Words Writ in Water: A Poem in Your Pocket by Margaret McNamara and G. Brian Karas

MR. TIFFIN'S CLASS HAD NEVER HAD AN AUTHOR VISIT THEM BEFORE.

"EMMA CRANE IS A POET!" SAID MR. TIFFIN.

"AND DOESN'T KNOW IT!" SAID ROBERT. "THAT RHYMES!"

"NOT ALL POEMS RHYME," SAID ELINOR.

Mr. Tiffin's kids are used to having unusual things happen in their class. They've computed the average number of seeds in a pumpkin, and they've solved apple riddles in an orchard, but this visiting poet thing is a new wrinkle, even for Mr. Tiffin.

And when Mr. Tiffin tells the class they are going to write their own poems to share with Emma Crane, most of class takes it in stride. But superstar student Elinor worries herself right into full-blown writer's block. Writing poems has to be harder than just writing sentences with proper punctuation. Poetry is serious writing, and Elinor is afraid her poem will not be perfect, at least not perfect enough to read to a real poet.

Elinor listens hard as every day Mr. Tiffin has something new about poetry for them to learn--similes, metaphors, haiku, concrete poems, puzzle poems, and how to see with their "poet's eye." Her classmates busily pen poems that fit their personal style. Jokester Jake jots down a funny poem right away:

MOM'S COMPLAINT
by Jake

We're out of apples, kids--again.
Don't eat so many, please!
They're costing me a lot of dough.
You think they grow on trees??

But Elinor just can't get her poem to be what she wants it to be. She even tries composing six haikus with at least three metaphors and two similes!

"THIS STINKS!" she said. "THESE ARE NOT POETRY!"

The classroom bulletin board is covered with famous poems and student poems, but when A Poem In Your Pocket Day arrives, Elinor sadly realizes that she will be the only student who has no poem for her pocket. What will a real poet like Emma Crane say to her?

"NO POEM IS PERFECT." SHE SAYS.

Shyly Elinor confesses to the famous poet that when she tries to write down her poems,

"... THE WORDS DISAPPEAR LIKE CHALK ON A SIDEWALK IN THE RAIN."

Emma Crane smiles and tells Elinor that the poem in pocket of her mind is quite good enough, in Margaret McNamara's latest, A Poem in Your Pocket (Mr. Tiffin's Classroom Series) Schwartz and Wade, 2015). with all the varied characters in her Mr. Tiffen's Classroom series getting ready to celebrate Poetry Month in April. As in the previous titles in the set, noted artist G. Brian Karas provides his uniquely charming illustrations of different children, each finding his or her own poet's eye in their own way in Mr. Tiffen's busy classroom.

Namara's and Karas' previous noted books in this series are How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? (Mr. Tiffin's Classroom Series) and The Apple Orchard Riddle (Mr. Tiffin's Classroom Series) (See reviews here).

Time to Shine: The Dinosaur Expert by Margaret McNamara

Kimmy collected things...rocks and shells and leaves and pebbles and feathers.

She even collected owl pellets.

But of all the things that Kimmy collected, fossils were her favorite.

So when Mr. Tiffin's class is scheduled for a field trip to the Natural History Museum, Kimmy knows she will be in her element.

Kimmy couldn't wait to share!

But Jake is used to thinking of himself as the class leader, the guy who knows it all, and when Kimmy volunteers all she knows about allosauruses, he challenges her right away.

"Girls aren't scientists." Jake declares definitively.

Kimmy grew quiet.

And as the class makes its way through the dinosaur exhibit, Kimmy reads the placards about the famous paleontologists of history--Edward Cope, Earl Douglass, O. C. Marsh. All men.

"See?" said Jake.

Mr. Tiffin leads them to a glass case with a small skeleton and asked if anyone knows what it was.

"Archaeopteryx, Jurassic period," whispered Kimmy.

Kimmy offers information about oviraptors sitting on their eggs to protect them, but when Mr. Tiffin asks her to tell the class all she knows about them, she glances at Jake and quietly declines.

But when Mr. Tiffin deftly steers the class to the case for a rare specimen, Gasparinisaura Cinco altensis, Kimmy reads the plaque which names the scientist who found and classified the specimen, Zulma de Gasparini--a woman! A woman dinosaur scientist!

Suddenly Kimmy speaks up, proud of what she knows and happy to share it.

"Early raptors had five fingers and later raptors had three." she said.

"How come?" asked Jake.

"They evolved," replied Kimmy. "They kept what they needed and changed what they didn't!"

