“Reading poetry is an adventure in renewal, a creative act, a perpetual beginning, a rebirth of wonder.”
(Edward Hirsh)
“if you want to see a whale
you will need a not-so-comfy chair
and a not-too-cozy blanket
because sleeping eyes can’t watch for whales
and whales won’t wait for watching”
This excerpt (provided as an example of lyrical language in a workshop I attended two years ago) was my introduction to Julie Fogliano. I was hooked. This is the voice of a young child; a matter-of-fact, full-of-imagination child; a child who can explain the world to me.
How delighted I was to find Julie’s canon of poetic picture books, each containing that same golden thread: the eyes, the heart, and the voice of a child.
These are just a few of my favorites.
Fogliano was the recipient of the 2013 Ezra Jack Keats award for AND THEN IT’S SPRING. In this interview, she talks about spending so much time thinking and worrying about writing “that I was barely able to write a thing.” She offers this encouragement for writers:
“Don’t worry about making it interesting or important. Just write about the things that make you feel something.”
Here is a page from THE HOUSE THAT ONCE WAS, probably my all-time favorite Julie Fogliano picture book.
This is what I aspire to!
Patricia Franz writes picture books and poetry. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 