Spotlight on Buffy Silverman + DMC Challenge

BUFFY SILVERMAN

It's true, we just turned the page to February. But in my neck of the woods temps are back in the 70s, trees are beginning to flower, and look what else arrived this week—a new book to warm my heart.

ON A SNOW-MELTING DAY: SEEKING SIGNS OF SPRING
Millbrook Press (Lerner Publishing Group), February 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1541578135, available for a discounted price at Lerner Books.

I'm tickled blossom-pink to introduce my friend and critique partner Buffy Silverman for our first Spotlight ON interview of 2020! Buffy is the author of more than 90 nonfiction books for young readers, featuring topics from angel sharks to alligators, and Mars to monster trucks. Children's poetry fans might be more familiar with her nature-inspired poems that pop up regularly in anthologies, popular children's magazines, and, I'm pleased to say, here on Today's Little Ditty.

In her role as a TLD contributor, Buffy has taught readers much about how connecting with nature can make us better poets. She spends time outdoors every day, occasionally with a dragonfly perched on her nose, but more often accompanied by her dog and camera. There’s always something new to discover living near woods and a lake in rural Michigan, and taking photographs encourages her to slow down and watch closely—a skill that every good poet must cultivate. I'm delighted to include several of Buffy's outstanding photographs in today's post. (The hardest part was deciding which ones to share!)

One of the qualities I find most remarkable about Buffy's writing is her ability to transform those carefully observed small details into poetry, finding the perfect word in every instance, even when it's one she's had to invent herself. Buffy is adept at wordplay alchemy—something she has practiced from the age of 10 years old. On a Snow-Melting Day: Seeking Signs of Spring is a superb example of what kind of enchantment can come of it.

Back cover: On a Snow Melting Day (Millbrook Press, 2020)

Described in a starred Kirkus review as “Crocus-poking, mud-luscious enjoyment,” Buffy describes On a Snow-Melting Day as "an extended poem about all the changes that occur as winter retreats and spring begins. It features chickadees sipping from icicles, spotted salamanders marching over melting snow, and insects warming themselves in skunk cabbage." (Read more from Buffy's interview with Raven Howell here.)

Vibrant photographs paired with playful rhyming verse will captivate young children, making this book an ideal read-aloud for home, preschool, or library story time. For grades 1-3, teachers will appreciate this book as a mentor text because of the expressive sensory language. They can also make use of the back matter (an informational author's note, glossary, and further reading) to extend and enhance interactive learning. The book is "perfect," according to the School Library Journal, "for answering nature-related questions or crafting lesson plans."

Why not try this simple idea for the classroom:

"Reading poetry to your students can be a gift," explains Buffy in an interview at Two Writing Teachers. "Let them enjoy listening to a poem each day, without asking for discussion or analysis. Then read the poem again and ask students to remember one or two favorite words. Write those words in a class word bank, and encourage your students to borrow them for their own writing."

And what should they write? How about "drip-droppy, slip-sloppy" poems in response to Buffy's DMC challenge this month! You'll find detailed instructions later on in this interview.

Let's begin, as always, with five favorites.

Buffy Silverman

FAVORITE COLOR:
Pale green, the color of fresh leaves in spring.

FAVORITE SMELL:
The scent of soil after a rainstorm. There’s a word for that smell—petrichor—which comes from the Greek words petra ( meaning stone) and ichor (a fluid flowing in the veins of the gods.)

FAVORITE SOUND:
The flute-like song of a wood thrush on an evening in May.

FAVORITE GRADE IN SCHOOL:
In fourth grade, Mrs. Rasanen had a reel-to-reel tape player and played a song for us that went, “Hey ho, what do you know, friction makes heat. Hey ho, what do you know, we’re making heat!” Combining music with science was pretty radical at the time (and that might be why I can still sing the tune while rubbing my hands together!) Fourth grade was also the year we took a class trip to Sturbridge Village.

Buffy, the 4th grade outlaw, with some of her classmates at Sturbridge Village

FAVORITE TEACHER IN SCHOOL:
Mr. Kirkpatrick, eleventh grade English. I was often unengaged in classes in junior high and high school. But Mr. Kirpatrick told me that I was a good writer—and he took the time to show me how to make my writing stronger. His words and attention set me on a different path. Understanding how to revise what I wrote helped turn me into a successful student in college and a writer today.

As a child you were a tree climber, an insect finder, and a word collector, yet you didn’t begin thinking of yourself as a writer until graduate school. When did you realize you were a poet?

I’m not sure I think of myself as a poet. Let’s just say I’m someone who enjoys writing poetry. (The first definition in the dictionary of a poet is someone who writes poetry, so perhaps someday soon I will embrace the term.) I’ve always loved playing with language, and I think that led me to dabbling in poetry.


Your bibliography, especially for the nonfiction educational market, is quite impressive! What do you enjoy most about writing for that market?

For me there have been two great benefits to writing for the educational market. The first is having tight writing deadlines. I am a procrastinator, and deadlines force me to be organized and to keep writing. The second is learning about a wide range of subjects, including many that I had little knowledge of before diving head first into the research. I now understand why airplanes have flaps, big rigs have tails, and how to bring a hot air balloon down to earth!

Browse these and other topics on Buffy Silverman's bookshelf.

How does poetry fit into the big picture of your writing career?

While I’ve enjoyed having writing assignments and learning many, many interesting tidbits, I’m trying to shift the focus of my writing to more narrative and poetic approaches to nonfiction (and maybe even some fiction, too!) I am drawn to writing about the natural world, which I think is a subject that inspires poetry.

