#ReadYourWorld with HERE WE GO: A Poetry Friday Power Book by Sylvia Vardell & Janet Wong

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday on this fabulous Friday the 13th! (Unlucky? I think NOT.) Be sure to visit Keri at Keri Recommends for Roundup. Also, shout-out to our baby boy Eric, who turns 17 today!
For the past several years, it has been my privilege to be a participating blogger in Multicultural Children’s Book Day,now it its fourth year!

This year the celebration will be all over the blogosphere January 27. You will find my review below of HERE WE GO, a multicultural book provided by two of the most passionate and generous poetry people I know: Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell of Pomelo Books. HERE WE GO is also  a Children's Book Council "Hot Off the Press” selection for January 2017. Woohoo! Win your own copy below! But first, some more information about this event!

Multicultural Children's Book Day was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom . 
Our mission is to raise awareness on the ongoing need to include kid’s books that celebrate diversity in home and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents and educators.
Despite census data that shows 37% of the US population consists of people of color, only 10% of children’s books published have diversity content. Using the Multicultural Children’s Book Day holiday, the MCBD Team are on a mission to change all of that. <br /><div align="CENTER" style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 0.24in; margin-bottom: 0.17in; margin-top: 0.03in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Free Diversity Book Lists and Activities for Teachers and Parents: </b></span></span><span style="color: #17365d;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><b>http://bit.ly/1sZ5s8i</b></s... align="CENTER" style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 0.24in; margin-bottom: 0.17in; margin-top: 0.03in;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: inherit;"><b>------------------------------</b></span></div><div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0.24in; margin-bottom: 0.17in; margin-top: 0.03in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: inherit;"><b>And now.... a look at <a href="https://www.amazon.com/HERE-WE-GO-Poe... WE GO: A Poetry Friday Power Book by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong</a>.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mof7HoBxw4..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mof7HoBxw4..." width="262" /></span></a></div>Don't you love all those diverse faces on the cover?! And that's just the beginning... the art continues throughout the interior as well. It's perfect for the book!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iZjQyyLj6w..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iZjQyyLj6w..." width="128" /></span></a></div><br />Like its predecessor <a href="https://www.amazon.com/You-Just-Wait-... JUST WAIT</a>, this is an interactive poetry book that includes a bunch of original poems by Janet Wong as well as a selection of "anchor" poems, many of which appear in previous books in the Poetry Friday Anthology series.<br /><br />Anchor poems in HERE YOU GO are courtesy of some Poetry Friday friends, and other wonderful poets, including (in order of appearance) <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem... Shihab Nye</a>, <a href="http://davidbowles.us/poetry/"&g... Bowles</a>, <a href="https://cbweatherford.com/">C... Boston Weatherford</a>, <a href="http://katecoombs.com/">Kate Coombs</a>, <a href="https://reflectionsontheteche.wordpre... Simon</a>, <a href="http://www.eileenspinelli.com/heart_0... Spinelli</a>, <a href="http://www.ibtisambarakat.com/"&... Barakat</a>, <a href="https://michellehbarnes.blogspot.com/... Heidenrich Barnes</a>, <a href="http://josephbruchac.com/">Jo... Bruchac</a>, <a href="http://nowaterriver.com/">Renee M. LaTulippe</a>, <a href="http://www.davidlharrison.com/"&... L. Harrison</a> and <a href="http://www.robynhoodblack.com/"&... Hood Black</a>.<br /><br /><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 0.24in; margin-bottom: 0.17in; margin-top: 0.03in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: inherit;">HERE WE GO focuses on activism and how we can change our world. Readers meet four characters: David, Ameera, Jack and Jenna -- who are struggling with some timely issues, like being an immigrant; practicing a minority religion (Muslim); identity; what makes a family; what can we DO to make our world better? Each PowerPack provides a complete lesson -- a way into the material, poems to share, and an invitation to create one's own poem. The book is also a writing notebook, with space for young writers to include their responses.</span><br /><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: inherit;">And now, here's Janet Wong to answer a few questions for us!</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: inherit;"><b>IL: Welcome Janet! How did this book come to be?</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #17365d;"><b>JW:</b> </span></span>When Sylvia and I met together at NCTE in mid-November, we were despondent over the election. As bad as we felt, though, we knew that there were vulnerable children who felt even worse—and we wanted to create a book that would offer comfort and inspiration to them. We hope that HERE WE GO accomplishes this. We decided not to make explicit references to the election and instead to focus broadly on empathy, unity, and social change (in this case, fighting hunger). </div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 0.24in; margin-bottom: 0.17in; margin-top: 0.03in; text-align: left;"><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: inherit;"><b>IL: Wow, that's a book with a BIG idea! Did you encounter any difficulties or challenges?</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #17365d; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b>JW: </b></span></span>For me, a big challenge—but something that I wanted to do—was to put a “Trump supporter” in there. Jack’s dad never is described as a Trump supporter, but—pssst! you heard it here!—he is! I wanted to do this because I believe that Trump supporters were lumped together and dismissed as being all the same—and they’re not. We all have a friend, acquaintance, or family member who voted differently than we did; now is the time to get over it. In order for this country to move forward, I think we need to stop labeling each other as much as we do, and simply to come together as people. That’s what I’d like kids to take away from this book perhaps more than anything. Part of getting over it might require stepping into that person’s shoes or, as Naomi Shihab Nye describes in her poem “Blue Bucket” (the opening poem of the book, found below -- keep reading!), to carry "someone else’s bucket a while.”<br /><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b>IL: What are your hopes for the book?</b></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b>JW:</b> </span></span></span>That HERE WE GO will find its way into the hands of 3rd graders who have been confused or fearful since the election and that it will give them comfort and security to read about kids like themselves: Muslim kids like Ameera, grandkids of immigrants like David, young feminists like Jenna. I also hope that teachers will read this book aloud to classrooms that include kids from conservative families; and when they hear this book, they might start to understand that what they're hearing at home isn’t the only way of thinking. And if my poem “Fake News” gets us ALL thinking more critically, what a much better place this will be!<br /><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you, Janet! I think many of us have these same hopes for our children. Congratulations on the new book... <i>and now let's take a peek inside!</i></span></b></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: inherit;">The PowerPack I'd like to share with all of you today is the one that begins the book.</span></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6ADIkS9IXr..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6ADIkS9IXr..." width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">This spread introduces the pack!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"> THEN we get this wonderfully thoughtful page to help open us up to find our poems... (including my answers to the "easy" ones. ;)</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1VVvYneB3N..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1VVvYneB3N..." width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>JUST IMAGINE</b></span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Imagine if the world were a little different or you were a little different. What would that be like? Choose one of the following questions and draw or doodle your response on the opposite page.</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. If you lived in a country at war, what would your life be like?