Book picks similar to
Poetry From A to Z: A Guide for Young Writers by Paul B. Janeczko
poetry
writing
classroom-library
non-fiction
Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker
Patricia Hruby Powell - 2013
Louis to the grandest stages in the world. Meticulously researched by both author and artist, Josephine's powerful story of struggle and triumph is an inspiration and a spectacle, just like the legend herself.
Battle Heroes: Voices from Afghanistan
Allan Zullo - 2010
Can he save the life of a badly wounded soldier -- and escape from a deadly enemy? These and other American heroes risk their lives daily while serving their country in Afghanistan, and now young readers can read their unforgettable true stories firsthand.
Believe in You: Big Sister Stories and Advice on Living Your Best Life
Christina Cimorelli - 2019
In Believe in You, the six Cimorelli sisters share their experiences and accumulated wisdom on everything from dating and friendship to faith and family.As Christina, Katherine, Lisa, Amy, Lauren and Dani tour the world with their music and read their social media messages, they meet and hear from thousands of girls sharing their hearts. Now, in Believe in You, the sisters are connecting with young women who have the same concerns.The teen years may be difficult, confusing, awkward and scary, but it's a lot better when you have someone to go to for advice and some positive, encouraging words. Reading Believe in You is like receiving a big hug and the assurance that you never, ever have to try to change who you genuinely are to be like someone else. You are amazing and unique!
Punctuation Celebration
Elsa Knight Bruno - 2009
Periods stop sentences in a baker’s shop, commas help a train slow down, quotation marks tell people what to do, and colons stubbornly introduce lists. This appealing primer is a surefire way to make punctuation both accessible and fun for kids.
Creating Poetry
John Drury - 1991
That's why it's so important that you write regularly, keep reworking your drafts, and experiment in your writing. This book will help you by offering advice, inspiration, and hundreds of exercises to get you going--all designed to invoke your muse.With no bias toward any form or style, John Drury addresses imagery, metaphor, and the different methods of constructing and experimenting with new poetic forms. You'll find twelve chapters overflowing with examples, exercises, and prompts--all practical tools you can use right now in your poetry writing. For example, you'll find information on:- Preparing: developing your poetic sensitivity - Language: learning the fundamental tools of poetry and using them effectively - Sight: refining sight--and insight--to make your poetry come alive within the mind's eye--and the heart's eye, too - Sound: sensitizing yourself to the music of words--both singly and in combination - Movement: developing the rhythmic qualities that make poems sing--and shout, march, croon, and whisper - Voice: becoming aware of the fine nuances of how the words are said and connected, revealing each poem's implied speaker and "stance" - Finishing: bringing each poem to successful completion No matter what your style or level of experience, Creating Poetry offers insightful, thoughtful, and motivating instruction all of which will make your path to poetry writing a richer path to travel.
Rad American Women A-Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries who Shaped Our History . . . and Our Future!
Kate Schatz - 2015
The perfect gift for the junior riot grrl in your life."--Bust Magazine"The History of Feminism--in an Awesome Picture Book. The ABCs just got a major girl-power upgrade."--Chantal Strasburger, Teen VogueLike all A-Z books, this one illustrates the alphabet—but instead of "A is for Apple", A is for Angela—as in Angela Davis, the iconic political activist. B is for Billie Jean King, who shattered the glass ceiling of sports; C is for Carol Burnett, who defied assumptions about women in comedy; D is for Dolores Huerta, who organized farmworkers; and E is for Ella Baker, who mentored Dr. Martin Luther King and helped shape the Civil Rights Movement.And the list of great women continues, spanning several centuries, multiple professions, and 26 diverse individuals. There are artists and abolitionists, scientists and suffragettes, rock stars and rabble-rousers, and agents of change of all kinds.The book includes an introduction that discusses what it means to be "rad" and "radical," an afterword with 26 suggestions for how you can be "rad," and a Resource Guide with ideas for further learning and reading.American history was made by countless rad—and often radical—women. By offering a fresh and diverse array of female role models, we can remind readers that there are many places to find inspiration, and that being smart and strong and brave is rad.Rad American Women will be appreciated by various age groups. It is Common Core aligned for students grades 3 - 8. Pre-school and young children will be captured by the bright visuals and easily modified texts, while the subject matter will stimulate and inspire high-schoolers and beyond."This is not a book. This is a guest list for a party of my heroes. Thank you for inviting us." —Lemony Snicket, author of A Series of Unfortunate Events books"I feel honored to be included in this book. Women need to take radical steps to become feminists, and to be strong to fight for their rights and those of others facing oppression and discrimination. The world needs rad women to create a just society." —Dolores Huerta, Labor Leader, Civil Rights Activist"It's almost always with a chuckle that I view a cartoon image of myself. But to see cartoon-me positioned (alphabetically) amongst so many of my women heroes and role models . . . well, I just broke down and cried. Happy tears. I surely hope that this one-of-a-kind collection of radical American women reaches the hands of all children who want to grow up and become amazing women." —Kate Bornstein, author of My New Gender Workbook"I was totally in rapture reading this book. Bold women, bold colors, and fierce black paper cutouts. I cheer these histories of women who fight not for war or country or corporation, but for EVERYONE! I can't wait for my son to read this." —Nikki McClure, Illustrator of All in a Day
Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio
Peg Kehret - 1996
The book deeply touched readers of all ages and received many awards and honors. This anniversary edition includes an updated and extended Epilogue, 12 pages of new photos, and a new section about polio.
