Thank you to everyone who sent in entries for the draw to win a copy of Tania McCartney‘s new book Eco Warriors to the rescue!
We drew a winner this afternoon (and checked that the floral emblem on the entry was correct). Congratulations to Mary Preston (Qld) — we’ll be posting a copy of the book to you very soon!
~ Rebecca Newman, Alphabet Soup editor
Eco Warriors to the Rescue! by Tania McCartney, ISBN 9780642277800, National Library of Australia
Reviewed by Rebecca Newman. (A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher.) This post is part of a Blog Tour celebrating the publication of Eco Warriors to the Rescue! You’ll find other stops on the tour here.
Take a sneak peek at some of the pages inside the book, over at the author’s blog.
Banjo, Ned and Matilda are eco warriors looking for the best ways to care for Australia’s native plants. They consult their favourite book on the subject, and then find themselves falling into the book. (Now they can take us on a tour of Australia’s native plants!)
The pages of Eco Warriors feature photos of the children popping into, through and out of historical botanical paintings sourced from the archives of the National Library of Australia. Would you recognise a Kangaroo Paw, a Wattle or a Flame Tree? The three friends point out favourite plants and share tips on protecting Australian flora. There’s also a green moth to search for on every page. (Test your observation skills!)
At the back of the book you’ll find Flower Facts and a map of Australia showing the Australian floral emblem, and the floral emblem for each state/territory. Over the page you’ll find a chart with the native flower assigned to each month so you can learn what your birthday flower is — Alphabet Soup’s birthday is in October and we discovered that the native flower for that month is the Red Bottlebrush. (Excellent! We love the Red Bottlebrush!)
The artwork is bright and fun to look at and when you’ve finished following these three eco warriors, you’ll look at the plantlife in your neighbourhood with new eyes. (Follow the tips in the book and become an eco warrior too — Australia needs more eco warriors.)
Would you love to own this picture book? We have some good news — we have one copy of Eco Warriors to the Rescue to give away — thanks to the National Library of Australia. Here’s what you need to do to enter the giveaway:
We will put all the entries into a hat and draw one winner on Monday 9 September 2013, and announce it here on the blog.
Some fine print:
ATTEND THE LAUNCH OF THE BOOK!
If you live in Canberra, you can Join Tania McCartney and her three real-life eco warriors — Banjo (Riley), Ned (Andrew) and Matilda (Claire) — as they launch Eco Warriors to the Rescue! at Canberra’s National Arboretum Gift Shop, Saturday 5 October 2013, at 11am.
Stop by on Tuesday — we’ll be reviewing Tania McCartney’s new book (Eco Warriors to the Rescue!), and we’ll be giving away one copy of the book!
Today is the LAST day of the Soup Blog Poetry Festival.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by the blog to read and listen to poems and meet some of Australia’s amazing children’s poets.
We thought we’d close the festival with one of our favourite poems — ‘Mulga Bill’s Bicycle’ by AB (Banjo) Paterson.
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What’s your favourite poet or poem?
Today we welcome Lorraine Marwood to the blog — Lorraine writes verse novels and poetry and you would have read several of her poems in Alphabet Soup!
When did you first start writing poetry?
I began as a teenager, so probably 15 years old, but before that I was writing down ideas and little stories for many years.
What sort of poetry do you like writing best of all?
Poetry that doesn’t rhyme but shows in different ways a moment in time or an emotion, and still has all the strong features of poetry, like rhythm, strongest words, images, sensory details, emotion.
What sort of poetry do you like reading?
Contemporary poetry written by Australians; poems in The School Magazine, NSW; anthologies like 100 Australian poets, so I read many poets in the one book. Also poetry by young writers and I enjoy reading the results of the Dorothea Mackellar poetry competition.
Where can we read your poetry?
I have had six collections of poems published — the most recent one is Guinea Pig town and other animal poems with Walker Books Australia. I’ve had lots of poems published in magazines, here in Australia, UK, USA and Canada. And I always love to be published in The School Magazine and of course Alphabet Soup — well, I wish that was still going.
Here’s one of the poems from Guinea Pig town and other animal poems:
[click on the image to enlarge it]
How often do you write?
I’d like to say everyday — well I do write but some days its emails, administration or reworking a piece, then other days it’s intense writing, but always I’m thinking about my poems, an idea, a story, what happens next …
Do you prefer to write with a pen and paper or straight onto the computer?
That’s a good question. I like to write poetry with a pen in one of my current notebooks. I often write when traveling or out for the day. I can jot down ideas I see or an idea that strikes. Poetry to me needs this special touch, but for stories I type right onto my laptop.
