeling unappreciated, the quirky black and white and gray illustrations, satirical character exaggerations, sheer wackiness, and oversimplified, if nonetheless, feel-good ending, make for an unconventional, yet entertaining and clever tale for early readers.

Candlewick Press, $15.99

Interest Level: Grades 2-5

 

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Has My Heart Gone to Sleep? (Monday Poem)

by Antonio Machado
translated by Alan S. Trueblood


   Has my heart gone to sleep?
Have the beehives of my dreams
stopped working, the waterwheel
of the mind run dry,
scoops turning empty,
only shadow inside?
   No, my heart is not asleep.
It is awake, wide awake.
Not asleep, not dreaming --
its eyes are opened wide
watching distant signals, listening
on the rim of the vast silence.




from  A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Children
Selected by Caroline Kennedy
Hyperion, 2005