Poetry Friday: Recipe for Green
August 22nd, 2008 by jules
We had so much fun with our Jane Yolen interview this week that we thought we’d top off the week with one of her poems. If you missed our interview, you’ll see that she shared two as-yet-unpublished ones with us, so head over there if you missed those. The below poem is from Here’s a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry, a wonderful collection of poems for the very young, collected by Jane and Andrew Fusek Peters and illustrated by Polly Dunbar. The 7-Imp love for this anthology has been fierce — here’s a review, and here’s our interview with Polly Dunbar (not to mention I’ve run my mouth about this book in many other posts here, and I’ve bought a copy for each and every baby shower I’ve attended since the book was released. It’s the perfect gift for a wee newborn, the best to-grow-with-them gift).
Here’s one of my favorite poems from the book, Jane’s “Recipe for Green”:
Take one seed,
Take one plot
Of deep, dark earth.
(But not a lot.)
Dig a bit,
Leave a while.
(More than a minute,
Less than a mile.)
Take some rain,
Take some sun;
Now your work is
Almost done,
Up from under,
Out from in,
Look out,
Sprout,
Time to
Begin.
My children drop EVERYthing when I whip this book out. It’s pretty much flawless.
The Poetry Friday round-up today is over at Read. Imagine. Talk. Enjoy!
Poem posted with permission of the poet. Re-posting without getting permission from her is a big no-no. The NO-NO Bird in The Tantrum Tree might even throw a fit.
Illustration from HERE’S A LITTLE POEM. Compilation copyright © 2007 Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters. Illustrations copyright © 2007 Polly Dunbar. Reproduced by permission of the illustrator.
I love that illustration, I love that poem, and I love that book.
I love that poem. I’ve read it to kids during school visits, and it always gets a response.
Yes, it’s so simple and yet ‘spot on’.
I love that poem. It is so perfectly balanced. Here’s a Little Poem is one of my big favorites from last year. I was so happy to be on the Cybils Poetry judging committee so I could hold it and read it and study it!
A great topper to the Yolen love-fest! That was some kind of AWESOME interview! Kudos!
I love HERE’S A LITTLE POEM!!! I think it’s one of the best poetry anthologies for young children that I have ever read–and you know how many poetry books I own! Jane and Andrew and Polly Dunbar created a modern-day classic…in my opinion.
I’ve been away on vacation so I’ll have to play catch up and read your interview with Jane Yolen.
Beautiful! I heartily believe in starting kids on poetry at an early age. That’s how you hook ’em!
Dana, I secretly and not-so-secretly sometimes hope my daughters will grow up enjoying poetry, and if one or both of them wrote any, I’d be even happier. The four-year-old’s on a good start, as she loves word play, and that’s really and truly where it all begins. Woot!
Do you know the one about licorice? It’s a poem about how to make black licorice and I think one of the ingredients is dirty old shoelaces. I have been trying to find the book that has this poem in it. I used to read it to my children when they were young and now my 21 year old is asking for it.
I do not. Sorry I can’t help!
man this Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast » Blog Archive » Poetry Friday: Recipe for Green is hot.
This one is also must see site momrecipebook.com