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Celebrate Poetry

Inside:J. Patrick Lewis, Alan Katz, Ellen Hopkins,

Karma Wilson, Charles R. Smith Jr.,and many more!

with Simon & Schuster Childrens Publishing!

Visit TEACH.SimonandSchuster.net for a Poetry Classroom Activity Guide

From Whats the Weather Inside?by Karma Wilson. Illustration 2009

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Straight from the Poets Mouth ..

Q: How did you decide to start writing poetry?

A:Without being earnestly melodramatic, I should say that poetry found me. Before that I professedcollege economics for thirty years.Q: What place does poetry occupy in literature, particularly for children?

A: Poetry predates books, predates the alphabet. It is the path through which children first learnlanguagesongs, nursery rhymes. Poetry ought to be part of every childs everyday experience. If somepeople say they dont need poetry, bully for them. But thats not an argument for keeping poetry fromchildren in the first place. I like to think that poetry is a blind date with enchantment.Q: What is your usual writing process?

A:The eternal question: Where does a poet get his ideas? I believe they rise, after a few hours, through the bottom

of a chair. Seriously, you must be willing to remove yourself from the world for long periods of timein my case,seven days a week. Its a lonely business, but its also the most satisfying I can think of. To paraphrase ThomasEdison, writing is only ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration. If I have written a dozen words atthe end of a day in a way no one else has ever written them, I count myself a lucky man. J. Patrick Lewis

A Conversation with J. Patrick Lewis

Anthologies I create are the kinds of volumes I had access to while teaching elementary grades. I have alwaysaffirmed that poetry should be shared every daymeshing with every area of the curriculum. To spark a love of poetry,to bring poetry into childrens lives in a meaningful, unforced way is one of the best gifts we can give.

Reading, writing, collecting, and sharing poetry is my passion. The power of poetry forever mystifies me, for so much can besaid with few words and lines. I hope you enjoy my collections as much as I love bringing them to you. Happy poetry-ing!

Lee Bennett Hopkins, Recipient of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children

FromLee Bennett Hopkins:

Sharer of Poetry

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stration 2009 Serge Bloch

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Poetry with PicturesFrom Photographer Charles R. Smith Jr.: Capturing

Langston Hughess My PeopleThrough Pictures

How do you translate words into pictures? That was thechallenge when I decided to illustrate Langston Hughessclassic poem, My People. Who should be the people in thebook? Old? Young? Black? White? Everyone? What should thephotos look like? Serious? Playful? Head shots? Full-body shots?

At just thirty-three words total, the poem is astudy in simplicity, which attracted me to it inthe first place. Langston wrote the poem tocelebrate the pride he had for his black brothersand sisters in the late 1920s when blackswere not acknowledged much in societyat that time.

To me, the words celebrate black peopleof differing shades and age, so I wanted

to show skin color as bright as the sun and as dark as the night; I wanted to showthe newness of a newborn smile and the wisdom of wrinkled skin. But,more than anything, I simply wanted to show that like any other groupof people, black people come in all shapes, sizes, shades, and age,and that each of us is unique. Charles R. Smith Jr.

One of the best things about my childhood was nothaving to do it alone. From day one, I had my twinsister, Robin, at my side the ideal accessory for a shykid. Together, we smiled atthe good and frowned at the

bad, studied ants and madedoll clothes out of Kleenex.Today, when I write a poemfor kids, I try to go backto those days in my mind.I especially remember thethings that made me laugh andhow, every day, the world felt new.

Deborah Ruddell

A poem is a word picture that comes tolife in the readers head AND heart. Myreading in elementary school sometimesgot me into trouble. I preferred finishinga book instead of doing my homework.[Later in life] I was still reading books,only now to my children. We had two sons and two daughteso you can imagine that our house was always busy. . . The

quiet moments came after supper when everyone was readybed. Then we would sit, so close our skins touched, and reatogether. Those peaceful, cozy times inspired me to write bthat other adults and children could share. Ann Whitford Pa

Ann Whitford Paul:

The Book Builder

Deborah Ruddell on

Childhood Memories

Illustration 2009 Kurt Cyrus

Illustration from Today at the Bluebird Cafe 2007 Joan Rankin

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Betsy Franco says:Ive always seen math as quirky, beautiful, creative and sassy

People had often called my work too far outside the box. After

Mathematickles!That no longer happened. I like to set a concept on itshead, blast open genres and combine elements and that arent normally

mixed together, such as math and poetry or counting and birdsongs. A poemabout one hundred turned into one hundred poems in Counting Our Way tothe 100th Day!Fifteen years of observing geometry in nature became Bees,Snails & Peacock Tails.Whats my secret hope? I hope that mathematiciansbecome poets and poets become mathematicians after reading my books. Ive

seen it happen over and over. It could happen to you.Betsy Franco

BIGBOOKBill Martin Jr

POETRYof

The

Acollectionthathasbeenyearsinthemaking,thisbeautifulanthology

issuretobecomeanewclassic.BillMartinJrisbelovedformakingpoetrypopularwithchildrenin

America.Beforehisdeathin2004,hecompiledhisfavoritepoems,

andhereisthatcollection,withcontributionsfromeveryonefrom

AileenFisherandDennisLeetoRobertFrostandLangstonHughes.

