A YEAR GOES ROUND: Poems for the Months
reviews

"Beautiful oil paintings accompany poem for each month of the year. From the wonders of playing outside in the snow to the gaiety of a parade to the fun of trick or treating at Halloween; readers will find poems about familiar events and activities . . .sure to be a welcome addition to any classroom." Journal of Children's Literature

"Short, simple poems, some in rhyming couplets, reflect on the pleasures of each month of the year. Countryside, seashore, and city are settings for myriad activities in which children engage...to complement or introduce a unit on the seasons." School Library Journal

"Poems offer insights into children's seasonal activities. Full-page paintings create warm backgrounds for verses. A variety of rhythms, rhyme schemes." Horn Book Magazine

the story behind the story...

Studying poetry for many years with Myra Cohn Livingston, I came to understand that much of poetry was observing the world and expressing through the tools of poetry feelings about that world.

When I write poems I observe the world around me. How do I feel about what I see, hear, touch, feel? These are the thoughts and emotions I try to put into a poem. In the twenty-four poems and paintings in A YEAR GOES ROUND, I tried to capture the wonder and delight, the joys and cares that each month brings.

Other poems of mine have appeared in collections in these books: CLIMB INTO MY LAP (Lee Bennet Hopkins, editor), POEMS FOR FATHERS (Myra Cohn Livingston, editor), I AM WRITING A POEM ABOUT...(Myra Cohn Livingston, editor) and also in Ladybug and Spider magazines.

Here is a poem I wrote that appeared in Ladybug .

Pea Babies
Peel a green pod,
see inside
the bed where little pea heads hide,
tucked in warm
without a peep
like tiny babies
fast asleep.

The idea for this poem came to me after observing a pod and opening it up. All the small peas were cuddled inside!

Click here for activities and discussion questions about A YEAR GOES ROUND.