A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

As part of my Cybils panelist responsibilities, I've been reading Julie Andrews' TREASURY FOR ALL SEASONS: Poems and Songs to Celebrate the Year.

Generally I am not in favor of "celebrity" books, because they hog the media attention and publisher's marketing dollars, and the masses buy them simply because they're familiar, and the not-yet-famous, perhaps never-to-be-famous have an even more difficult time finding readers for their oh so beautiful books....

But. This one has such cheerful illustrations and so many lovely poems, and I like the way it is organized first, by month, then with special sections for "other celebrations & special occasions." And hello, there's song lyrics. Some of the best poetry EVER is found in songs, so I especially appreciate its inclusion here.

My favorite? Yep, a song. Lyrics and music by Fred Ebb and Jon Kander, from the section in the book titled "Coming of Age/Rites of Passage"

A Quiet Thing

When it comes all true,
Just the way you planned,
It's funny, but the bells don't ring.
It's a quiet thing.
When you hold the world
In your trembling hand,
You'd think you'd hear a choir sing.
It's a quiet thing.
There are no exploding fireworks
Where's the roaring crowds?
Maybe it's the strange new atmosphere,
'Way up here among the clouds.
But I don't hear the drums,
I don't hear the band,
The sounds I'm told such moments bring,
Happiness comes in on tiptoe.
Well, whatd'ya know!
It's a quiet thing,
A very quiet thing.

Listen to Eileen Farrell singing it on youtube!

And, because I've been wanting to share them, and Julie Andrews brings them to mind, here are a few of my favorite recent things, all somehow related to the release of DON'T FEED THE BOY:


"elephant" quilt from Pat
Framed signatures & messages from friends
and readers and loved ones who came to book release events
"Whit" doll from Phyllis
...and here's Whit with Ludelphia, the heroine
from LEAVING GEE'S BEND (also a gift, and one
of my favorite things). Don't the look cute together?!
Wishing everyone a happy Poetry Friday! Roundup is with one of my favorite poets Amy at The Poem Farm.