A POEM IS A FIREFLY: A REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW, and A GIVEAWAY

As I mentioned in a previous post, the summer issue of Talking Story is on wordplay. Today and in my next blog I will share two books written by Charles Ghigna, our author-expert for that issue.  (Spoiler alert: In the next blog I'm reviewing his newest anthology THE FATHER GOOSE TREASURY OF POETRY and in the newsletter, Charles gives a few hints on how he writes his poems.)

"Father Goose" as he is affectionately known, is no stranger to my blog; you'll find a review of his adult collection here and a nonfiction book about strange, unusual, gross, and cool animals here. I admire his ability to create fun poems for children--he makes it look easy! 

REVIEW of A Poem is a Firefly

The book opens with the main character asking,

As the bear quickly finds out, a poem can be ANYTHING! That doesn't exactly answer his question, so Bear goes on a quest for the answer, which his animal friends supply. A hedgehog hurries to help him:

and a bee buzzes,

A butterfly blips onto a page and says, "A poem is an echo... slowly passing by."

A spider shares that,

The creatures converge:

Finally, as the sun sets, they suppose,

Illustrations courtesy of Charles Ghigna.

CURRICULUM RESOURCE 

I think this is a fantastic book for preschool through second-grade readers. The rhythm of the poems, the lyrical language, and the animal characters will engage each and every child. Like I have recommended in the past, read the book through several times with your audience. Then take it apart and point out the figurative language. See what nature comparisons your students can come up with. 

I think you'll agree that the illustrations by Michelle Hazelwood Hyde are outstanding and also engaging.  By the way, the title on the cover lights up in the dark--just like a firefly!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

CAROL: What was your inspiration for writing FIREFLY? 

CHARLES: I wanted to create a book that would be an original, fun way of introducing children to poetry and metaphor based on a "show, don't tell" method. I choose a friendly group of woodland animals as my main characters and had them meet in the woods to discuss "What is poetry?" Each animal compares (metaphor) what they think a poem can be with answers that rhyme. It was fun for me to brainstorm on all the different aspects of nature that I could compare to poetry and create rhymes to lift the narrative with melody, lyrical language, and rhyme.

CAROL: I read on one of your sites that you work on 3 books at a time. What’s that process like? 

CHARLES: I always have more than one project going on at a time. It's fun switching back and forth between the manuscripts, often returning to the other one with new eyes and inspiration. Right now I have five new book manuscripts in the works. It makes getting up in the morning a little more exciting, wondering which ones will reignite the spark that will keep me writing all day ... and night.

CAROL: I assume that they’re each in a different phase? 

CHARLES: Yes, I like to let each of my new projects complete themselves on their own good time. 

CAROL: Did you like poetry as a child? 

CHARLES: My earliest discovery of the power and wonder of rhyme and poetry came from listening to songs. The radio was always on in our house. 

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So, teachers, parents, and homeschool educators let your students and children listen to songs and poetry. It will increase their love of words!

GIVEAWAY

Please leave a comment by July 8th if you are interested in adding this delightful book to your home or school library. Remember, you'll have a second chance to try and win it through Talking Story. If you're not receiving this quarterly newsletter, you can subscribe here. U.S. addresses only. Your comment might not go live immediately so be patient! Educators get two chances; just let me know in the comments. If you are new to my blog, please leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. If you're uncomfortable doing that, you can email me here.

On Golf and Writing: Not so Strange Bedfellows

Congratulations to Melodye Shore who won a copy of Leigh Sauerwein's book, River Music on last week's blog. I had originally planned to post another book giveaway this week, but this post practically wrote itself and I couldn't resist sharing it. Stay tuned--more giveaways coming soon!

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"I had no idea how hard a game golf was, until I started trying to play," I wrote in a recent email to Rebecca Petruck, my book doctor/editor/cheerleader for Half-Truths. 

Writing that made me realize I've said the same thing many times about writing my first novel. Prior to starting Half-Truths, I had no idea how difficult and long the process would be. I just knew I'd always wanted to write a book for young people and if I wanted to do it, I better get busy.

I can't say I've had that same burning desire to play golf. This particular adventure was my husband's idea.

Creighton and I before teeing off.
December, 2013

As a child, I remember my father commenting that golf was a silly game which involved men chasing around a small white ball.

He was right and wrong. Golfers do chase around a small white ball. But occasionally, they also drive, chip, or putt it correctly and much to their delight--the ball goes into the hole. 

(posted on youtube by Cliff Hanger. I've done them all.)


