Cybils Poetry Finalist: CLARA'S KOOKY COMPENDIUM

Janet and I are so pleased to share the news that Clara's Kooky Compendium of Thimblethoughts and Wonderfuzz is a finalist for the Cybils Award in the Poetry category! Woohoo!

There are 7 poetry finalists and we are SO honored to be among them! For more information, go here. Meanwhile, here's the full list: 

A Planet Is a Poem
Amanda West Lewis, illustrated by Oliver Averill
Kids Can Press, Ltd

Black Girl You Are Atlas
Renée Watson, illustrated by Ekua Holmes
Kokila

Grace Notes: Poems about Families
Naomi Shihab Nye
Greenwillow Books

Haiku, Ew!: Celebrating the Disgusting Side of Nature
Lynn Brunelle, illustrated by Julia Patton
Millbrook Press

Poetry Comics
Grant Snider
Chronicle Books

Windsongs: Poems about Weather
Douglas Florian, illustrated by Douglas Florian
Beach Lane Books

AND OUR BOOK:
Clara’s Kooky Compendium of Thimblethoughts and Wonderfuzz
Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong; illus. by Frank Ramspott
Pomelo Books

The committee also chose 7 novels in verse! 

The winners in each category will be announced on Feb. 14, 2025.

But it is truly an honor to be one of the 7 finalists! 

Now head on over to Mary Lee's amazing blog, A(nother) Year of Reading, for our Poetry Friday gathering here.

"Ghost Unlikely" by Kevan Atteberry from CLARA'S KOOKY COMPENDIUM

Ready for Halloween? There are quite a few poems for young people that feature Halloween characters and traditions and beliefs-- as well as poems about the season of Fall, the changing weather, and other elements of autumn. If you like a ghostly poem, here is a fun one about an unlikely ghost who is not scary at all!

Thank you, Kevan Atteberry, for your silly poem and Canva for fun animated graphics and this spooky audiophile! This poem, "Ghost Unlikely" comes from Clara's Kooky Compendium of Thimblethoughts and Wonderfuzz published by Pomelo Books. Here's the sample page that features the poem (below). In this book, we pair poems with Thimblethoughts of trivia, Wonderfuzz questions to ponder, tiny nuggets of language arts skills, lists of related fascinating facts and lots of clever cartoons by artist Frank Ramspott. 

You can purchase this book from QEP Books (at a discount!) here. There are more than 100 poems to read, share, and use as mentor texts! Check it out!

Now, join the Poetry Friday crew over at Beyond Literacy Link where Carol is hosting our gathering (and gives a lovely shout-out to Clara's Kooky Compendium). [Thank you, Carol!] 

"Behind the Hidden Door" by Darren Sardelli from CLARA'S BOOK

Here's one more fun poem from Clara's Kooky Compendium of Thimblethoughts and Wonderfuzz-- out now. This poem is "Behind the Hidden Door" by Darren Sardelli and it's full of strong imagery and has a great surprise ending. 

Here's a silly video I created for sharing the poem. Enjoy! 

And here is the page from the book featuring the poem, plus the fun Thimblethought, Wonderfuzz, and skill connection for this poem.

from Clara's Kooky Compendium of Thimblethoughts and Wonderfuzz

If you're interested in getting your own copy of Clara's Book, it's on Amazon and (at a discount) from QEP Books here. We're so excited that it's a "Hot off the Press" book at the Children's Book Council.

Now head on over to Radio, Rhythm, and Rhyme where Matt Forrest Esenwine is hosting our Poetry Friday gathering here. See you there!