Thanku: Perfect Picture Friday

Title: Thanku: Poems of Gratitude
Illustrated by: Marlena Myles
Edited by: Miranda Paul
Publisher: Millbrook Press, 2019

Opening Poem, First stanza:

Giving Thanks
by Joseph Bruchac
In Memory of Chief Jake Swamp

Thanksgiving is more
than just one day,
so a Mohawk elder
said to me.

It feels fitting to begin 2020 with a book of poems about gratitude and thanks. I have spent a lot of time reviewing the last year and planning for the year ahead. Part of that project included acknowledging everyone I am grateful The list is long and it includes, family, friends, mentors, animals, and nature.

If you listen to Matthew Winner's podcast (Matthew is a person who I am grateful to have met this past summer), you will hear the poets say whether they pronounce the name of the book Than-ku or Thank You. From the first time I saw this book, I pronounced it Thank You, but as Matthew said, It is like Thanks and Haiku. Any way you say it the book is filled with beautiful poems of gratitude and and illustrations that add even more life to each poem created by Marlena Myles.

Miranda Paul is another person for whom I am grateful. She is the editor of this book. She is one of the first authors I met when I began my writing journey three years ago.

I am grateful for each poet, for the illustrator, for the editors, art directors, and publisher of this book.

As you read the poems  you will see and read that each is written in a different style of poetry. On the page of the poem, there is a small note on which style of poetry was used. At the back of the book, the poetic forms and literary devices are explained.

The poets are from many cultures. There are short bios about each at the back of the book.

I love this book, because it is beautiful in words and illustrations. It is like holding the world in your hands as you read. It is a book to read slowly. Savor each poem. Let it sink in. Enjoy the illustrations. Open it to any page and read what is there. Come back again and again.

Activities

• Check out the back matter in the book to learn more.
• Try writing your own poems in the various styles.
• Make a list of all the things you are thankful for.
• Send thank you notes.
• Make thank you notes and deliver them in person.
• Share kindness. 
• The Kindness Rocks Project is cool.
• When I was shopping before the holidays, I went to Aldi where you have to put a quarter in the slot to use a shopping cart. I rarely need a cart, but this day I had a pretty big list and no quarter. A woman offered me the cart and said, I always pay it forward, take the cart. I like to pay-it-forward as well. When I was done shopping, I passed the cart on to another person getting ready to shop. I imagine that everyone who arrived as that cart was being put away, was greeted by a kind person paying it forward. 
• At the Farm and Fleet, I was at a loss for stocking gifts for my husband. I asked a person for some ideas of gadgets to go with a couple tools that he had. The man took me down the aisle and told me about several fun options. In our busy days, it's easy for someone to say here's where those accessories are and then walk away, but he went above and beyond so I could make choices quickly and easily as well as have a fun conversation.
• Yarn Bombing? 
• So many possibilities, so little time.
• Learn the truth about the First Thanksgiving. See links under resources for excellent articles and lessons.
• Celebrate diversity in your neighborhood, your community, your city, your school, and your home.
• Buy this book and give it to someone who has been kind to you. Buy this book for yourself and read it over and over

Links to Resources from the book:
https://americanindian.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/education/thanksgiving_poster.pdf

https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360

https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2015/11/dear-teachers-open-letter-about-images.html

https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2015/11/dear-teachers-open-letter-about-images.html

You can listen to many of the authors talk about their poems at Matthew Winner's Children's Book Podcast

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/

One of my first experiences with Native peoples, was with Chief Oshkosh in Door County. Attending Powwows, hearing the music, the stories, and watching the dances by the light of the bonfire are a part of me forever. Those nights are a big part of who I am today.

I hope you will take any opportunity that arises to learn more about the Native American culture and let it mix in with you and your soul. Take time to learn about all cultures and all people. Love them for who they are. Give thanks for how their life experiences expand your life and make you a more loving and peaceful person.

Be sure to check out Susanna Hill's blog to find more Perfect Picture Book Friday posts. By the way, I am so grateful to Susanna for hosting her blog with #PPBF, Would You Read It Wednesday, Debut Tuesday, and her fun writing contests.

Perfect Picture Book Friday -- Lost Words

April is Earth Month and National Poetry Month. Two things that go together as well as peanut butter and chocolate, tacos on Tuesday, rain and rainbows, worms and soil, flowers and sunshine . . . you get my drift. 