Buffy Silverman

Buffy Silverman

Buffy Silverman

What I love most about On a Snow-Melting Day is your fun, evocative language. Your description of the change of season is factual, yet never trite or dull. Can you tell us more about your process of writing the book?

On a Snow-Melting Day started as an idea for StoryStorm 2018, in response to a blog post that encouraged writers to pay attention to what’s around them. Here’s what I wrote in my notebook:

It was a drip droppy
                        slip sloppy
                        snow melting day

Then I made a few notes about mist rising in the air, boots sinking in the slush, puddles growing on the lake. My notes continued: Is there a story here? Or just a poem? 

Initially I thought the image in my head was more of a poem than a story idea, but about a month later I had a writing day with my critique group and decided to explore the idea more fully. I thought about what different animals might be doing on a series of snow-melting days and tried to paint a picture of the landscape getting closer and closer to spring. I pictured the woods, lake, and marshy areas that are outside my door.

Buffy Silverman
(featured in On a Snow-Melting Day)

Buffy Silverman
(featured in On a Snow-Melting Day)

I managed to finish a draft in one day (which is not usual for me. Peer pressure is wonderful! Go write with your friends!) Of course, I revised that draft many times.


The photographs complement your spare text so perfectly. Considering that this book is not traditionally illustrated, were you involved in the process of selecting the photos or was your expressive writing all the in-house designers needed?

Allison Juda, the Millbrook editor assigned to my manuscript, chose the photographs and masterfully designed the book with little input from me. I offered Allison several of my own photographs that I thought might work with my manuscript and was thrilled when she decided to include three of them. There was one part of my text that Allison didn’t understand and she wondered if I should change: Icicles drip. Chickadees sip.

From On a Snow-Melting Day: Seeking Signs of Spring (Milbrook Press, 2020)

But she was fine about keeping that couplet once I sent her links to photos of chickadees sipping icicles. (Who knew they did this? Not me until I started searching for an animal that drinks from icicles.) I believe the chickadee-sipping photo used in the book was one that I had sent to Allison. I also suggested which flowers to include in the final spread (hepatica) to make sure we had one of the earliest blooming wildflowers.


Please share a favorite spread from On a Snow-Melting Day and tell us why it's a favorite.

How can I decide on only one?! If I must choose, I’ll go with this one: On a plink-plonking, marsh-mucking, duck-dabbling day.

From On a Snow-Melting Day: Seeking Signs of Spring (Milbrook Press, 2020)

Those phrases are fun to say, I love pussy willows, and I have a nice memory of walking with my daughter at the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary when I took the photo of the handsome pair of mallards.


Let’s imagine for the moment that On a Snow-Melting Day is part of a four-book series (which it should be!) describing each of the seasonal transitions in a similar fashion. What is one thing you might have observed for each of the other books in the series?

There’s so much wonder in the world as the seasons change. Here are a few favorite sights: frogs staking out their territories and serenading their sweethearts as spring turns to summer; praying mantises laying their foamy egg cases on tall grasses when summer turns to fall; huge flocks of sandhill cranes gathering to dance and raise a ruckus as fall turns to winter. Whether or not those critters would fit neatly into a rhyme scheme is another question! 

Buffy Silverman in her childhood happy place

If you had all the world's children in one room, what would you tell them?

Go outside (every day if you can!) Look, listen, feel, and smell nature. Let yourself fall in love with our world.















Finally, what you have chosen as this month's ditty challenge?

I had great fun combining and inventing words when writing On a Snow-Melting Day. I think TLD readers would enjoy this too. Here’s a recipe to follow, or strike out on your own.

INGREDIENTS:

Five or more nouns (choose plants/animals/weather-related nouns, or anything else you observe outside.)

Five or more verbs that are actions your nouns might take and/or sounds that your nouns might make.

INSTRUCTIONS: 

1.    Take a walk or look out a window to gather the ingredients listed above.  

2.    Combine each noun-verb pair to create an adjective. (These are some that I used in Snow-Melting Day: hawk-squawking, marsh-mucking, paw-sinking, duck-dabbling.)

3.    Play with your combinations to create different adjectives (paw-dabbling? duck-squawking? marsh-sinking?)

4.    Write a poem that celebrates the place you observed, using at least two of your noun-verb combinations or other invented words.


Grab your notebook and trail mix, my friends—

we're going word-wandering!

Buffy's woods-walking companion Dakota is expert at sniffing out new words!

But before setting off, please help me thank Buffy—and Dakota—for being here today (though I've been told Dakota is only in it for the kibble). Buffy, on the other hand, is looking forward to reading your poems and is offering a personalized copy of On a Snow-Melting Day: Seeking Signs of Spring to one lucky DMC participant! 

(Winner to be selected randomly at the end of the month.)

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

Post your poem with invented words on our February 2020 padlet. Stop by any time during the month to add your work or to check out what others are contributing.

By posting on the padlet, you are granting me permission to share your poem on Today's Little Ditty.  Some poems will be featured as daily ditties. I don't typically give authors advance notice, so subscribe to the blog if you'd like to keep tabs. You can do that in the sidebar to the right where it says "Follow TLD by Email." All of the poems will be included in a wrap-up celebration on the last Friday of the month—February 28th for our current challenge.

TEACHERS, it's great when students get involved! Ditty of the Month Club challenges are wonderful opportunities to learn about working poets and authors while having fun with poetry prompts. Thank you for spreading the word! For children under 13, please read my COPPA compliance statement in the sidebar to the right.

