Ayuh to Z Challenge - N

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! 
 
Welcome to N!

N is for

A Net of Stars 
by Jennifer Jacobson

A Net of Stars

indigo night moon and stars surround
my bed aloft, my boat afloat
in oceans of midnight blue
starry schools swarm about
lighting shimmering
gossamer lines
filling my
net with
stars

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

This poem form is a Nonet, with nine lines. The first line has nine syllables, and each line decreases in its number of syllables until the last line, which has one syllable.  It can be about any subject and may or may not rhyme.  It seemed to work nicely for this poem - it can look like a fishing net in the water or like from the bottom you are looking up into the huge night sky.

A Net of Stars is about a young girl conquering her fears.
More about the book and Jennifer Richard Jacobson here on Jennifer's website.
Jennifer Richard Jacobson lives in Cumberland, Maine.

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

Night Full Frightful

by Henry Hamilton

Night Full Frightful is a collection of scary poems, published in 2013.
Henry Hamilton was born in Lewiston and now lives in Otisfield, Maine.
The Hamilton's beautiful farm in Otisfield is called Maine Fun Farm, where they raise their own food and tend lots of animals to provide for their needs.  Their website is MaineFunFarm.com
I would have written a poem for this title, as it is full of potential, but the book is already a book of poems, and I don't want to step on toes!

This post was brought to you by the letter N!

 Nifty!

O, what letter is next. 

Ayuh to Z Challenge - M

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!

Welcome to M!

M is for

A Mountain of Mittens

by Lynn Plourde

A Mountain of Mittens

The days were cold, I needed mittens to wear
But I could not find even one matching pair
I picked up a mitten I threw it behind
Where were the pairs, am I losing my mind?

I rummaged, I rifled, I rooted and foraged
Until I had tossed every mitten from storage
I’d thrown all my mittens behind in a heap
Until pretty soon those mittens were deep

I then spun around to go back out the door
To see if somewhere I could find any more
But there in my way was a big mitten hill
Of singleton mittens no doubles...until

There at the bottom of Mount Mitten I spied
A nice red and blue one with white fuzz inside
And there on the top was a white fuzzy mitt
With blue and red inside, turned right-sided it

Was the match to the other! No more need be found,
Now all I need do was get over this mound
I climbed up one side and stood on the peak
Slid down the other, with a loud shriek!

Eureka! I’ve found them! My mittens! A pair!
But then from its foothills, my mother’s stern glare,
“And what will you do with this mountain of mittens?
There’s more than enough for the three little kittens!”

So I stuffed them all in a big bag to deposit
That mountain of mittens back into the closet!
Mount Mitten will grow as the springtime draws near
And should be much higher by this time next year.

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

Lynn Plourde is a native of Dexter, Maine, and now lives in Winthrop, Maine. Here's her website link.

A Mountain of Mittens about the pile of mittens in the school's Lost and Found, and how it is getting out of control.

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

Make Way for Ducklings

by Robert McCloskey

I remember this one being read on Captain Kangaroo when I was a child.  I've used a Robert McCloskey book earlier for the letter B for Blueberries for Sal.
In this book, a busy city makes way for ducklings, allowing them to cross the busy street in safety.

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

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney is my very favoritest book ever.  I loved painting lupines with my classes each year.  I love how Miss Rumphius, the Lupine Lady, looks a lot like the author.  In this book a granddaughter is told by her grandfather that someday she must do something to make the world more beautiful.  She vows that she will do three things: travel, settle down by the sea, and somehow make the world more beautiful.  When she is grown, she fulfills all her promises, as she comes to live in a little house on the ocean after a life spent traveling to faraway places. She then scatters lupine seeds all over the coastal village, creating beautiful spots of colorful flowers everywhere.
She also wrote Eleanor, which was one of my E books.

Brought to you by the letter M!

Magnificent!

And now for the nifty letter N!

Ayuh to Z Challenge - L

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!

Welcome to L!

L is for 

Lighthouse Lullaby

by Kelly Paul Briggs

Lighthouse Lullaby

What would I sing to a light house
if I had to sing a song?

What do the waves say to it
when they are crashing so strong?
I think that it would like to hear
soft murmurs from the stars
the sound of sand 

swish-swashing
as it swirls in to the land
I think a lighthouse would like
to hear
a tune of a conch’s shell
and maybe the faraway ringing
of a harbor’s channel bell

a lullaby for a lighthouse
would be like one for you or me
except that the sound of the singing
would be the soft, salty sound of the sea.

