"I come from trees"
—Ada Limón, US Poet Laureate
Spring in the northern hemisphere, west coast of North America. My older iPhone photo doesn’t do justice to these lush bursts of flowers. I caught my neighbor who tends to this tree photographing it on a few different mornings. In person, this tree was breathtaking. Another adjective that comes to mind is restorative.
It has been assumed for years that a child can learn to read more easily by making the chief motive that of word-getting. When the child’s mind is aglow with ideas the words come as secondary matter. The child is then in vital connection with the words.
Little Nature Studies for Little People from John Burroughs
a reading primer for 3rd through 6th grades
Edited by Mary Burt, 1895
I had never heard of naturalist John Burroughs until a few weeks ago when I noticed an announcement for the 2024 Riverby Award winners “for exceptional nature books for young readers.”
The Riverby Award recognizes writers, artists, and publishers who produce outstanding nature books for children. The Award has been given annually since 1988 for works that present perceptive and artistic accounts of direct experiences in the world of nature, demonstrating a respect for nature, accuracy of information, and quality of prose and illustrations. Each year these books are used by parents, teachers, and librarians as exemplary reading choices.
This year’s awards went to six books. I promptly ordered What Goes on Inside a Beaver Pond for my granddaughter (and myself), and when it arrived, I sat down immediately and read it cover to cover, enthralled by the year-round view into beavers’ lives. The author, Becky Cushing Gop, is the director of Mass Audubon West, an organization that encompasses 18 wildlife sanctuaries according to the bio in the book sleeve. She is based at the 1400-acre Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Lenox, Massachusetts, home to a healthy population of beavers. The book is set in the Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary.
Carrie Shryock did the detailed illustrations and maps that bring the beavers and their habitat to life.
At the end of the book, Cop writes:
“I am very curious about beavers, and I bet you are too. Curiosity is at the heart of this book. Over the years, I have spent thousands of hours watching and learning about beavers and their habitat.”
Let her be your guide into a year in the life of the Pleasant Valley beavers. It begins in spring, in early April.
Check with your library.
The Poetic Heart & Mind
Dr. Joy Buolamwini, Poet of Code, at SXSW 2024. Ain’t I a Woman. If you don’t know Joy Buolamwini, this is a great introduction. Her presentation starts with her poem.
Poet Laureate Ada Limón and NASA’s Dr. Lori Glaze, Director of Planetary Science. Space & Poetry at SXSW 2024. A conversation exploring the interconnections between science and art.
“And the question lingered…where do you come from? I mean, where do your people come from? Who do you belong to? And the truth, how I wanted to answer…I wanted to belong to the trees, to the earth. What other answer is there? I come from trees. I come from creek water, from old stars, and the ocean. Where I found the largest sense of belonging was always in nature…” —Ada Limón
Thanks so much for reading. Be well. And please consider sharing this post with family, friends, teachers, and/or colleagues who might appreciate it and put it to work.