Ayuh to Z Challenge - P

My theme: Book Titles A to Z written by Maine authors,
and a poem for that title each day for the month of April.
The poem is not about the book, but is written with the title as inspiration!
 
I wrote two separate poems for P - preposterous!

It is also Poetry Friday ----which is also a P word! Head on over to Life on the Deckle Edge where Robyn Hood Black is hosting some good poetry today.

Welcome to P!

 P is for 

Panda Whispers 
by Mary Beth Owens

Panda Whispers

If a panda whispers, listen;

He's telling you what he knows,

Like how far it is from Spain to Maine,

Or how an orange grows. 

No, pandas do not often talk,

Pay attention, though they're lispers;

They're saying something vital

When their voice creeps low to whispers.

2 times 2 is 4, you know,

and c-a-t spells cat;

Augusta is Maine's capital.

Did you know all of that?

Well, there you go, you've learned a lot!

Now, off you go to bed -

Panda has much more to teach;

You'll need a rested head.

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

Mary Beth Owens wrote and illustrated Panda Whispers.   She also wrote A Caribou Alphabet, which was selected by Parenting magazine as one of the ten best picture books of 1991.  In 1995 she was awarded the Lupine Award and the Christopher Award for her illustrations in Prize in the Snow. 

Mary Beth Owens lives in Walpole, Maine.

Panda Whispers tells what different animal parents might whisper to their offspring as they go to sleep and dream.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Pig Parade

by Michael Ian Black

Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes

The Pig Parade

March out the band!
Start up the tunes!
Roll out the floats!
Get the balloons!
We’ll need some popcorn,
And ice cream to sell,
Some flags to fly,
Some batons as well;
For the Biggest Parade
You ever have seen...
What? A Pig Parade?
What can you mean?

Oh.  Okay.

March out the hogs
On little pig’s feet,
Get those piglets to wiggle!
Though they aren’t very neat.
Line them up in the mud
Before they have doubts;
Wash the mud off their ears
And corn off their snouts!
Give them horns to blow on
And drums made of pails;
Some trash lids for cymbals -
Tie balloons to their tails!
How pink and shiny this
Hoard of hogs will be;
The Piggest Parade 
In porker history!

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

The author Michael Ian Black is actually from Connecticut, but the illustrator, Kevin Hawkes is from Maine.  So I am technically cheating on this one, but I don't care.  I like the book and the illustrations. 

In A Pig Parade, the reasons for not having pigs in a parade are listed.  The illustrations are great, with pigs being pigs - real reasons for not having a pig parade.  Why do you think a pig would make a bad majorette?

The Pig Parade on Amazon
Strategy Instructions for using this book
Kevin Hawkes bio on Candlewick Press
Kevin Hawkes' web site

This post was brought to you today by the letter P!

Perfect!

Q comes with U!