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

I would just like to say that Lighthouse Lullaby literally came out in one fell-swoop, or one swell foop, as I like to call it.  I did not change a thing about it - even the line breaks, except the typos.  I could not look at the computer while I wrote this one.  It was too sudden and unexpected - a poem vomit, if you will, only beautifuller.  It was distracting to look at anything while I listened to the words inside me.  I like when those happen.  I'm not crazy about vomiting, but when it's a poem that comes out... it's just different.

Lighthouse Lullaby is illustrated with beautiful pointillistic, pastel-toned pictures. The story was  inspired by a true story of a lighthouse keeper who lived on a Maine island 100 years ago.  For approximately 4 to 8 year olds.

Kelly Paul Briggs is an author and illustrator of children's books.  She was born in Rockland, Maine, in 1958 and raised in Camden, where she lives with her family. Briggs' great-great-grandfather was mayor of Camden in the 1800s.  

:~o~::L::~o~:

Little Loon and Papa

by Toni Buzzeo

In Little Loon and Papa, Little Loon is nervous about his diving lessons.  Papa Loon shows him how to tuck in his feathers and dip down into the water, but Little Loon doesn't even want to try it and heads off on his own. Being on his own he gets scared, but his Papa soon comes to rescue him.  For the 4-8 year olds again.
Toni Buzzeo is also the author of "No T. Rex in the Library","Dawdle Duckling," and "The Sea Chest" (remember this one - hint, hint!). Toni lives in Maine.

The Last Book in the Universe

by Rodman Philbrick

In The Last Book in the Universe the world has been almost destroyed. An epileptic teenager fights to bring human intelligence back Earth. For 8-12 year olds.

Rodman Philbrick was born in Boston, and grew up in New England, working as a longshoreman and boat builder. He has written books under his own name and pen names. He and his wife, author Lynn Harnett, live in Kittery, Maine, and Marathon, Florida.

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

An old book for boys was written by James Otis Kaler, called The Lobster Catchers: a Story of the Coast of Maine.  It is available for download as a PDF here.
Kaler was born in Winterport, Maine. When Kaler was 13 he became a reporter in Boston, and at 16, he covered Civil War battles and events.  He wrote adventure and patriotic biographies especially of interest to boys. He authored over 150 children's booksincluding Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks With the circus - which was made into a Disney movie in 1960.
He used two pen names, James Otis for most, and Amy Prentice for books written for young readers.
  

This post was lovingly brought to you by the letter L!

LOL!!

"LMNO" - remember when that was one letter?
Remember when you learned that M was it's own letter?
You don't?  Well, it is.
And M is next.

Miss Cree, the Ant

This was my poem for the word "Miscreant" in March Madness 2014, that I didn't submit.  I liked it, but there might have been explanations to go with it, as in there are a couple of types of ants that have worker ants that try to put their own eggs in with the queen ant's eggs.  A guard ant will sniff out the eggs that don't belong to the queen and eat it.  And sometimes they will kill the offending ant also.
My word "miscreant" in Miss Cree, the Ant:

Miss Cree

Miss Cree, the Ant, aspired to lay
Eggs with Queen Ant’s, so late one day
She tried to sneak one by Queen’s guard; 
He sniffed the egg, her way was barred.
He said, “We’ll eat this egg for snack! 
And if you’re smart, you won’t come back!
The next time we will eat you, too.
I think we’d love miscreant stew!”

Back to A-to-Z tomorrow!
The letter L!

Ayuh to Z Challenge - K

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! 

Today I wrote a Kyrielle (notice the K? Klever!).  A Kyrielle has quatrains (4-lined stanzas), each line with 8 syllables.  Each quatrain has a repeating line or phrase which is usually last.  In mine it is first.  But the addition of the last two lines - a couplet - I've turned it into a Kyrielle Sonnet.
"A Kyrielle Sonnet consists of 14 lines (three rhyming quatrain stanzas and a non-rhyming couplet). Just like the traditional Kyrielle poem, the Kyrielle Sonnet also has a repeating line or phrase as a refrain (usually appearing as the last line of each stanza). Each line within the Kyrielle Sonnet consists of only eight syllables. French poetry forms have a tendency to link back to the beginning of the poem, so common practice is to use the first and last line of the first quatrain as the ending couplet. This would also re-enforce the refrain within the poem."
Shadow Poetry

Welcome to K!

K is for:

Kisses and Fishes

by

Liesel Moak Skorpen

Kisses and Fishes

Oh, fisherman, oh, fisherman,
I truly love you, fisherman
There is no man does what you can;
Oh, fisherman, bring me fishes!

Oh, fisherman, oh, fisherman,
I’m waiting for those fish, oh, man,
I need a fish for my fish flan,
So, fisherman fish for fishes!

