Poetry Friday - Celebrating

                This week, Poetry Friday is hosted by Jone MacCulloch at her blog, DeoWriter.  Be sure to visit to see what Tabatha  at The Opposite of Indifference sent her for the Poetry Swap. You may want to stay a while!
        This past Monday, I shared I Am Someone Else, Poems About Pretending, created with poems by many poets you know by Lee Bennett Hopkins and illustrated by Chris Hsu. It's another recent book of poetry you will love.           
         Celebrating anything gives a lovely feeling, but celebrating winning the Women's World Cup has to be extraordinary, right? What an exciting time on Sunday morning (US time) and since then, too. In the midst of this celebration, I'd like to add one more, celebrating Elizabeth Steinglass' poetry book, recently out, Soccerverse! 

         My grandchildren have not chosen to be soccer players and have chosen other sports. However, I've spent many hours at soccer practice and games watching my son learn, then improve in the game, celebrating his first goal, watching the team itself get better and better. I enjoyed the poems Liz has written about things I remember during those years as a 'soccer mom'!

         I cannot share the whole book, but I want to. It's no surprise that it begins with "The Ball", a marvel we know is not always available to kids in need around the world, though coveted in its ability for "trapping, tapping, and spinning. Perfect for kicking, bending, and winning." as Liz writes. She manages to bring the field to life in "Instructions For The Field"  which ends with a nice reminder to "catch us when we fall". Other poems include topics like shin guards talking, one of its use and one left behind takes us to memorable goals in our minds, as "A shark,/slipping/through/ the sea,/until/she smells/opportunity." Poems fill up the book with SOCCER and I've filled this ball with a few favorite lines! 

          Twenty-two poems in thirteen forms delight in images, further enhanced by Edson Ikê's innovative illustrations, each one focusing on the poem's topic both realistically and creatively. Every player, boy or girl, knows the feeling that Liz shows in this poem's beginning: "I got too mad./I tried too hard." Edson's art of an angry bull on a pointing finger is perfect for the poem "Apology" ending with "I crossed the line./I got a card." I liked this for its brevity and remember well seeing the anger, then often the embarrassment, of getting carded. Every poem will touch soccer players' hearts. They will KNOW what Liz has written about. It's a terrific addition to poetry for kids.
          Liz writes a note at the back explaining each of the poem forms she used and adds the key to which poem is in which form. Thanks, Liz, for a beautiful book.