make magic! do good! a giveaway

Why not start the New Year with a wee bit o' magic Dallas Clayton style? Mr. Clayton's new book Make Magic! Do Good! 

is brimming with all sorts of fun poetry in motion. From teeny tiny griaffes to real-life dragons the poems in Make Magic! Do Good! are both magical and fun. The lovely folk at Candlewick  have given me an opportunity to give a copy away to one of my American or Canadian readers.

Go ahead, leave a comment below, add a haiku if yer feeling creative and I will choose a winner on January 10th, so leave your comment and spread the word! You can also leave a comment on scrumdilly-do's Facebook page under the post for this contest, one comment per person please. Happy entering!

Halloween Hoots & Howls

How about some poetry fun!Halloween Hoots and Howls
Written by Joan Horton
Illustrated by JoAnn Adinolfi
Published by Macmillan 2008

From poems that rhyme to poems that don't; to poems that are spooky or just plain silly, Halloween Hoots and Howls can be used as a jumping off point for your kidlets to create their own Halloween fun. My favorite is the inaugural poem titled "I'm Dressing Up for Halloween". You can have your kidlets illustrate their own version of the character's costume and they can then write their very own tribute to theirs!

Read This!

In between school and the other boring, everyday trappings of my everyday life, I am constantly thinking of scrumdilly-do! There is so much I want to share and do for you all but finding the time is proving to be difficult and I apologize. Here's just a quick book recommendation for you in honor of April being National Poetry Month, here in the States.A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms
Poems Selected by Paul B. Janeczko
Illustrated by Chris Raschka
Published by Candlewick Press 2005

This title is as cool for us grown-ups as it is for the kidlets! I had no idea there were so many specific styles of poetry. Maybe that just shows you how much I remember from my school days or maybe not. This book is wonderful. Each poem style is accompanied by a description of what that type of poem is and a colorful collage by the award winning Chris Rashcka. From old timers such as Ogden Nash, Edward Lear and William Shakespeare to the new stars in children's poetry such as Alice Schertle, Kristine O'Connell George and Paul B. Janeczko himself, A Kick in the Head is a whimsical collection of rhythm and prose. Hopefully I will be able to walk you through a few of the styles so you and your wee ones can play poet this week and next. Here's a sneak peak. Check out your library or find yourself a copy here.