We’ve partnered with the Academy of American Poets to celebrate National Poetry Month–check out their website if you haven’t before, but be aware you could lose a few hours reading! Here are 15 poems selected for children, for National Poetry Month, by The Academy of American Poets. Thank you, Academy! We hope you, our readers, enjoy spending time exploring these poems, embedded below, and that you feel inspired to produce your own. “El Florida Room” by Richard Blanco Richard Blanco is the Academy of American Poets’ Education Ambassador, and in 2013, he was selected to write a poem for Barack Obama’s second inauguration. In this interview from 2013, he shares his writing process, his poetic influences, and his thoughts about poetry’s place in America. “When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities” by Chen Chen Find more poetry resources for teen readers, including roundups of poems about gender, relationships, and identity. “A Way of Seeing” by Kwame Dawes Read more poems about family. “Heart to Heart” by Rita Dove Read more poems about different kinds of love. “A Small Needful Fact” by Ross Gay Read more poems exploring the themes of social justice, identity, and human rights. “Knoxville, Tennessee” by Nikki Giovanni Find more selections of poems for kids. “breaking away to the u.s.” by José B. González Read more poems exploring the themes of immigration and heritage. “Remember” by Joy Harjo Watch a video of the poet reading this poem. “Fast Break” by Edward Hirsch Read more poems about sports. Watch a video of the poet reading this poem. “Three Foxes by the Edge of the Field at Twilight” by Jane Hirshfield Watch a video of the poet reading this poem. “Amphibians” by Joseph O. Legaspi Read more poems involving nature as a subject or a metaphor. “How to Triumph Like a Girl” by Ada Limón Read more poems about animals. “Wrap” by Aimee Nezhukumatathil Watch a video of the poet talking about the poem that brought her to poetry. “Famous” by Naomi Shihab Nye Read more poems by Naomi Shihab Nye. “The Dogs at Live Oak Beach, Santa Cruz” by Alicia Ostriker Watch a video of the poet reading this poem. Which poem do you like the most? Share your thoughts below!
Stone Soup Editors' Notes
Young Composer Nathan Grabow, age 12
Nathan Grabow, a young American composer and pianist performs his original composition entitled Concertino in G Minor for Piano and Strings. He wrote the piece when he was twelve years old and is thirteen at the time of this performance with the Marywood University String Project Presto Orchestra, which is a youth orchestra. Nathan plays the piano in this performance. This well written, award winning Tango titled, “A Collaborative Conversation” was composed by a 12 year old prodigy with the clarinet and piano used for the instrumentation. He studies composition under the direction of world renowned composer, Narong Prangcharoen. https://youtu.be/rPct8V6prfQ
A brief history of the Vietnam War
A Brief History of the Vietnam War Note: This is background history for people reading the story My Country and the Way to America written by a child who escaped Vietnam on a boat and was finally settled in America, and using the Stone Soup teaching resource associated with it. Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia. It borders China, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia. In the mid-1800s France conquered Vietnam along with Thailand and Cambodia. This area of French control was called French Indochina. Vietnam was therefore a French colony. 88 During World War II (1940-1945) the Japanese controlled Vietnam. After the defeat of the Japanese in 1945 French Indonesia broke up into its separate countries and in Vietnam a new war started because the French tried to reassert their control over Vietnam. Too many people in Vietnam wanted independence. The French were defeated in 1954 and withdrew from Vietnam. The story is a more complicated than this, but for a basic introduction to the Vietnam War, th war that began against the French continued after their defeat and their eventual replacement by the United States as the foreign power fighting for control of Vietnam. The United States was not trying to make Vietnam a colony, but as the victor in the war against the Japanese the Americans were looking for as much of Asia as possible to be friendly to the United States. At this time much of the world was dividing into two political camps — Capitalism where private property was the rule — and Communism where the government owned most or all of the property. Vietnam was moving towards Communism and the United States did not want that to happen. In 1973, when I was just finishing college, the United States was defeated and Vietnam became an independent country. As it has turned out communism itself changed and became more capitalistic. The US is now friendly with Vietnam. There is peace between these two former enemies. The story of the Vietnam War is long and complex. You can read about it in the Wikipedia. You may also want to look for books sin the library and discuss the war with your parents. Many Americans have very strong views about the American involvement in Vietnam. There are some who think it was a very good idea and are sorry for the American defeat. Many others think it was an awful idea, and are glad the war ended. During the time of the war there were many demonstrations in the United States against it. By the time the war ended a majority of the American people were opposed to the wear. This said, the Vietnam War stirs up strong emotions in the United States, and in other countries as well. What is important to understand for this project is that in the end, whatever the merits of war that may be declared by governments and politicians, children and their families always become the majority of victims. Wars, and in this case the end of a war, often leads to huge numbers of people fleeing. After the American defeat large numbers of Vietnamese were desperate to leave Vietnam and many escaped the country illegally on boats. Today, when I write this, it is May, 2016. One million people fled wars to Europe last year, most of them at one point in their journey crossed water on substandard boats. As I write this, boats like those described in one of the stories here are on the Mediterranean Sea heading to Europe. Many people end up drowning as do people in the story, “My Country and the Way to America.” Escape under terrible circumstances from war and its consequences is, unfortunately, something that is a universal characteristic of all wars.