And there is a bit of evolving going on in Mr. Tiffin's class, in Margaret McNamara's latest primary grade picture book, The Dinosaur Expert (Mr. Tiffin's Classroom Series) (Schwartz and Wade, 2018). With perceptive and carefully crafted narration, the author lets her characters gently evolve a new attitude about gender roles. Artist G. Brian Karas' subtle illustrations extend the author's text perfectly in the expressions of Kimmy and Jake's classmates and in their own faces as they subtly negotiate new roles for themselves. The latest book in this noted series reminds us that primary teachers teach more than just the facts. Says Kirkus in their starred review, "A pivotal moment in a child's life, handled with grace and sensitivity rather than conflict or ineffective lecturing."

This one is a worthy successor to McNamara's and Karas' deft collaboration in the Mr. Tiffin's Classroom series, How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? (Mr. Tiffin's Classroom Series) (read my review here.

"Starring" Tara! The Apple Orchard Riddle by Margaret McNamara

"SHOW ME A LITTLE RED HOUSE WITH NO WINDOWS AND NO DOOR, BUT WITH A STAR INSIDE."

Ace primary-grade teacher Mr. Tiffin is off on the big yellow bus with his class for a field trip to the apple orchard. Most of the kids are really psyched about the trip, but to add a little sauce to the apple tour, Mr. Tiffin provides a little brain teaser to keep them on task. Only Tara seems to be unfocused as they board the bus.

"HURRY UP, TARA! YOU'LL MISS THE BUS!" Robert scolds.

TARA TOOK A SET BY HERSELF NEXT TO THE WINDOW. SHE LIKED TO LOOK OUTSIDE AND WONDER ABOUT THINGS.

"TARA'S IN DREAMLAND AGAIN," tattles Anna.

"THE LIGHTS ARE ON BUT NOBODY'S HOME," snarks Elinor.

The class is met by Farmer Hills, who is just full of apple lore to share with the kids, and Mr. Tiffin reminds the kids that they need to be thinking about his riddle while they listen to their guide.

"I'M NOT TOO GOOD AT TESTS," says Tara softly. "IT TAKES ME A LITTLE MORE TIME TO DO THINGS."

Mr. Tiffin has noticed that. He smiles at Tara and urges his charges along as Farmer Hill holds forth on the properties of different varieties of apples, their colors and textures, how each variety is picked, and at last how the chosen apples are pressed to make cider. The kids get to pick an apple for themselves, and Farmer Hill proudly presents each student with a cup of his just-pressed cider and a doughnut.

"TARA'S NOT EATING HERS!" Jake reports.

Tara seems to taking her apple apart, seed by seed, but Mr. Tiffin forges on, reviewing the class on what they've learned, and Elinor expertly reels off the the names of the apples they've seen--Crispin, Fuji, Gala, Red and Golden Delicious, and Macoun!"

Academic objectives covered, Mr. Tiffin returns to his teaser:

"HOW ABOUT THE RIDDLE?" HE ASKS.

Jake and Robert, Molly and Charlotte, even star student Elinor are stumped.

But by this time, it's no surprise who has been "looking at things" and thinking outside the box all this time, in Margaret McNamara's just-in-time-for-the-field-trip story, The Apple Orchard Riddle (Schwartz & Wade, 2013). Like its companion book, How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? (see my review here), McNamara's insightful portrayal of classroom dynamics skillfully embedded in a core curriculum concept book, backed up by G. Brian Karas' funny and telling illustrations of kids busy being kids, make her newest the perfect introduction or review book for those fall units on the autumn season. McNamara and Karas even add endpapers which show labelled illustrations of the various apples and include endnotes with additional apple lore.

There are lots of apple orchard and pumpkin patch books out there, many of them absolutely delightful, and these two belong in the top of the pile on the harvest wagon. "A sweet, slice-of-school-life story," puns Kirkus Reviews.

Good Things in Small Packages: How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara

Charlie is the smallest kid in the class, and because Mr. Tiffin lines his class up by height, he's always last and least!

But then, "one chilly fall morning," little Charlie arrives at school to find three fine pumpkins, one large sized, one medium, and one, well, rather small pumpkin lined up on the table at the front of the classroom. When Mr. T. challenges his class to guess which one has the most seeds inside, Charlie is too timid even to hazard a guess.

But when the "messy business" of separating the seeds from the slimy stuff inside the three pumpkins is done, there are "three empty pumpkins and three full bowls" of pale yellow seeds to count. Amazingly, it's the smallest pumpkin, by a small margin, which turns out to be the pumpkin with the mostest!

