Poetry Friday - About Piñatas - Sort of

 

            It's Poetry Friday, and Susan Thomsen is hosting HERE on her blog, Chicken Spaghetti for Poetry Friday.  Susan also has taken the challenge described below and written about the "Passaic piñata"! Thanks for hosting, Susan!     

         It's already the end of January - wow! Time really does fly! Tanita Davis of those creative Poetry Sisters wrote this at the end of December for this month's challenge:

 Poetry Peeps! You’re invited to our challenge for the month of January! Here’s the scoop: We’re writing ekphastic poetry on… piñatas. No, really. Those hollow-hearted paper beasts we love to beat might not be something you think are poem-worthy – usually – but you’ve NEVER seen piñatas like these. Featured on PBS’s fabulous Craft In America series, we’re celebrating the humble piñata as elevated by Robert Benavidez. Check out his work. Are you game? Good! Whichever of his creative creatures and absolutely out-there works of art that you choose, you have a month to craft your creation and share it on January 26 in a post and/or on social media with the tag #PoetryPals.

       At the risk of saying what others must also be saying, these Piñatas are fabulous, though I can't imagine taking out a long stick to break them open! Surely it's a no-no! You can find the page of all of them here!

Grateful

 

pinatas mostly hold sweets to eat

now imagine they’re doggy treats

                                 for dogs deserve our gratitude                                

for warmth when cold in solitude

as hiking partners through the night

they give protection from a fright

and comfort when we stroke their coat

soft, inviting, worry antidote

when you need a body stretch 

instead of playing games like fetch

the latest in the best of show

their downward dog shows how to go

 

Linda Baie ©

            Thanks, #PoetrySisters for giving us wonderful challenges. This was fun and the pinatas. as I wrote earlier, too, are wonderful! 

             Last, thanks to those whose postcards I've received already! I'm saving them up for a big post later. They are a light in January!  ~Linda

Monday Reading - Read These Books!

 

It's Monday - Book Love 

        

    Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they and others have been reading! Your TBR lists will grow!

           Sara Pennypacker (remember the Pax stories?), with the help of a few illustrations by Matthew Cordell, has written a story for readers like no other about Leeva, a girl who seems to have been raised by parents who don't parent. In all actuality, Leeva, from a very young age, has been given an employee handbook of expectations. She does it all, cooking, washing dishes, cleaning, but the most asked of her is to stay out of their way. Oh, and to do a few math problems for her father some mornings. It is shocking to read in the story's beginning until Leeva draws strength enough to ask the question, "What are people for?" You see, she has never been to school, has never been out of the house, until, until, she must. And that is when she sneaks through the high hedge and discovers the library, discovers the librarians, also cookies and hugs and so much more. But it takes a while for those. Along the way, she also makes two other friends and learns that she actually can help them, too. Pennypacker's mixed-up world shows how kindness and accepting the unusual make life better. It's a surprise when it's nearly taken away but an equal surprise how Leeva responds. I loved every part, a new kind of world that became endearing in many ways.

         My neighbor just got their first 'family' dog, what is called a "Bernie-doodle" which is thousands of years from the first ones, per a timeline and story of dogs from Lita Judge. It's a special history for those who love dogs and those who wonder how the wolf which still survives became an important part of our lives. Whether a beloved pet, that "best friend" from the title, a rescue dog, or an explosive-sniffing or disease-sniffing animal, Lita Judge takes us along on this amazing journey of a pet we just might take for granted, but should not. There's a dog at my airport that greets passengers, welcoming and often assuaging human nerves as they head out. One text keeps the story going while an added piece relates more facts. "Dogs have a sense of smell between 10,000 and 100,000 times greater than that of humans." 
         Illustrations just make one smile at so, so many different dogs throughout their illustrious history. Lita adds an Author's Note that includes ways to help dogs, a double-page spread of a few varied dog breeds, another with short bios of famous dogs, a timeline, and sources. It is a terrific book!

    Thanks to Charlesbridge for these next two books!

