Cover Reveal: TRUCKS, BOOTS, AND BELLS: Firehouse Poems by Mary E. Cronin

I am honored to help Mary E. Cronin launch her upcoming poetry book, Trucks, Boots, and Bells: Firehouse Poems (Holiday House, 2026) illustrated by Aaron Marin and due out in early October. It's a collection of rich and engaging poems that grew out of Mary's own childhood experience growing up with a firefighter father. So special! 

Drumroll... time for a cover reveal: 

About the book:

Trucks, Boots, and Bells is a lively, playful poetry collection about the tools, tasks, and teamwork of a busy city firehouse, written by the daughter of a New York City firefighter.

Poet Mary E. Cronin brings the workings of a firehouse to young readers in poems that burst with rhyme, wordplay, and content knowledge. Poems in this collection cover the action of firefighting, such as climbing a high ladder, commanding the forceful pressure of a firehose, and rescuing a puppy from a smoky fire. Cronin also gives readers a close look at firefighting equipment and gear, such as the boots, helmet, and metal tools used for pulling down ceilings and busting open doors. Aaron Marin’s dynamic illustration style captures the action, the peril, and the camaraderie of the fire crew and their work. Detailed back matter offers curious readers and fire buffs even more information about the inner workings of a busy firehouse.

Mary’s inspiration for the book: 

I grew up in the Bronx, the daughter of a city firefighter who battled blazes during the “Bronx is Burning” era. That planted the seeds of this poetry collection. Although we left the Bronx when I was 12 years old, my father continued his work there-- fighting scores of fires, believing in the borough even as it spiraled into the chaos of arson and financial peril. At the end of each shift, when my father returned home, we would hug him and smell the smoke of the blazes he’d helped to put out. We could see the remnants of ash and soot spiderwebbing across his fingers and knuckles, a reminder that his job was dangerous. Sometimes he landed in the hospital with injuries sustained in a fire. Yet he never lost his love for the job, his dedication to his firefighters and to the community he served-- that inspired my own career as a public educator. I had the pleasure of recently visiting the firehouses he worked in during his 30-year career: Engine 90 as a firefighter, and Engine 71 in the South Bronx as a lieutenant. The smells, the sounds, the energy-- it’s all still there. That’s what I tried to deliver to children in Trucks, Boots, and Bells-- a portrait of a group of people who work with hearts and hands, putting their bodies on the line each day to make their community safer. I worked closely with illustrator Aaron Marin; we wanted to make sure the fire crew was diverse so that all young readers would find inspiration and role models in the pages and poetry of Trucks, Boots, and Bells.

About the author:

Mary E. Cronin is a poet, author, and educator who writes books and poetry for young readers that shine a light on unsung heroes and the work they do to knit together their communities. Mary is a graduate of Vermont College of Fine Arts; her poetry has appeared in numerous anthologies for young readers and in The New York Times. Trucks, Boots, and Bells is her debut book. Mary’s second picture book is slated for spring 2027 from Atheneum/Simon & Schuster. Like a Mother Bear, a picture book biography of PFLAG founder Jeanne Manford, is a stirring upstander story. A seasoned educator, Mary has worked as a kindergarten teacher, special educator, and Literacy Coach; she leads poetry workshops at elementary schools in Massachusetts and New York. She is represented by Lori Steel of SteelWorks Literary, and you can find her at www.maryecronin.com. You can pre-order Trucks, Boots, and Bells here, or at your favorite bookshop or online retailer.

Thank you, Mary, for this glimpse into this important book-- such a special, personal connection, too!  Now head on over to Reflections on the Teche where Margaret is hosting our Poetry Friday gathering. 

Poetry (Dress) Giveaway

Well, I have discovered that once I retired I have become obsessed with downsizing my life and belongings. Maybe it's because I'm traveling all the time (Antarctica! The Galapagos! Japan! Kansas City!) or because I'm more focused on grandkids or maybe it's because the current political climate feels apocalyptic! Whatever the reason, I'm ready to part with my poetry wardrobe. Although I still read poetry, buy books, follow poet careers and promote poets and poetry book whenever I can, I'm seldom at conferences now and thus not wearing my crazy Ms. Frizzle poetry skirts and dresses that I made for myself over the years. So, if you would like one of these items, I would love to mail it to you (free of charge). Just let me know!

Here are the details: they are nothing fancy and all worn (except one--the unfinished gray dress). They're homemade from a simple jersey knit fabric and lined. Each piece has a different phrase on it (repeated over and over). Each is a different color. I've identified each one with its color and phrase-- and even a photo of when I wore it. (Photos even include my dear friend and collaborator Janet Wong and several other sweet poet friends!) Each of these is more-or-less a size 10-12 or M/L. It's very stretchy fabric, so these can go a bit bigger and definitely made smaller. There are no buttons or zippers, they just go on over your head. VERY simple and homemade (by me). They are also machine washable. [The skirts are short-- above the knee with an elastic waistband.] If you have any questions, just let me know and I can provide further info. 

