Friday, October 27, 2017

3 Chances to Win PET CRAZY, a Poetry Friday Power Book

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Howdy, Campers ~ Happy Poetry Friday! Link to PF is below.

Today Eli and I are excited to introduce you to the newest addition in the extraordinary series, Poetry Friday Power Books, PET CRAZY (Pomelo Books), by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong, illustrated by Franzi Paetzold. (At the end of this post you'll have a chance to win one of three autographed copies--lucky you!)

Eli, captivated by Pet Crazy 

As always, creators Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell turn teaching on its ear. They're a brilliant team unfailingly inventing original and inspiring curriculum for each book. This one's for younger elementary ages and they've nailed it. (Full disclosure: Eli is excited because my poem about his favorite place in the world--the dog park--is included.)

PET CRAZY: A Poetry Friday Power Book is a story in poems and a writing journal with twelve "PowerPacks" filled with activities to get young children thinking, drawing, reading, and writing about all kinds of pets. (Eli believes dogs are the best possible pet, but he says he's willing to keep an open mind.)

It was inspired by poems in The Poetry Friday Anthology® series. Five of these became  “anchor poems” that form the core of PET CRAZY.  Seven new poems were commissioned specifically for this book. Then Janet took these 12 anchor poems and connected them with 24 poems (which she wrote) to create a story featuring three animal-loving kids.

Here’s an example of how this book introduces the concept of free verse in PowerPack 11, near the end of the book, after the the poet's tools of rhyme, questions, repetition, stanzas, emotions, alliteration, acrostics, dialogue, found words and lists have been introduced:

 PowerPack 11 table of contents

"PowerPlay"
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 Anchor and Response poems

Mentor poem and Power2You

Pretty cool, right? (Eli says he's not at all surprised that PET CRAZY was chosen as a Children’s Book Council “Hot Off the Press” selection.)

And here are the contributors to PET CRAZY (and their pets):

Snot, enjoying her very own copy of  PET CRAZY

Kristy Dempsey KristyDempsey.com (Dogs are her favorite pet, but a couple of cats named Rascal and Minnie have curled their way into her heart as well.)

Helen Frost HelenFrost.net (Helen enjoys raising and releasing monarch butterflies.) 

Janice Harrington JaniceHarrington.com (Her favorite pet was a wonderful mutt named Nipper.)

Eric Ode EricOde.com (When Eric was a teacher, classroom pets included painted turtles, red-bellied newts, and a rat named Crockett.)

Laura Shovan LauraShovan.com (Her family lost a beloved cat, Nutmeg, just like in her poem included in this book.)

Elizabeth Steinglass ElizabethSteinglass.com (She has a sleepy cat named Scout.)

Eileen Spinelli EileenSpinelli.com (Eileen and her husband raise monarch butterflies.)

Don Tate DonTate.com (Our sources say us he's a gym-rat. :-)

Padma Venkatraman PadmaVenkatraman.com (Padma's also an oceanographer; she undoubtedly loves ocean animals)

(me) AprilWayland.com (We have a cat named Snot--Eli would just as soon we didn't have her--a tortoise named Sheldon--who Eli likes quite a bit--five red-eared sliders, two box turtles, and last but not least Eli, a noodle-brain and an avid hiker.) [Guess who says he does not appreciate this description?]

Sylvia Vardell (PoetryForChildren.blogspot.com) (Sylvia's favorite pets are dogs; she’s had three of them--Luther, Yenta, and Caesar--as well as Leonardo the tortoise, and a parakeet named Pecky.)

Tamera Will Wissinger TameraWillWissinger.com (Tamera once had a small cat that was a ball retriever.)

Carole Boston Weatherford CBWeatherford.com (Carole has shared her home with beagles Lucky, Snoopy, Hendrix and Gigi.)

Janet Wong  JanetWong.com (Janet's had dozens of pets, including birds, fish, a frog, hamsters, lizards, turtles, a cat, and dogs Bernadette, Coco, Nissa, and Angel.)

Nissa, teaching Janet "speak!"
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Congratulations, Janet and Sylvia for producing another imaginative, satisfying, useful book!

Campers, we have THREE autographed copies of PET CRAZY to give away, thanks to the generosity of Pomelo Books! (Ever the optimist, Eli says if he were a teacher, a parent, or the relative of an aspiring poet, he'd enter right away to win it in time for the holidays.)

To enter, use the Rafflecopter widget below. You may enter via 1, 2, or all 3 options.

If you choose option 2, you MUST leave a comment on TODAY'S blog post below or on our TeachingAuthors Facebook page. If you haven't already "liked" our Facebook page, please do so today. In your comment, tell us what you'd do with this book if you win our giveaway--keep it for yourself or give it to a teacher or a young reader?

(If you prefer, submit your comment via email to: teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com.)

Email subscribers: if you received this post via email, click on the Rafflecopter link at the end of this message to access the entry form.

Note: if you submit your comments via email or Facebook, YOU MUST STILL ENTER THE DRAWING VIA THE WIDGET BELOW. The giveaway ends November 8th and is open to U.S. residents only.

P.S. If you've never entered a Rafflecopter giveaway, here's info on how to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway and the difference between signing in with Facebook vs. with an email address.

