Howdy, Campers--happy Poetry Friday (link at the bottom) and happy home grown veggies to all! (Did you know that August 2-8th was National Farmers Market Week? Or that August 22nd is National Honey Bee Day and September 7th is National Acorn Squash Day?)
We're blogging about going back to school this round. Esther starts us off with a review of Kate Messner's book on revision, a useful and inspiring book; JoAnn writes about using repetition and how to Write a Poem Step by Step, and you can win her book of that very title by entering the latest TeachingAuthors' book giveaway (which ends tonight at midnight) Then Carla shows how to approach the familiar How I Spent My Summer Vacation essay as a non-fiction writer, and Mary Ann tells us the story behind her wonderful book, First Grade Stinks!
Now it's my turn. I'm here to suggest two very different books for this time of year. One about food, one about forgiveness...and the new year.
As the daughter of a farmer and the sister of a sustainable agriculture journalist, I was proud to be included in Carol-Ann Hoyte's latest anthology, DEAR TOMATO ~ an International Crop of Food and Agricultural Poems. (Great title!)
This collection,with photographs by Norie Wasserman (wonderful cover!) includes poems about small gardens, free range chickens, bees, farmers' markets, fair trade, food banks, a poem that mentions Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez, and more.
Any of these would be a wonderful topic for student poems, stories or a class discussion about food and farming. And the remarkable Renee LaTulippe, at No Water River, has created what she calls "poet-a-palooza" about Dear Tomato. which includes videos of some of the poets reading their poems from this book. Many of the poems are by friends from the Kidlitosphere, including B.J.Lee, Mary Lee Hahn, Charles Waters, Michelle Heidenrich Barnes, Matt Forrest Esenwine, Bridget Magee, Buffy Silverman, Stephen Withrow, J. Patrick Lewis, Elizabeth Steinglass, and I'm sure I've missed some others. This is the book I've been giving my neighborhood gardeners with whom I trade homegrown veggies.
Here's one of my poems from the book:
Any of these would be a wonderful topic for student poems, stories or a class discussion about food and farming. And the remarkable Renee LaTulippe, at No Water River, has created what she calls "poet-a-palooza" about Dear Tomato. which includes videos of some of the poets reading their poems from this book. Many of the poems are by friends from the Kidlitosphere, including B.J.Lee, Mary Lee Hahn, Charles Waters, Michelle Heidenrich Barnes, Matt Forrest Esenwine, Bridget Magee, Buffy Silverman, Stephen Withrow, J. Patrick Lewis, Elizabeth Steinglass, and I'm sure I've missed some others. This is the book I've been giving my neighborhood gardeners with whom I trade homegrown veggies.
Here's one of my poems from the book:
HOE OBSERVING THE FARMER
by April Halprin Wayland
.
.
He knows a
hoe.
Never
letting go.
Holds me
steady in his grip,
lifts me up
to rip against the weight of air.
Then he
pulls me back, bearing down,
yielding to
the power of the ground.
Holds me
steady in his grip,
never
letting go.
He knows
a hoe.
poem (c)2015 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved.
my father and mother on the farm
Izzy's favorite part of Rosh Hashanah is Tashlich, a joyous ceremony in which people apologize for the mistakes they made in the previous year and thus clean the slate as the new year begins. But there is one mistake on Izzy's I m sorry list that he's finding especially hard to say out loud.
Humor, touching moments between family and friends, and lots
of information about the Jewish New Year are all combined in this lovely
picture book for holiday sharing.
Winner of the Sydney Taylor Gold Medal for best Jewish
picture book of the year
Here are four ways to use New Year at the Pier with kids--and adults:
1) Use it to explain to students where absent schoolmates may be during the Jewish New Year.
2) Use it to open discussions about how to apologize and forgive.
3) Use it to show how other cultures celebrate New Year.
4) Give it to someone you’ve wanted to apologize to for a long time
Click here for more activities,and for New Year rituals around the world.
Here are four ways to use New Year at the Pier with kids--and adults:
1) Use it to explain to students where absent schoolmates may be during the Jewish New Year.
2) Use it to open discussions about how to apologize and forgive.
3) Use it to show how other cultures celebrate New Year.
4) Give it to someone you’ve wanted to apologize to for a long time
Click here for more activities,and for New Year rituals around the world.
Poetry Friday is hosted today by Reading To The Core--thank you!
Posts
9 comments:
Hi April, I still haven't purchased Dear Tomato, but know I will. All the poems shared by Renee and now you are wonderful. I know students like writing about food, guess we all do! And I'll share your book with the librarian at school. It's an important holiday for some students at our school & they will love your book. Thanks!
Hellooooo, Dear April! Thanks for sharing a yummy bite from Dear Tomato, and reminding us to stop and examine forgiveness with your wonderful picture book. Love that picture of your parents. XO
Dear Linda, thank you, thank you, for seeing the need for sharing this book. This, too, is about diversity.
And Robyn! Yeah--my'rents were walking down the main road of the farm, walnut trees on either side...
Thank you so much for stopping by ~
I have to look for New Year at the Pier - it does look very nice! Thank you for sharing it this week.
DEAR TOMATO looks scrumptious, April! And the timing is perfect. We're currently enjoying the fruits of our potted tomato plants in 3 sizes: grape, cherry, and plum. (Hmm, I think there's a poem in there about a tomato by any other name. :-) )
Congrats on being included in the anthology and thanks for sharing your poem.
Thanks, also, for reminding of of NEW YEAR AT THE PIER!
April, appreciations for reminding me to look for Dear Tomato. I've seen several of the savory poems shared by various bloggers. Your photo is
so sweet of your parents at the farm. And the hoe persona poem is neat.
I always feel as if I need so many people to forgive me - I appreciate your tying in next month's Rosh Hashanah & it's forgiveness, reminding us about NEW YEAR AT THE PIER, a wonderful book & leaving us with a sense of joy.
Dear Myra, Carmela and Jan,
Thank you for your comments--particularly regarding NEW YEAR AT THE PIER. I feel I've neglected this poor puppy every year, not promoted it as it deserves.
And it deserves a teacher's guide, as Rebecca Colby shared in the last post!
Oops...I meant which Rebecca Colby shared in the post that follows this one
:-)
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