All I ask is that you send me a photo of yourself (or someone) wearing it-- or if you want to turn the fabric into something else-- a photo of that! I did take one of my poetry dresses and turn it into a fun throw pillow. (It's the dress with the word "poetry" in many different languages.) So you are welcome to take the dress and make something else out of it. (Skirt? tote bag, drawstring bag, puppy blanket, baby quilt, etc.) In case you're wondering, I'm still keeping my "Think Poetry" shirt and my crazy poem-filled tights! I still wear those even now. 

If no one is interested, no problem. Goodwill, here they come. 

Cover Reveal: A Poem for Dudley Randall: Poet and Publisher of the Black Arts Movement by Don Tate

I am honored to participate in the COVER REVEAL for Don Tate's new picture book, A Poem for Dudley Randall, Poet and Publisher of the Black Arts Movement (Abrams, 2026). What an important. compelling story about a real person who made a big difference and what a dynamic, inviting cover! 

A Poem for Dudley Randall: Poet and Publisher of the Black Arts Movement

ISBN: 978-1-4197-5435-7; Publication date: September 15, 2026; Abrams

Here's the publisher link for the book too.

Description: 

The only picture book biography of Dudley Randall—a poet, publisher, and leader of the Black Arts movement of the 1960s from award-winning author Don Tate and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honoree and New York Times bestselling illustrator Laura Freeman. 

Dudley Randall’s first published poem appeared in the Detroit Free Press when he was only 13 years old. He continued to write, and as he grew older, he realized that his voice could be powerful. 

When calls for equal rights were growing louder during the civil rights movement, Randall wrote the “Ballad of Birmingham” in response to an incident of senseless violence against a Black community in Alabama—and suddenly, the world was paying attention to his words. 

But Randall knew that most publishing companies were ignoring Black writers. In 1965, he founded the groundbreaking Broadside Press to give a platform to Black creatives like Audre Lorde, Gwendolyn Brooks, Nikki Giovanni, and Sonia Sanchez, as well as his own work. Randall and his fellow writers used their literary voices to express pride in Black history and culture. 

Integrated throughout the story as well as the back matter, Randall’s most famous poems help bring the story alive. Back matter also includes more information about the famous figures and historical movements discussed in the narrative. 

Here's what Don has to say about being a poet and writing this biographical picture book about poet and publisher Dudley Randall:

As a child, I didn’t understand poetry and saw poets as highbrow, artsy-fartsy types who spoke in florid language and convoluted metaphors. Their symbolic and ambiguous language flew clean over my literal-minded brain. As a kid, I found poetry frustrating. Poems seemed mysterious, hard to understand, and weird. 

Thankfully, I understand poetry better now, and I love it. Today, I primarily make my living as a poet. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t wake up each morning to write sonnets. And I can’t recall ever writing a haiku. “Onomatopoeia” and “alliteration” are fairly new terms to me—and please don’t ask me to define them. Given all that, you may wonder how I can consider myself a poet. The reason is that I am a full-time writer and illustrator of picture books for children.

When I first wrote A POEM FOR DUDLEY RANDALL, I used straightforward prose. As usual, I struggled with sentence structure and paragraph formation. I fretted over how to make my words sound poetic. Those first drafts were pallid, to say the least. Then I wrote the story as a poem—and it came alive!

Picture books marry evocative words and images. They tell big stories in a compact space. They distill emotions and experiences to their core. Poetry is the heart of a picture book. Dudley Randall often described poetry as an efficient, concentrated form of language, one in which he could say in a few lines what might take pages of prose. I finally understood these concepts while researching and writing Randall’s biography.

Unlike me, Randall discovered the power of poetry as a child. He wrote his first poem at age 3 and published one at age 13. He studied influential poets and poetic forms, marking up his poems with scansion. Randall became a poet and a publisher of other poets' work during the Black Arts and Civil Rights Movements, making their work more accessible. I look forward to introducing the story of Dudley Randall to children who may not consider themselves poets today but will after reading A POEM FOR DUDLEY RANDALL: POET AND PUBLISHER OF THE BLACK ARTS MOVEMENT (Abrams, Sept. 15, 2026).

About the author:

Don Tate is an award-winning author and illustrator of numerous critically acclaimed books for children. His accolades include two Ezra Jack Keats Awards and an honor, the Carter G. Woodson Book Award, two Christopher Awards, a Lee & Low New Voices Honor, and a Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List selection, among many others. A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Tate currently resides in Austin, Texas, with his wife and son. Laura Freeman is a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honoree. Her work has been recognized with an NAACP Image Award, reached The New York Times bestseller list, and has been honored by the Society of Illustrators, and the Georgia Center for the Book. She has illustrated more than 30 children’s books, and her editorial images are frequently seen in The New York Times and other periodicals. Originally from New York City, Freeman now lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Congratulations, Don and Laura!