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Poetry Friday: On the Farm

From David Elliot's website, a poem written for On the Farm (illustrated by Holly Meade; Candlewick, 2008) that didn't make it into print:

The Robin
sings from her branch
but wants to roar--
small cousin of Tyrannosaur.

Of the 13 poems that did make the cut, The Bull and The Bees (also quoted in the Horn Book review) are my favorites, but all of them are witty and well-observed.  I also like the old-fashioned farmyard feel of Holly Meade's woodcut-and-watercolor illustrations, their spaciousness and scale.  Everything works together in this book--the poems, the illustrations, the design (large format, large font); it seems perfect for a preschool storytime.  We liked it at home, too.  A Cybils finalist in the Poetry category.

[For local folks:  Kidwell Farm at Frying Pan Farm Park in Herndon, VA is a 1930s-era working dairy farm.  Their spring birthing schedule is already up!]