Days to Celebrate: A Full Year of Poetry, People, Holidays, History, Fascinating Facts, and More
In Days to Celebrate Lee Bennett Hopkins has collected an astounding array of information to show us that each day of the year gives us a reason to celebrate. For every month he has compiled a calendar of birthdays, holidays, historic events, inventions, world records, thrilling firsts, and more.\ And for every month he has selected surprising poems in honor of some of the people and events commemorated in the calendar. There are poems about the seasons and holidays, of course, but there are...
Search in google:
In Days to Celebrate Lee Bennett Hopkins has collected an astounding array of information to show us that each day of the year gives us a reason to celebrate. For every month he has compiled a calendar of birthdays, holidays, historic events, inventions, world records, thrilling firsts, and more.And for every month he has selected surprising poems in honor of some of the people and events commemorated in the calendar. There are poems about the seasons and holidays, of course, but there are also poems about a "Flying-Man" (for February 4, Charles Lindbergh's birthday), birds (for April 26, John James Audubon's birthday), windshield wipers (patented November 10), and earmuffs (patented December 21).Beloved poets, such as Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Christina Rossetti, are joined by new voices in sixty poems that take us on a remarkable journey through a year — and through the years. Stephen Alcorn's illustrations, based on the style of art found in old almanacs, are airy, whimsical, and thought provoking. They perfectly match the breadth and depth of this volume.Brilliantly conceived and elegantly illustrated, Days to Celebrate is a book that pays tribute to the people, events, and poetry that make up our past and will inspire our future.Publishers WeeklyLee Bennett Hopkins gathers poems and milestone facts for every occasion in Days to Celebrate: A Full Year of Poetry, People, Holidays, History, Fascinating Facts, and More, illus. by Stephen Alcorn. From Martin Luther King, Jr.'s brief biography, coupled with Nikki Grimes's poem, "A Question for Martin" in January, to a description of the little-known "Night of the Radishes" on December 23 (the tradition of carving sculptures from radishes in Oaxaca, Mexico), inspirationally paired with Karla Kuskin's "Write about a radish./ Too many people write about the moon...," Hopkins presents an array of versatile verse, both classic and contemporary. Christina Rosetti, Carl Sandburg, Langston Hughes and Hopkins himself number among the other contributors. Alcorn's full-spread and spot illustrations with their fine ink line and watercolor wash, fluidly tie together poems old and new, airy and weighty. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
\ Publishers WeeklyLee Bennett Hopkins gathers poems and milestone facts for every occasion in Days to Celebrate: A Full Year of Poetry, People, Holidays, History, Fascinating Facts, and More, illus. by Stephen Alcorn. From Martin Luther King, Jr.'s brief biography, coupled with Nikki Grimes's poem, "A Question for Martin" in January, to a description of the little-known "Night of the Radishes" on December 23 (the tradition of carving sculptures from radishes in Oaxaca, Mexico), inspirationally paired with Karla Kuskin's "Write about a radish./ Too many people write about the moon...," Hopkins presents an array of versatile verse, both classic and contemporary. Christina Rosetti, Carl Sandburg, Langston Hughes and Hopkins himself number among the other contributors. Alcorn's full-spread and spot illustrations with their fine ink line and watercolor wash, fluidly tie together poems old and new, airy and weighty. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.\ \ \ \ \ Children's LiteratureAcclaimed anthologist Hopkins delivers what his lengthy subtitle promises in this handsome collection that takes readers on a fun-filled journey through the calendar year. The entry for each month begins with a calendar for that month with notable events and birthdays listed for each date—e.g., the first Super Bowl game was played on January 15, 1967; Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919. Also included are facts about the month (flower, birthstone, zodiac sign), a quote to ponder, and a gee-whiz weather statistic. Four or five poems follow, on both seasonal themes (a groundhog poem for February, a St. Patrick's poem for March) and more general, often pleasingly humdrum topics: windshield wipers, arithmetic (by Carl Sandburg), and pencils. While Hopkins's own poems are somewhat over-represented, the collection as a whole provides a pleasing potpourri of old favorites and new discoveries. Alcorn's illustrations, rendered in an attractively updated almanac style, add to the reader's eager anticipation of each new month and its treasures. 2005, Greenwillow, Ages 7 up. \ —Claudia Mills, Ph.D.\ \ \ Kirkus ReviewsThe latest offering from distinguished poet and anthologist Hopkins celebrates each day of the year in a glorious melange of facts, quotes, and poetry from the best poets, new and old. Every month receives a double-paged calendar spread, with a fact box describing the month's flower, birthstone, zodiac sign, and the origin of its name, and each date on the calendar shows important inventions, birth dates of poets, artists, and influential people, historical happenings and a most unusual weather fact. Hopkins includes six to eight pages of poems that relate in some way to each month, along with facts about those whose birthdays are featured. The poems for February, for instance, include works by Langston Hughes, Mother Goose, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Joyce Carol Thomas, and topics include groundhogs, the weather, rainy days, and Marian Anderson. Alcorn's watercolor-and-ink illustrations are bright and whimsical, based on the style found in old almanacs. There is much to share in this splendid volume-a must-have for every collection. (Poetry/nonfiction. 7-12)\ \