Oh, fisherman, oh, fisherman,
There's fish there in your fishing can
I’ll pop them in my frying pan
And give my fisherman kisses!

Oh, fisherman, oh, fisherman,
I'll give my fisherman kisses!

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

Children's author Liesel Moak Skorpen was born in Germany and emigrated with her family in 1936 to the U.S. to escape Nazi oppression. She lives in Verona Island, just outside Bucksport, ME.
She attended Yale with the intention of becoming a philosophy professor, but married and became the mother of six.

Kisses and Fishes is about a little girl who wishes to live without her parents rules.  When her parents are suddenly swallowed up by the sea, she finds she's not as happy being alone as she thought she would.
This book is out of print, but still available through private sales on Amazon or Abe books.  I just purchased one. 

Knights in Shining Armor
by Gail Gibbons

Knights in Shining Armor is written for Kindergarten to Grade 3ish.  It explains knighthood in an understandable form for young readers. Gibbons explains the era, feudal system, castle configuration, weapons, armor, chivalry, tournaments, and the process for becoming a knight. Good for children beginning to do research.

Gail Gibbons is a prolific writer/illustrator of children's non-fiction books. She was born in Oak Park, Illinois. She and her husband divide their time between Corinth, Vermont, and Matinicus Island, Maine.  Many of her titles have been designated "Outstanding Science Trade Books" by the National Science Teachers Asssociation. She has received the Washington Post Children's Book Guild Award for overall contribution to children's nonfiction and the 2009 Katahdin Award presented by the Maine Library Association.

Brought to you by the letter K!

Kissable!

Where are you L?

Ayuh to Z Challenge - J

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!

Welcome to J!

J is for

Just Across the Street

by Rachel Field

Just Across the Street

Just across the street,
Just beyond my view,
Just around the corner,
Just in a mile or two -

Just across the river,
Just on up that hill,
Just beyond the rainbow,
Just over rock and rill -

There's just another friend
I have yet to meet
Just another story
Just across the street.

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

Here is an interesting and amazing research paper done on Rachel Field.  You will want to read this.

Rachel Field 

Just Across the Street (1933) A contrast of city and country life.

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

I couldn't skip this well-known author. I attended UMO while Stephen King was there, and was among the group on the library steps when he and others spoke out against the Vietnam War.  He was an imposing figure even before his writing days officially began. 

Joyland
by Stephen King

Stephen King was born in Portland.  He attended Durham Elementary School and Lisbon High, and graduated from the University of Maine in Orono with a degree in English in 1970. He married another Maine writer, Tabitha (Spruce) King, in 1971.

He was the author of Carrie, Salem's Lot, Misery, The Shining, The Langoliers, and so many more!  Many of his works have been adapted to film, television series, mini-series and movie.  King was the 2003 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

This post was brought to you by the letter J!

Joyous!

Here komes K!

Ayuh to Z Challenge - I

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! 

Welcome to I !

I is for

If I Never Forever Endeavor

by Holly Meade
~=:'i':=~

If I Never Forever Endeavor

One day I made a noise;
Momma grinned at my new talk.
And when I tried and took a step,
She smiled at my new walk.
The day I ran she proudly beamed
So I did more and more!
Before she knew what happened
I was headed for the door.
I tried and tried with momma’s help
To conquer my new bike,
and pretty soon I'd caught on -
so much faster than my trike!
I learned to swim,
I learned to dance,
I learned that I could do
almost any new thing
I endeavored to.
Exciting things are out there;
good things to be done!
If you forever try to
most likely you'll have fun!
If I had never spoken,
never walked on through the door,
never tried to play a sport,
never tried to leap and roar,
never dared to make a friend,
never tried to row a boat,
never made a birthday cake,
nor ever sang a note,
how would I ever know
 that there is even more?
How would I know the fun
life has for me in store?
My book would be just cover;
no pages in between.
If I never bravely endeavor
I won’t get to the next scene.
So start to write your story;
try things that you should do,
and soon you will be writing
Chapter number 2.

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

Holly Meade, Maine artist, children's book author and illustrator, lives in Sedgewick. She has twice been published in Raising Readers stories for Maine children. She won the 1996 Caldecott Award.  She died near her home in Sedgwick, Maine, on June 28, 2013.

If I Never Forever Endeavor is about trying new things, being afraid to launch out and try new things - like flying for this baby bird.  He pictures the bad things that could happen, but in the end...

Brought to you by the letter I!

Inspirational!

Ayuh to Z Challenge - H

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 wanted to highlight an adult fictional novel by a Maine author this time for the poem, but I've also included two more books for ages 8-12 below, that also have H titles by a Maine author.


