Art and Heart by Dow Phumiruk

Valentine's Day has passed, but it's always a good time to share a poem about love. Here's a short verse about loving yourself by artist Dow Phumiruk, accompanied by adorable ballerinas holding hearts. You can see more of Dow's beautiful portfolio of art and creativity at Art by Dow. Enjoy!

Maybe you'd like to share your heart.

Love yourself first. That's the best place to start!

Read & Romp Roundup: February 2014

Welcome to the February Read & Romp Roundup! As usual, we have a nice mix of submissions this month, including some poetry. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the reading -- which will hopefully lead to some romping as well!

Amy at Picture-Book-a-Day is back to share a short review of the new picture book A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream by Kristy Dempsey and Floyd Cooper. The book is set in the 1950's and tells the story of a fictional African-American girl who sees the first "colored" prima ballerina --Janet Collins -- perform. The review is part of a roundup that includes some other recent picture books:  Don't Play with Your Food, Mr. Flux, and Yellow is My Color Star.

Amy was also featured in the February Book to Boogie post at The Library as Incubator Project. In her post, she summarizes the picture book Move! by Robin Page and Steve Jenkins and describes her ideas for using it to inspire movement during library story time.

Elly at Yoga & Creative Movement with Elly suggests retelling the classic picture book Fortunately (by Remy Charlip) through movement games and yoga poses. She also suggests having kids tell, act out, or write their own story in a "fortunately…unfortunately" format. Check out her post for all the details!

Kathleen at Wild Things Yoga is a kindred spirit with a love for picture books and movement, especially yoga. This month she shares a lesson plan -- a shorter version for preschoolers and kindergartners and a longer version for first and second graders -- for combining yoga with the picture book The Leopard's Drum by Jessica Souhami. The book, which is a West African tale about a leopard who doesn't want to share a huge drum he makes, also lends itself to discussions about fairness and problem solving.

And last but not least, two guest dance educators join Maria's Movers to share their experiences using different kinds of poetry in their creative movement classes. Becca Beck and Kerry Bevens discuss building dances around poems, using poems as warm-ups, exploring nursery rhymes in class, and more!

Paint Me a Poem: Poetry and Art...Plus Dance!

Since April is National Poetry Month and today is also Poetry Friday, I didn't want to miss the chance to post some more dance-related poems by my new friend Justine Rowden -- this time from her book Paint Me a Poem: Poems Inspired by Masterpieces of Art. 

A few years ago, when Justine was working at the National Portrait Gallery, she noticed that a lot of people had no reaction at all when they stood in front of a painting they hadn't seen before. This gave her an idea!

"I felt my first endeavor ought to be a book that proposes a way to look at any painting and find the spark, the joy, in that work," she says. "Forget historical references. Look for the passion in the art!" And thus her work began on Paint Me a Poem.

For the book, Justine chose 14 paintings from the National Gallery of Art and created poems to go along with them. "Each poem suggests just one possible way to look at that painting in a new way," she says. Here are a couple of my favorites, which both reflect Justine's love of dance. Yes, she is a kindred spirit!

Dancin'

Green Plums by Joseph Decker, c. 1885.
Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

Green plums rolling
Yeah! rockin' and rollin'

Out of their box

Onto the stage

Ready to swing their stems,

Moving in rhythm

To a juicy tune. 

The beat, it gets to them--

Swaying side to side, 

They go even faster

Until finger-snapping hands 

Put them back in their box. 

Moving White Fluffs

Meadow by Alfred Sisley, 1875.
Courtesy of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

The sky is full

Of fuzzy white polka dots.

As they move on, 

Do you think

Those dots are really

Dancing the polka

While they drift away?

Doing the polka

Takes time to learn

And where could they

Hear the music

To get the dance just right?

So, maybe it's not

The polka at all they're doing. 

Maybe it's just a slow glide 

They make up

As they go along. 

Then why do you suppose

They call them "Polka dots" --

Those funny white fluffs

In the blue, blue sky?

Beautiful poems, right? So what does Justine hope that children will take away from the book? "I would like to think that children will look at the paintings, really connecting with the art, and perhaps even write original poems about the paintings themselves,"she says. I hope that some adults have that reaction, too!

Find out more about Paint Me a Poem at www.paintmeapoem.com. Irene Latham at Live Your Poem is hosting the Poetry Friday roundup today, so you can find more poetry for children and adults there, too!

Poetry Friday Fun with Ladybug Magazine!

Happy Poetry Friday! Today is the day, every week, when children's poets and poetry lovers from all over the blogging community come together to share their love of words. This week's Poetry Friday is being hosted by Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe, so make sure to drop by if you are in the mood for rhythm, perhaps some rhyme, and a whole lot of great poetic offerings.