FIRST-TIMERS (those who have never contributed to a ditty challenge before), in addition to posting your work on the padlet, please send your name and email address to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com. That way I'll be able to contact you if necessary.

BLOGGERS, thank you for publishing your poems on your own blogs– I love that!  Please let me know about it, so I can share your post! Also remember to include your poem (or a direct link to your post) on the padlet in order to be included in the wrap-up celebration and end-of-month giveaway.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Thanks to Laura Purdie Salas for hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup. She is writing poems in a variety of unusual places this year and today shares a poem written at the orchestra.

Spotlight on Carol Hinz + DMC Challenge

CAROL HINZ

Carol Hinz is Editorial Director of Millbrook Press and Carolrhoda Books, divisions of Lerner Publishing Group. She began her publishing career in New York City and has been an editor at Lerner for nearly fifteen years. When she’s not obsessing over books, Carol enjoys playing with her sons (ages 7 and 4), baking, knitting, and taking ballet classes. Find her on Twitter: @CarolCHinz.

Based on our email exchanges, I've come to discover that Carol is as warm and friendly as the smile in her photograph suggests. Not only that, she's curious, she's a deep thinker, she loves a creative challenge, she cares about the state of our world, she celebrates what makes life beautiful, and she's always on the lookout for "aha" moments. Best of all, these same qualities shine through her work as a children's book editor!

You can find several books that Carol has edited right here on Today's Little Ditty. 

From Millbrook Press:

Laura Purdie Salas was our debut spotlight author in May 2014. At the time, she introduced us to Water Can Be.... I reviewed A Rock Can Be... in March 2015.  

Irene Latham was featured with Dear Wandering Wildebeest in September 2014. Following that book's success, we were introduced to When the Sun Shines on Antarctica in 2016.

And who can forget Jane Yolen and The Alligator's Smile, featured in September 2016?

Other recent poetry books from Millbrook Press include Brian P. Cleary's Poetry Adventures series and Betsy Franco's A Spectacular Selection of Sea Critters. Find more books Carol has edited on Pinterest.


From Carolrhoda Books: 

Some of you might remember Santa Clauses: Short Poems from the North Pole by Bob Raczka, featured in November 2014. It's one of my favorite holiday books (even if it wasn't edited by Carol) because it's so perfect for family sharing. You can read a poem each day in December, counting down to Christmas like an Advent calendar.

Feeding the Flying Fanellis by Kate Hosford is another fun poetry collection from Carolrhoda Books that came out in 2015. It wasn't featured on Today's Little Ditty, but you can find a terrific review on Jama's Alphabet Soup.


Typically when I feature an editor in November, I like to look back on what they have published during the year. But Carol has a special treat for us today. Not only will we be highlighting two books from 2017, but we'll also get an advance look at three books coming out in 2018!  Here they are, in the order they were or will be released:

If You Were the Moon by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Jaime Kim (Millbrook Press, March 1, 2017)

What would you do if you were the moon? Do you think you would rest quietly in the night sky? Oh, no. The moon does so much more than you might imagine! It spins like a twilight ballerina, plays tug-of-war with the ocean, and lights a pathway for baby sea turtles. Discover the many other roles the moon plays in this whimsical and lyrical picture book.

Recently placed on the longlist for the 2017 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books in the Children’s Science Picture Book category.

Purchase at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or from your local independent bookstore.

The Sun Played Hide-and-Seek by Brian P. Cleary, illustrated by Carol Crimmins (Millbrook Press, August 1, 2017)

A young student has to give a presentation about personification— and she's petrified! How can she explain something that gives human traits to things that aren't human? If only she could take a trip to the park and show everyone the way the fountain hiccups, the daffodils dance, and the wind whispers a tune . . . or maybe that's just what she'll have to do!

From School Library Journal:  
"This work is sure to engage primary-grade students with its simple yet instructive story line and delightful illustrations. A good choice for classroom use as well as pleasure reading."

Purchase at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or from your local independent bookstore.

Can I Touch Your Hair: Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrated by Sean Qualls and Selina Alko (Carolrhoda Books, January 1, 2018)

How can Irene and Charles work together on their fifth grade poetry project? They don't know each other . . . and they're not sure they want to.

Irene Latham, who is white, and Charles Waters, who is black, use this fictional setup to delve into different experiences of race in a relatable way, exploring such topics as hair, hobbies, and family dinners. Accompanied by artwork from acclaimed illustrators Sean Qualls and Selina Alko (of The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage), this remarkable collaboration invites readers of all ages to join the dialogue by putting their own words to their experiences.

Many of us have been eagerly anticipating this book's release! In a starred review, Kirkus calls it "a brave and touching portrayal worthy of sharing in classrooms across America."

Pre-order at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or from your local independent bookstore.

Seeing Into Tomorrow: Haiku by Richard Wright, biography and illustrations by Nina Crews (Millbrook Press, February 1, 2018)

From walking a dog to watching a sunset to finding a beetle, Richard Wright's haiku puts everyday moments into focus. Now, more than fifty years after they were written, these poems continue to reflect our everyday experiences. Paired with the photo-collage artwork of Nina Crews, Seeing into Tomorrow celebrates the lives of contemporary African American boys and offers an accessible introduction to one of the most important African American writers of the twentieth century.

Seeing Into Tomorrow has been named a Junior Library Guild selection. Visit Nina Crews's website for another peek at this gorgeous book.

Pre-order at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or from your local independent bookstore.

