Cinderella's Leftovers Appear in Poem #336

Pumpkin Field

Photo by Amy LV

Students - this week's poem comes from Tricia's weekly Poetry Stretch at The Miss Rumphius Effect.  Tricia has challenged us to write about fairy tale items, and somehow I knew immediately that I would choose Cinderella's pumpkin-turned-coach-turned-pumpkin.

It was new and different to think and scribble about magical items instead of modern daily objects.  Honestly, it's just plain fun to write about glorious old make believe stories.  Mixing a fairy tale with a rhyme was messy and exciting.

Teachers - this poem's connection to"The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe" came from Toby Speed's great poem-for-grownups, "Morning Report" over at The Writer's Armchair.  And dancing with a prince?  That surely must have spun from the fact that the novel-in-my-hands of late is Phillipa Gregory's THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL.

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MyPoWriYe #41 - Homework Spot

This week, Tricia's "Monday Poetry Stretch" over at The Miss Rumphius Effect asks us to write a poem about homework.  At first, all I could think of was the very funny "Homework, Oh Homework" by Jack Prelutsky.  Then I remembered doing homework when I was a girl, remembered my pretty white desk, and remembered how I never sat there to solve math problems or write reports.  These memories walked me right into "Homework Spot" below and also posted over at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

Students - if you are ever given a topic for a poem, it's a bit like being given free entry into a house.  You just have to figure out how to get in, which way makes most sense for you.  Lately our cat Firepaw has been sneaking into the basement through a window, and suddenly he's a house cat for a few minutes.  Firepaw has found his way into our house, just as we each need to find our way into the house of a poem.  Will we enter a poem through a main door or through a hole in the basement?  It's up to each of us, every time we sit to write.

Teachers - here is a beautiful Washington Post article about the power of one teacher's belief and enthusiasm. Thank you to Sara Lewis Holmes of Read Write Believe for pointing the way to this inspiring story for teachers and parents too.

It is Children's Book Week this week, from May 10-16; thank you to Aline at Paper Tigers for the heads-up and information.  If you'd like to find book celebration ideas, printable bookmarks, and dates for future Children's Book Weeks, check here.

To help you celebrate this week, read a wonderful book about...a book!  I highly recommend this one for Children's Book Week and always.  Thank you, Gayle Kerman, for sharing another whimsical title with me.  (How thankful I am to have a librarian as a friend.)

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