"Small things have a lot going on inside them!" Charlie points out, and Mr. Tiffin agrees, lining the class up smallest to tallest, with Charlie leading the way to lunch.

In her new book, How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? author Margaret McNamara provides a lot of pumpkin science (e.g., pumpkins with a lot of vertical lines have the most seeds), pumpkin math (counting by twos, fives, and tens), with a bit of values learning as well, with the reminder that physical size isn't the whole story--in pumpkins or in people!

Also known for her similarly themed book, The Pumpkin Patch, McNamara is ably supported by the illustrations of G. Brian Karas, (Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!). Their new book comes along just in time to be a worthy addition to older seasonal standbys for pumpkin picking, pumpkin decorating, pumpking carving, and pumpkin pie baking time in the primary grades.

Art of the Deal: Persuading Miss Doover by Robin Pulver

To Jack, Samir is his best friend ever.

To Miss Doover, Jack and Samir together are nothing but trouble.

Jack offers to give Samir his whoopee cushion if he will sneak it into Miss Doover's desk chair. And when Mr. Humphrey, the principal comes in to announce that the field trip is canceled, the two boys titter at Jack's drawing of "Mr. Harrumphry."

Mr. Humphrey is not amused at his likeness. Miss Doover is embarrassed at the behavior of her students.

Miss Doover sank into her chair, her head in her hands.

Pfffffffffftttttttpoooot!

Jack and Samir are re-assigned seats--on opposite sides of the room.

And the next day, when Jack tries to persuade Miss Doover to give them a do-over, she has an idea.

"Class, Jack and Samir have given me an idea! For today's writer's workshop, write a four-sentence persuasive essay."

The brains of the kids are full of things to persuade their teacher to do--give them two hours of recess, a class pet, no more tests....

Samir hands his essay in quickly.

Miss Doover should not have confiscated the whoopee cushion.
Jack gave it to me.
I have a burning need to put it in my dad's chair at home.

And Samir's concluding sentence certainly nails his case:

Miss Doover doesn't even like it.

Jack's essay has only two sentences.

I'LL DIE IF I CAN'T SIT NEXT TO SAMIR.
People will be sobbing at my funeral.

Threats, bribery, and hyperbole don't work: Miss Doover is NOT persuaded. Will the two best friends get the point of this lesson at last? In Robin Pulver's latest. Persuading Miss Doover (Holiday House, 2018), Jack and Samir may be a little slow on the uptake, but young readers will laugh at the class's first lame arguments for chocolate chips instead of raisins in the cafeteria cookies and how two-hour recesses will help them have fun learning. But thanks to Miss Doover's persuasive efforts, the two partners in mischief do learn their lesson. Stephanie Roth Sisson's classroom illustrations are spot on, and readers will actually have fun with this lighthearted lesson in writing and school behavior. Share this one with Pulver's first book, Thank You, Miss Doover, in which Jack learns how NOT to write his great-aunt a thank-you note.

Great for fans of Margaret McNamara's classroom story, How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? (Mr. Tiffin's Classroom Series). (see review here.)

Live at Five! Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins by James Dean

Five painted pumpkin heads... were planted on a gate!

Along with Pete the Cat... on Halloween!

Never a cat to miss a big event, Pete joins some friendly pumpkin heads, decorated as pirates, a vampire pumpkin, and one Frankenhead.

The first pumpkin on the gate takes note that it's late, and the the second points out witches flying through the air. The third pumpkin doesn't have a care, the fourth pumpkin proposes a run, and the fifth and last suggests that they try to have some fun. They're off, on a roll--on five skateboards, with Pete sharing his own board with a pirate pumpkin with an eye patch.

OOOOH! WENT THE WIND

OUT WENT THE LIGHTS!

AND THE FIVE LITLE PUMPKINS,

ROLLED OUT OF SIGHT.

The popular poem, "Five Little Pumpkins" is a preschool Halloween staple for youngsters learning to count from one to five, and James Dean's Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins (Harper, 2015) teaches tots to count from one to five as the five jolly jack o' lanterns join the witches, ghosts, vampires, and bats on All Hallow's Eve. Dean's familiar faux naif style is not displaced by the creepy crowd one bit, and Pete the Cat is definitely "walking in his red shoes" for this one.

But if you have planned a holiday-ish class reading circle or a festive bedtime read, you're going to need a few more books as back-up for this short and sweet fare. On the other hand, the limited but rhythmic text and rockin' rhymes make it a natural for emergent readers to read solo to themselves.