Today's Perfect Picture Book doesn't fit squarely in the picture book category of books. It's 128 pages and the acrostic poems require time and thought to allow their words and meaning to sink in and take hold of your heart and mind.  Yet, it is filled with beautiful illustrations and is a non-fiction poetry picture book.

For me, it conjures up the Wild Flowers of America book that sat on our book shelf as I was growing up (see image at the end of this post). I would browse the pages on rainy days, make drawings of the flowers with my crayons and paper, and even occasionally use it as the reference tool it was designed to be. So while neither are traditional picture books, they are books that take you into nature and without being pushed or prodded, your own imagination is sparked.

Title: Lost Words: A Spell Book

Author: Robert MacFarlane
Illustrator: Jackie Morris

Publishing Information:  2017 in the UK by Penguin Books Ltd. and 2018 in Canada and US by House of Anasasi Press Inc.

Ages: 0 - 100

Description from Amazon: In 2007, when a new edition of the Oxford Junior Dictionary ― widely used in schools around the world ― was published, a sharp-eyed reader soon noticed that around forty common words concerning nature had been dropped. Apparently they were no longer being used enough by children to merit their place in the dictionary. The list of these “lost words” included acorn, adder, bluebell, dandelion, fern, heron, kingfisher, newt, otter, and willow. Among the words taking their place were attachment, blog, broadband, bullet-point, cut-and-paste, and voice-mail. The news of these substitutions ― the outdoor and natural being displaced by the indoor and virtual ― became seen by many as a powerful sign of the growing gulf between childhood and the natural world.
Ten years later, Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris set out to make a “spell book” that will conjure back twenty of these lost words, and the beings they name, from acorn to wren. By the magic of word and paint, they sought to summon these words again into the voices, stories, and dreams of children and adults alike, and to celebrate the wonder and importance of everyday nature. The Lost Words is that book ― a work that has already cast its extraordinary spell on hundreds of thousands of people and begun a grass-roots movement to re-wild childhood across Britain, Europe, and North America.

Opening Lines: Once upon a time, words began to vanish from the language of children. They disappeared so quietly at first almost no one noticed -- fading away like water on the stone.

Why I love this book: I first read about this book in a post from the Children in Nature Network. Sadly, that post slipped my mind until a friend shared an article about the book with me a couple months ago. I immediately ordered it. Each time I open the pages, I turn them with awe and reverence. The title on the cover is gold embossed and the cover illustrations are a small sample of the beauty that is held within the pages.

Each lost word is given three double page spreads. The opening spread for the word is a letter jumble with the letters of the word in a unique color. The second spread includes an acrostic poem on the left and a watercolor illustration of the word on the right. The final spread is a scene depicting the word in its surrounding world.

A book worthy of book cases everywhere. Each word can become an adventure to the outdoors.

The poems are deep and full of mystery and love.

It is a book you can look at and read over and over again.

Activities and Resources:

Activities and and Explorer's Guide from the John Muir Trust

Writing Acrostic Poems

More about Acrostic Poems and using the word at the beginning, middle and end of each line.

Make a flower chain crown

Nature Journaling for Kids

Wet on wet Watercolor Painting

Bird Identification

The book from our family book shelf.

My Acrostic poem from this mornings visit of nine turkeys:

Tom turkey struts his stuff
Under the bird feeders.
Rugged feathers raised, puffed, and shimmering in the morning light.
Kingly posture ignored by the ladies.
Every turkey more interested in breakfast,
Yet Tom persists hopefully.

Finally, if you want to find more cool picture books check out Susanna Hill's Blog where you can look for reviews by book, title, and by themes.

April Photo/Poetry Challenge

Life is full of challenges. Why not take charge of your own?

Spring is here and I am ready to challenge myself to get out and take photographs everyday. I called it a photo challenge, but it is also National Poetry Month, so I will try to write a new haiku or other type of poem each day as well.

You are welcome to join me on this journey and spend time working on your creativity too. Feel free to share your images with me.

There are no special requirements. You can use a "fancy" camera or smart phone, you can edit or not. Post to a social media sight or just save them for yourself. It's your journey, make it what you want.