I haven't joined the Poetry Friday round up in a while so am really happy to be participating again with a couple poems from the February 2013 issue of Ladybug Magazine. Before I share them below, I want to thank Ladybug Magazine for allowing me to post them in their entirety.

The first poem, "Kangaroo Dance," is written by Shannon Caster with art by John Nez. It would be great for sharing with little ones who need to bounce off some energy. Boing. Boing. Boing!

Source: Ladybug Magazine
Art © 2013 John Nez

Boing. Boing. Boing. 

Kangaroo jumps up high. 

Boing. Boing Boing. 

He almost touched the sky.

Boing. Boing. Boing. 

Around the old gum tree. 

Boing. Boing. Boing. 

He almost jumped on me!

The second, "Marshmallow Soup," is written by me! It's the first poem I've had published in Ladybug Magazine, and I am thrilled with how the art by Jacqueline Hudon-Verrelli came out. You can learn more about the process Jacqueline used to come up with the illustration here on her blog. 

With much of the country getting snowed under over the last few days, this poem might be a good one to read next to the fireplace, curled up with a cup of hot cocoa. Mmmmm!

Source: Ladybug Magazine
Art © 2013 Jacqueline Hudon-Verrelli

Sweet marshmallow, squishy white. 

I can't wait to take a bite.

Drop you in hot chocolate -- plop!

Watch you float up to the top.

And when you melt into a goop, 

Slurp you up -- marshmallow soup!

Join the August Read & Romp Roundup!

Do you have a recent (or even not so recent) blog post that involves picture books or children's poetry AND dance, yoga, or another form of movement? If so, or if you're planning to write such a post, then you've come to the right place!

This is the official call for submissions to the August Read & Romp Roundup. Just leave a link to your post in the comments below, and I'll include it in the next roundup.  If you're new here or aren't familiar with the roundups, you can read some of the old ones here. Looking forward to hearing your new ideas!

Submissions are open until Friday, August 31, 2012.

Poetry Friday: Moving with Mary Quattlebaum!

Whenever I find a new children's poem with a dance or movement theme, I like to share it on Poetry Friday -- a weekly gathering of writers, poets, and other literature-loving people from around the blogosphere. Today I'm sharing the action rhyme "Moving Up and Down" from the June 2012 issue of Highlights High Five.

This particular rhyme was written by the lovely Mary Quattlebaum, with accompanying art by Debbie Palen and photos by Guy Cali Associates, Inc. I have to send a big shout-out and thank you to Highlights for Children, Inc. for letting me post the rhyme and illustrations on my blog!

© Highlights for Children, Inc.

Mary Quattlebaum was actually a guest author at my daughter's preschool a couple years ago. On the day of her visit, I had the pleasure of picking her up from the Metro station and spending some time talking with her about picture books. She so kindly gave me a signed copy of her picture book Sparks Fly High: The Legend of Dancing Point, and she gave me inspiration and courage to keep trying to break into today's tough picture book market. Thank you for both of those gifts, Mary!

This week, Poetry Friday is being held at A Year of Reading, so hop on over there to read some more poetic posts. Also, you can read about more of Mary's books, including plenty of poetry, on her website. Her newest book, Jo MacDonald Had a Garden, looks especially good for promoting movement!

Who Likes Rain?

Read It. Move It. Share It. 

For April, I recommended the picture book Who Likes Rain? for dance educator Maria Hanley Blakemore to use in her creative movement classes in New York City. After you read this post, hop over to Maria's Movers to see how she used the book with her young dancers. You can also read more about our monthly collaboration here.

In April 2007, when my first daughter was a little over two years old, Henry Holt and Company published the rhyming picture book Who Likes Rain? by Wong Herbert Yee. Our local library bought a copy, and I discovered it sometime later that year. Our second daughter grew into a toddler, and for the next couple of years I continued checking the book out from time to time. 

I've always loved books about rain, and this is one of my favorites for toddlers and young preschoolers. It even comes in a small size (about half the size of most picture books) that is perfect for little hands. It's one of those books I would have loved to own, but for some reason I never bought a copy for myself. 

My daughters are a little older now and have moved on to more complex picture books, so it was such a treat to check this book out from the library again in preparation for my post. The first page of my library copy has scribble marks all over it--some in brown crayon and some in black marker. I guess some other toddlers have been enjoying the book, too!

Pit-pit-pit on the windowpane. 

Down, down, down come the drops of rain.

Who wants rain?

Who needs April showers?

I know who...