It takes a ton of practice to be successful. Time on the driving range. Lessons. Time on the putting green. Persevering after taking a bad shot. Learning that even small "tweaks" in how I position myself in front of the ball,  (off my left foot, middle, right) how the club head is faced (open/closed/square) influence the outcome of where the ball lands. Sometimes you have to change your swing all together. Often you need a break away from your clubs. 

Novel writing parallels golf in surprising ways. It takes a ton of practice. Writing workshops. Time at the computer. False starts. Perseverance. Editing. Lots and lots of tweaking. For example, Rebecca commented on my third draft: "Carol, currently, the girls sound the same and are hyper-focused on fashion and skin color." 

Sometimes writers need to change direction as when Rebecca pointed out, "Think about the difference between rote description, and description that reveals something about the character. When you describe the external world around them, it has to be in order to reflect how they interpret it, what it means to them and how it feels….You write beautifully, but you’ve barely left yourself any room to do so between all the dialogue and descriptions of things like dresses and hairstyles."

And occasionally, writers need time away from the computer to gain a new perspective.  (Or to play golf!)

Both golf and writing take a ton of practice and perseverance. 

Today I golfed with a new friend-someone much better than myself-- who gave me great tips and some longer tees (another HUGE variable.) 

Cion Hueske

After I made the changes she recommended and drove the ball better, she congratulated me on listening to her advice. "Not everyone listens, you know," Cion said. "Lots of people think they already know everything." 

I shrugged and said, "I'm a beginner; I have a lot to learn."

Writing a novel has been the same. Before I started I was a beginner. Along the way I've found qualified teachers who've instructed and shown me what I didn't know. 

I've been willing to listen and correct my work. 

And I'm driven (no pun intended!) to improve both. Here's hoping that in 2015 I'll do just that. 

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P.S. Another golfer commented, "Golf is like husbands: you have to be patient with both."

If you are a writer, what do you compare your writing to? If you're not a writer, what is your favorite simile or metaphor to explain your life, husband, children...or whatever? Please share!  

Book Metaphors, Life Changes, and of course, a Giveaway!

Congratulations to Gretchen Griffith who won the audio CD of The Spy Catchers of Maple Hill on last week's blog.

After twenty-eight years, next week my husband Creighton and I will be loading a truck and moving to the eastern part of North Carolina to be closer to children and grandchildren.  This post is full of  nostalgia, memories, and family. But before it ends, I promise a literary connection too. 

6764 Benning Wood Drive

In this home we celebrated birthdays,

Lindsey Baldwin Kasten
circa 1987

Lisa Baldwin Edgar
circa 1995

And had our family picture taken on the porch.

Baldwins
Circa 1992

We welcomed son's-in-laws, grand-dogs,

Circa 2005

and grandchildren.

Circa 2009
With Ebby and Caitlin

We licked homemade strawberry jam from a century-old pot,

Margaret & Henry Federlin
Circa 2005

And baked cookies,

Lisa and Grandma Federlin
2011

Rachel Federlin, 2012

With my sister,
Barbara Federlin, 2012

more than a few times.

We played poker,

and prayed with friends.

With Beth Schulz, circa 1990.

Our home hosted a few writing retreats,

With Donna Earnhardt, Rebecca Petruck, & Joyce Hostetter
2013

and was the construction site for new dental office cabinets.

"During" with
Robert Toupal
 2012

"After"

Several friends--even those who aren't writers--have waxed poetic about our move.  "You're just ending one chapter and starting a new one." 

And of course, they're right. 

But I'm not the only one who is facing changes.

One of my closest writing buddies, Linda Phillips, is celebrating a new chapter in her life. 

Working on CRAZY at a
Baldwin Writing Retreat
2011

She is on her first book tour in Oregon, celebrating the debut of her YA novel-in-verse, CRAZY.

Linda recently celebrated her launch
at the Oregon Institute of Technology

Linda and I have been friends ever since Fran Davis, a former Regional Advisor of SCBWI-Carolinas, told us that we would work well together as co-chairs of the conference in Charlotte. 

Fifteen years later, I'm celebrating the new chapters in each of our lives by giving away a copy of CRAZY.

There you have it. Book Metaphors, Life Changes. And a Giveaway!

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Faced any life changes recently or in the past? Leave me a comment by 8 AM on October 30 and tell me about it. Share this in your social media of choice and I'll enter your name twice. Don't forget to tell me what you did and leave your email address if I don't have it. 

Bookends
2014