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Culturally Diverse Poetry for Kids

Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets, by Kwame Alexander, Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth is a splendid cross-cultural collection of poetry. Original poems celebrate the work of a wide group of classic and contemporary poets. This book is an excellent way for families to explore famous poets and their impact on readers.

Feel the Beat: Dance Poems that Zing from Salsa to Swing by Marilyn Singer. I absolutely adore this book. Children will love this collection of short snappy poems about dance. Each one holds the rhythm of the music, and the collection includes a variety of cultures and traditions. The text comes with a CD of music because no doubt the poems will make everyone want to get up and dance!

What Are Little Girls Made Of? by Jeanne Willis is an utterly delightful, and often hilarious, collection of feminist re-imaginings of traditional nursery rhymes. Isabelle Follath's illustrations depict girls from all backgrounds and abilities.

Thanku: Poems of Gratitude, edited by Miranda Paul, illustrated by Marlena Myles is an inclusive collection of poems about being thankful. The huge variety of poetic forms even includes a math poem!

A Full Moon Is Rising by Marilyn Singer. This collection of poems celebrates the magic of a full moon as it is experienced around the globe. There are poems set it the city, the country and across the world from Africa to China to Colombia. Different religious and ethnic traditions are represented, including Sukkot, moon watching in Canada and a Chinese Moon Festival. End papers include notes and a map of all the locations that appear throughout the book.

Fresh-Picked Poetry: A Day at the Farmers' Market by Michelle Schaub is such a fun collection of poems about diverse kids and their families exploring an urban farmers' market. I love how upbeat the poems are, and who knows, maybe reading these poems will encourage your children to finish their beets. (Dare to dream.)

Jazz by Walter Dean Myers. Fifteen gorgeously rhythmic and evocative poems encourage kids to delight in all the different forms of jazz music. Readers will enjoy a journey through the history of the uniquely American music like bebop, boogie, and ragtime. Christopher Myers' dynamic illustrations shine!

MORE: The poetry bedtime routine your kids will cherish

A Stick Is an Excellent Thing: Poems Celebrating Outdoor Play is another collection by award-winning poet Marilyn Singer. Poems celebrate kids playing in the great outdoors, from the monkey bars at the playground to urban sidewalks to backyard sprinklers. Every single page features a diverse group of faces and almost every child will see someone who looks like them in this book. I only wish the collaborators had thought to illustrate a child with a physical disability in the book (they like to play, too!); then it would be perfect.

Looking Like Me. I love the upbeat tempo of Walter Dean Myers' poetry in this book! A young boy, Jeremy, narrates this poem/picture book. It starts as he looks in the mirror, declaring, "That's who I am." He then meets friends and family in his city neighborhood, all of whom describe him differently.  He is a brother, artist, runner, writer, and more. The poem is an infectious, joyful celebration of one boy's self-esteem and identity. This is a wonderful poem to read with your kids and then have a conversation about all the different aspects of who they are.

A Poke in the I by Paul B. Janeczko is a collection of "concrete poems." Concrete poems are poems in which the visual arrangement of the words on the page are as essential to the meaning as the text itself.  For example, the text of the poem "Giraffe" is printed out in the shape of a giraffe. "Tennis Anyone" will have your eyes bouncing back and forth across the page. Kids love concrete poems for their playful nature, and creating their own concrete poems is a wonderfully fun writing exercise. Raschka's stylized illustrations feature characters in every color.

MORE: Concrete Poetry Books for Kids

Can I Touch Your Hair?: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene Latham and Charles Waters. Poems in two voices tell the story of a white girl and a black boy becoming friends at school while working on a class poetry project. The poems (written by a white woman and a black man) dive into topics of race, family life, friendship and school experiences in a very accessible way. The illustrations are a great accompaniment.

Confetti: Poems for Children by Pat Mora is a joyful collection of short poems sprinkled with Spanish words. Pat Mora has done a wonderful job composing poems that will appeal to very young children on a range of subjects like colors, nature, counting and everyday moments. One of my favorites is "Leaf Soup."

MORE: 8 Ways To Use Poetry to Calm Your Kids

One Leaf Rides the Wind is a collection of counting poems in the haiku style. The poems follow a young girl as she explores a traditional Japanese garden. This is a great introduction to haiku and also includes information about gardens, haikus, and their place in Japanese culture.

MORE: Haiku Books for Kids

Each poem in The Blacker the Berry by Joyce Carol Thomas is named after a color, like "Golden Goodness," "Cranberry Red," or "Coffee Will Make You Black" to celebrate a wide range of skin tones. I love the acknowledgement that "black" is not a single shade. Illustrator Floyd Cooper's cheerful faces peer up at the reader from the pages of the book.

Iguanas in the Snow: And Other Winter Poems / Iguanas en la Nieve: Y Otros Poemas de Invierno by Francisco X. Alarcón is a bilingual collection of poems that is part of a four book series spanning the seasonal year. Each short poem in free verse is in both Spanish and English, presenting snapshots of a diverse group of children enjoying wintery life to the fullest. Be sure to read the poetry collections for every season!

Family Poems for Every Day of the Week: Poemas Familiares Para Cada Dia de la Semana. Francisco X. Alarcón's joyful poems about family activities—like visiting, celebrating, working and playing—during the week are fun to read aloud. This collection of diverse poetry is presented in both English and Spanish.

MORE: Classic poems for kids to memorize

In Daddy's Arms I Am Tall is a collection of poems by different authors honoring fathers, specifically African-American fathers, but of course children of all races and cultures will be able to relate to the feelings and attitudes expressed in the poems. Some of the poetic imagery and language is sophisticated, for ages 7 and up, but there is something for everyone here. (Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award )

Meet Danitra Brown is a collection of exuberant poems narrated by a young girl, Zuri Jackson, about her best friend, Danitra. I've never read a poetry book like this; it's a joyful ode to a friend and I love the idea. It would be a great writing project for kids, too–have them write poems about their friends! (Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award)

Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back: A Native American Year of Moons by Joseph Bruchac and Jonathan London. I've always loved the idea of naming all the moons of year. This beautiful book of diverse poetry celebrates the Native American year through each of the thirteen moons.

I love Javaka Steptoe's collages that illustrate Nikki Grimes' haiku in A Pocketful of Poems. Tiana has a pocketful of words and each word inspires a delightful short poem. I'm especially fond of haiku as "poetry for beginners" and its short form makes it easy to share with even the youngest kids.

MORE: Practice writing haiku during week 4 of the Poetry Writing Challenge

Tan to Tamarind: Poems about the Color Brown by Malathi Michelle Iyengar. This classic poetry book is sadly out of print, so check your library for a copy. It's a collection of poems about all the gorgeous skin colors in the world.

Once Around the Sun by Bobbi Katz. Each month gets its own poem capturing the type of childhood moments we might look back on with nostalgia. In the background, a diverse group of children romp and play through the seasons and around their city.

The post Diverse Poetry Books for Kids appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

It was a marvelous experience, and poetry has remained a joyful part of our daily life. Since the completing the poetry reading challenge, rarely a day goes by when we do not read or recite a poem.

National Poetry Month was established in 1996 as a month long celebration of the literary form. Most likely your child's school will include poems in the curriculum during April, but I encourage you to read poetry in your home as well.

For each week of the challenge, you will be directed to an in-depth post with details and an (optional) printable of that week's poem. Read on below for an overview of what each weekly challenge looks like.

MORE: Don't forget! The reading challenge also helps kids complete their Poetry Bingo cards!

Reading Challenge Instructions

The good news is the challenge rules are very flexible! Each week's post contains a poem to print out and display in your home. The primary objective is to read a poem out loud with your kids at least once a day for a week. Each post also contains extension ideas and further resources for more ambitious kids and parents.

Week 1:

Poem: "A Child's Thought" by Robert Louis Stevenson

Extras: Frequently Asked Questions about how to participate. Extension ideas that can be used throughout the challenge.

See the post and get the printable --> Poetry challenge week 1

Week 2:

Poem: "A Word" by Emily Dickinson (plus a suggested alternative)

Extras: Websites to visit for biographical information and poem analysis.

