ONE LAST POEM AS WE SAY GOODBYE TO APRIL AND NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

A word is dead
When it is said,
Some say.

I say it just
Begins to live
That day

-Emily Dickinson

HAIKU HOW-TO

Before saying good-by to National Poetry Month, I thought it would be fun to explore the Japanese art of writing haiku poetry.

Haiku poems don't rhyme, but they do follow a pattern and can be written horizonally or vertically.  Traditional haiku were often reflective of nature, but you can compose one about pretty much anything.  To write a haiku in English,  the simplest direction is to write your thoughts in 17 syllables, in three lines of 5-7-5.

Want to try writing a HAIKU with your kids?  CLICK HERE for an easy (and quick) lesson.  Here is my attempt:

Stories read aloud

to your children everyday -

goodness for their souls.

Have fun writing more poems with your kids on
the RIF (Reading is Fundamental) website...click HERE

christina rossetti, poet (1830-1894)

Christina Rossetti was born in London, one of four children of Italian parents. Her father was the poet Gabriele Rossetti. Her brother, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, also became a poet, as well as a painter of the Pre-Raphaelite art movement.  She was educated at home and encouraged to write by her family; in fact, her teenage poems were printed by her grandfather on his own press.

Rossetti wrote a collection of verses for children in 1872.  It was titled SING-SONG and was illustrated by Arthur Hughes.  But she is best known for her ballads and her mystic religious lyrics.
Her poetry is marked by symbolism and intense feeling.

Rossetti's best-known work, Goblin Market and Other Poems, was published in 1862. The collection established Rossetti as a significant voice in Victorian poetry.

By the 1880s, recurrent bouts of Graves' disease made Rossetti an invalid, and ended her attempts to work as a governess.  She died of cancer on December 29, 1894.

WHO HAS SEEN THE WIND?
by Christina Rossetti

Watercolor by ARIS ILLUSTRATION

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you.
But when the leaves hang trembling,
The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I.
But when the trees bow down their heads,
The wind is passing by.

IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER...

"Angels and archangels may have gathered there,

Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;

But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,

Worshipped the beloved with a kiss."

-Verse from Rossetti's poem A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Christina Rossetti is also the author of many Advent and Christmas poems, posthumously published in her POETIC WORKS, in 1904. Her most famous, A Christmas Carol became a favorite Christmas hymn entitled In the Bleak Midwinter after it appeared in The English Hymnal in 1906, with a setting by Gustav Holst (and later by Harold Darke).  It has been performed by choirs and soloists ever since, including the Robert Shaw Chorale, Chanticleer, Julie Andrews, Sarah Mclachlan, and most recently, James Taylor (who sings my favorite modern rendition).

Gustav Holtz version, performed by James Taylor



Harold Darke version, performed by Winchester Cathedral Choir

OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOOD...HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

A BOY'S THANKSGIVING, by Lydia Maria Child (1844)

Over the river, and through the wood,
to Grandfather's house we go;
the horse knows the way to carry the sleigh
through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river, and through the wood,
to Grandfather's house away!
We would not stop for doll or top,
for 'tis Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river, and through the wood-
oh, how the wind does blow!
It stings the toes and bites the nose,
as over the ground we go.

Over the river, and through the wood
and straight through the barnyard gate.
We seem to go extremely slow-
it is so hard to wait!

Over the river, and through the wood-
when Grandmother sees us come,
She will say, "o, dear, the children are here,
bring a pie for every one."

Over the river, and through the wood-
now Grandmothers cap I spy!
Hurrah for the fun! Is the pudding done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

This song originally appeared as a poem written by Lydia Maria Child. The poem appeared in Flowers for Children, Vol. 2 in 1844.

QUILTING STORIES

(Remember to post comments by midnight on November 15 for my ADVENT GIVE-AWAY!)  
As we head toward the holiday season, I find myself thinking of family and the anticipation of our holiday gatherings...

I don't happen to have any quilters among my relatives, but I am always drawn to old quilts when I visit a flea market or antique store.  Like patches on an heirloom quilt, families have pieced-together memories of traditions, tears, laughter, struggles, celebrations, and faith.

And quilts are a great way to teach children about family, art, history, and even math!  I hope you'll enjoy sharing some of these books with your children - I've enjoyed discovering them!  Let me know if I've left out any of your favorites...


PICTURE BOOKS:

The Quilt Story by Tony Johnston, illustrations by Tomie dePaola (ages 4-8)


The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco (ages 4-8)



Eight Hands Round:  A Patchwork Alphabet by Ann Whitford Paul, illustrations by Jeanette Winter (ages 4-8)


The Log Cabin Quilt by Ellen Howard (ages 6 and up)


The Patchwork Quilt by Valerie Flournoy, illustrations by Jerry Pinkney (ages 4-8)


HISTORICAL FICTION:
The Canada Geese Quilt by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock, illustrations by Leslie W. Bowman (ages 9-12)


Martha Ann's Quilt for a Queen by Kyra E. Hicks, illustrations by Lee Edward Fodi (ages 9-12)


NON FICTION:
Quilting Now & Then by Julie B. Dock, Karen B. Willing; illustrations by Sarah Morse


Quilt-Block History of Pioneer Days(with Projects Kids Can Make), by Mary Cobb (grades 2 and up)


POETRY:
Baby Days:  A Quilt of Rhymes and Pictures, by Belina Downes (ages 4-8)


Pieces:  A Year in Poems and Quilts by Anna Grossnickle Hines (ages 4-8)



AND TWO MORE..
from my friend Jane Meyer's blog (fun post!)
The Quilt Maker's Journey and The Quilt Maker's Gift by Jeff Brumbeau
   

If you want to delve deeper into quilting, I found a great website on quilting history and with patterns for children's quilts.  "Comment away for my Give-away!"  :)