Archive by Author | Sherry

Birthday Watch: April 3rd

Apr3

George Herbert, b. 1593.
Easter Wings
The Dawning by George Herbert.
The Sonne by George Herbert.
A Wreath by George Herbert.
The Pulley by George Herbert
More April 3 Birthdays.

Washington Irving, b.1783. “Rip van Winkle, however, was one of those happy mortals, of foolish, well-oiled dispositions, who take the world easy,, eat white bread or brown, whichever can be got with least thought and trouble, and would rather starve on a penny than work for a pound. If left to himself, he would have whistled his life away in perfect contentment . . .”
Christmas at Bracebridge Hall, 1819.

Edward Everett Hale, b.1822.
The Man WIthout a Country:

‘In Memory of
PHILIP NOLAN,
Lieutenant in the Army of the United States.
HE LOVED HIS COUNTRY AS NO OTHER MAN HAS LOVED HER; BUT NO MAN DESERVED LESS AT HER HANDS.’”

Favorite Poets: Aileen Fisher

Apr2

“Poetry is a rhythmical piece of writing that leaves the reader feeling that life is a little richer than before, a little more full of wonder, beauty, or just plain delight.”
~Aileen Fisher

Read a profile of poet Aileen Fisher by Lee Bennet Hopkins.

Time for Rabbits

“Look!” says the catkin
in its gray hatkin.
“Look!” say the larks and sparrows.
“The pasture is stirring,
the willows are purring,
and sunlight is shooting its arrows.”

“Look!” wind is humming.
“Easter is coming.
Hear how the brooklet rushes.
It’s time for the rabbits
with Easter-egg habits
to get out their paints and brushes.”

from Cricket in a Thicket by Aileen Fisher.

The book Cricket in a Thicket is copyrighted 1963, and I assume my copy was printed prior to 1985, therefore banned by the CPSIA police. The illustrations in the book are pen and ink or pencil drawing by Feodor Rojankovsky, the delightfully talented illustrator whose book Frog Went A-Courtin’ won the Caldecott Medal in 1956.

Z-baby, inspired by Rojan, as he was sometimes called, and by Ms. Fisher’s poem, drew this picture with charcoals:

Zion's Picture:TIme for Rabbits

Celebrate Poetry Month

Apr1

I can’t resist. I’m back to post about poetry and only about poetry from now until Resurrection Sunday. After that, it’ll be back to poetry plus whatever else I post here: mostly book reviews and random thoughts.

Today is the first day of April and the first day of Poetry Month.
Why have a month devoted to poetry?
Why not?
It sounds like fun to me.

And to these other bloggers:
Farm School’s National Poetry Month 2009: Essential Pleasures

Mental Multivitamin: Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?

Dominion Family: It’s the Most Wonderful TIme of the Year

Mindy Withrow features a Month of Poets.

PisecoMom celebrates Poetry Month with a basketful of books.

Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness is celebrating the poetry of Billy Collins each Wednesday in April.

Gregory K. at GottaBook gives us Thirty Poets/Thirty Days. Every day in April he’s posting a previously unpublished poem by a different poet. Today, April 1, he starts out with a poem by Jack Prelutsky: A Little Poem for Poetry Month.

The Indextrious Reader: A Month of Poetic Posts.

Poetry Makers at The Miss Rumphius features an interview with a children’s poet each and every day of April 2009.

Savvy Verse and Wit is participating in the Poem a Day Challenge.

Dana of hiddenart is also posting a poem per day in April.

Sylvia Vardell of Poetry for Children is posting “a poetry-book-review-a-day on new 2009 poetry books for kids, with sample poems, activities for kids, and poet interview tidbits.”

Wild Rose Reader is celebrating with book giveaways and spring acrostic poems and who know waht else.

Anastasia Suen invites all “K-12 students to write their own school poems and send them to me so I can post them on this blog.”

At a Hen’s Pace: Spelling Woes.

More later . . . I have to go drive the taxi. If you’ve posted about Poetry Month, leave a comment and I’ll link to you later.

Semicolon Poetry Posts to keep you busy in the meantime.

Birthday Watch: March 26th

Mar26

Nathaniel Bowditch, b.1773. We read Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham last year. He’s a very interesting character, a Yankee seaman and an extraordinary mathematician and ship’s captain. Let your boys read this one, and anyone who is interested in numbers and math.

Edward Bellamy, b.1850. His very popular novel, Looking Backward, was set in the future in the year 2000, and in it Bellamy envisioned a socialist utopia. People have been trying, unsucccessfully, to make the novel come true ever since he wrote it.

A.E. Houseman, b.1859.

Robert Frost, b.1874.
The Door in the Dark
Fire and Ice
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Betty Macdonald, b.1908.
Carrie at Reading to Know reviews Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.

Heaven’s Song: Worthy Is the Lamb

Mar10

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. Blessing and honour, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen.
Revelation 5 : 12-13