Meet My Family! Animal Babies and Their Families by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman (Millbrook Press, March 1, 2018)

What kind of families do animal babies have? All different kinds! Charming text and sweet illustrations introduce a wolf pup cared for by the pack, a young orangutan snuggling with its mother high in a tree, a poison dart frog tadpole riding piggyback on its dad, and more. Featuring rhyming verse and informational text, this book lets you discover just how diverse the animal kingdom really is!

Pre-order at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or from your local independent bookstore.


And now that you've met the books, it's time to meet their editor—Carol Hinz!  We'll start with five of her favorite things:

Favorite Color: blue (all shades)

Favorite Childhood Memory:
I climbed a tree in my neighbor’s backyard so I could sit up high on a branch and read. It wasn’t nearly as comfortable as I’d imagined it would be!

Favorite Subject in School:
I had trouble picking a single favorite subject; I remember being a senior in high school and feeling torn between pursuing English and pursuing science. And that’s one reason I enjoy editing nonfiction so much—I’m still learning about so many different things!

Favorite Quote: 
"It’s startling how I start to see the beauty in things that I was taught not to see beauty in."
                                 —STEiNUNN

I came across this quote as part of the Weather Diaries exhibit at the American Swedish Institute earlier in 2017.

Favorite Pastime:
I’ve been taking ballet for many years—I have a wonderful teacher and our classes have live piano accompaniment, which is fantastic.

Read "A Ballet Teacher's Advice for Authors and Illustrators" at The Lerner Blog.
And while you're there, check out some of Carol Hinz's other interesting blog posts.

As one of the largest independently owned children’s book publishers in the United States, Lerner Publishing Group includes more than twenty imprints and partners. What makes Millbrook Press and Carolrhoda Books unique?

Ooooh, good question! Let me take the two imprints separately. To me, Millbrook is unique because of its singular focus on curricular topics presented in a fun or unusual way for readers in grades k-5. In addition, I’d say that we have a real commitment to maximizing the visual appeal of all of our nonfiction to create an enticing and cohesive whole.

With Carolrhoda Books, I focus on the picture books—several of my very talented colleagues oversee the novels. We publish a carefully curated picture book list that sparks readers’ imaginations and offers new ways of looking at the world.


Have you always envisioned yourself with a career in children’s publishing? What is it about editing books for children that keeps you captivated?

Carol Hinz, age 13, curled up with a good book.

Not exactly. I’ve loved books since I was a child, but for a long time I thought I would be a teacher. In college I became curious about book publishing, and after graduation I completed the Radcliffe Publishing Course and moved to New York City. I was fortunate that my first job gave me the chance to work on both adult and children’s books, and I began to develop a new appreciation for children’s books. When I decided I wanted to move to Minneapolis, Lerner Publishing Group just happened to have an opening in the editorial department!

What keeps me captivated? So many things! I love that in making books, there are constant creative challenges—both with the text and the art. And as I deepen my relationships with authors over the course of several books, we’re able to get into topics and themes that we might not have tackled in our first book together. There’s so much to explore within the realm of “children’s books,” and I love the chance to take risks and take on topics that haven’t previously been covered for children.

Carol Hinz at NCTE with authors Laura Purdie Salas (L) and Irene Latham (R)

Carol Hinz with author Charles Waters

Judging by the books you’ve worked on, you seem at home with poetry, rhyme, and lyrical language. Is poetry something you were introduced to as a child?

My mother read to me from the time I was young, including nursery rhymes. My first real exposure to contemporary poetry came during my internship at Graywolf Press one summer during college. I have to say, I’m not always sure I’m entirely comfortable with poetry, but perhaps that’s why I’m so interested in it. I am always trying to figure it out, to understand what poetry can do that other forms of writing can’t do (or can’t do in the same way), and to see what’s possible within the constraints of a given format.


Would you share a poem that’s meaningful to you, either from your childhood or as an adult?

One of the most powerful poems I encountered in recent years is this haiku from Claudia Rankine’s book Citizen:

because white men can’t
police their imaginations
black men are dying

In just 11 words, Rankine made an incredibly powerful statement about what’s been happening in our country. Her whole book got me thinking about the ways in which poetry can cut to the heart of a topic and the ways in which poets offer essential insights into the past, present, and future.

Nonfiction is the bread and butter of Millbrook Press. How would you characterize the relationship between poetic language and informational subject matter?

It’s interesting because on the face of it, most people might think nonfiction wouldn’t be good fit with lyrical language. But I think poetry and lyrical language can help to take a nonfiction topic that might not be inherently interesting to certain kids (or adults) and offer them new ways to understand and appreciate it. Poetic language, particularly rhyme, can also help bring a sense of playfulness to a topic. And an author can use the structure of a poem to bring together images and ideas that might not appear together in a more straightforward prose piece on the topic.


You go to great lengths to make nonfiction approachable and engaging for children in other ways, as well. Using your 2017 and 2018 books as examples, please describe what excites you about each of them.

Thank you so much! With each of these books, I found something fresh in either the topic being explored or the presentation of information about that topic.


If You Were the Moon by Laura Purdie Salas, illus. by Jaime Kim.

This book begins with a child speaking to the moon, and the moon replies . . .

From If You Were the Moon by Laura Purdie Salas and Jaime Kim (Millbrook Press, 2017) – click to enlarge

in the form of a list poem! I love the choice to have the moon narrate most of the book as well as the fascinating facts Laura brought into the brief sidebars on each spread. And Jaime Kim’s illustrations are gorgeous to boot.

