Poetry Friday - Walking in a Sloth-y Wonderland

It’s Friday! And you know what that means: Poetry! Want to know more about Poetry Friday? Click this link right here. And be sure to check out Buffy's Blog to see this week’s round up of wonderful poetry related posts, blogs and goodness. 

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Phew! It feels like it has been forever since I have written anything here on the blog. It feels like am playing catch up on everything!

NaNoWriMo went really well. While I didn't get to 50k words, I did my personal best and finished with around 10,000 words for the month. That's a pretty big accomplishment for me, and I am happy with it. 

November was hectic as we had two Thanksgivings--one in Orlando with my in-laws and then we drove to Tennessee to visit the other side of the family. It was so fun spending quality time with everyone. But I brought a nasty cold back with me to FL. So I spend the end of November and beginning of December sick, and then taking care of my husband and kids as they each took a turn with the bug. I'm glad everyone is feeling better and that that is out of the way!

Because of the chaos, I've been feeling a bit behind and scrambled getting ready for Christmas. And then I got something in the mail that absolutely brightened my day! Donna Smith over at Mainly Write got my name for the Winter Poetry Swap and she sent me one of the most thoughtful gifts ever. 

I. LOVE. Sloths. And Donna sent me an epic sloth package. 

seriously, where did she find SLOTH bookmarks?!? So cool

I also love, love, love to read, so these little bookmarks are perfect. I have been wanting to try out this magnetic style of bookmark for ages. My 7yo daughter is always "borrowing" my bookmarks, so I like that there are duplicates of each little sloth. I did go and buy my daughter some little pony bookmarks as a stocking stuffer in hopes that my sloths don't disappear though.

Donna also sent me a genuine Maine rock that she painted beautifully. He has found a permanent home among my other sloth friends at my desk.

The poem that Donna wrote was also perfect and just what I needed to read. With things being so crazy during this season, it made me think that I need to be more like the sloth--slow down and enjoy life. The cookies will get baked, the presents will get wrapped--I just need to slow down and savor it all. Thank you, Donna, again (and thank you Tabatha for organizing the swap)!

Sloth

With fuzzy smile

to give me style,

I'm a slow-toed sloth,

A friend to moth.

Disguised, unseen

Through algae green,

In canopy

I slowly creep.

Nails click-cling

And I'm a sling

To hang around

A branch I've found.

I love to chill

By lying still, 

But in a pinch

I'll move an inch. 

©  Donna JT Smith

Poetry Friday - Thank You and Good Night

It’s Friday! And you know what that means: Poetry! Want to know more about Poetry Friday? Click this link right here. And be sure to check out  Carol's Corner to see this week’s round up of wonderful poetry related posts, blogs and goodness. 

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Happy Day After Thanksgiving! AKA Turkey Hangover Day. I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday. I am in Tennessee visiting my parents and we are enjoying the colder weather. We drive home to Florida tomorrow. These trips always pass too fast.

Today I decided I wanted to share a snippet from Patrick McDonnell's picture book, Thank You and Good Night. I read this for the first time a few months ago and fell in love. I do not buy many books, but this was a immediate purchase. If you haven't had a chance to read it, seek it out. It has a wonderful, surprise ending.

The sun, the moon,

a red balloon.

Hiding, seeking,

fun with friends,

a shooting-star wish

that it never ends.

Cozy pajamas,

a happy surprise,

night birds singing

sweet lullabies.

Bedtime stories,

old and new,

read with love,

to me,

by you.

A long, long list

of that and this, 

ending with a good-night kiss.

© Patrick McDonnell 2015

Poetry Friday - Monster Museum

It’s Friday! And you know what that means: Poetry! Want to know more about Poetry Friday? Click this link right here. And be sure to check out Jane at Raincity Librarian to see this week’s round up of wonderful poetry related posts, blogs and goodness. 

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We are over halfway through November so that means that I must have hit the halfway mark of 25k on my NaNoWriMo book! Cue laughter and knee slapping. Yeah, I have fallen so far behind, that it's not even funny. BUT I will continue to write and get those words on the page. Now on to Poetry Friday!

Monster Museum

poems by Marilyn Singer

illustrations by Gris Grimly

I am a huge fan of of Gris Grimly's illustrations, and that is what drew me to this book. It is a complete coincidence that the poems were written by Marilyn Singer (I reviewed another one of her poetry books last week.) I guess I must really enjoy her poems!

I like all things monsters, so I knew I was going to enjoy this book, but I was surprised by what I learned. I liked the overarching story that ties all of the poems together; it follow a group of kids through a museum and the tour guide is the narrator in the poems. 

I often approach poetry where I just sit down and try to come up with an idea on the spot, and rarely is there any theme/continuity from poem to poem. Last month, I wrote a poem a day, using a set of prompt words that I came up with. My Inktober poems, along with Singer's Monster Museum, made me realize that I could approach my own poetry this way. I think it could help me have more focus, and less anxiety when writing. That's not to say that I always have to stick with a theme if the mood strikes, but I think it could help.

While all the poems in the book were fun, I think my favorite was about a dancing zombie because I wrote a poem about a cha-cha-ing zombie for Madness Poetry.

The Zombie

Have you seen a zombie samba?

Have you seen it bunny-hop?

Have you seen it do a polka

Or that old dance called "the slop"?

Have you seen a zombie hustle?

Would it tap-dance while you gawk?

Uh-uh, all a zombie ever does

is do the zombie walk!

© Marilyn Singer, 2001

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 11/13/17

The weekly post where I recap all the KidLit books I’ve been reading. Occasionally, I’ll also review some adult fiction books as well.

Be sure to check out Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers to see what other kidlit readers are reading. Because, you know, we can never have too many books in our TBR pile.
                                         

Board Books

Baby Loves Quantum Physics!

written by Ruth Spire

illustrated b Irene Chan

I really enjoy these "Baby Loves" books. If you would have told me that there was a board book explaining Schrodinger's Cat for babies, I would have laughed. But lo and behold they have done it, and quite well! I like the illustrations and I also like that the books are accurate without being dense or complicated. 

Where Is My Coat? Farm Animals

by Anita Bijsterbosh 

A cute book that uses both color and silhouettes. You can read my full review here.

Picture Books

This Is Not My Hat

by Jon Klassen

I love when picture books use dramatic irony in their illustrations. It is fun to read what the little fish thinks is going on, and then see and infer what is actually happening. My daughter got a kick out of this book.

Hoot Owl: Master of Disguise

written by Sean Taylor  
illustrated by Jean Jullien

We laughed out loud while reading this book. I like the bold illustrations and the little owl is very comical. Definitely worth a read. 

Poetry

 Fireflies at Midnight

poems by Marilyn Singer
pictures by Ken Robbins

I enjoyed these summer-y poems and the photos that accompany each one. I talk a bit more about this book here.

Non-KidLit

 The Emerald Circus
by Jane Yolen
introduction by Holly Black

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories. If you like fairy tales, Jane Yolen does a fantastic job of re-imagining 10 great stories in this book. You can read my full review here.

Poetry Friday - Fireflies at Midnight

It’s Friday! And you know what that means: Poetry! Want to know more about Poetry Friday? Click this link right here. And be sure to check out Jama's Alphabet Soup, to see this week’s round up of wonderful poetry related posts, blogs and goodness. 

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I hope that everyone is having a fantastic November day. It's still bright and sunny here in Florida. We had a cold snap last week--it got down into the low 70s during the day and the low 50s at night! Hopefully it'll cool back down again once we approach Thanksgiving.

NaNoWriMo has been keeping me busy (I'm actually a few thousand words behind). With all my time devoted to trying to hit my word goal, I am not sure how many poems I will get a chance to write this month. So instead, I have checked out some wonderful poetry books from the library and I figured I could review them here. 

Fireflies at Midnigth

poems by Marilyn Singer

Pictures by Ken Robbins

I love fireflies and have fond memories of catching them when I was a kid. This collection of poems focuses on all sorts of animals--from otters to butterflies to foxes. It definitely has a sort of summer-y feel to it. 

My favorite poem in the book is all about a spider. Being a stay-at-home mom, my life revolves around the inner workings of the house--dinners, bills, late nights, long days, bed times, tickle fights. I love that my home is the hub for all that I hold dear. I wonder, though, if the Spider relishes in the few moments of alone time she gets when she goes grocery shopping by herself. No? Just me? 

Spider

Web is the work

is the home

is the trap

is the hub

is the map

is the night

is the day

is the hour

is the power

is the pattern

is the way

© Marilyn Singer 2003

The Emerald Circus by Jane Yolen - Short Story Collection Review

The Emerald Circus

by Jane Yolen

with introduction by Holly Black

I received and ARC of this book to review

At a Glance

Genre(s)/Categories:

Adult fantasy, short story collection, fairy tales

Plot:

In this short story collection, readers are swept away with familiar characters to re-imagined lands and tales. Wendy leads a labor strike in Neverland. Dorothy learns to tightrope walk. And Emily Dickinson travels the stars.  This collection of 10 stories is mesmerizing at every page turn.

