If kids only knew how much power they wield when it comes to bringing a book to life. In the same way that it took love to make the Velveteen Rabbit become Real, it takes readers who love a story or a poem, to make it real and bring it to life. “Real isn’t how you are made,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.” (Velveteen Rabbit).
When a child loves a story, that story becomes part of their emotional DNA. Those books, passed on by word of mouth turn children into lifelong readers. The real workhorses of children’s literature are books that are passed from child to child, by word of mouth, out of love and affection. If you ask an author what they wish most for the books they write, I think many writers would opt for enthusiastic and passionate readers, over and beyond awards.
Tap into a person’s love of stories and you most likely will find a lover of poetry as well. Poems often need to be read aloud to come to life. They paint a visual picture with words and the sounds of the words are part and parcel of the picture the poem paints.
In honor of April being poetry month, here are a few poems that readers will be sure to love, and bring to life.
“ Rain beats down
roots stretch up
They’ll meet
in a flower
~ Raymond Souster
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
and dances with the daffodils.
~ William Wordsworth
