Blast from the Poetry Past: 1978

Aileen Fisher, a poet with a gift for capturing the natural world (I Heard a Bluebird Sing: Children Select Their Favorite Poems by Aileen Fisher, 2002), received the second National Council of Teachers of English Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children in 1978.

Contemporary Connections
Aileen Fisher published her first book of poetry for children, The Coffee Pot Face in 1933 followed by over one hundred children’s books in a variety of genres. Look for some of those out of print gems to share with children (like Always Wondering available for a-penny-plus-shipping on Amazon and elsewhere!). You can also find some of her individual poems in new anthologies like The National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry compiled by J. Patrick Lewis.

For more recent nature poetry like Aileen Fisher’s work, look for:

1. Blackaby, Susan. 2010. Nest, Nook & Cranny. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge. 
2. Coombs, Kate. 2012. Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems. San Francisco: Chronicle.
3. Franco, Betsy. 2008. Bees, Snails, & Peacock Tails, Patterns and Shapes... Naturally. New York: McElderry.
4. George, Kristine O’Connell. 2004. Hummingbird Nest: A Journal of Poems. New York: Harcourt.    
5. Gerber, Carole. 2013. Seeds, Bees, Butterflies and More! Poems for Two Voices. New York: Holt.
6. Gerber, Carole. 2013. Spring Blossoms. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge.
7. Levy, Constance. 2002. Splash! Poems of Our Watery World. New York: Orchard.
8. Mordhorst, Heidi. 2009. Pumpkin Butterfly: Poems from the Other Side of Nature. Honesdale PA: Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press.
9. Ruddell, Deborah. 2009. A Whiff of Pine, A Hint of Skunk. New York: Simon & Schuster. 
10. Salas, Laura Purdie. 2008. Fuzzy-Fast Blur: Poems About Pets. Minneapolis, MN: Capstone.
11. VanDerwater, Amy Ludwig. 2013. Forest Has a Song. New York: Clarion.

Happy Poem in Your Pocket Day, one and all!


Posting by Sylvia M. Vardell © 2013. All rights reserved.

Image credits: poetrymusing.blogspot.com;HenryHolt;Capstone