See the post and get the printable --> Poetry challenge week 2

Week 3: 

Poem: "There Was an Old Man with a Beard" by Edward Lear

Extras: More Lear poems; invent your own limericks

See the post and get the printable --> Poetry challenge week 3

Week 4:

Poem: Choose between "What are Heavy" and "The Wind" by Cristina Rossetti

Extras: Learn about the author, read more Rossetti poems.

See the post and get the printable --> Poetry challenge week 4

Week 5:

Poem: Selection from A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

Extras: Watch clips of the scene, read books inspired by Shakespeare.

See the post and get the printable --> Poetry challenge week 5

The most important thing to remember is that the challenge is not a test! The objective is to enjoy the experience of reading poems, not to add another tedious task to your to do list. In the weekly posts, I recount our family's experience with the weekly poems, including surprises we made along the way.

Enjoy!

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As stated in the introduction to the challenge, completing the assignments can be done spontaneously, which is exactly what happened in our household. Throughout the past few weeks find myself suddenly chatting with the boys about the chosen poetry topic in those hard to fill moments like getting ready for bed, walking home from school, as well as family dinner time.

However, you can jump into the challenge any time and complete the weeks in any order!

The other pleasant surprise about this writing challenge is how funny it is. Every exercise and activity makes us dissolve into giggles! Originally I had planned the final week to teach metaphor, but based on our experience, "hyperbole" seemed like a great way to end the challenge on a hilarious note.

Writing Challenge #1: Hyperbole

Write several hyperbolic sentences or phrases.

What is hyperbole? An hyperbole is an exaggerated statement or comparison that is not meant to be taken literally. Some of us (*ahem* cough-cough) speak frequently in hyperbole. Of course, I would never do that, not in a million years.

Examples of hyperbole in poetry:

I’ll love you, dear, I’ll love you
Till China and Africa meet,
And the river jumps over the mountain
And the salmon sing in the street,
I’ll love you till the ocean
Is folded and hung up to dry

- W.H. Auden, from "As I Walked One Evening"

I'm making a pizza the size of the sun,
a pizza that's sure to weigh more than a ton,
a pizza too massive to pick up and toss,
a pizza resplendent with oceans of sauce.

-Jack Prelutsky, from "A Pizza the Size of the Sun"

Extension Activities

• Find examples of hyperbole in children's poetry books or picture books.
• Illustrate your hyperboles.
• Draw a picture representing a hyperbole and have others guess what it is.
• Have a hyperbole contest. Keep trying to one up each other to see who can come up with the most outrageous statement. Try to include lots of descriptive words.

Writing Challenge #2: Haiku

Write a haiku.

Haiku is often one of the first poetry forms that kids learn but I've left it for last. We've written haiku before and I am curious to see how my kids' haiku turn out after the last 3 weeks of learning and practicing different literary devices.

What is haiku? Haiku is a traditional form of Japanese poetry. Traditionally, nature inspires the content of the poems but contemporary haiku often cover a range of subjects. It has a formal 17-syllable structure. The first line is 5 syllables, the second is 7, and the last is 5. (Haiku has a rich tradition and there are many nuances to the "rules" - but I am sticking with the modern basics here. This is not an advanced poetry class!)

Extension activities:

• Illustrate your haiku
• Check out titles from our list of haiku books for kids.
• Read about the history of haiku
• Make a haiku tunnel book!

Did you complete any or all of the challenges? Please let us know! How did it go? Was it fun? Did you modify any of the ideas in a way that worked for your family? I'd love to hear your stories!

The post Poetry Writing Challenge (Week 4) - Hyperbole and Haiku appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

Last week's poetry writing challenge topic was alliteration and color poems. My 6-year-old adored making up alliterative sentences! I had to ask him to take a break while we were brushing his teeth because he was getting toothpaste all over his face!

MORE: Check out the poetry reading challenge, which is even easier to complete that this writing program!

As mentioned in the in the introductory post about our easy going poetry writing series, kids need not actually put pen to paper to "write" poems! In fact, we still have not done any actual pen and paper writing!

Most of our discussions and poetry composing has been done at the family dinner table or while we are getting ready for bed. Feel free to do the same!

MORE: Poetry bookmark coloring pages

Poetry Writing Challenge #1 - Onomatopoeia

Write a phrase or line using onomatopoeia.