Welcome to H!

H is for

The Hungry Ocean
by Linda Greenlaw

 The Hungry Ocean

When I was just a little girl
I combed the ocean side
I walked the beach both up and down
And then from side to side

I looked for little treasures:
Rubber bands and small containers
Bits of glass, tool handles,
A metal spoon, dish drainers,
Rubber tires, some driftwood,
A shoe, a belt, a sock;
And if I was very lucky,
A really smooth flat rock.

Sometimes some bones would wash ashore
And we’d pretend to fish;
I’d fry them up with salt and sand
And serve on a rock dish

We took what we could find
As it washed on the beach;
And we would gather in
Whatever we could reach.
We set up house, we made some meals,
We played all day on rocks;
Only when we went inside
Would we wear shoes and socks.

We didn’t need the store bought toys
With shells and rocks outside;
Fodder for our brains and hands,
Our toys were made seaside.

And when the tide rolled in again,
Waves covering all the bay,
The hungry ocean ate them up,
And they were washed away.
Tomorrow’s tide would bring to us
New adventures on the shore
The ocean, though it’s hungry,
Would give to us once more.

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

Linda Greenlaw is one of the most successful fishermen in the Grand Banks commercial fleet.  Greenlaw's boat, the Hannah Boden, was the sister ship to the doomed Andrea Gail, which disappeared in the mother of all storms in 1991 and became the focus of Junger's book, "The Perfect Storm".  She lives on Isle au Haut.
The Hungry Ocean is an account of Greenlaw and crew on a month long swordfishing trip of over 1,000 nautical miles out to sea.  This is not children's literature.  It's a grown up book for grown-ups!

The Hole in the Wall

by Lisa Fraustino

Lisa Rowe Fraustino was born in Guilford, Maine, lives in Pennsylvania and summers in Bowerbank on Sebec Lake in Maine.

Written in 2010, The Hole in the Wall is for 8 to 12 year olds. Sebby finds an escape from his bickering family.  It's a Hole in the Wall leading to a beautiful area in the middle of a mining area behind his home. But then strange things begin happening.

Hubknuckles

by Emily Herman

Hubknuckles - Every Halloween, Hubknuckles pays a visit to Lee and her younger sisters and baby brother. They watch the ghostly figure from the kitchen window.  But this year, Lee has decided that Hubknuckles isn’t real. She about to get a surprise.

Emily Herman and her family live in Five Islands, Maine, where, according to the author, a ghost named Hubknuckles pays an annual Halloween visit! Again, this author lives close by.

Brought to you by the letter H!

Heavenly!

Ayuh to Z Challenge - G

There's a squirrel distracting me this morning.  He's taking corn off the cob we threw out there a couple of days ago, and he's burying each kernel on our lawn or in the woods.  You know they never find them again, don't you?  I think we'll have a garden this year, thanks to Rocky.  Yesterday we watched a lone turkey out there, two days ago it was five deer.  The osprey returned on the 4th and 5th (one each day).  It must be spring! 

Slight revision - 13 turkeys keep appearing out of the woods to peck around on the lawn today, then disappear to reappear later like it's all brand new territory.  Maybe they are digging up the kernels of corn.
Wow!  And 7 deer with tails straight up, white torches, just now blazed through the woods in back of the house!  This is a great place to sit!  Oh, no!  All the big ones passed about three minutes ago, and now here comes a little one, a fawn, all by itself picking its way slowly through the woods.  At least it appears to be headed in the right direction.
There's not a G word in this...Goodness!  See below if you want to get inundated with the letter G.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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!
Today there were four good titles, so I've used all four in one poem!

Welcome to G!

G is for 

Grandma’s Secret Letter
by Maggie Davis

A Garden of Whales
by Maggie Davis

A Gift from the Sea
by Kate Banks

Gossamer

by Lois Lowry

I am not sure of the title to this.  I think it's the first - "Grandma's Secret Letter".  I've used all four titles in this poem.

Grandma’s Secret Letter ♥ A Garden of Whales ♥ A Gift from the Sea
♥
Gossamer

the day my ocean grandma died

mom handed me a brown package tied

with gossamer ribbons

“grandma said it was

her secret letter for you,

valerie”

mom put the package

in my hands

i gently untied its featherlight bands

and unwrapped the brown paper

there inside

rested

in the paper

nested

a little gold heart with a V

and a book

my small hands shook

as I read the title

“a gift from the sea”

with shells all named

and fish of all sorts

swimming across the page

and a handwritten note

above the fish

on a boat

in its sails

it said “look for

a garden of whales”

turning more

i saw whales galore

whales and more whales

swimming together

not whales of a feather

but a big ocean garden

of none of the same

red letters hand-traced

in each name

BOWHEAD - PILOT - BELUGA

HUMPBACK - GREY - MINKE - ORCA

“granddaughter, please,

unscramble these”

said a note written on

the sea

“use this for a V”

mom whispered to me

as she pointed to

the gold heart.