Pros:

• I love fairy tales re-imagined and this collection is fantastic.
• Every story is accompanied by an author's note and a poem
• Jane Yolen has taken well-known characters and made the fresh and new
• Each story stands alone while simultaneously weaving together similar themes

Cons:

• I could have read 10 more stories!
• I wish the author's story notes would have accompanied each story instead of being in the back of the book (it was difficult to flip back and forth on my Kindle) 

Would I recommend this title:

Yes, yes, yes!

Full Review:

I am a big fan of Jane Yolen's children's books. So I was excited to be able to read some of her adult work as well. This book did not disappoint. My experience with short story collections is that they are usually a mixed bag--there are a few great stories mixed in with some not so great stories. That was not the case with The Emerald Circus. Almost every one of Jane's stories knocked it out of the park for me. 

Just as each act in a circus can be enjoyed on its own but also serves to make the whole circus better, each story in The Emerald Circus is satisfying by itself while also enriching the whole. Jane is a master storyteller and I would highly recommend this to anyone that enjoys storytelling at it's finest. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 11/6/17

The weekly post where I recap all the KidLit books I’ve been reading. Occasionally, I’ll also review some adult fiction books as well.

Be sure to check out Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers to see what other kidlit readers are reading. Because, you know, we can never have too many books in our TBR pile.
                                         

Board Books

Rapunzel (Once Upon a World)

written by Chloe Perkins 

illustrated by Archana Sreenivasan

I loved the illustrations in the book. I also like the idea of these fairy tales taking place in different countries around the world--India in this one. The story is true to the original Rapunzel story. I do feel like it is a bit text heavy for a board book, however. 

In My Tree

written by Sara Gillingham

illustrated by Lorena Siminovich

My son absolutely loved this book. The owl is a finger puppet and he loved that interaction. He would giggle and giggle as we made the little owl play in the rain and shake off the raindrops afterwards. There are few words so it was easy to read this one over and over in one sitting. 

Picture Books

Town is by the Sea

written by Joanne Schwartz
illustrated by Sydney Smith

This is a hauntingly beautiful story. The illustrations are wonderful and do a great job to convey the story. This book opened up a dialogue for my daughter about hope, tradition, and individual circumstance. She had a hard time grasping why someone would choose to work a dangerous job just because that's what their parents did. This would be a great text for older children as well.

Dear Dragon: A Pen Pal 

written by Josh Funk

illustrated by Rodolfo Montalvo

A cute story about how our perceptions and reality can be different from one another. I liked how the boy and the dragon would interpret what the other was writing based on their own experiences. The illustrations were fun too.

Listen: How Pete Seeger Got America Singing

written by Leda Schubert 

pictures by Raúl Colón

I am always surprised at how engaged my 7 year old can get with nonfiction. She loves to learn and especially loves to read about real people. This book does a fantastic job of bring Pete Seeger to life. After reading, we looked him up on YouTube so she could see him talk and sing in real life. She has a basic understanding of some of the things happening in the country right now, and she was able to make connections of how we can make things better by working together, which is the message of this book.

Non-KidLit

Deadlands: Boneyard
by Seanan McGuire

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The premise was amazing and definitely worth the read. You can see my full review here.

Poetry Friday - Inktober Finale

It’s Friday! And you know what that means: Poetry! Want to know more about Poetry Friday? Click this link right here. And be sure to check out Linda's blog, Teacher Dance, to see this week’s round up of wonderful poetry related posts, blogs and goodness. 

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I am giving away a copy of Ben Hatke's Mighty Jack and the Goblin King!

 Be sure to enter!

I did it! 31 poems in 31 days. It may seem like a small feat to some, but I'm pretty proud of myself. Most of them won't see the light of day after this month, a few turned out pretty good, and ALL of them were absolutely fun to write. Which were your favorites?

I am hoping to keep the momentum going as I start NaNoWriMo. Because I did Inktober, I know to expect the mid-month slump and that I can power through it. This is always a fun time of year. 

November Goals 2017 - AKA Heck Yes!

So guess who completed every single day of Inktober? This girl!

*actual clip of me dancing

Yeah, I'm just a little proud of that one. It wasn't easy, especially towards the middle of the month, but I did it. National Novel Writing Month is up next. Hopefully, I can keep the momentum going.