</span><br /><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">(my answer: I just wrote a whole middle grade novel about this! And I've also just written a series of poems set in Aleppo... bombs, dust, dead bodies, blood, missing parents, demolished buildings, trash everywhere, no bread, powdered milk, no electricity... it's pretty horrifying, and my heart breaks for those actually living it.)</span></i><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would that be?</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. If you could stay home and play all day, what would you choose to do?</span><br /><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">(my answer: read! quilt! write poems! play cello! take a walk! cook - and EAT- good food!)</span></i><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. If you were the leader of your country, what one thing would you like to change?</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. If you didn't have a home, what would your life be like?</span><br /><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">(my answer: there are quite a few books out lately about refugees. See <a href="http://irenelatham.blogspot.com/2016/... post</a>.)</span></i><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">6. If you could change one thing about your family, what would that be?</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">7. If the whole world were listening, what would you like to say?</span><br /><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">(my answer: Thank you. I love you. Forgive me. I forgive you.)</span></i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1J4JaBrQ7z..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1J4JaBrQ7z..." width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">from BLUE BUCKET</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">by Naomi Shihab Nye</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What if, instead of war,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">we shared our buckets</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">of wind and worry?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tell me the story </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">you carry there,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">steeping in old pain</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">and future hope,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">rich with fragrant</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">savory spices,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ginger, turmeric,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">tarragon, find me</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">a spoon in one</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">of your pockets,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">even if we don't</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> speak the same language...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">maybe</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> you hold my bucket</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">a while, see what</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">the handle feels like,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">and I hold yours,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">and maybe both buckets</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">are empty and</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">we trade them forever...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-----------------</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Isn't that lovely? And here is the RESPONSE POEM:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">JENNA</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">IN OUR WRITING JOURNAL</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In our writing journal this week</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">we are supposed to ask,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What if?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It can be something silly, like</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">What if</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I could stay home and play all day</i>?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Or something serious, like</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">What if </span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I didn't even have a home</i>?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most kids are choosing a fun subject</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">and funny answers,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">but I feel like taking a chance</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">and asking a hard question</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">even if I might not like my answer,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">even if I might not have any answer at all.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Janet Wong</span></i></div><div data-canvas-width="268.86972121212125" style="background-color: white; color: transparent; cursor: text; left: 257.778px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0.5; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 369.269px; transform-origin: 0% 0% 0px; transform: scaleX(0.656629); white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div data-canvas-width="198.4570181818182" style="background-color: white; color: transparent; cursor: text; left: 257.778px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0.5; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 566.117px; transform-origin: 0% 0% 0px; transform: scaleX(0.701402); white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div data-canvas-width="203.89284848484849" style="background-color: white; color: transparent; cursor: text; left: 257.778px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0.5; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 598.926px; transform-origin: 0% 0% 0px; transform: scaleX(0.712967); white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div data-canvas-width="334.10812121212115" style="background-color: white; color: transparent; cursor: text; left: 257.778px; margin: 0px; opacity: 0.5; padding: 0px; position: absolute; top: 828.582px; transform-origin: 0% 0% 0px; transform: scaleX(0.617802); white-space: pre;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8zvwUDB7QN..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8zvwUDB7QN..." width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Ameera</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">WHAT IF</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What if -</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">instead of</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">this country and that country,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">this state and that state,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">these people and those people,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">it was just</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">us here and us there?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What if?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">- Janet Wong</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0.24in; margin-bottom: 0.17in; margin-top: 0.03in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: inherit;">----------</span></div><div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 0.24in; margin-bottom: 0.17in; margin-top: 0.03in;">I really love how accessible and timely this book is! I also love how it invites questions and doesn't demand answers. This is what it means to be a poet... to be open to the world, to play with words and to live in the questions. I hope you will include it in your reading and writing practice... also, toward the end of the book there are some great ideas for practical ways kids can start changing the world TODAY. <br /><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="background-color: white; float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZC7qqrCfLv..." imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZC7qqrCfLv..." width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Maggie</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;">If you would like to win a copy of this book, Pomelo Books has generously donated FIVE copies to giveaway! Simply leave a comment by 11:59 pm Tuesday, January 31, 2017 <i>answering one of the above JUST IMAGINE questions</i>, and our cat Maggie will select the winners!</span></div></div><div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0.24in; margin-bottom: 0.17in; margin-top: 0.03in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #17365d; font-family: inherit;">Happy day - go forth and #ReadYourWorld!</span></div></div>