OILUYEO♥

i wrote them down

and messed them around

until grandma’s secret

letter revealed

I LO♥E YOU!

“fore♥er and e♥er

Grandma ~

i will lo♥e you,
too!”

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

Grandma's Secret Letter by Maggie Davis
A child's secret letter from Grandma tells her get to her grandmother's house, and tells her of the elves, ghosts, witches, and dragons she will meet along the way.
Maggie Davis lives in East Blue Hill, writing and publishing books for children and adults.

A Garden of Whales by Maggie Davis
A young boy is concerned with how the whales are disappearing from the earth.  He  imagines how the whales could be saved.
Maggie Davis lives in East Blue Hill with her husband. She founded her own publishing company, Heartsong Books, in 1993. She's published books for children and adults.
A Garden of Whales

A Gift from the Sea by Kate Banks (Banks, Katherine)
A boy finds a rock on the beach. As he looks at it in his hand, he doesn't realize the story of that rock and how it as come to be where it is.  But he does know that it is a gift from the sea. 
Katherine Anne (Kate) Banks was born and grew up in Maine, and now lives in France. She has written many books for children and young adults.
A Gift from the Sea

Gossamer by Lois Lowry
Gossamer is about dream makers who gather memories from the things in our home, and then give them to us in our dreams. But it is also about how the boy in the story, in foster care, is dealing with the affects of an alcoholic, abusive father.  So that puts it in the upper ages for kid's books, probably middle school.
Lois Lowry's family was in the military and she became a military wife, so she has lived in different places all over the world. She lives in Cambridge, MA and in Maine. She attended Brown University and received her degree from the University of Southern Maine.

This post was brought to you by the letter G!

G-r-r-r-eat!

See you tomorrow H!

Ayuh to Z Challenge - F

Book Titles A to Z written by Maine authors, and my poem using the title of the book each day for the month of April, except Sundays.  The poem is not about the book itself, but is inspired by the title only!
Yesterday I posted two books and a poem for "F", in case you don't like these, go back a day (these two aren't my favorites I've ever done, but they are done)!...or you are running out of A-to-Z blogs to check out (yeah, right, like that would happen!).  Or maybe you are just curious and you knew we weren't posting on Sundays so you never even turned your computer on (yeah, right, like that would happen!).  Well, I did post because I said I would post a poem a day, so I pre-posted Sunday's poem.

F is for

Fox Eyes

by Margaret Wise Brown

A fox causes other animals some concern when he discovers their secrets. They don't realize that fox's secret, will be a help to them.

Margaret Wise Brown also wrote "Good-Night, Moon" and many other familiar books.  She died at the age of 42, in 1952, and her ashes were scattered at her home on Vinalhaven in Maine.

Fox Eyes on Amazon

A Maine Writer

Margaret Wise Brown

***********************************

A Haiku: Fox Eyes

Slender snout sniffs

Pointy ears confirm before

Mouse comes into view

©Donna JT Smith

Who knew? A fox's vision is not all that great. They depend mostly on their senses of smell and hearing!  Their eyes basically detect motion after they know all about the situation from their other senses.  So I learned something.  Glad I looked it up before I wrote about what great nocturnal vision they have!

And my second poem for Fox Eyes - an experimental new form of poetry that I just made up - A Crossword Poem - it's a poem if I say it is! To do this, the word you use off the main word has to have two of the letters in it that your main word has or you will not be able to have a word come in and one come out. You would be done with your crossword too soon.
I used FOXEYES as one word over and over going down with the other words joining them.  But I think I might try another sometime and use other words going down instead of repeating.

©Donna JT Smith

Today's post was brought to you by the Letter F!

 Fantastic!

See you tomorrow G!

Ayuh to Z Challenge - F Bonus

I am going to post extra titles, authors and poems on Sundays to fill in the extra days for National Poetry Month.

Sunday's are not a required day to post for the A-to-Z Challenge, but because I have extras of some letters, more time on my hands than I know what to do with, and more words than brains, AND I am doing the 30 day poem writing challenge for NaPoWriMo, here goes for a pre-scheduled poem on a Sunday.  

