Give a Poem and Say, "I Love You"

I love reading poetry! I love sharing poems with kids- all year long. I love giving the gift a poem. Yes just one, wrapped with a beautiful ribbon. One year I gave AB a poem that I had written for her birthday. She hanged it on her bulletin board above her desk. Just imagine snuggling up with your little person and reading, Honey I Love, By Eloise Greenfield. What a delicious moment to share! For my brother's wedding a read a poem, by Maya Angelou. I gave him and his wife that poem, in a frame. Mentor Mommy S and her family send cards once a year in December or January. They always include an inspirational quote instead of a holiday greeting. It feels so poetic- celebrating important words! Baby C's Nanas send a card with a poem. I remember one year they sent a Mary Oliver poem to everyone. What a gift!

I also love to read an anthology. Some many wonderful books with beautiful themes for kids. Maybe you want a theme about the Earth. I just got for my little fellow, The Tree That Built Time. It comes with CD so he can both read the book and listen to the poetry. It is truly a beautiful collection. You may want to just read an anthology by one author like Georgia Heard's amazing book, Creatures of Earth, Sea and Sky. What a love and reverence for nature these poems hold. Her poems will fill you with love! You may want an anthology that includes poems, songs, raps, and celebrates the spoken word- Hip Hop Speaks To Children is a beautiful one to share with those you love (it also includes a CD inside)

Make this a poetic year! Give a gift to your love ones and make it a poem. Celebrate the written word. Celebrate the spoken word. Celebrate poetry all year long!

Other great poets and poems for kids of different ages:
Angela Johnson: The Other Side
Janet Wong: A Suitcase of Seaweed, Night Garden
Naomi Shihab Nye: Honeybee, Salting the Ocean, 19 Varieties of A Gazelle, And an edited volume from poets from around the globe: This Same Sky
Nikki Giovanni: Spin a Soft Black Song, The Sun is So Quiet
Georgia Heard: This Place I know: Poems of Comfort, Songs of Myself
Eloise Greenfield:Nathaniel Talking, In the Land of Words, Friendly Four

Giving the Gift of an Author

When my god son was born- 9 years ago- I was on the hunt for board books which featured characters of color. I wanted to make sure that at home, he would have a library books that were beautiful, fun, interesting and that would reflect people who looked similar to him and his family. So for his 1st birthday I gave him the gift of two authors- two authors who write for babies as well as for teenagers- Angela Johnson and Eloise Greenfield. I bought him three books with "Joshua" who is the central character in the book- Joshua's Night Whispers, Joshua By the Sea, and Baby Birds. I also bought him a series of board books, My Daddy and I and I Make Music.

I thought- not only a book is a great gift- but a few books from the same author can teach a couple of beautiful things. One thing that it teaches is that when you love an author you should look and seek out other books by that author. It also is a nice way to introduce an author who the child will be able to read at various ages!

My friends in Los Angeles just adopted 3 year twins! When I went out to visit and meet them for the first time I knew I had to bring some books! So for the twins- and their 18 month old sister, I brought 6 books by Mo Willems! If you have never read anything by Mo, you need to run out the door now and go to your local bookstore and buy something by him right now (or just click

on your favorite bookstore on online)! He is funny. His books have beautiful little tips and messages for kids. They are super engaging- the art as well as the language- and did I mention that they are LOL funny? I gave them: Leo, Piggy and Gerald,Piggy and Gerald 2, Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus, Don't Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late, and Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed.

For M's birthday this year I got her one of my favorite authors - who I was hoping would become one of hers- Carmen Agra Deedy. A beautiful storyteller. I gave M: 14 Cows, The Library Dragon, The Yellow Star. Now I can't leave her brother A out of the picture. I got him, the Quebecois writer- Melanie Watt. She writes two popular series: Scaredy Squirrel and Chester. A was laughing out loud reading the Scaredy Squirrel books!

Looking for a "Welcome to Your New Home Gift", a "Birthday Gift", or even a "House Warming Gift"? Give the gift of an author! You'll be building a library that teaches and offers more than just the stories!