100 Ways to Fly by Michelle Taylor,
UQP,
ISBN 978 0 7022 6250 0
Kobe received a copy of this book from the publisher.
Did you know that Michelle Taylor was the first person to ever make you fly? It’s the book I’m reviewing and when I read it I flew high in the sky!
100 Ways to Fly is a great book that’s full of interesting poems that make your heart soar (fly) over the clouds like a plane … no wonder it’s called 100 Ways to Fly!
Every time I read one of the book’s poems I seem to smile, so I’ll always try to read one or two poems before I go to sleep. I bet you’ll do exactly the same thing when you read this fabulous book. Try reading 100 Ways to Fly and you’ll be amazed when you find out you’ve been lifted off the ground by this book of wonder.
This poem was inspired by a visit to the Old Summer Palace (Yuan Ming Yuan) in Beijing, China, and researching the history regarding the burning down of this beautiful palace in 1860.
Burning Yuan Ming Yuan October 1860
by Joshua, 10, NSW
Yuan Ming Yuan photo of Chinese ruins courtesy Joshua
Yuan Ming Yuan photo of Chinese ruins courtesy Joshua
Flames of fire roaring high,
Reaching up to the sky.
Beautiful gardens,
Now all in ruins.
Everything burning.
I am watching.
Something lovely,
Now all history.
Standing there
Just there.
Everything burning.
I am watching.
Locals help,
They don’t yelp.
All ashes,
Many smashes.
Everything burning.
Sadly watching.
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:
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.
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!)
To make your Friday even happier, today we have Steven Herrick stopping by to talk about writing poetry and verse-novels for children. (He writes for young adults and adults, too.) If you visit his website, you’ll see that he loves soccer and in summer he plays on a soccer team called ‘The Marshmallows’ … It doesn’t look too summery in the photo he sent us above!
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Here he is — performing his poem ‘Lost in the Mist’ (from his book Untangling Spaghetti).
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When did you first start writing poetry?
I wrote my first poem when I was 18. It was called ‘Love is like a gobstopper’. I sent it to magazine and they published it and sent me $5!!!
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What sort of poetry do you like writing best of all?
I like writing narrative poems for children and verse-novels for YA and children.
Oh! hush thee, my baby, the night is behind us
And black are the waters that sparkled so green.
The moon, o’er the combers, looks downward to find us
At rest in the hollows that rustle between.
—
Where billow meets billow, there soft be thy pillow.
Oh, weary wee flipperling, curl at thy ease!
The storm shall not wake thee, nor shark overtake thee
Asleep in the arms of the slow-swinging seas.
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We’re sharing this poem as part of the Soup Blog Poetry Festival — until the end of August we’ll be posting poems, interviews with children’s poets, tips for reading and writing poetry, and Poetry Prescriptions (poetry is good for the soul!).
For our summer writing competition, we asked you to write a poem and include the word ‘dragon.’ Here is the winner in the last age category—the Under 12s.
A reminder: always check the rules of the competition. If you don’t stick to the rules, we have to disqualify your entry and that makes us sad!
Under 12s winner: F Apel (QLD)
MY DRAGONS
My little dragon is not a fright
Because she never plays in sight;
Talks all night and sleeps by day;
In my mind she likes to play.
My other dragon is big and mean,
Slimy, smelly, scaly green.
Breathes out smoke that makes me choke;
He’s a scary dream.
All through October, Alphabet Soup is celebrating turning three. We have heaps of writers and illustrators stopping by to answer THREE QUICK QUESTIONS and today’s visitor is 8-year-old poet Frederique who runs a poetry blog called Petals for Fred.
1. Where do you like to write?
At the dinner table.
2. Can you name a book you’d recommend to our readers?
The 13-Storey Treehouse, by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton. It was funny, it had thirteen chapters, thirteen of everything!
Fred recommends The 13-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths, ill. Terry Denton
3. Can you offer a word or phrase that kids could use for inspiration if they have writer’s block?
Treehouse!
Find out more about Fred and her poetry on her blog, Petals for Fred.
REVIEWED BY KOBE, 9, WA
alphabetsoup.net.au 