Welcome to THE WRITER'S WHIMSY - My online journal!
Not long ago, Mr. Ed Spicer, an extraordinary first grade teacher in Michigan, shared this book review of GONE FISHING. Here is first grade reader and reviewer, Joey. Click on the photo to be transported to Ed Spicer's Facebook posting of Joey's review. Enjoy!
Today marks the arrival of Big Rig (Disney-Hyperion), the second picture book by my dear writing friend, Jamie A. Swenson.
Goodreads summary: Come along for the ride as Frankie the big rig truck takes us on the job, driving past kiddie cars (school buses) and land yachts (RVs). Hear the horn blow and the wipers schwat the windshield clean. But, BANG! SHHUUU! Uh-oh: a blow-out! Don't worry, a service truck saves the day so we can get the job done and make a very special delivery. Every kid will love to learn the truck driver lingo in the story, and shout out their own sound effects as they return for another ride, read after read. Author Jamie Swenson takes readers from zero to sixty with her fast-talking truck and Ned Young's bright and engaging illustrations.
BIG RIG is hitting the road accompanied by many very nice industry reviews including these:
CONGRATULATIONS, JAMIE! I'm so proud and very happy that BIG RIG is rolling out onto shelves everywhere!
02.04.2014
Here is the new poster from the Academy of American Poets for National Poetry Month - April 2014, designed by Chip Kidd. It features a bronze of Walt Whitman's hand along with an excerpt from Whitman's "Song of Myself."
My thought: It's striking, maybe even stunning, to see that reddish cast of Walt Whitman's hand over the serene green grass and blue sky. It definitely has my attention so I'm going to say I'm intrigued. As a contrast, here's: what the 2013 poster looked like, and what I thought of it.
What do you think about this year's poster?
If you click on the 2014 poster, the link will connect you to the poets.org National Poetry Month page, where many National Poetry Month activities are being planned, and if you like, you can request a hard copy poster.
Enjoy!
The Poetry Friday roundup is at Tara Smith's A Teaching Life
As I was preparing for this post on beginnings, it occurred to me that over the centuries, even millennia, much thought has gone into the topic. It appears that beginning, or beginning again, are things that humans have struggled with since, well, the beginning. I decided to rely on the voices of a few of the many people who have mulled over beginning through the years:
The hour is ripe, and yonder lies the way!
– Virgil
The important thing is somehow to begin.
– Henry Moore
So what do we do? Anything. Something. So long as we just don’t sit there. If we screw it up, start over. Try something else. If we wait until we’ve satisfied all the uncertainties, it may be too late.
– Lee Iacocca
A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.
– Chinese proverb
Do not wait for ideal circumstances, nor the best opportunities; they will never come.
– Janet Erskine Stuart
He who has begun has half done.Dare to be wise; begin.
– Horace
And just for fun, because starting something doesn't have to all be serious, and because I can't resist a good fishing poem:
This one makes a net,
this one stands and wishes.
Would you like to make a bet
which one gets the fishes?
– Chinese Rhyme
Let’s begin. Let’s keep going. And if need be, let’s start over. And let's have fun while we're doing it! Blessings and good wishes to you wherever you are on your journey at the start of this New Year.
~~~~~
A similar version of this essay was posted on Smack Dab Blog on 2.14.2014.
Here is an excerpte from an essay that I posted yesterday at The Class of 2k13 blog:
It’s December 30 and The Class of 2k13’s debut year is coming to a close. While I’m elated at the experiences that this debut year has afforded me, I’m also slightly wistful and a bit weary. Mostly, though, I’m grateful. My gratitude is to everyone who supported us through this debut year – from those in the publishing and book selling worlds to teachers, librarians, parents, readers, our families, and of course fellow authors.
Speaking of which – I am in awe of the talent encompassed by the members of The Class of 2k13 – both in writing and in navigating through the uncertainties of a debut year. Our shared efforts reached far beyond what I could have imagined achieving on my own. Throughout the year we have worked together...Click here to read more.
Here's to a happy, healthy, and successful 2014!
Tamera
Tamera WIll Wissinger