About the Holiday
Sometimes you just need a little inspiration or spark of creativity, a loyal friend to give perspective to the ups and downs of the day, and a bit of fun never goes amiss either. Put it all together and you get today’s holiday! Sponsored by Tweetspeak Poetry since 2013, Take Your Poet to Work Day celebrates poets and poetry and gives participants a chance to carry their own favorite poet or poets around with them all day. Ever felt like you’d work better if only Emily Dickinson were watching over you? Or maybe you’d like to spend the day with Langston Hughes. If old, old school is more your style, then you might want William Shakespeare by your side. Tweetspeak has you covered no matter who your favorite poet is with their downloadable coloring book from which you can create popsicle-stick puppets to place on your desk, in your pencil cup, or on your bulletin board. And what if you’re not at work today? That’s okay too. Your poet can go wherever you do! See the day’s activity below for a link to Tweetspeak Poetry’s website and the 2020 Coloring Book as well as much more for poets and aspiring poets.
Finding Treasure: A Collection of Collections
Written by Michelle Schaub | Illustrated by Carmen Saldaña
A girl finds herself with a problem. Her teacher has given the class an assignment to bring something they collect to school. While all the other kids cheer and talk about what their collections, the girl sits at her desk, wondering, in My Collection Conundrum, “It seems that everyone BUT ME / knows just the thing to share. / ‘My jar of marbles.’ / ‘Arrowheads.’ / ‘My favorite teddy bears.’” The little girl has lots of random things at home, but they just don’t add up to a collection. She’s hoping that her family and friends can help.
At home, she asks her mom about her collection. In My Mother’s Button Box, the little girl stands by mesmerized as her mom opens the box. Inside are “shiny ones / of shell and glass. / Pearly circles, / swirls of brass…. / Daisies, paisleys, / bugs, and bows. / Bunnies saved / from baby clothes.” Each is so daintily different that it’s hard to choose a favorite.
Image copyright Carmen Saldaña, 2019, text copyright Michelle Schaub, 2019. Courtesy of Charlesbridge.
Next, the little girl tries to find inspiration in her dad’s train collection. In My Father’s Trains, she waits eagerly while he flips the switch then “round and round the crisscrossed lanes, / engines pull my father’s trains. / Box cars, tankers in a row, / circus cars with beasts in tow, / flatcars hauling toys and cranes….” / Signals flash and whistles blow. / I love to watch the dizzy show / when Daddy runs his model trains, / round and round.” Her sister and brothers have their own special collections, and her grandparents have both amassed items that bring them joy.
Her grandpa keeps his eyes on the ground, searching, in Grampa’s Good Cents, for “a glint of silver / hiding in a sidewalk crack / or / a flash of copper / dropped in the street.” When he does, he stoops to pick it up and examines it carefully “hoping to find / a buffalo nickel, / a Roosevelt dime, / or some other bright prize / to make his set complete. / Gramps always says, / ‘Keep your eyes open wide— / for the treasure you seek / could be right / at / your/ feet.’”
Image copyright Carmen Saldaña, 2019, text copyright Michelle Schaub, 2019. Courtesy of Charlesbridge.
The little girl searches the attic and visits her Auntie Kate, who has lived in states all across the country. She goes to see her friend Asher, who has a collection that moves, and her friend Meg, who collects animal figures of a certain color. While she appreciates their cool collections, for her these aren’t quite right. Even her mail carrier has a collection, but it’s something only he can see. Even when she and her family eat at Mae’s Rise and Shine Diner, she finds a collection.
The girl does a little research and accumulates a few new vocabulary words and then takes a break to go outside and enjoy the warm evening, where in Collecting Stars? “sparks of starlight / dance around the yard,” playing catch us if you can. She tells readers, “I fill a mason jar / and watch the embers / flash and glow…” and then watches as these “specks of light” fill the sky again. In the morning, the girl sits at her desk in her classroom, happy and as enthusiastic as the other kids to share the treasured collection she has decided on.
Image copyright Carmen Saldaña, 2019, text copyright Michelle Schaub, 2019. Courtesy of Charlesbridge.
Michelle Schaub’s charming poems about all kinds of collections will have kids looking at their world in a whole new way. While some readers may already have amassed a collection of their own, much of the delight of Schaub’s poetry is in realizing how many types of collectibles there are and even in what constitutes a collection. Each of Schaub’s poems—some rhymed, some free verse—hold little treasures of their own with enchanting onomatopoeia, evocative synonyms and metaphors, and even snappy dialogue. The array of family, friends, neighbors, and community members and their individual collections will keep kids coming back again and again to this special poetry collection.
Carmen Saldaña’s homey, textured illustrations give a personal touch to each page as people of all ages proudly display their passion for their chosen collectable. Kids will love lingering over the glass cases, gallery walls, and well-stocked shelves to take in all the details of each collection. Saldaña’s work also provides plenty of opportunities for math extensions in counting and sorting. Her lovely color palette shines with warmth and the joy that comes from sharing the individual and the communal pleasure of this favorite hobby.
Sure to inspire children to start a collection of their own or to learn more about the collections of others, Finding Treasure is a perfect book for home, classroom, or public library collections.
Ages 4 – 8
Charlesbridge, 2019 | ISBN 978-1580898751
Discover more about Michelle Schaub and her books on her website.
To learn more about Carmen Saldaña and view a portfolio of her art, visit her website.
Take Your Poet to Work Day Activity
Tweetspeak Poetry Coloring Book
You’ll find this year’s coloring book as well as coloring books from past years and instructions on making your puppets plus writing prompts, teacher’s resources, and much more.
Take Your Poet to Work Coloring Book
You can find Finding Treasure: A Collection of Collections at these booksellers
Amazon | Barnes & Noble| Books-a-Million
To support your local independent bookstore, order from
Picture Book Review
celebratepicturebooks.com 