April - Poetry Month - Day Two - Stories

      

        The bookmark, on top of the picture above, came into the bookstore at the end of March. Often people do donate books and leave 'treasures' in them. This time, it became my own treasure and I knew what I would do for April's poetry, write about found treasures, perhaps find new places to look? Happy April!

Plus! Check each day for the added line to the Progressive Poem, created by Irene Latham, now hosted by Margaret Simon! The link is to the right!  

A trove of treasures, all over my home, are books. I couldn't ignore that here at the beginning, for they form a huge part of my life, early through family reading to me, my own reading, teaching, now working at a used bookstore, a volunteer-only non-profit where I have the joy again of talking about and sharing books with others. One favorite "story" from my childhood that I still remember having had it read to me, then reading to my own children, is one I think you'll recognize. It's about curiosity and seems most of all to show someone with courage.

       Stories

Jack couldn’t forget

the shimmer and shine;

grabbing the golden rope,

tremulous, began to climb.

            Linda Baie ©

Non-Fiction Picture Books Tell Stories

Visit Alyson Beecher on Wednesdays for Non-Fiction Picture Books at Kidlit Frenzy.  Thanks to her hosting and sharing and those who add their posts discover and celebrate terrific nonfiction picture books!  I always learn from these books, am happy that they are more and more available today for children, really for everyone. 

        History is made of stories, and sometimes that history is personal, often told instead of printed. That is where this book about a part of Paul Robeson's life lies, in history passed on. This time, the author, Susan Robeson, his granddaughter, grew up hearing about the wonderful man her grandfather was. She certainly knew he was a great singer, learned early how the spirituals that made him famous came from his own father, an escaped slave. But the story that intrigued her was that he, one day, stopped a war. 
         In the late 1930s, Paul Robeson was living in London when war broke out in Spain. He was concerned and gave concerts with the proceeds going to help the victims of the war, especially the children who had lost their homes, were in dire need of food. It kept on, he kept singing, yet it didn't seem enough. He insisted he must go to Spain, to the front. Many thought it too dangerous, but he did go, and his wife with him. He went to the front and sang. On that day, no guns fired, no bombs dropped. He had stopped a war. Sadly, those who were fighting for Spain eventually lost to the general who was siding with Hitler. 
        Museum-like paintings by Rod Brown show this man who seemed larger than life, the scenes, too, enlarge the story with many details. There are the slaves of Robeson's father's time, the spread showing Robeson singing by a river with a riverboat floating by (his most famous song was "Old Man River), and the details of the Valencia oranges looking like "little suns" by the road to the front.

Finding Stories - Connecting

Join us on Tuesdays with the Two Writing Teachers and others who post. 

 

          Brief, hopefully a story to consider in contrast with your own lives. I enjoy talking with people, learning as much about them as I can when we have even a brief encounter. I had a wonderful time at the poetry retreat last week at Highlights with time to visit with others in the group as enjoyable as the work on poetry was.

          Yesterday I posted this picture on FB, with these words: 

"There is joy found when leaves fall. Now I can see more of the sunset!"  

And I was reminded of the quote which I have on my refrigerator. 

       You know that I focus on the good things in my life, and that was brought into a new focus last week from my Uber driver to the airport. This driver was a young man with an accent, and I discovered he had immigrated from Togo (east of Ghana) three years ago. He came alone, misses his family, but told me things were going well. And then he said that he was lucky to get my call for a ride. He came from work and was nearby, so could pick me up fast. And he did. He had just finished his night shift at a nearby factory, told me that he worked as long in the morning as he was called for more rides, then slept a few hours in the afternoon, then back to work. He felt lucky. We had a nice conversation on the way, about Denver and the mountains. Enough of a slice to remember, right?

       

A Celebration To Love

  Celebrating with Ruth Ayres at Discover Play Build.  and linking with others who share their celebrations, too. I am grateful to Ruth for helping us celebrate together!  

from Madeleine L'Engle
       "Stories make us more alive, more human, more courageous, more loving."

       I spent this past week until Thursday at the Highlights Barn for The Craft and Heart of Writing Poetry for Children workshop with Georgia Heard, Rebecca Kai Dotlich and a group of old friends and also new ones. That old song kept flying through my mind about keeping old friends and making new ones-one silver and the other gold. How in four days such special connections are made is a wonder to me. I wrote with some of the group three years ago and was thrilled to be with them again. I've met some at teacher conventions, but most I know through their blogging, thus, their stories! Today I celebrate stories, and those willing to share them during this oh, so brief, time. They shared them when they shared their poems for response, how the poems came to "be" in their lives, and what they meant to them. They shared at meals, on the paths as we walked and talked, then talked some more, telling about our lives, where and when and how and why.  I heard highs and lows from family and work and struggles still happening, as well as those from the past. Stories make who we are, and I was honored to hear them. 

Making Stories

              I celebrate each Saturday with Ruth Ayres at Discover Play Build - It's a close community that celebrates together. Come join us!          Tweet at #CelebrateLu

              Ruth often writes about story and its value. Today, I celebrate story as I meandered through my week, reading and writing, spending time noticing on my morning walks. I spent time with my granddaughters, watching them build their own "libraries of memories, and observed a new teacher's lesson as he began his journey of teaching.  

A Good Week of Reading!

Thanks to Jen and Kellee, you can hook up with this kitlit meme: It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA at teach mentor texts!  Please visit to discover terrific books others are reading!

  It's Monday! What are you Reading? is another meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys, a variety of reviews to find even more books for your TBR list. 

Also - This Thursday, March 1st begins the monthly Slice of Life challenge at the Two Writing Teachers, Stacey and Ruth's, blog.  Check out this post to find out all about it!  It's a wonderfully supportive group of writers, a personally rewarding month, and there are prizes too.

I read quite a bit last week, but have just a few to review.  Part of my reading included many short stories, from the various anthologies I spoke about in last Monday’s post, so I could choose a few for my short story group.

One pleasure was finally reading Bigger Than A Breadbox by Laurel Snyder.  There are several lovely reviews about this book that give their ideas about it, at the blog Literate Lives and at the Children’s Book-A-Day Almanac blog.  I enjoyed the voice of this young twelve year old girl trapped in her parents’ turmoil and separated from her home and her best friend by being taken to her grandmother’s house (who thank goodness was a good grandmother) and told she had to deal with it as best she could.  It seemed so real to hear her thinking through every part of the book.  Snyder painted a realistic early adolescent who at times made such impulsive moves that I found myself wanting to shout, “no, no, not that way” or “don’t do that” and “watch out”.   How does the saying go:  “we live and learn”.  And through the adventures of the book, Rebecca did learn.