Phtheezles May Even Ensue This month I offer up a poem by A.A. Milne, of Pooh fame, that’s about being sick (or pretending to be), which a lot us can probably relate to right now. It’s also terrifically fun to say out loud. I don’t know about your kids, but mine are especially prone to […]
Tag Archives: literature
3 Folktales for National Folktale Month
Three Favorite Folktales It’s National Folktale Month! And I’m digging into the vaults to share three of my favorites, all starring leading ladies. For me, folktales are food for the soul. And when packaged into a picture book, also provide a feast for the eyes. They are an important part of your child’s literary diet, […]
One Clover & A Bee: A Poem for Parents
Other Bells We Would Ring: A Poem for Parents As I write this the rain is bucketing down out of a sky so gray it feels as if even the weather is conspiring to press home the weight of darkness that this month has ushered in. So much grief is around us,…
One Clover & A Bee: The Right Bed in a Universe of Beds
I’m Grateful for…The Bed Book If you’re familiar with Sylvia Plath’s work you might be surprised to see a poem of hers here. But in addition to her darkly brilliant work she also wrote a book for her children, The Bed Book, that’s bright and …
4 Books that Explore the History of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday that ties us back nearly 400 years to a time when the Wampanoag Indians were vital in helping the Pilgrims survive their new world. This year along with your harvest feast, go ahead and have a slice of history too! He…
One Clover & A Bee: Poetry for Halloween
Tricks & Treats: Two Not-So-Spooky Poems Halloween is a time when we like to be scared…a little, and some of us more than others. In the light of day when we’re putting on our costumes and makeup, it’s easy to see that you are you and I am me…
10 New Picture Books for Halloween
10 New Picture Books for Halloween Halloween is just days away. In our home there is a flurry of costume making and pumpkin carving and spider webbing as we countdown to the spookiest day of the year. And each evening, as the jack-o-lanterns glow in th…
One Clover & A Bee: Poetry that Engages the Senses
The Sound of One Leaf Falling Some poems are clearly meant to be read aloud: sound is the engine that moves them off the page and into our consciousness. Other poems rely more on image, making pictures that resonate in our mind’s eye. Some poems try …
Charlotte’s Web: A Hymn to Life for 60 Years!
“A Hymn to the Barn” Charlotte’s Web Turns 60! The animals of Zuckerman’s barn have something to celebrate. On October 15, the book which launched them into the world, E.B. White’s pastoral masterpiece Charlotte’s Web, turns sixty years old…
Picture Books for Spring Time
A Trio of New Picture Books Just In Time For Spring Every year I am surprised when the fields and forests finally turn green. Just when I think it will be brown and barren forever, the snow turns to rain, the ground thaws, and those first brave shoots …