Do you know who? Do you think a toddler or preschooler would have fun guessing who wants the rain? This book is full of little riddles like this, and you always have to turn the page to find out the answer. Have you figured this one out yet? It's the trees and the flowers! Here's another one...

When it rains, 

Who comes out to squirm?

I know! Do you?

Creep, creep...

I bet you guessed this one right away. It's a worm! As this adorable book goes on, the wind whooshes through the trees and the rain beats like a tom-tom drum on the umbrella of the little girl at the center of it all. The guessing game also continues, as the little girl trudges through the rain in her yellow raincoat and hat and in her green rain boots, right up to the very end of the book. 

As you may have guessed, the book is also full of imagery and movement words that could facilitate exploration of how the rain moves, how the environment moves in response to the rain, and how different animals like to move in the rain. 

If you like the sound of the book, you might also be interested in two similar books by Wong Herbert Yee. Each is written in rhyme, and each follows the same little girl as she explores a different season.  

Tracks in the Snow was published shortly after Who Likes Rain?, and Summer Days and Nights was just published in April. I read Tracks in the Snow quite a few years ago but don't remember it in detail, and I haven't read the latter yet. I'm wondering if these two books would be good additions to a children's dance library, too. Hmmmm....

Before you go, don't forget to see here how Maria used Who Likes Rain? in her creative movement classes in April. She focused on an aspect of the story that I hadn't thought of, and she and her dancers had a great time!

This post is part of Read Aloud Thursday at Hope is the Word and part of Poetry Friday at Wild Rose Reader this week. Check out both sites for more read-aloud and poetry favorites!

Read & Romp Roundup -- April 2012

Welcome to the April Read & Romp Roundup, where we're celebrating National Dance Week (which ends today) and National Poetry Month. I've always thought of poetry as a great platform for movement. Poems provide a variety of rhythms and patterns that children can move to, and their length is usually appropriate for the short attention span of many young movers. Hope you enjoy all the poetry--as well as the poetic picture books--in this month's roundup!

Jodie at Growing Book by Book shares a list of her 10 favorite poetry books for children, including classics like Where the Sidewalk Ends and themed books of poetry about science, pigs, baseball, and more. Jodie says that "many of them would be great for dance." Just the title of the first book on her list--Sing a Song of Popcorn--makes me want to start jumping up and down! 

Natalie from Wading Through Words wrote a charming poem this month about why you might think twice before dancing with a lion. Accompanying the poem "Don't Dance with a Lion" is an equally charming illustration by Julie Rowan-Zock...but you'll have to go to Natalie's blog to see it!

In honor of National Poetry Month, Renee LaTulippe has been featuring a poet a day on her blog No Water River. One of her guests is children's author Deborah Diesen, who wrote the brilliant poem "The Daffodil Dance." Head over to No Water River to hear Deborah read the whole poem and to find some extension activities to go along with it...

Early one spring, 

purely by chance, 

I happened to witness

the daffodils dance...

At By Word of Beth, Beth Stilborn has been sticking to her letter-of-the-day theme this month. "F" is for First Ballet, a rhyming picture book about a five-year-old's first trip to the ballet. But just in case you can't find this out-of-print book, Beth also explores My First Ballet Class, which uses photographs and text to show children what a first ballet class might be like. Fun!

At Nic's Barefoot Books Edinburgh, Nicola reviews the popular picture book The Animal Boogie, which comes with an enhanced sing-along CD. You'll have to check out the post to see what an "enhanced" CD is...and to learn about the activity kit that can be purchased with the book.

At OMazing Kids, Angela shares some indoor yoga activities inspired by the picture book Urban Animals. From creating animal picture cards to making binoculars out of cardboard tubes, she goes all out to prepare her little yogis for a very creative class!

On Location in Texas: Dance, Y'all, Dance!

It's warm outside, and the humidity is making my hair a little crazy. We're surrounded by concrete, multi-level highways, and the sound of cars whizzing around us. Our windows are down, and the familiar scent of beef brisket is making its way into the rental car. We're in Houston again!

My husband and I met when we were both graduate students here, and it has been more than a decade since we've been back. We're off to San Antonio in a few days, but until then we've been visiting friends and dining at some of our favorite restaurants in Houston. Really, truly, I think we are spending most of our time eating!

It's so nice to be back in the place where our story began so many years ago. While we're here, I thought I'd also tell you about another story that has some roots in Houston...

Dance, Y'all, Dance is a picture book written by Kelly Bennett, who at one time was the regional advisor for the Houston chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Bright Sky Press, the independent publisher who published the book in 2009, is also based in Houston.

Written in rhyme to the actual beat of the Texas Two-Step, Dance, Y'all, Dance transports readers back in time to a traditional Texas dance hall. There, community members of all ages gather for some live music, country dancing, and socialization after a long week of work.

