The Ballad of Doodle Chicken
Doodle chicken heaved a sigh…
longed to leave her home and fly.
Dreamed each day of sweet ascension –
stuck, alas, in two dimension.
One day, struck with inspiration,
she fulfilled her aspiration:
folded up into a plane
and rode the wind.
Until the rain.
– © 2018 Matt Forrest Esenwine, all rights reserved
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My 4-year-old daughter drew this a couple of week ago, and I’ve been trying to think of what to do with it. Finally, last night, an idea popped into my head! Hope you like it.
For today’s complete, unfettered, unabridged, and unbelievable Poetry Friday roundup, visit Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche…where you’ll find all of today’s poetry links a well as a beautiful sandpiper sonnet from Margaret, herself.
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“DON’T ASK A DINOSAUR” is available everywhere!
Only one more confirmed signing lined up right now – although there are a couple of others in the works, which I’ll share as soon as we nail down the details. If you are ever in the Southern NH-Eastern MA area, I hope you’ll stop by wherever I am and say hi!
- Sat., June 2, 1-3pm: Books-A-Million, Concord, NH, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur and School People reading/signing
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Purchasing personalized signed copies ONLINE? Yes, it’s true!
In case you haven’t heard, there’s a new way to purchase personalized signed copies of not only Flashlight Night, but ANY of my books or anthologies I’ve been part of!
I’ve teamed up with the good folks MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH to present an option for people who would love to have a signed copy of one of my books but don’t live anywhere near me. MainStreet BookEnds has ALL but one of my books available for ordering…and the best part is, you can get them personalized!
Just log onto my website and click the cover of whichever book you want, and they will get it to me to sign and send it off to you. Try doing that with those big online booksellers! (Plus, you’ll be helping to support local book-selling – and wouldn’t that make you feel good?)
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Thank you so much to all the librarians, bloggers, and parents who are still discovering “Flashlight Night!”
- NY Public Library’s “100 Best Book for Kids 2017” AND “Staff Pick!”
- KIRKUS Starred review!
- Amazon “Best Books of the Month,” Sept. 2017!
- “Best Reads of 2017,” Unleashing Readers
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Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!
So glad doodle chicken got an unexpected adventure… even if it ended in rain. 🙂
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All adventures need to come to an end, eventually!
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I imagine your daughter loved it, as I do, too, Matt! That ending is both fun and sad! Poor ‘doodle Chicken”!
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I had two different ideas for an ending, and debated on whether it should be happy and positive, or sad – so I opted for both!
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Matt, this is a delightful poem and drawing from the father and daughter team. You might consider pairing this and offering the #imagepoem to the Children’s Corner of my spring gallery.
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I can certainly do that, if you’d like! Thanks, Carol.
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Children’s art is special. I love that this doodle chicken inspired a silly chicken ballad. Love the rhymes of ascension and dimension!
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Thank you, Margaret – she draws a lot of her animals like this, so I’m pleased to see her already developing her own style.
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I saw this yesterday on Facebook and was impressed with your clever rhyme and story. Well done! What a wonderful collaborative effort!
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Thank you, Molly! I’m glad you liked it.
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I do like it! I hope your doodle chicken finds much joy in her flight! I love the idea of her escaping two dimensions by folding into a plane!
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Thanks, Kay…it took me awhile to figure out her destiny, but I was pleased with it once it came to me!
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Like it? Love it! A terrific father-daughter creation! :0)
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hanks so much, Robyn!
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You and your daughter make a great team!
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Thanks, Mary Lee – she’s definitely a little illustrator-in-training!
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Too bad Penny has retired. It would be perfect for her!
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I was thinking of Penny as I was writing! Thanks, Brenda.
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Fun Ballad Matt, and a lovely drawing by your daughter, she must be ticked pink by your collaboration, thanks!
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Thanks, Michelle…she was definitely surprised!
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Fun poem and a great way to validate your daughter’s art! Love the rhyming and the cluster of ion endings.
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Thank you, Joyce!
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