a b c . . . y z
combine letters, spell words, give –
love letters to me
letters by Angie Quantrell
letters from Gage (5 1/2, kindergarten)
Haiku Moment: letters
Tag Archives: poetry
Haiku Moment: bunnies for sale
bunnies for sale, free
hopping, leaping, eating all;
please, take some bunnies
bunnies for sale by Angie Quantrell
Rabbits for Food (the book cover I want to make into a large poster and display in the pasture for the bunnies to read so they will decide to nibble elsewhere)
National Poetry Month: Toasting Marshmallows, Camping Poems by Kristine O’Connell George
Toasting Marshmallows, Camping Poems
written by Kristine O’Connell George
illustrated by Kate Kiesler
Clarion Books, 2001
Happy April National Poetry Month! My interest in poetry (reading and writing) has increased over the past several years. Loving the outdoors and camping as much as I do, I was delighted to find Kristine O’Connell George’s poetry book about camping at my local library. Now I really want my own copy.
What I LOVE about this book:
- the language is rich and perfect for camping and nature
- I feel like I am camping as I read the poems
- the poems are written from the viewpoint of a child and the experiences she had while on a family camping trip
- the perfectly chosen words bring me right into the camping adventures and remind me of the fun I’ve had camping and spending time in the mountains
- the illustrations are wonderful
When I was a young child, my family of six (plus assorted pets) often went exploring and camping in the Arizona wilderness. Back then, much of the state was untouched desert. Or at least it seemed so to me. We had a camper that Dad put on the back of the truck and off we went. My sister and I were the lucky ones, getting to sleep in the bed over the top of the cab. Mom and dad got the table bed. I’m guessing my older brother slept on the floor and the baby slept with Mom and Dad. So many fun adventures!
How about you? Are you a camping nut? Or like my cousin when asked if she likes to camp, “Why??? Why Patrick? Why would I do that???” Which means no. Hahahah. What was your favorite camping experience?
Haiku Moment: ice soldiers
armed guards in a row
glittering, fierce, and prepared
beware! ice soldiers
ice soldiers by Angie Quantrell
photos by Angie Quantrell, Yakima Valley
Haiku Moment: twinning
double take – sisters!
who is who? swoosh here, stripe there
one box, twice the fun
twinning by Angie Quantrell
Mabel and Monet, 2017
(before a dog pack got Mabel)
Haiku from Two #Haikufromtwo
(OOPS! In my picture, I have the hash tag incorrect! Sorry! Should read #Haikufromtwo!)
How fun! I love writing haiku, though I usually pair it with one of my photos. I had so much fun writing the first #Haikufromtwo, I had to do it again! Thanks, Amanda (https://www.instagram.com/amandadavis_art/)!
ridiculous + flower
first word: ridiculous
Taken from Potato Pants! by Laurie Keller (Henry Holt and Company, 2018)
second word: flower
Taken from Jonesy Flux and the Gray Legion by James Pray (Sterling Children’s Books, 2020)
Play with Your Words: encyclopedia
encyclopedia
ode
can
aid
and lead
idea
i
need
One of my favorite “substitute teacher” activities I loved to do with older students was a word game that ties right into this poetry form. I only realized this after I had difficulty coming up with a poem, and then went back to my old sub/word play game to give me a list of words from which to work.
The word play game consisted of me writing a very long word on the (back then) chalk board. Usually “supercalifragilisticexpealidocious.” I would then set a timer and instruct students to play with the word and come up with a list of words they could make using only the letters of the word on the board. True, this is a giant word, so the possibilities were nearly endless. But that made it easier for the students. If only I had gone on to use our word lists to make up fun poems!
I discovered this fun method in a poetry book I picked up at the library. It just looked enjoyable. And it is. Check out or purchase this book and play with some words yourself.
Lemonade and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word
written by Bob Raczka
illustrated by Nancy Doniger
Roaring Brook Press, 2011
Haiku Moment: the boyfriend
i strut, stomp, challenge
stay back! see? i am boyfriend
king of hen harem
the boyfriend by Angie Quantrell
photos by Angie Quantrell
Outstanding in the Rain: Book Title Poem
Outstanding in the Rain: A Book Title Poem (on the day before the library closed [again] for COVID-19)
Dear Zoo
What If?
Five Minutes
Outstanding in the Rain
Wet
Still Stuck
Very Hairy Bear
Outside Over There
There’s Nothing to Do!
I Love You JUST the Way YOU Are
Look!
Nobody’s Duck
In the Night Kitchen
Where Are You?
I Went Walking
Why?
That Is NOT a Good Idea!
You Are Home
Honey
For fun, on the very last day of the library being open for limited in-person visits (again), I decided to use my 30 minutes to write a book title poem. I was limited only by time, hearing the clock tick away in my head, but I quickly scanned and grabbed titles. Poor library workers. To avoid leaving a mess, I checked out the entire stack!
Go ahead. Try it. What book title poem can you write? I’d love to read it!
Haiku Moment: not happening
let go, pink monster
not happening, not ever
I will get you. hiss
not happening by Angie Quantrell
irritated cat: Monet
Love, Laughter, and Life 