Hannah’s Spanna

Hannah’s Spanna
by Catherine Johnson

Hannah’s spanna didn’t wanna worka hard today
so Hannah Banana swappa di spanna
for wanna whicha worka
properlay.

Tongue Twister thanks to the real life Hannah Banana – always an inspiration.

Photo credit: zzpza / Foter.com / CC BY

Twister Sisters

For Jeanne:

Twister sisters
by Catherine Johnson

Two dog sisters
no resistors
no tongue blisters
like my mister’s sister’s.
We’re riskers and whiskers,
vocal transistors
for the three weird sisters,
the dance hall twisters.

I bet this is one of those poems you could edit for eternity. Anyone like to try a quick one in the comments?

Photo credit: tanakawho / Foter.com / CC BY

Molly’s Brolly

I hope all the dads had a great Father’s day. Father Goose wrote a great Father’s Day poem here. Someone posted something about a brolly on Facebook and a couple of people didn’t know what a brolly was. It certainly tickled Joanna, Julie and myself so we just had to turn it into something Isn’t the illustration beautiful!

Illustration by Julie Rowan-Zoch

Molly’s Brolly
by Catherine Johnson

Good golly Molly
Whatever is a brolly?
A boat for a brother
unlike any other?
Olly needs a brolly
right away
tout-de-suite
Is it something that you wear?
is it something that you eat?
Good golly Molly
I’m a wally
all this folly
for a brolly.

Look, it’s raining!
I’ll take Olly an umbrella!

And here’s the Good Golly Miss Molly song in a very funny video:

There Was an Odd Princess Who Swallowed a Pea

There Was an Odd Princess Who Swallowed a Pea written by Jennifer Ward and illustrated by Lee Calderon

Marshall Cavendish Children’s Books, 1st September 2011.

Suitable for: 3-8

Themes/Topics: Fairytales, songs, There was an Old lady who Swallowed a Fly, silly

Opening:
There was an odd princess…

Synopsis
A wacky fairytale inspired by the song There was an Old lady who Swallowed a Fly.

Activities:
Brainstorm what you would swallow if you were an odd princess/prince. make a body flipbook, make a pipe cleaner princess.

This is such a fun book. You’ll never believe what she eats until you read it. The illos are super, especially some fun things in the background.

I am sad to say this is the last Perfect Picture Book Friday until September. Check out more perfect picture books on Susanna Hill’s blog to keep you going all summer. Have a great weekend!

Yogi bear and monsters

Matthew’s school trip to Jellystone park was awesome! I didn’t think anything could top the day before doing skype with Tara Lazar! The kids loved it so much, Tara is so funny and a natural in front of the camera. What a fun week!

Yogi Monstore!
by Catherine Johnson

Yogi
monsters
trap doors
splash pad
sunshine
basketball
mini golf
Boo boo
hay ride
Manfred
Mookie
Mojo
Tara
paddling pool
sister
brother
throwing things
catching things
water guns
school bus
singing songs
eating cookies
switcheroo boo.

This is me being silly and mixing two separate things together in a list poem. One is skype with Tara for The Monstore and one is the school trip to Jellystone park the day after. Can you tell them apart? Switcheroo boo is a bit of fun dialogue from a kid’s movie. Anyone know which movie?

Strawberry Festival

There was a Strawberry festival on Saturday in LaSalle so we went there, didn’t eat any strawberries though, too stuffed with donuts My son, Matthew whipped this poem up, not even writing it down just blurting it out. (I only added the last line.)

Strawberries are good for you
and they float in the sky.
They fly right past you
and they wave goodbye.
They’re really red and juicy
I’m going to call this one Lucy.

Matthew Johnson, aged 7.

It was their first time on a ferris wheel. Well Matthew had been on one when he was very little, but he’d never remember.

What did you do at the weekend?

 

PPBF Little Fish, Lost

It’s National Donut Day today! Mike Allegra has a cool donut poem. Check it out and feast on a donut why not.

Continuing the fish theme (and absolutely not donut related) with this cute little book:

Little Fish, Lost written by Nancy Van Laan and illustrated by Jane Conteh-Morgan
Atheneum books for young readers, April 1st, 1998.

Suitable for: 2-7

Themes/Topics: Fish, being lost, exploration, underwater life.

Opening:
Little Fish lost his mother, where was she, where was she? Little Fish lost his mother, yes, he did.

Synopsis:
KIRKUS REVIEW
Little Fish has gone missing in an African pond. As he putters about looking for his mother he meets the denizens of the place–fish and hippo, okapi and cheetah, jocana and spoonbill–and readers get introduced to some good lively language: the genet’s “lippa lap” of water, the “snappa-snap” of crawfish, and ultimately the “woosh woosh” and “gullumph gullumph” of the big fish as it swallows a school of fish. To her credit, Van Laan (Shingebiss, 1997, etc.) does not make the predicament of being lost one of pure terror. Instead, Little Fish has an opportunity to explore and enjoy some freedom before the marauding big fish gives the search for the mother some urgency. The rhymes have enough verve for story hours, and Conteh-Morgan’s sherbet-colored collages convey the swarming plurality underwater very well. For preschoolers who may have more concern for Little Fish than he does for himself, there is a comforting, if partial, glimpse of his mother on each page.

Activities: You could make a craft of one of the scenes using crepe paper and foil for the shiny parts. You could fill a bucket and make a live re-enactment
I found some very imaginative fishy crafts at Danielle’sPlace.

I’m painting an okapi next and there is a super illustration of one in this book. I really like the style of the illos. Very fresh and funky.

Read more perfect picture books on Susanna Hill’s blog and do take her picture book course too, it is wonderful! Unless you don’t write picture books and then you’re excused lol. Have a great weekend!