Hop to It!
Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong have done it again! Hop to It is their latest anthology of wonderful and current children’s poetry. This is truly the book kids need right now–a third of the poems are about movement, a third are about the pandemic, and a third are about social justice.
Here’s my poem about juggling a soccer ball.
Footwork for Soccer Players Stuck Inside
(for use with a regular, mini, soft, or imaginary ball)
tip it
tap it
back and forth
trap it
stop it
on the floor
lift it
juggle it
foot to foot
send it
higher
thigh to thigh
higher
still
use your head
count
your touches
as you go
There are other poems sure to get you moving about baseball, baking, making music with your hands, yoga, meditation, and pretending to be a snake!
Many of the poems in the collection are especially powerful because they speak directly to the world we are living in right now. “I Smile with my Eyes” by David McMullin is about the expressions you can see when people are wearing masks. Many poems like “Staycation” by Michelle Schaub are about making the best of our time at home, but others like “Say When” by Leslie Ross-Degnan give voice to our longing for this time of distancing to end. There are also poems like “You Can Do It Right Now” by Janet Wong, “Stand Up” by Christy Mihaly, and “March!” by Suzy Levinson that point to the many ways we can speak up and demand a more just society.
As with every book edited by Sylvia and Janet, there are suggestions for how to read and enjoy the poems, things to notice about them, and additional tidbits of information about the subjects. There are also sweet little drawings by Franzi Paetzold. So…Hop to It get a copy and give a copy of this wonderful new book!
For more poetry Friday, visit Jama’s Alphabet Soup! I’m sure it will be delicious!
Liz
I love the rhythm of the actions in your poem, Liz. And that an actual ball is optional to join the fun. (Probably best for me and my lamps/windows…ahem. 😉
Yes, I will admit I am much better at writing about soccer than I am at playing it!
Fun poem — I could feel an imaginary ball moving from line to line, stanza to stanza. Congrats — looking forward to seeing the new anthology.
So glad you could feel the ball moving!
I love that we both have sports poems in this book, Liz—the main difference being that you know what you’re talking about and I just make stuff up! 😉 This is the kind of rhythmic poem I can see boys and girls having fun reciting out loud as they practice their moves.
Not just in the classroom I mean!
Haha! You definitely knew enough to write a great baseball poem!
Love your soccer poem and know kids will, too. I would love to try acting this out myself and eventually will do it when I visit classrooms again. There are so many poems kids and teachers will want to do again and again. Hop To It is a great addition to anthologies by Janet and Sylvia. (PS I am excited to have a poem in it, too, and being in one with you adds to that!)
Thanks so much for helping us spread the word about HOP TO IT and for your wonderful “Footwork” poem! Next, we need a demo video to accompany your poem! 😉
This sounds so good!
Such a cute poem. Congratulations, Liz. I will be checking this book out.
It’s great to see another soccer poem from you, Liz. Love that rhythm that’s perfect for that soccer playing with the ball! My young neighbor’s team finally started back again & he is so happy about it.
Love the rhythm of your soccer poem! There are so many wonderful poems in the anthology. It’s so much fun to read everyone’s poems and all the activities that go along with them.
Liz, your poem is another example of a lively one that will get children to not only read it aloud but demonstrate the moves in real time. Thanks for your glimpse into the other poems in the book. This book should be a popular one in classrooms.
Harder than it looks? I’m sure this poem will tempt many kids to get moving. Congratulations! This is a wonderful book.
I love the shape of the poem. Your love of soccer comes through.
This is a wonderful summary with well-chosen highlights, Liz. Good to be in this with you and so many others keeping the kids’ perspective in mind.
I love that you came back to soccer for your poem in this fantastic book!
Another lovely, lively, addition, Liz!
I can juggle a lot longer with an imaginary ball than a real one! Nice that someone wrote a poem about expressions you can see when people are wearing masks… Sylvia and Janet are so open-hearted and generous with their efforts to help kids navigate new situations.