.
Chant of the June Garden
Boneset
hummingbird
Bowman’s Root
bee
zinnia sprout
hollyhocks
Cardinal Flower
weeds
coral bells
baby dill
fennel fronds
tree
clematis
foxglove
primrose
me
(c) Mary Lee Hahn, 2025
.
Ruth has this week’s Poetry Friday roundup at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town.
Thanks to all for filling the July-December calendar of roundup hosts in record time!
My work so far as the Kids Club Reading Specialist has been very peripheral, very fragmented. I’m at each site weekly, and I’ve met with students one-on-one or in small groups every other week…if we’re lucky and their parents don’t pick them up in the middle of a lesson or before we even get started.
I’m not complaining, but I AM looking forward to next week when schools are closed for two days following Martin Luther King, Jr. Day for a Professional Development Day and a Records Day. On Tuesday and Wednesday, 24 students will participate in all-day Kids Club, and I’ll have the opportunity to work with them as a whole group!
Tuesday will be Fairy Tale Day. We’ll start with TELLING STORIES WRONG by Gianni Rodari. This is the story of a grandfather who just can’t seem to tell the story of Little Red Riding Hood the way it’s supposed to be told. Clever readers will be able to figure out why. This book doesn’t rhyme, but it will lead us to others that do.
Next up, I’ll have some of the older students prepped to perform a poem from VERY SHORT FAIRY TALES TO READ TOGETHER by Mary Ann Hobermann. Then I’ll invite pairs of students to practice and perform a poem from one of the You Read To Me, I’ll Read To You books.
Finally, in the upcoming weeks when we’re back to the regular schedule, my read aloud with small groups and individuals will be…
…ENDLESSLY EVER AFTER: PICK YOUR PATH THE COUNTLESS FAIRY TALE ENDINGS by Laurel Snyder. This rhyming picture book is a tour de force of planning. I literally have no idea how she must have plotted this book so that the reader has SO many different paths to follow! And in RHYME, no less! I love that not all of the endings are happy and not all of the paths are long. Plus, Dan Santat’s illustrations are tons of fun! I can’t wait to explore this book with readers of all ages and see what they think. I’m not sure we’ll get much past read aloud in those sessions…and that’s just FINE!
This week’s Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted by Susan at Chicken Spaghetti.
And here’s the lowdown on the Poetry Sisters’ January Challenge: We chose the word TRANSFORMATION to guide our work throughout the year, and for January, we’re writing a CASCADE poem. The Cascade form takes every line from the first stanza of your poem and TRANSFORMS those lines into the final lines of each stanza thereafter. (The link helpfully creates a little form that shows you how easy this might be.) Beyond that, there are no additional rules. Long or short, free verse, sonnet, or sestina, find a way in which you can incorporate the idea (or word) transformation as you write. We’ll post our poems on the last Friday of the month (1/27/23). I hope you’ll join us!
Texts for this Text Set have been posted daily on Instagram. Follow @TextSets there to get daily updates!
This week, we’ll look at some great new picture books with rhyme!
If you enjoyed Mary Had a Little Glam, you’ll be happy to know that Mary is back! This time Mary Hd a Little Plan! I love so much about both of these books. IN this new one, Mary works with her community to beatify a space in her neighborhood. I was so happy to have another book with this great character and the rhyme is great fun!
I love a good cumulative tale and Room for Everyone is a cumulative tale with rhyming text and amazing illustrations. What could be better for our young readers. This is a great read aloud for all ages. There is so much to see in each illustration.
Hip-Hop Lollipop is a book that makes you want to get up and move! The rhyme and rhythm of this book is pure joy as is the character, Lollipop! This is a bedtime book but would make a good read aloud anytime of day!
I put I Like This, You Like That and We Want a Dog together because each has simple text that tells a great story. The rhyming text in each comes in short phrases or sentences and the story is told across the text. I Like This, You Like That has a very accessible theme for young readers and the illustrations in We Want a Dog give readers lots to talk about.
Chester van Chime Who Forgot How to Rhyme is perfect for reading aloud to any preschool or primary classroom. In this story, poor Chester has forgotten how to rhyme. Even though readers should be able to jump in with the rhyming word he can’t come up with. This is a book kids will want to join in with rhyming words for Chester.
This week’s books were linked at Bookelicious and/or Cover to Cover Children’s Bookstore. If you are looking for a fabulous local children’s bookstore to support, Cover to Cover is an amazing one. We are lucky to have them in Central Ohio! If you don’t have an independent children’s bookstore in your town, check out Bookelicious. They are an online independent bookstore for children with an incredible curated collection.
A(nother) Year of Reading 