Share this one with a review of the countdown in Marcia Vaughn's vivacious Five Pesky Pumpkins: A Counting Book with Flaps and Pop-Ups!, whose five Jack o' Lanterns make their disappearances with a great deal more drama, and Margaret McNamara's classroom classic, How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? (Mr. Tiffin's Classroom Series), (read review here). And have a pumpkin at hand for Halloween carving!

From Seed to Glow! How to Help A Pumpkin Grow by Ashley Wolff

Where do pumpkins come from? A packet of freeze-dried powder? A can of orange glop? The frozen dessert section of the grocery?

No! Pumpkins come from pumpkin seeds! Cut off the top of any pumpkin and you'll see them, clustered together inside the pumpkin--seeds that came from a pumpkin patch somewhere on earth!

And how do we get pumpkins for Halloween Jack-O'-Lanterns and Thanksgiving pumpkin bread and pies and those ubiquitous pumpkin-spice flavored smoothies? We plant pumpkin seeds in early spring! And that's what author-illustrator Ashley Wolff shows us how to do in her just-in-time pumpkin-planting book, How to Help a Pumpkin Grow (Beach Lane Books, 2021). A helpful black and white Aussie dog recruits some friends and shows them how to cut a lid off the top of a pumpkin and separate the seeds from the glop inside to dry them for planting in the pumpkin patch.

DIG IT!

SEEDS TO SOW.

Protect them from the falling snow! Fence them and chase away a marauding crow. They like a bit of fertilizer and plenty of water from time to time. When the tender stalks and leaves begin to show, fence in the patch so their vines can go! Co-opt the bunnies and geese and goat to let the vines and tiny pumpkins just GROW..., losing their green color and gaining their orange glow!

FILLING UP THE GARDEN--WHOA!

When the big green pumpkins turn to orange, it's time to roast the seeds, to mix the filling, and bake the pies in the oven.

IT'S TIME TO CARVE THEM JUST SO!

Light the candles and watch them--

"GLOW!

With bouncy rhyming text and jolly illustrations of all kinds of friendly animals collaborating and cooperating to produce pumpkin treats together, this lovely book written and illustrated by Ashley Wolff does double duty for fall read alouds. After all, where do next year's Jack O'lanterns and pumpkins pies come from?

Share this one with Margaret McNamara's How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? (Mr. Tiffin's Classroom Series), reviewed here:

This Little Light of Mine....: Little Boo by Stephen Wunderli

THE WIND BLEW, THE LEAVES FELL, AND A TINY SEED HID IN THE GARDEN.

"BOO!" SAID THE SEED TO A LEAF.

The leaf snickers and finds Little Boo not the least bit scary.

Sad, the little seed doesn't give up. He tries out his boos
on a passing grub, with the same results.

Then the snowflakes started to fall. They are not intimidated by Little Boo either.

"THERE'S MORE OF US THAN THERE IS OF YOU!" THEY BRAG.

"IT'S NOT TIME TO BE SCARY," SAYS THE WIND.

"I WANT TO BE SCARY NOW!" LITTLE BOO INSISTS.

But winter will have its way, and the little seed sleeps through the cold months. Then suddenly he wakes as a little green sprout ready to try out his boos on the spring butterflies--who are not flustered either.

As the soil warms and the sun shines down. Little Boo becomes a bright orange blossom, blowing sweetly in the spring breeze. who laughs at his boos, along with the shovel and the watering can. But soon he grows into a green pumpkin. And as summer wanes, the chill wind returns to see that Little Boo is now a big orange pumpkin, ripe for the picking.

And on Halloween Little Boo is big--a big, glowing Jack o' Lantern.

"Y-E-E-O-W!" SHRIEKS THE CAT.

"GOOD SCARING!" WAILS THE WIND.

Stephen Wunderli's new Little Boo (Henry Holt and Company, 2015) is a shining new addition to picture book stories for the scary season. For an autumnal tale, this one has it all--a lesson in the life cycle of a seed and the cycle of the seasons, a poignant when-will-I-be-big premise, and a Halloween hook that will keep children captivated until Little Boo finally gets his own chance to shine! Artist Tim Zeltner's glowing acrylic paintings, done in full-bleed two-page spreads and spot art on wood shine bright as well. It's not easy to imbue a pumpkin seed with as much personality as Zelter does with his emotive little protagonist, but in this story author and illustrator blend their talents into perfect read for a primary grade October unit or story circle.

Pair this one with Margaret McNamara's evergreen How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? (Mr. Tiffin's Classroom Series) (read my review here) for a cross-the-curriculum story and project that almost teach themselves.