What’s your number one tip for budding poets?
Keep a notebook you can take with you. Jot down anything that catches your eye. Train yourself to be observant, because the strongest writing uses those details that others skim over.
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Lorraine’s Poetry Prescription
IF YOU’RE HAVING A RUSHING, BUSTLING DAY — read the following poem:
‘Wilderness’ by Carl Sandburg.
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To find out more about Lorraine Marwood and her books and poetry, check out her website and read an earlier post featuring Lorraine.
It’s Tuesday and you know what that means? It’s time for this week’s Tuesday Challenge. And this is one we know you’ve probably been expecting ever since we announced that there would be a tiny poem challenge every Tuesday …
Write a haiku.
A haiku is a short poem, usually inspired by nature. At school you might have been taught that a haiku is a 3-line poem with 5 syllables in the first line, 7 syllables in the second line and five syllables in the third line. That’s one way to write a haiku. Modern writers of haiku (in English) don’t always worry about the syllable count — they just keep their poem very, very short. Some say that it should be able to be read in a single breath.
A haiku is like a brief snapshot or image. Like a word-photograph. It doesn’t rhyme.
Here’s one I wrote a few days ago:
Weary crickets creak
A light floats in the pond —
August moon rising
If you write a haiku — will you share it with us in the comments below? (Check with a parent or teacher first.) Grownups are also welcome to post a haiku but please note that we are G-rated!
~ Rebecca
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Until the end of August, we’ll have a new poetry challenge every Tuesday.
Read these earlier Poetry Challenges from the 2013 Soup Blog Poetry Festival. (You can still add your poems in the comments at each post if you like!)
As you can probably guess from the photo above, today we have Duncan Ball visiting. You might have read books from his Selby series or the Emily Eyefinger series — did you know Duncan also has a book of poetry published? It’s called My Sister Has a Big Black Beard. Read on!
When did you first start writing poetry?
When I was twelve.
What sort of poetry do you like writing best of all?
I like writing funny poetry that rhymes, for kids.
What sort of poetry do you like reading best of all?
I like lots of different kinds of poetry for both young people and adults.
Where can we read your poetry?
My good friend and fellow poet Selby (the Talking Dog) writes poetry and I help him with it. But I’ve also written a collection of my funny poems called, My Sister Has a Big Black Beard.
Here are some videos featuring poems from My Sister has a Big Black Beard:
How often do you write?
Almost every day.
Do you prefer to write with a pen and paper or straight onto the computer?
Straight onto a computer although I do keep a notepad on my desk and scribble things down.
What’s your number one tip for budding poets?
Do it and enjoy it!
Duncan’s Poetry Prescription
ARE YOU HAVING A BORING DAY? When I have a boring day I like to read funny poems such as Allan Ahlberg’s ‘The Girl Who Doubled’ from his poetry book The Mighty Slide.
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Find out more about Duncan Ball, his books and poetry — visit his website and his blog. He’s visited before, so be sure to check out this earlier post about Duncan, too.
We’ve had questions from readers asking where they can find good poetry books. A good place to start is your school library or your local library. (It’s free to join your local library and you can borrow quite a few books at a time.) If a book is out of print, you will often find it at your local library or you can try ordering the book in through a good bookshop.
Here are some poetry books that we love, in no particular order. (And there will be lots more in the poetry section of your library or bookshop!)
The ABC Book of Australian Poetry – a treasury of poems for young people compiled by Libby Hathorn, illustrated by Cassandra Allen.
Big Book of Verse for Aussie Kids compiled by Jim Haynes
By Jingo! By Janeen Brian
A Kick in the Head – an everyday guide to poetic forms, editor: Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Chris Raschka
Don’t Put Mustard in the Custard by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Quentin Blake
Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake
Guinea Pig Town and other animal poems by Lorraine Marwood
Honey Sandwich by Elizabeth Honey
100 Australian Poems for children edited by Clare Scott-Mitchell & Kathlyn Griffith, illustrated by Gregory Rogers
Sea Dream: poems from under the waves, compiled by Nikki Siegen-Smith, illustrated by Joel Stewart
Well, that’s a few to get started with, though we love lots of others, too!
Do you have a favourite book of poetry?
The Reading Hour is officially 5 to 6pm on 24 August 2013.
Alphabet Soup’s poetry festival continues until the end of August, so we thought we’d pick some poetry books to read together during The Reading Hour. Here are the books we will be reading together tonight:
Have you chosen the books you’ll be reading tonight? Will you read any poetry during Reading Hour? (Say yes! Say yes!)
~ Rebecca, Editor
alphabetsoup.net.au 