Thebestnamesintheindustryleapttoillustratethisbook,which

featuresoriginalartworkfromLoisEhlert,AshleyBryan,Steven

Kellogg,ChrisRaschka,andothers.Thishandsomeanthologyisperfectforkidsandadultsandissuretobetreasuredforyearstocome.

Rhyme It Up!

6 Illustration from Pond Circle 2009 Stefano Vitale

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A WHIFF OF PINE, A HINT OF SKUNKBY DEBORAH RUDDELL

ISBN: 9781416942115

BELLA & BEANBY REBECCA DOTLICH

ISBN: 9780689856167

BOOGIE KNIGHTSBY LISA WHEELER

ISBN: 9780689876394

DINOTHESAURUS: PREHISTORIC POEMS AND PAINTINGSBY DOUGLAS FLORIAN

ISBN: 9781416979784

GOING, GOING, GONE!AND OTHER SILLY DILLY SPORTS SONGSBY ALAN KATZ

ISBN: 9781416906964

IDENTICALBY ELLEN HOPKINS

ISBN: 9781416950059

MY PEOPLEBY LANGSTON HUGHES

ISBN: 9781416935407

POND CIRCLEBY BETSY FRANCO

ISBN: 9781416940210

SLEEPSONGBY GEORGE ELLA LYON

ISBN: 9780689869730

THE BILL MARTIN JR BIG BOOK OF POETRYVARIOUS

ISBN: 9781416939719

THE UNDERWEAR SALESMANBY J. PATRICK LEWIS

ISBN: 9780689853258

WHATS THE WEATHER INSIDE?BY KARMA WILSON

ISBN: 9781416900924

WHOS IN THE BATHROOM?BY JEANNE WILLIS

ISBN: 9781416935162

WORD BUILDERBY ANN WHITFORD PAUL

ISBN: 9781416939818

Complete Backlist Poetry Title Listing

A CHILDS GARDEN OF VERSESBY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSONISBN: 9780689823824