Last Month's Goals Review

• Write 5 poems for anthology (I just couldn't crack it and the deadline has now passed. Cue sad trombone music)
• Outline 5 chapter books (well, this kind of happened. But not all 5...)
• Finish RIP reading challenge (finished 3 of the 6, still working my way through them)
• Inktober Poetry (Done done done! See happy dance above)
• Continue doing Poetry Friday
• Submit Madam Fang (Yes! I finally submitted it! It is submitable now!!)

All in all, last month wasn't too shabby. Here's to a new month and new goals!

November Goals

• Win NaNoWriMo (hit 50k words)
• Write 2 chapter books in my Monster Girl Squad series (25k each)
• Finish reading 3 books
• Edit Madam Fang back matter (the non-fiction part)
• Put list of publishers/agents to submit Madam Fang
• Submit Madam Fang to at least 2 more places

Deadlands: Boneyard - Dark Fantasy Review

Deadlands: Boneyard

by Seanan McGuire

I received a free copy of this book to review

At a Glance

Genre(s):

adult dark fantasy, weird west, horror,

Age Range: 

Adult

Plot:

Set in the haunted frontier, Annie Pearl is the keeper of the oddities and freaks in the Blackstone Family Circus and Travelling Wonder Show. As the circus travels to Oregon for one last show before winter sets in, will Annie be able to keep the monsters at bay, or will her past finally catch up with her?

Pros:

• The premise is fantastic
• I like the folklore tie-ins
• The author was good at raising the stakes
• I really enjoyed the characters
• The book made me want to try the RPG (the books are based on a role-playing-game)
• Having lived in Utah, I liked how the state was different in this weird west version

Cons:

• The resolution of the book was way way too short. It felt like it just ends
• a few "get out of jail" moments seemed a bit too convenient 

Would I recommend this title:

Yes, if someone was into creepy books and looking for an original premise. 

Full Review

Holy Awesome Premise, Batman! I loved the idea of a traveling circus in an alternate 1860s American West. Having lived in Utah for a number of years, I liked the complete twist on that state. The book made me want to play the tabletop game. 

I loved the characters. They felt real and fleshed out. McGuire was great at raising the stakes on the characters too. Overall, the book was well written and a definite page turner. 

For me, a really great premise can carry a book and make the downsides seem like small speed bumps. That's how I felt in this book. I have a few issues with things here and there, but the concept is so great that I am able to look over them and still really enjoy the book. With that said, these are my few grievances. 

I did feel like the characters got out of a few situations too easily. I also felt like the wrap up of the end was entirely too short. I wish there would have been at least one more chapter of resolution to tie up a few ends. 

Again, I really did enjoy this and I would recommend this to anyone looking for some good storytelling. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 10/30/17

The weekly post where I recap all the KidLit books I’ve been reading. Occasionally, I’ll also review some adult fiction books as well.

Be sure to check out Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers to see what other kidlit readers are reading. Because, you know, we can never have too many books in our TBR pile.
                                         

I am giving away a copy of Ben Hatke's Mighty Jack and the Goblin King! Be sure to enter here.

Board Books

I'm the Scariest Thing in the Castle

by Kevin Sherry

Fun board boo with bright pictures. I like the bright, bold illustrations. My daughter especially enjoys reading this to her younger brother.

Picture Books

Pssssst! It's Me...the Bogeyman

written by Barbara Park

illustrated by  Stephen Kroninger

I really enjoyed this picture book. I like the cut paper style illustrations, and they were even a bit creepy. I liked the overall story, but some of the language (namely, the different nicknames the bogeyman call the boy in the story) feel outdated. But it was still a very fun, spooky read.

Pumpkin Town!

 written by Katie McKy 

illustrated by Pablo Bernasconi

Overall, this was an enjoyable book. The illustrations are whimsical and bright. I felt like it took the story a bit to get going, but once it picked up, it was great. Good October book to read with a good message about fixing mistakes.

Triangle

written by Mac Barnett 

illustrated by Jon Klassen

This is the type of book that gets better with each reading. The characters and the story made me smile. The illustrations are fantastic. There is a lot of texture in the pictures, despite not having much color. Definitely worth a read.

Hocus Pocus, It's Fall!

written by Anne Sibley O'Brien

illustrated by Susan Gal

This is a perfect book for the season. We enjoyed the fold out spreads throughout the book. The illustrations have a lot of texture and the colors are vibrant. I liked how each page incorporated magic words, like Abracadabra and Hocus Pocus. A definite fun read.

Graphic Novels

Mighty Jack and the Goblin King
by Ben Hatke

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Together with the 1st in the series, it is a wonderful twist on an old fairy tale. You can read my full review here and enter to win a copy here.