Allie Esiri’s introduction zings with passion for poetry and reading it is a true pleasure. I don’t want to spoil the discovery for others but she raises some interesting questions about context and the balance between poet and poem in the reader’s consideration that had me thinking when I wasn’t dipping in to the poems. I am the seed that grew the tree is a collection of nature poetry (oh woah, that rhymed!) for every day of the year, selected by Fiona Waters and illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon. Surprisingly to me, it is filled with lots of poetry throughout time that wasn't created just for this collection. March – Paper Dragons – Susan Alton Schmeltz – A fun poem in which children can make their own kites and version of the poem and describe the movement of kite in the air. This could also be linked to history and exploring traditional toys throughout the time periods.

Elke dag van het jaar een gedicht, met de natuur als thema én geschikt voor jong en oud. Meer perfect wordt het niet. Poëzieliefhebbers gaan hierin oude, favoriete, namen tegenkomen en nieuwe stemmen leren kennen. Wie nog niet into poëzie is gaat dit zeker worden. ‘Ik wou dat ik’ staat vol woorden en prenten om te koesteren; in je eentje, samen met het gezin of romantisch met je geliefde. (Ik zie al afgeleide Whatsapp-groepjes ontstaan, of nieuwe klas-rituelen.) For those who do not read much poetry, for those who do not know where to start, this is a fun and easy commitment to take on. Reading a poem a day does not take long, mere minutes, and with over three-hundred poems in here there's bound to be a poem that speaks to each reader directly. I broke the rule though and read it all at once. Exploring and comparing the four seasons – What happens during the four seasons? What changes do you notice in nature? How do the seasons affect us and animals? The Contents of A Poet for Every Day of the Year list the poem and poet for each calendar day although I prefer not to look at that properly until next year when I’ve enjoyed a daily surprise from the book. With poets from Angelou to Wordsworth there really is something for any and every reader. One of the absolute pleasures here is the attention to more marginalised poets such as those from the LGBTQIA+ community so that A Poet for Every Day of the Year feels inclusive and engaging. December – Red Sky at Night – I would use this poem to explore the English language, different cultures and explore old sayings that have been passed down throughout generations. The children could choose a topic and create their own sayings to go with them.

LoveReading4Kids Says

This seemed like the perfect book to test the water. It contains a great verity of poems. All styles and authors. All lengths and sizes. January – The New Year – Anonymous – This poem helps you reflect and consider each year as having its own personality. The children could use this poem to support writing their own poem about the characteristics of years that have passed. This could be linked to history and thinking about the different time periods and their characteristics. As well as how the world has changed over the recent years that have passed as well as decades. Science/Geography could be touched on here to think about climate and environmental changes. January – The Garden Year – Sara Coleridge - I enjoyed how this poem highlighted each month of the year and the changing seasons. I would have the class write their own version, describing what they felt were the key attributes to each month of the year. This could also be used to support the learning of month names (maths) as well as the season, exploring characteristics of seasons both in England and across the world (science/geography). I could not love A Poet for Every Day of the Year more. I confess I haven’t read the whole book yet as I am savouring the dated poems and poets each night so that this is a gift of a book that will last me the entire year. However, the format is the same for every day and includes an insightful and accessible potted history of the poet, with reference to social, historical and biographical detail that stirs such an interest in the reader that A Poet for Every Day of the Year provides even more entertainment by acting as a catalyst for further reading and research. For example, when I opened my copy on the day I received it, the poet was John Clare who just happens to have lived three miles from where I am, but there are other poets I’m much less familiar with so I have an introduction that can lead me to discovering more of their work. This adds to the significance and joy in reading A Poet for Every Day of the Year. Ocr ABBYY FineReader 11.0 (Extended OCR) Ocr_converted abbyy-to-hocr 1.1.11 Ocr_module_version 0.0.14 Old_pallet IA19229 Openlibrary_edition

May – On May Day – Anonymous – As with previous poems this could be used to explore the history of annual events, such as May day. Additionally, it could be used to create their own music to accompany this poem or read it alongside a dance that they have created themselves. The children could also create their own poem describing their thoughts on May day and the activities/ characteristic of the day. The poetry anthology ‘I Am The Seed That Grew The Tree’ by Kate Wilson, is a beautiful collection of poems which explore nature through a poem a day. In the introduction Kate discusses the versatility of this book, suggesting it can be used as a shared read aloud or personal read. The book can be used to share a poem a day, focus on specific dates or just to enjoy the imagery created by Frann Preston-Gannon. I particularly enjoyed the illustrations as they added context and detail to each poem, helping the mind explore the words within each poem. June – Bed in Summer – Louis Stevenson – This poem could be used to explore other countries around the world and how seasons differ across continents. For example, the children could write a comparative version of the poem using a country such as Australia as focal point. They could investigate how seasons can have different characteristics or occur at alternatives times of year compared to England.I listened to this as an audio book I had borrowed from the library and would listen to a few poems each day. Similar to what I am doing with Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Every Day. I found it was a great way to stop and reflect for a few minutes each day. There is something about listening to poetry read out loud that brings it to life. A story, if well told, can last a lifetime or longer. Brian Pattern’s poem pays homage to great works of children’s literature that continue to give, and live a life of their own. The poems are all about nature and people interacting with it, observing it, fearing or delighting over it. Maybe that has made following the months and changing seasons especially fun. Or maybe it’s just that I love animals and plants so much that this really was perfect for me.

This collection is a mix of poems; some funny, some reflective. Some I had heard before and some I hadn't. I have listed some of my favourites from this listening below but I think if I re-listen at some other time time of year this list might be totally different. May – May – John Updike – This poem was enjoyable through its use of the word ‘may’ in the context of might rather than the name of the month. The children could use this poem as inspiration to write their own version using the word ‘may’ or to explore other words that have dual meanings in the English language. Throughout the course of the term or year, I would collate all poems that the children had written to create our own class anthology and share in the school library. Overall this is very well thought out and beautiful collection of poetry and illustrations from start to finish, which would be very versatile in a classroom setting. With younger children I would use this book as a read aloud and share a poem a day, discussing the characteristics of each month/ season. With older children I would use the book to support and explore cross-curricular activities, such as those mentioned in the selected poems above. As with every ' a (insert name) a day' book, I started off well. Reading a poem a day and wanting to read more was great, then I kind of forgot about it and left it at my parents which is why I read four months' worth of poems yesterday+today, whoops. The first one was very hit-or-miss due to the selection of poems, the second one was a history book (non-fiction), and this year I read this.November – Anonymous – As with previous poems on key dates this poem could be used to look at the history of ‘bonfire night’ as well as explore the tradition of fireworks. The children could create their own soundscapes and poems, as well as art to describe and express this event. urn:lcp:readme2poemforev0000unse:epub:d20b122c-4939-4c40-ad59-373bb94aaff0 Foldoutcount 0 Identifier readme2poemforev0000unse Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t5x72vf8r Invoice 1652 Isbn 0330391321