by J.G. Annino
We here at Group Blog share a lot
in common
with the creative and prolific
children's author
& editor,
Lee Bennett Hopkins.
He LOVES great picture books.
Especially picture books that
connect children to an
appreciation of nature, to their
unique heritage,
and to kindness.
And,
if you like picture books that openly celebrate poetry for young readers,
you are really in league with Lee. His mantra is "Poetry is a necessity."
More than 120 beautiful books for
young readers
have his name on the cover! This
is either via his work
as an editor/anthologist or, via his own writing.
COMING IN 2017
His newest will arrive in 2017 from
Lee & Low,
when Lee Bennett Hopkins collects together contributions
for older children from
for older children from
Kwame Alexander,
Naomi Shihab Nye,
and Margarita Engle,
among others. Illustrated by 16 incredible artists it is called,
I REMEMBER: POEMS and PICTURES OF
HERITAGE.
It sounds significant.
As much as fans like his topics,
they like
this author's way of looking at the world
through
a child's eyes.
At the beach he discovers:
"Ocean waves rush in
just in time
to give the shore-birds'
hot-burning legs
a cool, cool bath."
c. Lee Bennett Hopkins
"On an August Day" in
THE SEA IS CALLING ME
THE SEA IS CALLING ME
The award-winning poet tells
icicles to
"Swell
and
grow,
put on
your
mighty
show
'cause
you
cannot
know
tomorrow's
tad
of sunshine prey
will
stalk
to take
your
breath
away.
c. Lee Bennett Hopkins
"Icicles" in SHARING
THE SEASONS,
illustrated by David Diaz
illustrated by David Diaz
BELOVED
Beloved people, but also coping with disappointment in
childhood,
are equal subjects of BEEN TO
YESTERDAYS, his own story
of his years up to 13, shared
in spare,
beautiful poems.
In it we see
how a teacher stood
up for Lee, helping validate that he would
grow up
to be a writer,
how much he loved his mother and
his siblings,
and just how important, a butter dish might be.
I feel fortunate, to begin to know
Lee Bennett Hopkins a tiny tad
better,
through some of his Beloveds.
Since we both live in Florida
(far apart, he & his partner, South, me & my hubby, North)
I started with a couple of topical topics.
(far apart, he & his partner, South, me & my hubby, North)
I started with a couple of topical topics.
LEE BENNETT HOPKINS Beloveds
sea shell
The shankha or conch, believed to be the
purest of sounds, which ushers in freshness
and new hope.
seafood
Salmon - Well done with Charles Egita's
homemade tartar sauce.
magic trick
Making people disappear (especially those I
don't want to be around!)
magician
David Copperfield
library
My own - with an estimated
18,000 volumes
including poetry and more poetry.
librarian
The late-Augusta Baker, for whom
I wrote the poem
"Storyteller" in
JUMPING OFF LIBRARY SHELVES (Boyds
Mills Press/Wordsong.) Augusta
was the first African-
American to hold an important
post in the New York
Public Library system. She was among
my dearest
friends.
bookend (as in the hunky thing that holds the books on the shelf)
A pair of wooden pieces sculpted with etchings of sailing ships to remind
me of many years living on the Hudson River in Westchester, N.Y.
book end (as in the last line or lines of a book)
"Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do you will start missing
everybody. From THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.G. Salinger.
bookstore
Any, each, all of them
book
LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott
bookend (as in the hunky thing that holds the books on the shelf)
A pair of wooden pieces sculpted with etchings of sailing ships to remind
me of many years living on the Hudson River in Westchester, N.Y.
book end (as in the last line or lines of a book)
"Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do you will start missing
everybody. From THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.G. Salinger.
bookstore
Any, each, all of them
book
LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott
historical figure
Walt Whitman - a man - a poet -
far ahead of his time
whose words explode hearts and
minds.
historical marker/site
The Statue of Liberty standing
for acceptance of all.
stars in the night sky
The cluster that forms Orion,
the hunter.
star from the stage
Barbara Streisand, who brightens
my life with song.
playground
The Boardwalk on Royal
Caribbean's OASIS and ALLURE
ships where I love riding the
carousel.
playwright
Tennessee Williams, for his
streetcar, tattoo, menagerie
and more.
pen name
Tamara Kitt, pen name of
children's author,
Beatrice Schenk de Regniers,
whose book MAY I BRING A FRIEND,
won the Caldecott for Beni
Montressor. "Tammy" and "Mara" were
two of Beatrice's cat's names.
We worked together for years at
Scholastic where she was the
first editor of The Lucky Book Club.
pencil
Any one, with a #2 lead!
Published since 1969, Lee Bennett Hopkins' life work and individual
books are well-awarded, including this year, the bestowing of
the Regina Medal, from The Catholic Library Association.
While he is proud of his work & his books' honors, he is more eager to
highlight awards that you may receive some day, which he helped create.
For two recent posts online
about LBH, please see these children's book sites:
So, appreciations and applause to Lee
Bennett Hopkins!
We look forward to many more
books we can hoard,
books collected, edited, anthologized or written by you,
books collected, edited, anthologized or written by you,
in pencil #2 lead and
via the keyboard.
(photo: SCBWI mid-year conference, Florida, Lee Bennett Hopkins
and fan, Jan Annino.)