Wet Cement: A Mix of Concrete Poems
Bob Raczka - 2016
But by using the arrangement of the words on the page to convey the meaning of the poem, concrete or shape poems are also easy to write! From the author of the incredibly inventive Lemonade: And Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word comes another clever collection that shows kids how to look at words and poetry in a whole new way.
Fred Korematsu Speaks Up
Laura Atkins - 2017
But everything changed when the United States went to war with Japan in 1941 and the government forced all people of Japanese ancestry to leave their homes on the West Coast and move to distant prison camps. This included Fred, whose parents had immigrated to the United States from Japan many years before. But Fred refused to go. He knew that what the government was doing was unfair. And when he got put in jail for resisting, he knew he couldn’t give up.Inspired by the award-winning book for adults Wherever There’s a Fight, the Fighting for Justice series introduces young readers to real-life heroes and heroines of social progress. The story of Fred Korematsu’s fight against discrimination explores the life of one courageous person who made the United States a fairer place for all Americans, and it encourages all of us to speak up for justice.
Jazz
Walter Dean Myers - 2000
From bebop to New Orleans, from ragtime to boogie, and every style in between, Jazz takes readers on a musical journey from jazz's beginnings to the present day. Created by a celebrated father-son team, Jazz is a Coretta Scott King Honor Book and a Kirkus Best Children's Books Editor's Choice.In addition to its colorful and lyrical celebration, the book includes a brief introductory essay about the history and form of jazz, as well as a timeline and glossary of jazz terms.Coretta Scott King Award Honor for illustrationALA Notable Children's BookLee Bennett Hopkins Poetry AwardPublishers Weekly's 100 Best Books of the YearKirkus Reviews Editor's ChoiceBooklist Editor's ChoiceBooklist Top Ten in Black HistoryBook Link's Best New Books for the ClassroomGolden Kite Award: Picture Book Text
Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow: a Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix
Gary Golio - 2010
But first, he was a boy named Jimmy who loved to draw and paint and listen to records. A boy who played air guitar with a broomstick and longed for a real guitar of his own. A boy who asked himself a question: Could someone paint pictures with sound? This a story of a talented child who learns to see, hear, and interpret the world around him in his own unique way. It is also a story of a determined kid with a vision, who worked hard to become a devoted and masterful artist. Jimi Hendrix--a groundbreaking performer whose music shook the very foundations of rock 'n' roll.
The Elephant Scientist
Caitlin O'Connell - 2011
This observation would guide the scientist to a groundbreaking discovery about elephant communication: elephants actually listen with their limbs.
Best Words, Best Order: Essays on Poetry
Stephen Dobyns - 1996
Through essays on memory and metaphor, pacing, and the intricacies of voice and tone, and thoughtful appreciations of Chekhov, Ritsos, Mandelstam, and Rilke, Dobyns guides readers and writers through poetry's mysterious twilight communiques. For this new second edition, Dobyns has added two new essays, one dealing with the idea of "beauty" in poetry and another dealing with the almost mystical way poets connect seemingly disparate elements in a single work.
Hana's Suitcase: A True Story
Karen Levine - 2002
In 2000, a suitcase arrived at a children's Holocaust education center in Tokyo, Japan, marked "Hana Brady, May 16, 1931." The center's curator searches for clues to young Hana and her family, whose happy life in a small Czech town was turned upside down by the invasion of the Nazis.
Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961
Larry Dane Brimner - 2017
The Ride would last twelve days. Despite the fact that segregation on buses crossing state lines was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1946, and segregation in interstate transportation facilities was ruled unconstitutional in 1960, these rulings were routinely ignored in the South. The thirteen Freedom Riders intended to test the laws and draw attention to the lack of enforcement with their peaceful protest. As the Riders traveled deeper into the South, they encountered increasing violence and opposition. Noted civil rights author Larry Dane Brimner relies on archival documents and rarely seen images to tell the riveting story of the little-known first days of the Freedom Ride. With author's note, source notes, bibliography, and index.