AMERICA AT WARBY LEE BENNETT HOPKINSISBN: 9781416918325

ANGELS WATCHING OVER MEBY JULIA DURANGOISBN: 9780689862526

ASHLEY BRYANS ABC OF AFRICANAMERICAN POETRYBY ASHLEY BRYANISBN: 9780689840456

BEES, SNAILS AND PEACOCK TAILSBY BETSY FRANCOISBN: 9781416903864

BIRDSONGSBY BETSY FRANCOISBN: 9780689877773

BOOGIE KNIGHTS

BY LISA WHEELERISBN: 9780689876394

CASEY AT THE BATBY ERNEST L. THAYERISBN: 9780689854941

CASTAWAY CATSBY LISA WHEELERISBN: 9780689862328

CHACHA CHIMPSBY JULIE DURANGOISBN: 9780689864568

COUNTING OUR WAY TO THE 100TH DAYBY BETSY FRANCOISBN: 9780689847936

DOODLE DANDIESBY J. PATRICK LEWISISBN: 9780689848896

ELLINGTON WAS NOT A STREETBY NTOZAKE SHANGEISBN: 9780689828843

FIREFLIES AT MIDNIGHTBY MARILYN SINGERISBN: 9780689824920

GIVE YOURSELF TO THE RAINBY MARGARET WISE BROWNISBN: 9780689833441

HERES WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOUCANT FIND YOUR SHOEBY ANDREA PERRYISBN: 9780689830679

HURRY, HURRY, MARY DEARBY N.M. BODECKERISBN: 9780689817700

IF: A FATHERS ADVICE TO HIS SON

BY RUDYARD KIPLINGISBN: 9780689877995

IF I WERE IN CHARGE OF THE WORLDBY JUDITH VIORSTISBN: 9780689707704

IF THE SHOE FITSBY LAURA WHIPPLEISBN: 9780689840708

IF YOURE NOT HERE, PLEASE RAISEYOUR HANDBY KALLI DAKOSISBN: 9780689801167

KNOCK ON WOODBY JANET S. WONG

ISBN: 9780689855122

MARVELOUS MATHBY LEE BENNET HOPKINSISBN: 9780689844423

MATHEMATICKLES!BY BETSY FRANCOISBN: 9781416918615

MRS. BROWN ON EXHIBITBY SUSAN KATZISBN: 9780689829703

MRS. COLE ON AN ONION ROLLBY KALLI DAKOSISBN: 9780689826870

MY AMERICABY LEE BENNETT HOPKINSISBN: 9780689812477

OLD CRICKETBY LISA WHEELERISBN: 9781416918554

OOPS!BY ALAN KATZ

ISBN: 9781416902041

POETRY FROM A TO ZBY PAUL B. JANECZKOISBN: 9780027476729

PUT YOUR EYES UP HEREBY KALLI DAKOSISBN: 9781416918028

SAD UNDERWEAR AND OTHERCOMPLICATIONSBY JUDITH VIORSTISBN: 9780689833762

SO, WHATS IT LIKE TO BE A CAT?BY KARLA KUSKINISBN: 9780689847332

SOFT HAY WILL CATCH YOUCOMPILED BY SANDFORD LYNEISBN: 9780689834608

SOMETIMES I WONDER IF POODLES LIKENOODLESBY LAURA NUMEROFFISBN: 9780689851230

SPRINGS SPRUNGBY LYNN PLOURDEISBN: 9780689842290

SPECTACULAR SCIENCE: A BOOK OF POEBY LEE BENNET HOPKINSISBN: 9780689851209

THE FLAG OF CHILDHOOD: POEMS FROMTHE MIDDLE EASTVARIOUSISBN: 9780689851728

THE MOVABLE MOTHER GOOSEBY ROBERT SABUDAISBN: 9780689811920

THE PLACE MY WORDS ARE LOOKING FOBY PAUL B. JANECZKOISBN: 9780027476712

THE SPIDER AND THE FLYBY MARY HOWITTISBN: 9780689852893

THE TREE IS OLDER THAN YOU AREBY NAOMI SHIHAB NYEISBN: 9780689820878

FOR YOUNGER & MIDDLE-GRADE READERS

New & Noteworthy Poetry Titles

continued on next page

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Aladdin

Atheneum Books forYoung Readers

Beach Lane Books

Libros Para Nios

Little Simon

Little Simon Inspirations

Margaret K. McElderry Boo

Paula Wiseman Books

Simon & Schuster Booksfor Young Readers

Simon Pulse

Simon Scribbles

Simon Spotlight

TEACH.SimonandSchuster

A CBS COMPANY

Complete Backlist Poetry Title Listing

Simon & SchusterChildrens Publish

THIS IS THE VAN THAT DAD CLEANED

BY LISA CAMPBELL ERNSTISBN: 9780689861901

TODAY AT THE BLUEBIRD CAFEBY DEBORAH RUDDELLISBN: 9780689871535

TREASURY OF MOTHER GOOSERHYMESBY LINDA YEATMANISBN: 9780671501181

TWIST: YOGA POEMSBY JANET S. WONGISBN: 9780689873942

BEHIND THE WHEELBY JANET S. WONGISBN: 9780689825316

BURNEDBY ELLEN HOPKINSISBN: 9781416903543

CRANKBY ELLEN HOPKINSISBN: 9780689865190

FAR FROM YOUBY LISA SCHROEDERISBN: 9781416975069

FREE STALLION: POEMSBY AMBER TAMBYLNISBN: 9781416902591

GLASSBY ELLEN HOPKINSISBN: 9781416940906

WAITING TO WALTZ

BY CYNTHIA RYLANTISBN: 9780689842924

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A SHOE?BY BEATRICE SCHENK DE REGNIERSISBN: 9780689812316

WHO SAID BOO?BY PHYLLIS ROOTISBN: 9780689854088

WHO WANTS A CHEAP RHINOCEROS?BY SHEL SILVERSTEINISBN: 9780689851131

I AM THE DARKER BROTHERBY ARNOLD ADOFFISBN: 9780689808692

I FEEL A LITTLE JUMPY AROUND YOUVARIOUSISBN: 9780689813412

I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT MEBY LISA SCHROEDERISBN: 9781416955207

IMPULSEBY ELLEN HOPKINSISBN: 9781416903567

LOOSE THREADSBY LORIE ANN GROVERISBN: 9780689844195

ON POINTEBY LORIE ANN GROVERISBN: 9781416978268

UNCLES AND ANTLERS

BY LISA WHEELERISBN: 9780689864698

WAY FAR AWAY ON A WILD SAFARIBY JAN PECKISBN: 9781416900726

WHEN YOU ARE HAPPYBY EILEEN SPINELLIISBN: 9780689862519

WONDERFUL WORDSBY LEE BENNETT HOPKINSISBN: 9780689835889

ONE OF THOSE HIDEOUS BOOKSWHERE THE MOTHER DIESBY SONYA SONESISBN: 9781416907886

THE SPACE BETWEEN OUR FOOTSTEPSBY NAOMI SHIHAB NYEISBN: 9780689812330

THIS SAME SKYBY NAOMI SHIHAB NYEISBN: 9780689806308

TRUE BELIEVERBY VIRGINIA EUWER WOLFFISBN: 9780689852886

WHAT MY GIRLFRIEND DOESNT KNOWBY SONYA SONESISBN: 9780689876035

WHAT MY MOTHER DOESNT KNOWBY SONYA SONESISBN: 9780689855535

FOR YOUNGER & MIDDLE-GRADE READERS

FOR OLDER READERS

continued from page 7

From Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and PaintingsIllustration 2009 Douglas Florian

From The Bill Martin Jr Big Book of PoetryIllustration 2008 Laura Logan

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