Just before Halloween we got our second cat, partly to keep Cat #1 "entertained" and partly to acknowledge the achievement of our sixth-grader, who soldiered through two nights away from home at Outdoor Ed with her new middle-school peers.He was named Oak by the shelter and the kids decided to keep that name, although at the time I thought Acorn would be more appropriate. No more. At almost 5 months, he resembles our son, long-limbed and lean; when Oak stands on his hind legs to scratch at a fresh section of the parlor sofa his reach comes easily to my hip now. (But I'm short.)
How fortunate that right here in my new copy of Paul B. Janeczko's A Foot in the Mouth I have "A Tomcat Is" by J. Patrick Lewis, newly named winner of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Our Oak now has a model to strive towards, as do we poets--between midnight mouthfuls of marshmallow paws!
A Tomcat Is (excerpts)
J. Patrick Lewis
Night watchman of corners
Caretaker of naps
Leg-wrestler of pillows
Depresser of laps.
...
The bird-watching bandit
On needle-point claws
The chief of detectives
On marshmallow paws
A crafty yarn-spinner
A stringer high-strung
A buttermilk mustache
A sandpaper tongue
....
See the complete poem here and then buy the book! Scholastic resources here and here, if you like that sort of thing.
Today's tasty Poetry Friday round-up is at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup, where I find that she's highlighting J. Pat too. Coincidence, or fate?!?
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Follow-up from last week's gingerbread man post (and thanks to all for the comments on Mrs. Oven's poem):
Here's the recipe I'll be using to make dough today;
baking and photos tomorrow!
Gingerbread Cookies
(6 dozen gingerbread men or 10 dozen stars )
Cream 1 ½ cups shortening with 1 ½ cups sugar.
Beat in 3 eggs, 1 ½ cups dark molasses, 3 T. apple cider or white vinegar.
Add 7 ½ cups flour, 2 ½ t. baking soda, ¾ t. salt, 1 ½ T. ginger,
1 ½ t. each cinnamon and cloves.
Mix thoroughly and form into dough disc. Chill at least 3 hours.
Roll out thin on floured surface with floured rolling pin.
Cut in shapes and bake on parchment-lined cookie sheet 5-6 minutes at 375*.
Definitely fate, or something psychic going on! I hadn't seen "A Tomcat Is" -- the excerpts you've posted are wonderful. Who could not love marshmallow paws or a buttermilk moustache? *pats Oak* Nice kitty!
ReplyDeleteJ. Pat knows his cats! The beat is great, perfect for reading out loud.
ReplyDeleteI love it when cats hit that lanky "teenage" stage. (...although I'm not sure our 18 lb rescue cat was ever lanky...I think he's been a linebacker all his life...)
ReplyDeleteI'll be making dozens and dozens of sugar cookies next weekend. After 20 years of gingerbread people, I decided I wanted to use THE REST of my cookie cutters! So we have holiday armadillos and pigs and bats along with trees and stars and snowflakes. The biggest leap of faith -- I make white icing and let them mix their own colors!