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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Picture Book Pair for Sharing Love and Friendship

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 Picture book pair posts are about showing how books with similar themes can open up a world of discussion possibilities, and those discussions are great ways to connect with your children or students. It can be fascinating to see how different authors and illustrators approach different topics and themes. Pairing books with similar themes during story time will help children learn that everyone sees and experiences the world a little differently, and it's good to see other people's perspectives.

Today is Valentine’s Day, and that has everyone talking about love! But not just romantic love. The love of friends and family is a big topic too! Yes, this time of year love is a hot topic, but it’s a good topic to read and talk about all year long. So today we’d like to share two lovely books with a theme of love between friends. But love isn’t the only thing these two books have in common. They also both feature bears!

In Love is in the Little Things by Stella J. Jones, illustrated by Jane Massey, love is in all the little things two friends do and share together. This is a charming “slice of life” story featuring a little girl and her best friend, who happens to be a big, lovable bear.

In Love is in the Bear by Judith Henderson, illustrated by Nahid Kazemi, Bear and Bird plan to sing a duet in the opera together. Bear doesn’t get the part, but Bird assures him that they are still a duet with or without a stage. It’s a sweet story about an unlikely friendship that stays true through thick and thin.

Read: Love is in the Little Things and Love is in the Bear

Discuss:

  • How are these two stories similar? How are they different?

  • In each of these books, what are some ways the friends show their love for each other?

  • Each of these books features a bear character. In what ways are the two bears alike?

  • Think of a special friend in your life. How do you show your friend that you care about him or her?

  • List some “little things” that show how someone loves you.

Do:

  • Make a card or write a note to a special friend in your life. Send it through the mail as a special surprise.

  • Imagine that your best friend is a bear, and draw the two of you together doing a favorite activity. Here’s a tutorial for how to draw a simple bear if you need some help.

  • Are you musical? Take a cue from Love is in the Bear and sing a duet with a friend!

  • Be a friend to someone you don’t know well by showing love to them in some small way. Maybe you’ll make a new friend!

For more ideas on sharing love this season and throughout the year, check out these past posts:

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