Five Treasures to be Found in Novels in Verse

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By Marci Whitehurst Novels in verse are a hybrid form of storytelling. Novels in verse combine a complete narrative with the structure of poetry, bringing depth and richness to the beauty of stories.  Here are five treasures you’ll find in a novel in verse:  POETRY!  This treasure is obvious on every page of a novel in verse. Each page is a poem. The majority are free verse poems, meaning these poems don’t follow a particular meter, form, or rhythm. The poems can stand alone, but when each page of poetry is read from beginning to end, it weaves a full narrative to make a complete story. Check out this example from our own Rebecca J. Gomez’s forthcoming novel in verse:  Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published We call this car, Sandra’s white clunky car, a marshmallow with wheels. It’s riddled with dings and dents, and the rear driver’s side window is stuck stubbornly up and the tear in the vinyl seat pinches if you sit just wrong while wearing shorts
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Library Treasures: Sharing the Wonders of the Library with Your Little Ones

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by Trine Grillo

Do you remember your childhood library? A quiet place. Everyone was welcome to curl up with a book in a peace-filled atmosphere and dream of far away places. Even the children’s reading room had a hush over it. The librarians smiled and whispered. Their feet hardly made a sound as they walked and greeted you among the stacks.

How will your children remember the library? By intentionally setting an example, we instill respect for others who seek a quiet place to rest, read, study or dream. The way we treat the books is the way our kids will treat the books. As we guard the books at home with care and promptly return those which are due, our kids learn what lending means.

Need a couple of books to help you along? Here are some reading and discussion ideas to help you as you share the wonders of the library with your children.


READ: Try to find one or more of these books to read together.

DISCUSS: Talk about good library manners and why they are important.

DO: Go the library and discover its treasures! 


The Shelf Elf by Jackie Mims Hopkins, illustrated by Rebecca Thornburg, has some fun advice and introduces what amazing things a library holds.


When in the library, make this choice,

Always use your quiet voice.


Keep your books clean and neat,

Away from all you drink and eat.


Turn the pages with great care;

Leave them whole without a tear.


If you need to save your place,

Stick a bookmark in that space.



In I.Q. Goes to the Library by Mary Ann Fraser, I.Q. also learns about treasures to be found in a library and how to respectfully enjoy them.


Are there times when we forget to use our library voice? We accidentally tear a page? Or drop the book in a puddle? YES! In Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, the lion and Miss Merriweather can testify to that!


More stories about the wonders of the library:


Lola at the Library and Lola Loves Stories by Anna McQuinn, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw

Biblioburro: A True Story from Columbia by Jeanette Winter

Comments

Mindy Baker said…
Great post, thanks!
March 6, 2022 at 12:05 PM
Rum Tan said…
The environment in the library is always calm, and everyone is polite and quietly reading books. Libraries are essential components of civilization because they serve as entrances to knowledge and culture. They provide resources and services that promote learning opportunities, encourage literacy and education, and assist in the creation of fresh viewpoints and ideas that are essential to the development of a creative and innovative society. If we start reading good books regularly as children, we will have a fantastic future with less stress. According to me, the local library can make you a better tutor if you read good books daily.
October 9, 2022 at 11:27 PM
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