17th March Lilian Moore (1909 - 2004) Wendell Minor (1944) Patrick McDonnell (1956) Keith Baker

How did I miss all of these St Patrick's Day birthdays last year?

I LEFT MY HEAD

I left my head

somewhere

today.

Put it down for

just

a minute.

Under the

table?

On a chair?

Wish I were

able

to say

where.

Everything I need

is

in it!

Lilian Moore is an American poet and author. She began her working life as an elementary school teacher, became the first editor for Scholastic's Arrow Book Club and went on to become a poet and writer for very young children. Her poems are perfect for children. It is so hard to decide which is my favourite. I love I Left My Head, something I seem to have done a lot lately! I never cease to be struck when I read the last line of Beach Stones...Why did we bring them home? I did exactly that yesterday. I brought home three very smooth, very flat shiny stones and I looked at them on the bench this morning and could recite Lilian's poem in my head. Similarly when walking on the beach collecting those stones I thought of that very clear image of the wrinkling water in Until I Saw the Sea. Tomorrow I will take Lilian and Jill McElmurry's I'm Small and Other Verses off the shelf and share those wonderful, everyday experiences of peanut butter, fingerpainting and playing with friends with my Kindergarten class.

The other three wonderful illustrators will need to wait till tomorrow!

18th March Douglas Florian (1950)

The Sharks

Sharks can park

Wherever they wish.

They do not fear

The other fish.

Sharks can swim

Wherever they please.

On this each other

Fish agrees.

This is one of the fabulous sea creature poems that are in Douglas Florian's In the Swim.Young Australian children are fascinated by sharks and they will borrow shark books again and again, so a poster of this poem displayed in the library would be well read. American, Florian writes very quirky poems about all sorts of things and then illustrates the poems himself with equally unique paintings. His animal poetry anthologies such as Mammalabilia; Beast Feast and Insectopedia are fun to share with children. He writes about skinks, aardvarks, camels, flying fish, absolutely everything that you can think of. There is a very interesting interview explaining his unconventional work. His poems will be perfect for World Poetry Day on the 21st March!

PS. While researching for and collecting poems for Poetry Day I learned that Lillian Moore's birthday was yesterday and I didn't mention her. How remiss. She started her working life as a teacher so her poems appeal to young children. See her anthology I'm Small and Other Verse. Add her to your calendar. This poem of hers is very fitting for this moment!

I Left My Head

BY LILIAN MOORE

I left my head

somewhere

today.

Put it down for

just

a minute.

Under the

table?

On a chair?

Wish I were

able

to say

where.

Everything I need

is

in it!