Yesterday I got to stop into one of my favorite independent bookstores in the US, The King's English Bookstore in Salt Lake City. The new poetry compilation, Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems, was on display.
The book jumped out at me for various reasons:
- Melissa Sweet's artwork is colorful and whimsical.
- I am always looking for new poems to use within dance classes.
- I love poetry books that are categorized by seasons.
- Upon a quick browse, I knew the content evoked a sense of "magic and whimsy."
Paul B. Janeczko has compiled a strong collection of very short poems, perfect for 3rd-6th grade dance students. Poets include: Eve Merriam, Robert Frost, Jim Harrison and Ted Kooser, and Joyce Sidman. The brevity of the poems will lead to movement studies as well as a series of vignettes within a larger class, that could be strung together for a performance. For example,
Spring
Rain beats down,
roots stretch up.
They'll meet
in a flower.
-Raymond Souster
Melissa Sweet's illustrations and color scheme can also easily inspire costume selections.
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