From If You Were the Moon by Laura Purdie Salas and Jaime Kim (Millbrook Press, 2017) – click to enlarge

The Sun Played Hide-and-Seek: A Personification Story by Brian P. Cleary, illus. by Carol Crimmins.

I am always impressed at the way Brian Cleary can present information using rhyming verse.

From The Sun Played Hide-and-Seek by Brian P. Cleary and Carol Crimmins (Millbrook Press, 2017) – click to enlarge

He doesn’t let the structure of the verse limit what he can do—instead he makes the structure work for him. This particular book makes personification extremely accessible to both teachers and students.

From The Sun Played Hide-and-Seek by Brian P. Cleary and Carol Crimmins (Millbrook Press, 2017) – click to enlarge

Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illus. by Sean Qualls and Selina Alko.

How do we talk about race in America with our children? This book offers a way to begin a conversation with middle-grade kids.

From Can I Touch Your Hair by Irene Latham, Charles Waters, Sean Qualls and Selina Alko
(Carolrhoda Books, 2018) – click to enlarge

I am so grateful to Irene and Charles for putting so much of themselves and their own childhood experiences into this book, and to Sean and Selina for creating art that shows two people who begin the book as strangers and end it as friends.

From Can I Touch Your Hair by Irene Latham, Charles Waters, Sean Qualls and Selina Alko
(Carolrhoda Books, 2018) – click to enlarge

This book really shines when it's read aloud, and I could easily envision having pairs of students recite different pairs of poems and then write their own poems in response.


Meet My Family! Animal Babies and Their Families by Laura Purdie Salas, illus. by Stephanie Fizer Coleman.

Baby animals are incredibly appealing,

From Meet My Family! by Laura Purdie Salas and Stephanie Fizer Coleman (Millbrook Press, 2018) – click to enlarge

but Laura didn’t simply put together a list of cute baby animals. Instead she found a way to explore the diversity of animal families around the globe while giving readers the chance to “meet” the sweet babies. 

From Meet My Family! by Laura Purdie Salas and Stephanie Fizer Coleman (Millbrook Press, 2018) – click to enlarge

Seeing into Tomorrow: Haiku by Richard Wright, biography and illustrations by Nina Crews.

Although I’d read two novels by Richard Wright, I wasn’t aware that he’d turned to writing haiku at the end of his life. Nina Crews has gathered together twelve very accessible haiku and paired them with photo collage pieces that feature contemporary black boys doing ordinary things—from riding a bike to going fishing to flying a kite.

From Seeing into Tomorrow by Richard Wright and Nina Crews (Millbrook Press, 2018) – click to enlarge

From Seeing into Tomorrow by Richard Wright and Nina Crews (Millbrook Press, 2018) – click to enlarge

It’s a beautiful celebration of black boyhood that readers of all backgrounds can appreciate.


If you had all the world’s children in one room, what would you tell them?

Oh, goodness! I think I’m going to have to borrow from some very wise words that Sachiko Yasui told Caren Stelson in response to a similar question. This response comes near the end of Caren’s book Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story. Sachiko offers this advice to the world’s young people:

What is peace? What kind of person should I be? Keep pursuing the answers to these questions.


Finally, please tell us what you have chosen as this month’s ditty challenge.

Returning to my favorite quote from earlier, I would like your readers to write a poem that finds beauty in something that is not usually considered beautiful.



It's a beauty of a challenge, I can tell you that!

I look forward to a month filled with fresh perspective and eye-opening words. What a wonderful gift at a time when we need it most.

Before you dive in, though, please help me thank Carol Hinz for letting us get to know her better, sharing her editorial insights, and giving us a peek at these wonderful treasures from Millbrook Press and Carolrhoda Books!

Oh, and one more thing—

Carol has sent me a copy of The Sun Played Hide-and-Seek: A Personification Story to pass on to one lucky DMC participant, selected randomly at the end of the month.  Beauty!


HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

Post your poem that finds beauty in something not usually considered beautiful on our November 2017 padlet. Stop by any time during the month to add your work or to check out what others are contributing.

By posting on the padlet, you are granting me permission to share your poem on Today's Little Ditty.  Some poems will be featured as daily ditties, though authors may not be given advanced notice. Subscribe to the blog if you'd like to keep tabs. You can do that in the sidebar to the right where it says "Follow TLD by Email." As always, all of the poems will be included in a wrap-up celebration on the last Friday of the month—November 24th for our current challenge.

TEACHERS, it's great when students get involved! Ditty of the Month Club challenges are wonderful opportunities to learn about working poets and authors while having fun with poetry prompts. Thank you for spreading the word! For children under 13, please read my COPPA compliance statement in the sidebar to the right.

FIRST-TIMERS (those who have never contributed to a ditty challenge before), in addition to posting your work on the padlet, please send your name and email address to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com. That way I'll be able to contact you for possible inclusion in future Best of Today's Little Ditty anthologies.

BLOGGERS, thank you for publishing your poems on your own blogs– I love that!  Please let me know about it, so I can share your post! Also remember to include your poem (or a direct link to your post) on the padlet in order to be included in the wrap-up celebration and end-of-month giveaway.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Thanks once again to everyone who participated in last month's challenge to write a poem about a person, place, or thing that spooked you as a child. After last Friday's post, I added three more—from Kay Jernigan McGriff, Diane Mayr, and Carol Varsalona—to the final presentation. I encourage you to have another look at this diverse collection of poems.

Random.org has determined that a personalized copy of Magic for Sale by Carrie Clickard and illustrated by John Shelley will go to. . .

LINDA BAIE 

Congratulations, Linda!