Don't be confused or alarmed; a new Letter F poem will be up tomorrow, too!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So here is my Bonus F poem!
My Theme for A-to-Z: 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 itself, but is inspired by the title only!

F is for: "

Fairy Houses
by
Maine author and illustrator, Tracy Kane.

Do you remember making fairy houses in the forest?  The Maine woods is a great place for building a fairy house.  Tracy Kane talks about Fairy house building in this video clip.



Link to Tracy Kane's web site.

Then there is also - so the poem really can be for both!

Fairy Houses of the Maine Coast 
by Maureen Heffernan

Maureen Heffernan is the executive director of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. She gives presentations and workshops about gardening. She lives in Boothbay, Maine.

Fairy Houses

What’s that
over there
beneath
that rock?
It’s a wee cottage -
let’s knock!
Wait...sh...there’s
a whisp of flurry
flitting
in that tiny place!
Is it a fairy
sitting
amongst
silver webs
and
gold gossamer
unwitting?
Do not delay,
tiptoe softly
away!
Do not
disturb her
knitting!

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

Today's post was brought to you by the Letter F!

Fantastic!

See you again tomorrow Letter F with a different book title poem!

Ayuh to Z Challenge - E

TODAY IS MY 500TH POST ON MAINELY WRITE!
(The crowd goes wild, as I hand out blueberry pancakes and maple syrup - and some plates and forks - oh, and a napkin.  Coffee or tea, anyone?)
HEY!  GOOD NEWS! I SPIED ONE OSPREY YESTERDAY! THEY ARE RETURNING FROM THEIR WINTER VACATIONS DOWN SOUTH!  THE OSPREY CAMS SHOULD BE UP AND RUNNING ANY DAY NOW! 
(and yes, I was yelling - all of it)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Book Titles A to Z written by Maine authors,
and my poem using the title of the book each day for the month of April, except Sundays - BUT I will have a poem and book title on this Sunday, as I am doing a poem a day in April, and I have some extra book titles....So two different F's will be on Sunday and Monday!

Welcome to the Letter E:

E is for:

Eliza and the Elves

by Rachel Field

Rachel Field was born in New York City, grew up in western Mass., and spent time as an adult on Sutton's Island, one of the Cranberry Isles off of Mount Desert.  In 1929 she won the Newbery Medal for Hitty: Her First Hundred Years.  She was the first woman recipient of the award.  In 1938, she was featured in Down East Today.

Her book, Eliza and the Elves, is a collection of fairy and elfin poetry that was published in 1926.
Eliza and the Elves on Goodreads

E is also for:

Eleanor

by Barbara Cooney

I tried to want to write a poem for "Eleanor", about Eleanor Roosevelt's life, by Barbara Cooney, but it just wouldn't develop.  I love Barbara Cooney's books.  Her illustrations are gorgeous.  I went to a small lecture and book signing by Barbara once.  She certainly does look like Miss Rumphius!
Perhaps soon I will incorporate one or two of her books.  My problem is that I know her stories so well, that when I think of her titles, all I can think of is the story!
Eleanor on Scholastic
Eleanor on Amazon

Eliza and the Elves

Eliza thought she saw two elves
But wasn’t really sure;
Perhaps they were some leprechauns
But no one could concur.
They could have been some tooth fairies
Peeking under pillows
Or maybe just the woodland ones
Looking for some willows
She thought it could have-might have been
Two wandering garden gnomes
For sometimes they will go about
Seeking their new homes.
Could it have been two little imps
About to play a tricksie?
Perhaps it was a pair of those
That some would call a pixie.
She thought that they had come and gone
And never did a thing
But now Eliza knows those elves
Have actually left us spring!

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

Brought to you by the letter E!
Eloquent!

Ayuh to Z Challenge - D

It's Friday, Day 4 of the A-to-Z Challenge AND it's Poetry Friday, hosted over at Amy Ludwig VanDerwater's Poetry Farm - and I just happen to have a farm poem today to share.
It's also the 4th day of the Progressive Poem.  Check Anastasia's site, Poet! Poet! sometime today, and see what she's added to the first three lines.
************************
My Theme: Book Titles A to Z written by Maine authors,
and my poem using the title of the book each day for the month of April.

Welcome to the letter D:

D is for 

Dancing Feet
by Charlotte Agell

 

Dancing Feet by Maine author and illustrator, Charlotte Agell, is a picture book, written in rhyme that celebrates the human body parts.

Years ago, Charlotte did a writing workshop and read her books in my class and others in our school. She has a nice and easy way with children and drawing.  She has lived in Maine since 1977.  She published "Dancing Feet" in 1994.

