Explore Poetry with SINCE THE BABY CAME by Kathleen Long Bostrom

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  We are excited to have guest post by Kathleen Long Bostrom, author of Since the Baby Came: A Sibling’s Learning-to-Love Story in 16 Poems , talking about the process of writing the book and sharing some ideas for discussing and poetry writing! Read : Since the Baby Came: A Sibling’s Learning-to-Love Story in 16 Poems by Kathleen Long Bostrom, illustrated by Janet Samuel I love poetry and rhyme, and always have. I grew up with a mother who often recited poetry and I learned to read with Dr. Seuss books. It’s no wonder I turned to poetry when I began writing picture books for children.  At a children’s book conference one day about 12 years ago, I asked my friend, an editor for an educational publishing house, “What are the areas in early education where more good books are needed?”  Without hesitation, she replied, “Poetry.”  Many of my published books were written in poetry, but what could I write that was unique? Aha! I thought. What if I wrote a story using a variety of styles of
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Interview with Author Corey Rosen Schwartz

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by Rebecca J. Gomez

Today I am happy to talk with Corey Rosen Schwartz, whose new picture book, Cold Turkey just released on November 23. Cold Turkey by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Kristi Call, illustrated by Chad Otis is a fun rhyming story about a c-c-cold turkey who takes pity on his even c-c-colder friends. 


And now, on to the interview!

Rebecca: Read, Discuss, Do! is all about taking storytime to the next level through thoughtful conversation and activities. Do you have a favorite memory of seeing this in action with one of your books? Or from your childhood?

Corey: I have a favorite memory from when my children were little. For my wedding, I received “nesting” bowls as a gift. When my kids were very young, we loved to use these bowls to pretend we were the three bears eating our porridge! We’d use a giant bowl for Papa Bear, a medium bowl for Mama Bear and a teeny-tiny bowl for Baby Bear. We obviously had corresponding spoons as well-  huge for Papa, medium for Mama, and itty-bitty for Baby Bear. This made eating hot oatmeal so much more fun!


Rebecca: What a fun idea! I bet the person who gave these to you never imagined they would be used that way! Do you have any special resources to share that will help teachers or parents before or after reading your books?

Corey: Yes. I have all sorts of activity pages posted on my website, www.coreyrosenschwartz.com. There's everything from a ninja puppet craft, to a "write your own fairy tale" template, to a tasty fraction recipe. You just need to check each individual book page to find links.

Rebecca: What, if anything, do you hope kids will learn from your books?

Corey: I mainly write stories to be fun and entertaining. Sometimes there is a subtle message about teamwork or persistence, but my real goal is just to have kids fall in love with reading!  If I can make kids laugh in the process, that is a huge plus!

Rebecca: Sounds like a good goal to me! What are three discussion-sparking questions adults can ask children when reading Cold Turkey?

Corey: Why did Turkey give away his clothes? How do you think Turkey felt after sharing his warm clothing with the other barnyard animals? How do you feel when you share something?

Rebecca: Those are great questions for sparking discussions! Thank you so much for joining us at Read, Discuss, Do! today, Corey. Good luck with Cold Turkey, and be sure to stay warm!


To see the activities Corey mentioned above, follow the links below. And be sure to explore her website, www.coreyrosenschwartz.com, for more information about her and her books, and more fun book themed activities.



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March 4, 2022 at 7:17 AM
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