Lucky Linda also happens to be this week's Poetry Friday roundup host. Join her at TeacherDance where she's celebrating November's arrival with two seasonal cinquains.

Spotlight on Jane Yolen + DMC Challenge

JANE YOLEN
                                                Photo © Jason Stemple

Jane Yolen can scarcely remember a time when she wasn't writing. She grew up with the impression that all adults wrote books and told stories, and knew from the get-go that she would be carrying on that tradition. That's not to say she didn't have other interests—dance, horses, music, basketball, debate, and law to name a few. But it was her love of poetry that was at the core of who she was, and remains there to this day. Jane's first poem (written in the first grade), though not her best, showed an aptitude for rhyme. In third grade, she began to set poems to music, which she also wrote. In seventh grade, she wrote an essay about New York State manufacturing in rhymed couplets. Her encore performance at Smith College was a final exam in American Intellectual History, also penned in rhyme. Seriously.

Over a career that spans 50+ years and a vast collection of distinguished awards, Jane Yolen has published more than 300 books (nine in 2016, alone) and has no intention of stopping any time soon. Described as the "Hans Christian Andersen of America" by Newsweek and a "modern equivalent of Aesop" according to the New York Times, Jane Yolen writes poetry and prose, nonfiction and fiction in multiple genres, and for all ages— board books to adult works.

I've written a fair share of these Spotlight ON posts now, showcasing a number of extraordinary authors, but truth be told, when it came to writing Jane Yolen's introduction, I've felt more paralyzed than usual.

How can I possibly characterize this woman of seemingly limitless possibility in a few short paragraphs? 

Never far from her next inspiration, she is a poet and author whose imagination can be finely tuned to pick up nearly any frequency. Her impact as an author, storyteller, editor, teacher, speaker, advisor, and role model cannot be overstated.

Eventually I came to the obvious conclusion: I can't.

What I can do is direct you to her website, which is not only loaded with information about Jane's life and works, but contains a slew of advice and resources for writers and teachers. It's impossible to peruse the offerings without noticing her abundant passion and generosity toward a larger book-loving community. If poetry is what you're after, I can also direct you toward her poem subscriber list. Sign up to receive a poem a day from Jane via email, mostly adult work, on the condition that you buy a book of hers or borrow one from the library each month.

When deciding which book to feature for today's interview, Jane suggested several rhyming picture books released earlier this year:

At risk of appearing choosy, I was hoping for something other than a picture book since Rebecca Davis introduced the gorgeous You Nest Here with Me, Jane's collaboration with her daughter, children's author Heidi E.Y. Stemple, last November.





We also considered Grumbles from the Town: Mother-Goose Voices with a Twist (WordSong, September 13, 2016). Co-written with Rebecca Kai Dotlich, this sequel to their popular Grumbles from the Forest: Fairy-Tale Voices with a Twist (WordSong, 2013) is bound to be a fun poetry collection! But weighing the benefits and drawbacks of featuring a book with two authors made me realize that I would prefer to feature Rebecca by herself sometime in the near future. (Fair warning, Rebecca, if you're reading this!)

How about a collection of science poetry, illustrated with her son Jason's photography?

Yes! Perfect!

Living in Gator Country, I knew this day would come. Sooner or later I would succumb to the lure of the swamp and write a blog post about gators. Thanks to Jane, that day has arrived.

UF mascots Albert and Alberta approve!

Sorry local Gator fans, I'm not talking about college football. I'm talking about your floating, gloating, sunning, cunning, waiting, dominating, toothy-grinned, armor-skinned, not-a-log variety of gators. You know the ones... they hang out at Lake Alice, but occasionally take a detour to check out what's happening on campus...?

Local Gator Sighting

Right. Those. The kind that appear in THE ALLIGATOR'S SMILE AND OTHER POEMS (Millbrook Press, 2016).

THE ALLIGATOR'S SMILE AND OTHER POEMS
Millbrook Press (September 1, 2016)
ISBN: 978-1467755757
Find at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound.org, or order
a personalized copy at World Eye Bookshop or Odyssey Bookshop.

Described by the School Library Journal as "a fabulous merging of science and poetry," THE ALLIGATOR'S SMILE AND OTHER POEMS is the latest collaboration between preeminent word-wrangler Jane Yolen and her award-winning photographer son, Jason Stemple. Together this daring duo has worked on more than a dozen fascinating books that combine the best of poetry and photography in stunning displays of nature, come to life on the page.

You, too, can embrace your inner chomp and discover the habits and characteristics of these cold-blooded creatures, whose ancestors lived as far back as the time of the dinosaurs. Yolen's thirteen poems, combining elements of playfulness, intrigue, and suspense, will capture the interest and imagination of most any young reader (and plenty of us older ones, as well). Supplemented with bite-sized facts and paired with eye-popping photographs, who wouldn't love to learn about alligators this way? Incidentally, many of Stemple's photos were taken on a fellowship-sponsored trip to the Everglades here in Florida where he got up close and personal with these menacing and mesmerizing creatures. Make sure you check out the book's back matter, as well, which includes more fun facts, a glossary, and a list of additional resources, including Can You Tell an Alligator from a Crocodile (Lerner, 2012) by our very own TLD contributor, Buffy Silverman!

THE ALLIGATOR'S SMILE is an enticing treat for home

or classroom, so take my advice and snag this book!

(Keep it well fed with curious readers.)

Now tell me, are there any curious readers out there looking for an interview with Jane Yolen?

Thought so!  We'll begin, as always, with a few of Jane's favorites.