What is Onomatopoeia? Onomatopoeia is when a word sounds like its meaning. Giggle, thump, fizzle, crack, murmur, gurgle, babble, chortle, fwoosh, meow, chirp.

Here is a classic example:

Hark, hark!
Bow-wow.
The watch-dogs bark!
Bow-wow.
Hark, hark! I hear
The strain of strutting chanticleer
Cry, 'cock-a-diddle-dow!'

- Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 1, sc. 2

... and a more contemporary one.

Your can't make me eat that,
it's slimy and gooey
and icky and yucky
and greasy and gluey.

- Jack Prelutsky, from "You Can't Make Me Eat That" in It's Raining Pigs and Noodles

I simply adore onomatopoeia! It's so dramatic. However it is very hard to spell!

Extension Activities

Remember, these extension activities are totally optional. If your kids don't want to sit down and do them, don't press. As the smart grown-up you are, you'll be able to figure out ways to sneak them into conversation during the day.

• Make a list of as many onomatopoetic words you can. Divide them into categories, such as sounds (clank, moo) or perhaps elements (water: gush, burble; air: fwoosh, swish)
• Get physical. Challenge your kids to add a movement to the sound! This is a great indoor boredom buster that will burn lots of pent-up energy.
• Read a picture book and ask kids to assign an onomatopoetic word to actions in the illustrations. Wordless books are great for this! (See our list of favorite wordless books.)
• Draw pictures of what the words sound like. This could get very abstract!

BONUS: Working on the exercises in the poetry writing challenge will help your kids complete tasks for Poetry Bingo!

Poetry Writing Challenge #2 - Rhyming Couplets

Write a rhyming couplet.

What is a rhyming couplet? A couplet is two lines in which the final word in each line rhymes. Both lines have the same metre, or rhythm.

Here are two examples everyone will know!

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.

- Joyce Kilmer

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

I was a little worried that this might be too hard, but then I realized my silly 6-year-old likes to make up rhyming lines like this all the time. An intentional exercise like this one will tap into that creativity.

Extension Activities

• Pound out the rhythm of a couplet by clapping or knocking on a hard surface.
• Use onomatopoeia in your couplet.
• Use alliteration in your couplet. (From week 2)
• Use simile in your couplet.  (From week 1)
• Illustrate your couplet.
• Many picture books are written in rhyming couplets. See if your kids can find one on your bookshelf or in the library.
• Ambitious kids and families can write triplets or quatrains!

Next up! The final week of the Poetry Writing Challenge. Can you guess what the topic will be?

The post Poetry Writing Challenge (Week 3) - Onomatopoeia and Couplets appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

Although you can jump in anytime, be sure to read the instructions in the post about week 1 here.

Last week's poetry writing challenge introduced similes. True to the spirit of the challenge, we stayed casual. One evening around the dinner table we made up similes about our day. Then, the kids turned them into songs! Let me tell you, my youngest was ecstatic about singing a song about himself!

MORE: If you prefer a poetry reading challenge, or wish to double down on poetry awesomeness, you can find the entire reading challenge from last year in this post.

This week's poetry writing concept is alliteration.

Poetry Writing Exercise #1

Write a sentence using alliteration.

What is alliteration? Alliteration is when closely connected words begin with the same letter or sound. Read the following examples:

The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
The furrow followed free;
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”

And one your kids may already know:

Luke’s duck likes lakes. Luke Luck licks lakes. Luke’s duck licks lakes. Duck takes licks in lakes Luke Luck likes. Luke Luck takes licks in lakes duck likes.
- Dr. Seuss, Fox in Socks

Extension Activities:

• Remember, you don't have to do any physical writing. Alliteration is a great oral exercise and even toddlers and preschoolers can get involved.
• Read or recite nursery rhymes and look for alliteration.
• Read a few favorite rhyming books and have the kids point out alliteration examples. Once kids start looking they will be amazed at how often it is used!
• Walk around the house or the neighborhood and describe objects using alliteration. "Big building." "Green grass." "Peculiar pet shop." Challenge older kids to come up with more elaborate phrases.
• Try out these tongue twisters, including the most difficult tongue twister as determined by MIT! Print out our lunch bag note tongue twisters and send them into school with your kids each day during the week.