Sarah Laurence blog and Charlotte's book for older students, Shift
The Maine Magazine 

Dancing Feet

A little bit of thumping
with soft and fuzzy toes;
A little bitty wiggle
of a twitchy nose.

It’s the hippy-hoppy habit
of a bopping bouncy rabbit.

A lot of heavy stomping of
hooves in shoes of metal;
A deep nod and a shake
of a muzzle in a bridle.

That’s the pretty clip-clop prancing
of a horse's fancy dancing.

A twirly, whirly motion
of a cute and curly tail;
While rolling in the mud
behind a wooden rail.

That’s just a jiggly jolly jig
for a hog wild party pig.

A kind of scritchy scratching
scaly toes soft shoe their food;
Then a ruffling up of feathers
skirt a'billow on her brood.

That’s the hoedown bruhaha
of a chicken cha-cha-cha.

So when you’re on the farm
Watch for the subtle sway
Listen for the tune
And stay out of the way -

Of the moo-sically moo-ving
farm animals’ that are grooving.

©Donna JT Smith, 2014
 

Down East in the Ocean: A Maine Counting Book

by Peter and Connie Roop

Oh, dear!  Peter and Connie Roop do not live in Maine.  My mistake.  I found it out after I'd written the poem below (and because of that, I had to quickly find a replacement book and write a quick poem).  I guess I assumed because they have a few books with Maine as the setting.  So I'm keeping it here, since I already wrote the poem, and I liked the poem. But I repeat, they are not Mane authors.  They have visited Maine though.  I wonder if they'd consider moving...

This is a counting book combining rhyme with a fun exploration of Maine sea life.

Down East in the Ocean

Down East in the ocean
Is not the same
As down the mountain
Or down the lane.

Down east means North,
The way the wind’s blowing
But east is still east.
So where are you going?

If you are in Boston
The wind at your back
You’re setting sail
For Machias or Lubec.

If you are in Maine and
The coast you’re on
You are in Down East
So sail up to Boston.

The ups and the downs
Between Boston and Maine
Are easy to follow if you
Just take the train.

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

This post was brought to you by the Letter D!
Delightful!
See you tomorrow E!

Ayuh to Z Challenge - C

First up: Progressive Poem
(skip down if you are here for AtoZ
 and don't care about this wonderful piece of work being created)

Today is my day for adding a line to April's Progressive Poem for National Poetry month 2014!  I'm the third line writer of this awesome poem.  I wonder where it will take us.  Check on the sidebar to keep tabs on the poem and see what's been added!

I had some serious lines I considered.  Very serious.  But then I decided to get a bit more lighthearted and combine the idea of the peacock's attempt at airing feelings with Charles' idea of sitting out there talking to the skies.  Tried using some alliteration with the "e" and "m".  Plus, I thought if so inclined "moon" was a pretty good word for not only a rhyming pattern, but celestial objects if that were the way someone went.  However, I have no clue what will happen in the next days.  But I know it will be good!  So next stop, 4th line on April 4th is by Anastasia Suen at Poet! Poet!

 (Charles)  Sitting on a rock, airing out my feelings to the universe
(Joy)  Acting like a peacock, only making matters that much worse;
(Me)  Should I trumpet like an elephant emoting to the moon? 
(Remove ? if needed, Anastasia!)

 Now Back to our Regularly Scheduled Letter for A-to-Z 2014!

My theme: Book Titles A to Z written by Maine authors,
and my original poem using the title of the book each day for the month of April.

Today, I couldn't help it.  Had to do two because I remembered E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web" after I doubled up on Dahlov Ipcar and her book The Cat at Night.  I'd already written the cat poem, so you are stuck with two poems today.

Welcome to the Letter C:

C is for:

Charlotte's Web
by E.B. White

E.B. White once said,
"I haven't told why I wrote the book, but I haven't told you why I sneeze, either.
A book is a sneeze."

White lived on a farm in Maine. As for how he came up with Charlotte's Web, he said, “I had been watching a big grey spider at her work and was impressed by how clever she was at weaving. Gradually I worked the spider into the story...”

About Charlotte's Web on Wikipedia

Maine: An Encyclopedia - quotes from and about White

About E.B. White on Wikipedia 

Biography of E.B. White on Scholastic

Charlotte’s Web

Charlotte found a little ball;
She played with it all day.
As it unraveled down the hall,
It's yarn showed her the way.

She tossed the ball; it left a path
As it bopped on some chairs,
It rolled around inside the bath
Then toppled down the stairs.

It bounced under the tv stand,
It coiled around a lamp -
Then lamp to vase to lamp it spanned
Leap-frogging like a champ!