Favorite sound: The dawn chorus of birds.

Favorite smell: Flowers in the garden or a grandbaby fresh from a bath.

Favorite children's poet: Too many, but Mary Ann Hoberman is sure up there!

Favorite childhood memory: Listening to a storyteller at a family camp telling the story of Perseus and Medusa with a fire crackling behind her.

Favorite grade in school: Sixth grade because Marcel Sislowitz kissed me on the final day of classes.

Favorite teacher in school: Elementary—Mrs. Jiler because she loved my writing. Junior/Senior High School—V. Louise Higgins because she made me think about books, not just read them. College—Bill Van Voris and Joel Dorius because they were both willing to have long talks about poetry with me.

D. McKay Co (1963)

Your first book, PIRATES IN PETTICOATS, was published in 1963. What kind of future did you see for yourself back then, and what does your gift of creative writing mean to you now?

I thought I was going to be a nonfiction writer to make my fortune because of my background in journalism, and a poet for my heart. And then two things happened—I discovered I loved writing picture books (a form of poetry) and natural science poems (nonfiction and poetry combined) and my whole idea of what I could and couldn't do changed dramatically. 

To this day, I rule nothing out when exploring new forms or ideas for a book or story or poem. I learned that lesson early!

By the way, I HATE the phrase "creative writing" which assumes there is a non-creative way. I distinguish creative and non-creative this way: Is it great writing? Good writing? Bad writing? Or writing so awful that it makes your teeth ache and your stomach clench and you-will-shoot-yourself-if -you-have-to-read-one-sentence-more writing?


One of the consequences of having authored so many books is that your reputation precedes you. Comparisons to Hans Christian Andersen and Aesop are made with the utmost respect, but they don't address your complexity. What do you wish people understood about you and/or your body of work that can't be expressed with a convenient label?

One of several libraries throughout
Jane Yolen's Massachusetts home.

Well, I accept those as working titles, though ones I have re-earn on a daily basis. I won't accept "living legend" or "legendary" though, as I am enough of a folklorist to want to explain in full paragraphs just why that is not a usable idea. Or a proper thing to call anyone who is flesh and blood.

But I also think people can choose which of my books to read and like or hate, to discuss or dismiss. That's not my business. 

My job is to write the best dang book, tell the best darn story, create the best damn poem I am capable of. Over and over and over again. 

To do that takes time, energy, dedication, and a tremendous amount of revision. No time in there to worry about what people call me. That's just going down the rabbit hole.


One of the things you stress to new writers is the importance of exercising your writing muscle. Would you describe your daily writer's workout?

Honestly, to watch me write is boring. Someone once asked about a reality show with writers.  I said, even your camera men would get bored and their yawns would be picked up by the audio.

Where Jane Yolen sat for 20 years writing books. (Now she works on a laptop.)

Basically, I get up in the morning, check my email, write a poem, send it out to 700+ subscribers, do my exercises, take my pills, get dressed, eat breakfast, go downstairs with laptop and write until my brains feel scrambled. Oh by then it's lunch. A two mile walk. Repeat from laptop/brains scrambled until dinner.

Occasionally I will have a meeting, or be on a panel, or give a speech, or go to a movie with a friend, or dinner, or theater. Sometimes I even have a date with an older gentleman because I am an older lady, but frankly they are beginning to feel more and more like interviews than fun.

But mostly I write because you see I have all these invisible friends who tell me their stories and I write them down. . .


What about your writing environment— the setting where you put in your daily writing hours?

Since I have had a bad back for years, and now have a reasonably good back after a huge seven hour back operation, I do not sit at a desk. Most desks and chairs are not set up for someone who is 5'3 anyway. I sit in a  comfortable chair with lumbar support and write on a laptop. It can be in a living room, a bedroom, a TV room—I roam around the house and have dictionaries and research books everywhere. I take frequent breaks and look out at the birds with my field glasses, take snacks, walks. 

View from Jane's inviting kitchen (note her field glasses on the window sill).

I have a dedicated writing room with a wonderful desk in the attic of my Massachusetts house, overlooking my daughter's house and the Owl Moon woods. But she is worried about me walking up and down those very crooked stairs (old house), afraid I will fall, so I rarely use it any more.

View from "The Aerie" (Jane Yolen's attic)           Photo credit: Marsha Diane Arnold

While many writers are uncomfortable with collaboration, that's not the case with you. What do you find most rewarding about collaborating and what do you find challenging?

Joke answer—it's twice the work and half the money!

Of course there's some truth to that, But even more is the fact that some books are better for two heads and two hearts working on them. We each bring something wonderfully different to the writing table. Also sometimes one of my children or friends has an idea they want me to come on board with, so there's that as well.


I'm curious about the creative process that took place with THE ALLIGATOR'S SMILE. Did Jason present you with photographs and you chose which ones to write to? Or was there more give and take than that?

Jason Stemple, Photographer

My work with Jason always begins with my looking over his latest photos and finding several themes for possible books. Good nature photographs can rarely be staged. So I have to go with what he has. But usually we reach a point where I say-you need to see if you can get X, Y or Z. Maybe it's a sharper picture of the alligator's actual "smile,"  or different picture of the mom gator with baby. But of course, if the book needs a mother/child photo in nature, you basically have to wait till the photographer can shoot in the spring. Whereas an illustrator can just create a picture at any time.

From THE ALLIGATOR'S SMILE: poem © 2016 Jane Yolen, photograph © 2016 Jason Stemple (click to enlarge)

Please share a favorite spread from THE ALLIGATOR'S SMILE and tell us why it's a favorite.