Poetry Writing Exercise #2

Write a 5 senses color poem.

Choose a favorite color and write one line for each of the five senses. For example:

Yellow looks like sunshine.

Yellow smells like ripe bananas.

Yellow tastes like lemon drops.

Yellow feels like fuzzy chicks.

Yellow sounds like crunching corn.

Extension Activities:

• Illustrate your color poem.
• Try creating descriptive lines using alliteration. For example, "Yellow tastes like luscious lemon drops lazily melting in my mouth."
• Memorize the poem and recite it.

Next up! Week 3 of the Poetry Writing Challenge

The post Poetry Writing Challenge (Week 2) - Alliteration and Color appeared first on What Do We Do All Day.

This poetry writing challenge is an excellent next step after you complete our challenge was all about getting you to start reading poetry on a regular basis, but completing that challenge is not a prerequisite.

How the Poetry Writing Challenge works

Just as with our poetry reading challenge, the rules are very flexible. Use the weekly prompts and suggestions, but don't hesitate to stray from the path. You can use our guidelines as a jumping off point to explore further, or stick to the basics.

The writing challenge includes four weeks of prompts. Each week includes two exercises to encourage your children (and you!) to think about how to compose a poem. The first exercise will introduce a literary concept, the other will get your kids writing a poem. You can choose to do one or both exercises.

SURPRISE! You or your kids do not actually have to write anything down. Want to make it an oral exercise? That's fine. If your kids don't want want pick up a pencil, don't let the physical act of writing get in the way.

Poetry Writing Exercise #1

Write a simile. (I've always thought that similes were easier than metaphors, so we'll start here.)

What is a simile? A simile is a phrase that makes a comparison between two objects or actions using a specific connecting word, such as like, as, so, etc.

O my Luve's like a red, red rose, 

- Robert Burns

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?

- Langston Hughes

Extension activities:

• Illustrate your simile!
• See how many similes you can invent for a single object.

Poetry Writing Exercise #2

Write an acrostic poem. An acrostic poem is one of the easiest types of poems for kids. An acrostic poem uses the letters in a word to begin the first word in each line. For example, the letters of the following acrostic spell out "POEM"

Poems

Only

Entertain

Monkeys on

Saturdays

Many kids love to write an acrostic poem using their names.

Extension activities:

• Illustrate the acrostic.
• Create a collage by cutting out the first letter of each line from a magazine.

Up Next: Poetry Writing Challenge - Week 2!

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Sure, it's the final week, but If you are new to the challenge you can start at any time and complete the weeks in any order! Be sure to read the extremely simple rules in the introductory post.

The most enjoyable benefit of the challenge was that both of my kids ended up memorizing all the poems simply by reciting them every day. My boys are quite competitive and neither wanted to be outshone by the other! They loved to show off by reciting the poems from memory!

MORE: Tips for memorizing poetry with kids

William Shakespeare

I could not end this poetry celebration without including William Shakespeare. Not only is Shakespeare my favorite poet, but yesterday was his birthday is in April.

A Midsummer Night's Dream has always been my pick for a child's first introduction to Shakespeare. It's a funny and imaginative play with themes and characters that especially speak to children.

MORE: Read the books from our list of Shakespeare for kids!

Oberon speaks the monologue that begins, "I know a bank..." in Act 2, Scene 1. The four lines will transport your children to a magical landscape where their imagination can soar.

Printer friendly copy --> A Midsummer Night's Dream poem

Extension Activities

Read the entirety of Oberon's speech, or pick up a copy of the play from your library and read the scene.

Watch a clip of the speech from a performance at the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust has a handy summary of the plot of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Up Next! Poetry Writing Challenge for Kids! We created a 4 week easy challenge so that even the beginner-est of beginners can find joy in writing their own poems!

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Last week's poem by Edward lear was a silly one. In addition to reading the poem every day, we spent the week making up ridiculous (and quite terrible, from a literary stand point) limericks.