And don't forget that it's Poetry Friday!
Thank you, Brenda, for hosting PF at Friendly Fairy Tales!

posted poetically by Eli, with help from April Halprin Wayland...and Snot, though Eli refuses to admit it.
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

23 comments:

Sally Murphy said...

Looks like a wonderful addition to the series, April. I won't enter the contest because I am so far away that postage is problematic, but I did win an earlier installment of the series and will try to hunt down a way to order this here in Australia.

Kay said...

I've enjoyed reading about this book every time it shows up. It looks like it knocks reading and writing poetry out of the ball park.

Linda B said...

Wonderful to see all those links, April. It is a book to enjoy, and in the classroom especially. Thanks for sharing so much!

Carol Varsalona said...

April, thanks for the review of Pet Crazy. Janet sent me copies to raffle off and one for me. I am enjoying the newest addition to the Poetry Friday books. Your review was inviting.

Penny Parker Klostermann said...

Absolute Truth: As always, creators Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell turn teaching on its ear.

Thanks for giving me another glimpse at another Janet and Sylvia creation! Go Poetry!

Janet Wong said...

Thank you, April, for this thorough and thoughtful post! LOVE the way Eli is focusing on the poem. From his serious expression, I'm guessing that he's reading "Please, Mommy, Please?" by Janice Harrington and wondering why on earth anyone would NOT say yes to a dog!

Buffy Silverman said...

Love your pet-healing poem, April! Thanks for sharing this review.

Rosi said...

I have been hearing a lot about this book. I would love to share it with my granddaughter, a budding writer. Then I will donate it to her charter school. Thanks for the chance.

Heidi Mordhorst said...

Well, I have not been paying attention, I guess--I knew about the concept of these participatory poetry books--had the chance to be in on early versions of *You Just Wait*, but I didn't realize *Pet Crazy* would be perfect for my classroom of 2nds. Looking forward to bringing it to them!

Thanks, April!

Danielle H. said...

Thank you for letting me know about this book. The contributors are amazing. I love learning all I can about poetry and creating it.

Tanya Konerman said...

I am so excited to read this book and put it to good use myself! What a great way to practice my writing and pass it on to others as well!

Sylvia Vardell said...

Thanks so much for this fun post, April! Love all the links and tips you've incorporated. We're so happy PET CRAZY is getting such a lovely reception and we look forward to sharing it with more pet-loving, poetry-minded readers!

Karen Amador said...

I’m new to teaching second grade this year after years in third. This looks like a wonderful resource to use as I explore poetry with my kiddos!

Carl Scott said...

Thanks Eli, I'd love to win a copy of Pet Crazy. Please enter my name in the draw. Thanks, have a great weekend!

Margaret Simon said...

I have been teaching a long time and know that young students love their pets and love to write about their pets. This book would be such a welcome addition to my classroom.

Brenda at FriendlyFairyTales said...

Congrats on being included, April. Eli is a handsome guy, but I bet Snot would never agree! I love that name. I won't put in for the give away since I already had the honor of winning this wonderful book. It's such fun seeing the genius of Sylvia and Janet.

Diane Mayr said...

Pets make an always uncertain life bearable for kids, and adults!

Esther Hershenhorn said...

Yay for you (and Eli), April!

I can't wait to read this latest POETRY FRIDAY edition.

Your Fan Esther

April Halprin Wayland said...

Sally ~ I hope you do track it down in Oz!
Kay ~ You're right--Janet and Sylvia hit it right out of the ball park (says this Dodgers' fan with a muffled sob)
Linda ~ <3
Carol ~ Lucky Kidlitosphere--yet another Pet Crazy raffle!
Penny ~ <3
Janet ~ Eli does use his big brown eyes to soften me up...
Buffy ~ thank you!
Rosi ~ G'luck to you and your granddaughter!
Heidi ~ I'd LOVE to be a cat in the corner of your classroom and watch your class when you introduce this book...
Tanya ~ G'luck!
Sylvia ~ <3
Karen ~ a wonderful resource indeed!
Carl ~ Eli says g'luck!
Margaret ~ I love the photo of you and your dog!
Brenda ~ you're right--Snot has her own opinion about Eli and trust me, it's not pretty.

Damon Dean said...

April, this book is a great resource...I'm trying to teach my 9 yr old writing granddaughter (she's constantly writing and making books) the joy of poetry too. And she's an animal lover (actually terms herself a dog-whisperer!). It would be a great guide for her. Thanks for the giveaway and post.

April Halprin Wayland said...

Damon ~ a 9-year-old writer of books and dog-whisperer is probably already a poet, whether she's aware of it or not...which as Grandpa you know. G'luck to both of you!

Unknown said...

Giselle Saying,
Each time Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong come out with a new Poetry Friday Power Book, I jump at the opportunity to review it. That's because I believe so strongly in what they are accomplishing with these fun DIY poetry journals—slipping poetry into children's lives (at home and in the classroom) in a way that not only entertains, but helps young people explore their surroundings, think about themselves in relation to others, and express themselves through the power of words.

April Halprin Wayland said...

Willie Mays and Giselle ~ I ABSOLUTELY agree!