                   For young readers who may not know one way that scientists learn about birds, this time, night birds, specifically saw-whet owls who are migrating south for the winter.  It's termed "catch and release". Young Sova is excited and is finally old enough to accompany her mother on this scientific journey. They arrive, put on headlamps, and go to check what is called a 'mist-net', a light net that will be able to catch any owl flying through. No owls are found at the first check so they go to the nearby sanctuary cabin where they will wait some time, then return to check again. The excitement lowers a bit and Sova learns that waiting, then waiting more, takes a lot of patience. They are eventually rewarded as the story moves along and as Susan Edwards Richmond shares some of the processes that will happen "if" they catch an owl, like measuring and weighing, and banding. The creative way of storytelling while taking readers on a research trip is a wonderful intro to this process. Maribel Lechuga's illustrations show the night in its mysteries beautifully, even adding a special page of Sova's pretending to fly with the owl. There is more information about owls and banding and lists for further reading at the back.

      

Poetry Friday - For the @PoetryPals and Heidi

 

 

         Poetry Friday is with Tabatha Yeatts-Lonske, HERE at her website, The Opposite of Indifference, sharing some "meme" laughs and a sweet poem about missing cats. You'll understand when you read her post!  Thanks for hosting, Tabatha!

              Best wishes to anyone who has been touched by Hurricane Ian or is waiting to see what it will do next. I am so sorry for all the devastation I am seeing.

          The Poetry Princesses gave their end-of-month prompt at the end of August. I found it at the end of Laura Purdie Salas' post. She wrote: "Want to write with us next month? Write a definito poem, a cool form that I first learned about from Heidi Mordhorst, and post on September 26 on your blog and/or on social media with #PoetryPals!" Heidi introduces her creation here!

          I've known about it but somehow I have never tried one. Now I have! For this challenge, I've been messing with words for a couple of weeks, at least. I struggled to choose. Then I thought of my favorite kind of words, those that are exactly the same but differ in meaning, homonyms. This time, I wonder if each one does differ when researching it. Can there be a connection? 

            (Side note: There is a third definition of "bark", less-used, usually spelled "barque". Do you recognize it now?)

  I live in an old neighborhood, looked out
all my windows, and counted 26 trees that I 
could see.  Their bark fascinates me every
time I pass by when out walking. Here are four.
The dog picture
was found on Wikimedia Commons,
titled "dog barking".

Bark

 

     Protecting trees and you!

They keep insides safe,

the cambium where trees thrive.

the homes where children flourish.

furry or smooth, patchy or rough. 

 

One offers a forest’s fashion line;

another a family’s canine kin,

     protectors

 

From insects and interlopers,

to fire and strangers:

the ‘bark’ of a tree,

the ‘bark’ of a dog,

 

both safety warriors.

 

 Bark

 

Linda Baie ©

 

Poetry In Memories

          Chelanne at Books 4 Learning welcomes us today for Poetry Friday. Come join in, or click the links to read everyone's offerings. 

           There is a moment when one knows it's time to say goodbye to a beloved pet, and this past week held that moment for my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughters. Their "George", a rescued cattle dog has been with them for about six years, and I had the pleasure of his visits with them, and alone when they vacationed. He was sweet and caring with the daughters, the cats, was a dearest companion to my son-in-law. They traveled to work together every day. I woke on Wednesday morning with the first line in this poem in my head. Although George was only my pet on occasion, because I no longer have a pet, he was dear to me too. A part of me thinks George must be making others happy in this, his next life.

Year ago, taking care of Ingrid, who is now seven. 

Of George - 7/20/16

Up in heaven runs a pack of dogs;

the welcome fur is flying.

A dog named George

trots in to add

his smile with those arriving.

He knows he’ll miss that home he had-

the ones he loved,

who loved him so.

He will remember each caress

from the days he lived below.

It’s hard to say goodbye to love,

and when it’s time to go,

the memories in   

our hearts will stay

of George; we loved him so.

    LindaBaie ©All Rights Reserved

        I have been remiss in my haste to post and want to add that in the early summer, another beloved dog in our family also left, this time the Bernese Mountain dog, Truman, sweet love of my son, daughter-in-law and grandson. I've had the pleasure of his visits over the years, another dear member of the family. I imagine he's up there waiting to greet George, and yes, fur flying!