Round the handle of the broom
And then into the trash;
Under the rug, and through the room
It made a crazy dash!

It looped around the puppy’s bowl,
Leaped on the kitchen table,
Threaded through the door’s keyhole
As far as it was able.

Charlotte's ball was finally done
It wove and weft no more
It couldn't roll, it couldn't run
It ended in the door.

The weave could be much stronger,
More things could have been spun
If the ball of yarn were longer;
But Charlotte’s web was done!

That’s as far as it could flee,
That frayed end of her rope -
A glance behind and she could see
A rewind held no hope.

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

And the second book, which I actually did first is one by Dahlov Ipcar again.  I didn't think I was going to find
C is for:

 The Cat at Night

by Dahlov Ipcar

Information about Dahlov Ipcar and her works can be found on this page.  There you can see more of her beautiful artwork.  Then there are more links to Dahlov's work back on my A page.
She has some beautiful wool pillows offered through this site.  I'm tempted to get one, but I can't decide which one!

In this book the farmer's cat is out at night and the illustrations compare what the human sees at night - black silhouettes against a gray blue - to what the cat is seeing - bright colors against a black background.  Gorgeous!

An acrostic backwards and forwards with the word FELINES...kind of like the cat...back and forth, up and down, first outside at night then inside in the day.

Cat at Night

Sleek and
Elegant
Night prowler
Innocently
Lingering by the mouse
Exit to tap the
First mouse unawares -
Fastidious cleaner
Elaborate purrer
Lovingly sitting
In your lap
Nothing amiss
Except that
Silent "good-night mouse" kiss.

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

This post was brought to you by the Letter C! 
Charming!

Ayuh to Z Challenge - B

Tomorrow's my day for adding a line to April's Progressive Poem for National Poetry month 2014!  I'm the third line writer of this awesome poem.  I wonder where it will take us.  Check on the sidebar to keep tabs on the poem and come back here tomorrow to see what I've added!

 Now back to the A-to-Z Challenge 2014!

My theme: Book Titles A to Z written by Maine authors,
and a poem for that title each day for the month of April.

B is for -

Blueberries for Sal 

by Robert McCloskey

Although born in Ohio, McCloskey later lived in Maine and died here on Deer Isle, June 30, 2003, at the age of 88.  He is also known for writing and illustrating "Make Way for Ducklings". This book, "Blueberries for Sal" was a runner-up for a Caldecott award in 1949. MCloskey's daughter, Sally, and his wife were the subjects for the daughter and mother in this book.
In Blueberries for Sal, mother and daughter get mixed up with a bear mother and her cub as they all go searching for and picking blueberries in Maine.
Want to watch and listen to the book?
Click here on Blueberries for Sal Book.

Everyone knows that wild Maine blueberries are the best thing in the world.  If I were you, I'd look for some in the frozen foods section of your grocery store.  Look for Wyman's.  I'm sorry if you can't get them where you are.  They are wonderful naturally sweet little wild blueberries from Maine.
I found some in a small local Pennsylvania grocery store for my grandson.  Oh, does he know and love his blueberries!

Here he is eating a "cancake".  Well, I guess you could say he's "picking blueberries"!

More information about the book or McCloskey:
McCloskey information on Wikipedia
McCloskey information on About.com Children's Books
A very interesting article about McCloskey and his unknown attic stored artwork
Robert McCloskey: A Private Life in Words and Pictures 
Blueberries for Sal, by R. McCloskey at Amazon


This is not a commercial site.  I am not selling books.  I don't get anything if you decide to buy a book.  That's your business -

Don't even tell me if you did. 

I don't want to know. 

Just tell me if you liked the poem -

which you will find below.

Blueberries for Sal

Oh, Sal,

What a gal!

She likes berries blue;

She likes them in pies

and in jellies, too.

She went out to pick some,

Blueberries on her mind,

But then she got home

No berries to find.

Oh, Sal!

What a gal!

She likes the blue sweet;

She likes them in cake

Or a picked-by-hand treat.

She went to the store,

A pint’s what she got,

But when she got home

She found she had naught!

Oh, Sal!

What a gal!

That berry devours,

She'll eat them in jams,

She'll eat them for hours.

She wanted to put some

In her breakfast muffin,

Before she could do that

Her mouth she was stuffin'!

Oh, Sal,

What a gal!

She’ll always have none;

For she eats them all up

Before she is done.

I don't know just why

She can't stop her feast

And save some of them

For one pie at least.

Oh Sal,

What a gal!

You'll always be blue

from eating blueberries

Till none's left for you.

©Donna JT Smith, 2014

Today's post was brought to you by the letter B.
Beautiful!