It’s here, and it’s a CBC “Hot Off the Press” selection!
I have had the honour of being included in a Pomelo Books anthology of ekphrastic poems for young readers. The anthology, What is Hope? edited by Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell aims to help children feel more confident through poetry. The poems are inspired by a variety of black-and-white photos, and explore places where hope pops up in our lives: while playing a sport, growing a garden, volunteering…
What is the Children’s Book Council “Hot Off the Press” selection?
This monthly list features new titles that are identified as great resources for teachers, librarians, booksellers, and parents. What is Hope? was selected for August 2023, ready for the start of the school year. Hey ho!
Submitting to anthologies
All of the poets sent in five poems, each inspired by a different photo. I submitted poems on a lost pet, hurricanes, growing a garden, lighthouses and a visit to the vet, and I was thrilled to learn that my poem on gardening, called RAINMAKING, had been selected. RAINMAKING was the first poem I sent it and, as some poems do, it flowed the minute I put my pen to paper. Some of them are easy that way, while others are like pulling teeth from a chicken.
Repetition in poetry
I used repetition in RAINMAKING to show the repetitive actions gardeners engage in every day to make sure their plants survive. While the idea of reaping baskets of leafy lettuce and ruby tomatoes sounds wholesome and delicious, it’s a lot of hard work, and you’re never guaranteed a crop, especially if there isn’t any rainfall. I also wanted to show that we can often find solutions to problems which seem overwhelming by thinking outside the box. In RAINMAKING, the protagonist makes their own rain, hopes it will work, and is then rewarded for not giving up at the first sign of trouble.
RAINMAKING is a simple poem, but one that can be acted out, used in cross-curricular studies or used to develop memory and rhythm. The repetition drives the poem, extends the theme, and makes it fun to memorize and read out loud.
The International Board on Books for Young People
As usual for Pomelo Books, all profits from this book go to The International Board on Books for Young People, a non-profit organization representing an international network of people committed to bringing books and children together.
A super-sized ‘thank you’ to Janet and Sylvia for giving me the opportunity to join the talented poets in this beautiful anthology. I’ll be going into more detail about Pomelo Books, their anthologies and the opportunities they provide to poets for publication in The Kidlitter Letter newsletter in September 2023. Join us to learn about their next submission opportunity in January 2024!
Ramona is hosting Poetry Friday this week at Pleasures from the Page.
I love the repetition and rhythm in your poem, Lou. Congratulations on being part of this lovely project!
Thank you, Linda, I enjoyed your poem very much because I’m a fan of snail mail too!
Oh, Lou, I love your Rainmaking poem. You are so right about it being a source for memory and rhythm. It has such a catchy rhythm, I’ve been reading it aloud over here! Congratulations!
Be careful, I found that when I said it out loud too many times, it became like one of those songs you don’t want to be singing all day, but can’t stop! Thank you for the kind words.
Thank you so much for this post, Lou! I loved your poem immediately; it’s the kind of poem that begs to be read (and heard) more than once, like a song!!
Thank you, Janet! I’m thrilled to have it in the anthology.
Lou, your poem is one that children will enjoy. The repitition is a bonus since new readers will be able to repeat words they know I a sing-sing manner. I think my 6-yr/old granddaughter will love to read your poem to her 3-yr-old sister. This week she brought home a chapter book and read me an entire chapter, Janet and Sylvia create wonderful anthologies so congratulations for yours.
Such lovely words, Carol, thank you! Sylvia and Janet were great to work with. I hope your granddaughters enjoy the poem!
You are so right, Lou, it is HARD work &, like your true poem, lots of repetition. Congratulations on the publishing. I know it’ll bring a lot of smiles and “Yes’s” when people read the ending!
Thank you, Linda! I also hope it gets lots of YES’s.
The rhythm and repetition in your poem are so fitting, Lou. Thanks for sharing it here. What is Hope? is such a great collection!
It’s a great collection, and your poem is one of my favourites. That last line just does it for me.
The repetition is delightful. Our rain all summer has been artificial. Some plants thrive regardless.
I love, love, love repetition. There’s something about it that makes me thrum. You’re a rainmaker too, Margaret! I hope your plants keep thriving.
Such a delightful poem – I smiled while reading it the first time in the book. Kids will love it. Thanks for a great post highlighting this special anthology – buds of hope will be sprouting with each reading & sharing!
I love that it made you smile. The anthology is special, isn’t it? I’m honoured to have my poem next to your lovely one.
What a delightful poem! I love the rhythm and rhyme. A perfect poem from ages 1-99.
Gardeners of all ages! Thanks, Linda!
Sowing hope may be the best secret outcome of a garden, Lou. I like how the repetition in Rainmaking builds that sense of hope. Congrats on your publication!
Thank you, Patricia. I like the idea of sowing hope because it’s active rather than sitting there hoping something will happen without any effort.
Congratulations, Lou! You found a great way to make “hope” accessible to young readers. It is a thrill to have a poem in the Pomelo Anthologies, isn’t it? I have one in the very first anthology, What We Do (2021). I’ve continued to try (as an alum) when invited to submit to their most recent projects but have not found success since. Enjoy!
It is a thrill, Carol. I haven’t read What Do We Do? But I will definitely look out for it and for your poem if I can. I’m sure you’ll get another one in – keep trying!
There are easily at least a dozen fabulous alum poem submissions for each of our books; I hope you keep on sending poems when we have a call, Carol! I recently re-read your poem “Invent” from THINGS WE DO and love it just as much as I did when the book was first published. Paired with the photo of the very focused girl doing robotics, it’s sure to bring more girls to STEM!!
I really love the repetition in your poem. And I’m excited to share this anthology with students!
Thank you, and I enjoyed the ending of your slithery snake one, Marcie!
All of that repetition also makes it a great poem for beginning readers!
It does. It feels like a poem for very young children to me. They’re simple but should be fun and ready to recite.
Lou, what a fun poem! The repetition emphasizes the anxious waiting for something to pop out of the ground. Congratulations on its inclusion in Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong’s anthology!
Hi Tracey! That’s exactly what I was aiming for, thank you.
And then there are the clumsy gardeners (looking at ME here) who repeat the mantra “please don’t die – please don’t die – please don’t die” when we care for our plants . . . which reminds me: I better go out and make some rain!!!
You are me, and I am you, Janet! I love plants, but only the very tenacious survive here. not for lack of rain, mind, simply because they mock me.
Hope is such a magnificent topic for an anthology. Congrats and good job!
It is, thank you, Tabatha!