In other news for National Poetry Month: I have a stack of poetry books from the library and my youngest has been bringing me one of them to read almost every day. I recite "Jabberwocky" to him every night while he brushes his teeth! He has it mostly memorized himself and now I am trying to convince him to allow me to capture it with video! Wouldn't that be a treat for the grandparents.

If you are new to the challenge, don't fret! The beauty of the program is that you can jump in any time. And not just National Poetry Month! Read the official rules and FAQ in the introductory post. Although "rules" is much too strong a word. The basic idea is to live with, and recite a single poem for a week. Let the poem sink in. Enjoy its many meanings. Memorize it.

Christina Rossetti

Christina Rosetti was a 19th century British-Italian poet. She wrote a great deal of poems for children, as well as ballads and poems with spiritual imagery.

This week I'm featuring two poems by Christina Rossetti for you to choose from. Both short poems are delightful and will open the flood gates for conversation with your kids, especially the poem, "What Are Heavy?"

Printer friendly copy --> Rossetti poems (both poems are in the same pdf file)

Next up! Week 5 (final week!). Can you guess who the featured poet will be? Hint: He's the most famous poet of them all!

Poetry Extras:

• Fine free digital copies of Rossetti's works at Project Gutenberg.
• Learn more about Christina Rossetti.

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If you missed the introduction to the challenge, you can read all the details in the first Poetry Reading Challenge for Kids post, but the only detail you need to remember is to simply read the poem out loud once a day! And if you missed week 2 you can catch up any time with the Emily Dickinson poem.

Edward Lear

Diverging wildly from Dickinson, this week's poem by Edward Lear will tickle your funny bone. Edward Lear was a 19th century British poet best known for his nonsense rhymes and limericks.

The popularity of his poetry is a good reminder that poems do not always have to be deep and meaningful to be significant and enjoyable. In fact, nonsense rhymes serve an extremely useful purpose. Think of all those nursery rhymes that have been handed down through the generations.

Get a printer friendly pdf copy here ---> Edward Lear poem (I've been posting each poem above our dining table so we don't forget to read it every day.)

When I was a kid I had a book of Edward Lear's nonsense rhymes. It was filled with limericks that made me giggle. I don't remember most of them, but "There Was and Old Man with a Beard" is one that I can still recite from memory.

You may be familiar with Edward Lear's "The Owl and the Pussycat", a poem I also memorized as a kid. It's funny that I can remember things I learned as a kid more easily than things I memorized as an adult. More reason to introduce poetry to your kids right now!

Up Next: Week 4 of the Poetry Reading Challenge. Can you guess who the featured poet will be?

Extension Activities

While the only requirement of the poetry reading challenge is to read the poem out loud once a day for 7 days, this week's poem's begs for further activities.

• Memorize the limerick
• Write your own limericks (keep it clean, please!) based on you and your kids. "There was a young boy from New York...."; or "There was an Old Mom with a book..."
• Read more about Edward Lear
• Read "The Owl and the Pussycat",
• The Gutenberg Project has free digital copies of the works of Edward Lear. Some of them even have illustrations.

MORE: Funny poems for kids

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The best way to get to know a poem is to live with it. That's why the only rule of the poetry reading challenge you need to remember is to read the specified poem out loud at least once every day for a week. Discuss it with your kids (if you want), print it out and tack it on the fridge or your bulletin board.

This week's poem comes from American poet, Emily Dickinson. It's a very short poem, but I think you'll agree it is thick with meaning. I'm looking forward to hearing what my kids think of it!

I have a printer friendly version here ---> A Word poem 

I've seen versions of this poem that use different punctuation. I don't know what version scholars have deemed official, but since reading it aloud is the goal of the poetry challenge I won't spend too much time hemming and hawing over it.

NOTE: Some parents didn't like this poem because it contains the word, "dead." As an alternative, I suggest, "Bee! I'm expecting you!"

Next up: Week 3 of the Poetry Reading Challenge

The blog, The Prowling Bee is dedicated to looking at each of Dickinson's poems and here's her interpretation of "A Word". You can read more about Emily Dickinson at Poets.org.

I'd love to hear from you! Did you manage to read the Robert Louis Stevenson poem from last week every day with your kids? Did you do any extension activities, or simply enjoy the reading? How did your kids like it? Do tell!

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