joann early macken

Well, we’re really in the thick of things now. When I first extended my invitation for peanut butter poems, little did I realize just how many of you nuts were actually out there! Nice to know I’m not the only one who likes to munch, crunch, slather and rhapsodize about America’s favorite spread!

Before we get to today’s poems, wanted to congratulate the one and only Joyce Sidman for receiving the 2013 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children!!! WooHoo! So well deserved. Love love love her work and it was such an honor to serve as a Cybils Final Round Judge the year we selected Red Sings from Treetops (Houghton Mifflin, 2009), still one of my favorite poetry picture books of all time.

You probably know Joyce’s most recent book, Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature (Houghton Mifflin, 2011), has earned a galaxy of *starred reviews* among many other cool accolades. Let’s all have a Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl cupcake in Joyce’s honor! (Just for today, you may twirl as you swirl.)

*Georgetown Cupcake Peanut Butter Swirls*

Since Joyce is extra special, let’s have TWO . . . or THREE! . . . or . . . .

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#4 in the Poetry Potluck Series, celebrating National Poetry Month 2011.

Mill Creek MetroParks/flickr

Ah, Sweet Spring!

I’m not sure the daffodils have appeared yet on the shore of Lake Michigan where JoAnn Early Macken lives, but I do know she’s been in the “Spring state of mind” since March 4th, her favorite day of the year.

This is the day she feels is the true beginning of Spring, a day to “take the bull by the horns and take care of business. Blaze a trail and follow it. Harness the horses and plow ahead.” For JoAnn, Spring is more than a season; it’s an attitude. March forth, embrace all the possibilities, and celebrate this time of renewal with promise twinkling over the horizon.

Lovely!

JoAnn: Any day now, we’ll all surrender to one of those glorious afternoons when everyone rejoices in the world and we all leave our jackets on the playground. Troubles seem trivial, problems feel petty, and all we want to do is drop everything, run outdoors, and soak up the sunshine.

I think we should designate JoAnn as our official Spring Ambassador! Before I share her poem, please replace your beret with this: