Poetry Friday: A belated “Cereal Day” celebration and TWO new board books!

Hard to believe it’s been nearly a decade since the children’s poetry anthology The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations (Pomelo Books, 2015) was released.

In it, one can find poems about all sorts of celebrations, from Passover and Ramadan to Daylight Savings time and National Pet Week!

National Cereal Day, which I’m sad to say I missed, was on Thursday, March 7 this year – but that’s not going to stop me from sharing my poem about it:
.

Picky Eater

I love my Froot Loops,
love my Trix,
love Cheerios
and even Kix.
I also like
my Apple Jacks –
but please don’t give me
Sugar Smacks,
or stars or squares or flakes
you’ve found –
I only eat, you see,
what’s round.

– © 2015 Matt Forrest Esenwine and Pomelo Books, all rights reserved
.

This was actually one of the poems I shared with the 6th-grade students at Dunbarton Elementary School in New Hampshire this week. I had been invited to do a day-long series of presentations about creating books, the writing process, and why imagination is so flippin’ cool – and I focused on a different book and aspect of writing with each grade.

^{Everyone loved the brilliant artwork of Sonia Possentini in my book THE THING TO REMEMBER ABOUT STARGAZING (Tilbury House, 2023)}

For the 6th-graders, it was a poetry workshop!

I showed them different poetic styles and forms, and explained why I love the tight, compact genre of poetry itself. We even wrote a crowd-sourced poem in just 10 minutes, which I hope to share here next week.

By the way, if you think you might be interested in having me visit YOUR school, scroll down a wee bit for more details – or just send me an email!

IN OTHER NEWS…

I have two new board books out!

From Rainstorm Publishing, the publisher of my very first board book, Elliot the Heart-Shaped Frog, we present:

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Don’t be surprised if you don’t find my name on the covers – that’s ok! These were works-for-hire, and they were so much fun to write. These books will be perfect for First and Second birthdays, so I hope you’ll check them out.

ALSO: If you find yourself in the Boston area next month, I hope you’ll join me along with Nancy Tupper Ling, June Cotner, Padma Venkatraman, and several other contributors as we celebrate the official launch of “Bless the Earth” at Peter Reynolds’ bookstore, The Blue Bunny in Dedham, MA on April 21!

For more poetry, head on over to Imagine the Possibilities, where Rose Capelli is hosting today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup with a blog post devoted to Birds, Birds, Birds!

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~~ 2024 SCHOOL VISIT dates still available! ~~

I still have a few dates still available for author visits for the 2024 spring semester! If you think your school might be interested in having me visit, check out all the presentations I offer, then email me at Matt (at) MattForrest (dot) com!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or crafting origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

• The Making of a Picture Book
• How a Child Saved a Book
• “Once Upon Another Time”
• The Most Imporant Thing about Writing Poetry
• “I Am Today”
• “A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
• “Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”

Adult presentations include:

• The Making of a Picture Book
• The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
• Free Yourself with Free Verse
• Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

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Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

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I’m now on BOOKSHOP!

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I’m also very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family!

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Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)

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Thank you to everyone for your support!

FLASHLIGHT NIGHT:

• 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
• Finalist, 2019 New Hampshire Literary Awards
• Positive reviews from Horn Book, School Library Connection, School Library Connection, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, and Shelf-Awareness!

DON’T ASK A DINOSAUR:

• “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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