It's Saturday night. The Dance Hall's aglow.

Call Grams and our friends. Head to town for the show. 

We worked hard all week. The chores are all done.

A country band's playin'. Let's join the fun.

Step-step, glide, glide, 

Kick up your feet. 

Dance y'all dance, 

To a two-steppin' beat. 

The author's note at the back of the book gives some background information on dance halls and on the Texas Two-Step, known also as the Western Swing in its advanced form. The simple Two-Step is a partner dance consisting of two quick steps followed by two slow steps, repeated over time as couples circle the dance floor. Once a couple masters the simple steps, they can try more complicated variations with names like the Sweetheart Surprise and the Pretzel.

Step-step, glide, glide, 

Cross arms and spin. 

Slide up, swing 'round, 

What a Pretzel you're in!

What I most love about this book is its community feel, as author Kelly Bennett gives readers a glimpse into the lives of a wide range of characters. Lil' Sister is begging her Pop to teach her the dance steps. Young Sallie and Jem are dancing cheek-to-cheek after having just been married earlier in the day. And little old Aunt May is twirling so fast that her false teeth fly out right onto the dance floor!

The illustrations by Terri Murphy are a perfect match for the text, giving a strong old-fashioned country flavor to the book and making the funny parts of the text even funnier. For example, when two characters named Amy Lou and Bubba try a new twirl and end up stepping in bubble gum, the illustrations exaggerate the size of the couple's shoes and the long, sticky strands of gum that are tethering the shoes to the floor.

If you get a chance to read this book, you just might find yourself searching for a dance hall to try out some of your own country dance steps. And in case your dancing boots need some repairs, I think I've found the perfect place...if you are in Houston, that is. I always knew that Houston was a great place to come for medical care, but who knew the city had hospitals for shoes, too!

This post is also part of Poetry Friday, so two-step your way over to Random Noodling to see more of this week's roundup. And hope y'all are enjoying National Poetry Month!

Everybody Ready for a Barnyard Dance?

Read It. Move It. Share It. 

I'm so excited that Maria from Maria's Movers and I are featuring Barnyard Dance! by Sandra Boynton this month. I knew Maria had a copy of the book and so would already by familiar with it, but I recommended it anyway because I love it so much and because I was curious to see how she uses it in her creative movement classes. If you're curious, too, check out her post here.

Stomp your feet! Clap your hands!

Everybody ready for a barnyard dance!

Ever since my first daughter was born seven years ago (my, how time flies!), I've been a big fan of board books. I think of them as simple, sturdy little books that can be loved for a long long time without losing their charm...or their pages. Barnyard Dance! by amazing author and illustrator Sandra Boynton was one of the first board books I received as a gift after I had my first daughter, and it has lasted through many many readings with both of my girls.

In preparing to write this post, I learned that there are nearly four million copies of Barnyard Dance! in print, and Publishers Weekly lists it as one of the bestselling children's books of all time. Wow! It turns out that I've helped contribute to those great sales figures, too. After receiving the book as a gift myself, I bought more than a couple extra copies over the years to give to other new moms. 

Prance with the horses, skitter with the mice. 

Swing with your partner once or twice. 

Stand with the donkey. Slide with the sheep.

Scramble with the little chicks -- CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP!

So, what is it that makes this book so great? For me, I actually hadn't thought about it before. I just knew that it made me happy, which made me want to read it over and over again. But now that I'm "thinking" about it rather than just "feeling" the great vibe of the book, I can see that there are more concrete reasons I enjoy it.

First of all, I love to dance, and Barnyard Dance! is about an eclectic bunch of farm animals who look like they really love to dance, too. The book is full of movement words and plenty of animal sounds, which I know most young children adore. And I also appreciate the fact that sometimes the animals in the book dance alone, and sometimes they dance with a partner. This aspect of the book is particularly nice for a creative movement class, as it provides a good jumping off point for introducing partner dances. 

I've given quite a few of our board books and picture books away over the years, but Barnyard Dance! is one of those special ones I've held onto. The other day, my girls and I pulled out a pile of about 10 board books that we've held onto but haven't read in a while. In doing so, I discovered that Barnyard Dance! isn't the only one that would be great for creative movement. So don't be surprised if you see more board books popping up in my posts in the coming months!

In the meantime, don't forget to see how Maria used Barnyard Dance! in her classes this month. I'm sure she came up with something original and fun! You can read her post here.

Turn with a cow in a patch of clover. 

All take a bow, and the dance is over.

With an OINK and a MOO and a QUACK QUACK QUACK, 

the dance is done, but we'll be back!