If you don’t know Agnes, allow me to introduce you…
Agnes, you see, is a giant Pacific octopus who corresponds with other deep-sea critters using postcards (imaginative concept, yes?). Her story, Love, Agnes (Millbrook Press, 2018), is told by Irene Latham (Dear Wandering Wildebeest, Can I Touch Your Hair?) and is available everywhere!
So to celebrate, Irene is featuring octopus poems at her blog all month long. Some are touching, some introspective, others full of imagery and emotion.
And then there’s mine.
Ha! For more poetry, head over to my friend Laura Purdie Salas’ Writing the World for Kids, where she’s hosting today’s Poetry Friday roundup with one of my favorite poems from J. Patrick Lewis’ new anthology, The Poetry of US (National Geographic Children’s Books, 2018).
And if you didn’t hear about the big event I got to take part in this past weekend, I encourage you to check out Flashlight Night‘s flashlight night!
Going to be in the Concord, NH area tomorrow?
Please consider stopping by Books-A-Million on Fort Eddy Road for their special educator day, Sat., Oct. 13! I’ll be there from 1-3pm along with fellow New Hampshire authors Deborah Bruss, Marty Kelley, and Amy Makechnie, signing books and chatting about education, writing/illustrating, and school author visits!
By the way…there are only THREE DAYS LEFT to get your nominations in for the 2018 Cybils Awards! If there are some particularly awesome books you’ve read this past year, then help get them the recognition they deserve – click the logo and select the categories you need. (Those of us who write for a living appreciate it!)
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Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!
You can purchase personalized signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Boyds Mills Press, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly ALL of the books or anthologies I’ve been part of!
Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH a note requesting the signature and to whom I should make it out to. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it for you, and then they’ll ship it. 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 to everyone for your support!
- NY Public Library’s “100 Best Book for Kids 2017” AND “Staff Pick!”
- KIRKUS Starred review!
- Kansas NEA Reading Circle Recommended Books!
- “Best Reads of 2017,” Unleashing Readers
- Amazon “Best Books of the Month,” Sept. 2017
- Positive reviews from Horn Book, School Library Connection, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, and Shelf-Awareness
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.- “Rollicking rhyme!” – Booklist
- “A wild romp!” – Parenting NH Magazine
- “Cute…intriguing…4 out of 5 stars” – Tulsa Book Review
- “Rhythmic…funny and informative” – 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!
Your octo-poem is a hoot, Matt! (That octo-pie sounds tasty, I must admit.) Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks, Michelle! Although vegetarians might want to stick with just the crust. 😀
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Your octopus poem is delish Matt–and perfect for Agnes!
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Thanks, Michelle – I hope Agnes enjoyed it.
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Fantastic desert for an octopus! My, my….what on earth would you do if there were eight for dinner? Hmmmmm. Might be another poem for that. Love your sense of fun.
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Ha, thanks, Linda…I figured someone had to being some levity to the party, so who better than the crazy uncle. 😉
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Dessert is best served with a poem. Always. (Agnes would like to know if 8 helpings is too much to ask for?)
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Not at all…it’s a one octopod-dessert! 😉
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You are a pretty busy guy! I’ll bet you wish you had 8 arms!
And I’m not proud, I’ll say it again:
Probably for 8 octopieces for 8 octopi, but I bet each one would want their own octopie! I’ll bet it would be hard to tell whose octopendage was reaching around for another octoplate of octopodessert!
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That would be an octopredicament!
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My favorite part of seeing many poems on the same topic is how different personalities come out. Love your octo-pie!
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As with any prompt, it’s amazing the diversity of voices & ideas. Thank you, Laura!
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