Poetry Friday (on Sunday!): Picture Book Previews

Happy Poetry Friday (on Sunday)!  It's been a very busy week but it's never too late to celebrate Poetry Friday!  Friday's Round-Up was hosted at Think Kid Think. 

Picture Book Poems . . . 

While preparing for a Book Break, I discovered a delightful surprise!  On the back cover of the book was an adorably, fun and whimsical poetic preview.  This short poem became the perfect way to present a Book Break! 

 

Here is the poem . . .  

Once upon a time, 

There was a bear,

Who came upon 

Some underwear. 

Too big?

Too small?

Too tight?

Which ones would fit just righ?

Find out Bear's favorite pair,

So his bottom won't be bare!

Picture books and poetry are perfect partners!  Whether you are lucky enough to discover a little poem as part of a book's preview or you pair a picture book and poem with the same theme, the two go hand in hand!

Literary Quote: Picture Books Are For Everyone

Picture books are for everybody at any age, not books to be left behind as we grow older. The best ones leave a tantalizing gap between the pictures and the words, a gap that is filled by the reader’s imagination, adding so much to the excitement of reading a book.                                                                            ~Anthony Browne, UK Children’s Laureate, 2009-2011

What are your favorite picture books?  Everyone has a memory associated with a favorite picture book or two (or one hundred and two!).  Although I personally have SEVERAL favorite picture books and am continually finding new ones to love, I do have a favorite from childhood.  

This was a treasured little book that soon became one of my favorites!  As a child, I had to spend quite a bit of time in children's hospitals.  Each time I prepared to take the trip to enter the hospital, my beloved Grandma would cuddle me onto her lap and read this story to me as many times as I wanted to hear it.  Although I wasn't going to have my tonsils removed, I was able to identify with the little girl in the book as she also prepared for her own hospital stay.  Besides all of the obvious reasons that this was one of my favorite books as a child, I also really loved the sound of the little girl's doctor's name: Dr. Constantanople!  I looked forward to hearing Grandma say his name and I loved to repeat it.  Dr. Constantanople!  

I would love to find a copy of this Little Golden Book that was important to me so long ago.   What a glorious way to relive memories of my Grandma who is no longer with us!  Thanks Grandma for sharing those special moments with me and for putting my mind at ease about my hospital stays. 

Happy Picture Book Month 2012!

November is Picture Book Month!

Founded by author and storyteller, Diane de Las Casas, Picture Book Month is an international literacy initiative that celebrates the joys of the printed picture book!

Be sure to visit the official website that celebrates Picture Book Month to read daily essays about the importance of picture books.  Each day will feature a new essay by a different author/illustrator.