When we think of alligators, we think of danger, but this spread reminds me that if a mother (reptile)  stays around to help her babies in their first months (years) of life, it somehow softens them. We see the mother letting the newly born gator calf crawl all over her nose. And we are immediately won over.  It's that awwwwww moment. But honestly folks--it's a gator!!! Then on the facing page we find out that the majority of young gators are lost to predation by OTHER gators. So I think I like the whiplash of these two pages together. It's surprising twice.

THE ALLIGATOR'S SMILE (Millbrook Press) © 2016 Jane Yolen, photographs © 2016 Jason Stemple (click to enlarge)

"Mother and Child, Alligator Style" © 2016 Jane Yolen, from THE ALLIGATOR'S SMILE

Now that you know everything there is to know about alligators, is there a particular alligator trait that you identify with or admire?

Alligators are one of the very few reptiles who hang around with their babies, fending off predators. That's me!!! My oldest has just turned 50. I am still doing it!!!

THE ALLIGATOR'S SMILE (Millbrook Press) © 2016 Jane Yolen, photographs © 2016 Jason Stemple (click to enlarge)

What's coming up next for you?

Oh goodness, I have over 25 books under contract with only three still to be written. I have about the same number of book manuscripts making the rounds. And I have the starts of three other middle grade fantasy novels, several nonfiction book proposals, and the starts of about five different children's poetry books and two different adult poetry books, as well. I am never short of work.

Coming out this fall, beside The Alligator's Smile, is Little Frog and the Scary Autumn Thing (Persnikety Books, the first of four seasons with Little Frog), that already has a great Publishers Weekly review; Grumbles from the Town—poetry based on classic nursery rhymes, with Rebecca Kai Dotlich (Boyds Mills Press); How Do Dinosaurs Stay Friends (Scholastic);  and the first book in a trilogy of graphic novels called The Stone Man Mysteries, noir fantasy mysteries set in 1930s Edinburgh, with the main detective a gargoyle who can't leave the top of the church walls but still manages to solve mysteries with the help of a runaway boy, the poor children of Edinburgh, and the church's priest (CarolRhoda/Lerner Books) and written with my son Adam.

If you had all the world's children in one room, what would you tell them?

Two-year-old Jane with her parents, Will and Isabelle Yolen

What I told my own children and now grandchildren—

Leave the world a better place than you found it.

David Stemple and Jane Yolen, with children Heidi, Adam, and Jason (1979)

Finally, what you have chosen as this month's ditty challenge?

Write a poem in which reading and or writing is featured in the form of a septercet, a form I invented:

Each verse (as many verses as you want) needs to have three lines, each with seven syllables. It can be rhymed or not.

Here's a new one of mine:

A Book in Hand Can Change A Life

Book in hand, I changed a life:
Slew a dragon, saved a prince,
Followed Toto down the road,

Book in hand, I changed a life:
Secret gardens I explored.
Fell down holes and met a queen.

Book in hand, I changed a Life:
Sailed with Huck upon a raft,
Rescued Peter from the Hook.

All of this I did with book.
Rescued, followed, sailed, and slew—
The one changed was me—that's who!

                               © 2016 Jane Yolen. All rights reserved.

Excellent!  We love trying out new poetry forms at Today's Little Ditty!


I know you're all itching to start counting your syllables, but before we put on our septercet thinking caps, won't you please join me in thanking Jane Yolen for this wonderful interview?

And that's not all...

Jane has generously offered to send one lucky participant a personalized copy of THE ALLIGATOR'S SMILE!
(Chew on that for a while.)

 A winner will be chosen randomly at the end of the month.


HOW TO PARTICIPATE: 

Post your septercet that features reading or writing on our September 2016 padlet. Stop by any time during the month to add your work or to check out what others are contributing.

By posting on the padlet, you are granting me permission to share your poem on Today's Little Ditty.  Some poems will be featured as daily ditties, though authors may not be given advanced notice as they have in the past. Subscribe to the blog if you'd like to keep tabs. You can do that in the sidebar to the right where it says "Follow TLD by Email." As always, all of the poems will be included in a wrap-up celebration on the last Friday of the month—September 30th for our current challenge.

TEACHERS, it's great when students get involved! Ditty of the Month Club challenges are wonderful opportunities to learn about working poets and authors while having fun with poetry prompts. Thank you for spreading the word! For children under 13, please read my COPPA compliance statement in the sidebar to the right.

FIRST-TIMERS (those who have never contributed to a ditty challenge before), in addition to posting your work on the padlet, please send your name and email address to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com. That way I'll be able to contact you for possible inclusion in future Best of Today's Little Ditty anthologies.

BLOGGERS, thank you for publishing your poems on your own blogs– I love that!  Please also remember to include your poem (or a direct link to your post) on the padlet in order to be included in the wrap-up celebration and end-of-month giveaway.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Thanks to everyone who contributed to last month's challenge from Diana Murray to write a poem about an unlikely hero! There were several additions after last Friday's wrap-up celebration, three of which were shared earlier this week (BJ Lee, Buffy Silverman, and Matt Forrest Esenwine), but I hope you'll go back to see them all.

Random.org has determined that the winner of a personalized copy of NED THE KNITTING PIRATE by Diana Murray and illustrated by Leslie Lammle is . . .

ROBYN HOOD BLACK — Congratulations, Robyn!

Penny Parker Klostermann is rounding up this week's Poetry Friday offerings at a penny and her jots. (And for the first time, too!) Drop by and say howdy.