×

LHU faculty’s book named among Notable Poetry Books for 2021

PHOTO PROVIDED The cover for “I’m Feeling Blue, Too!” —a children’s book written and illustrated by LHU professors, is shown.

LOCK HAVEN — The National Council of Teachers of English (NCET) has deemed “I’m Feeling Blue, Too!” one of 25 Notable Poetry Books for 2021. The children’s book, written by Lock Haven University English professor Marjorie Maddox and illustrated by LHU art professor emeritus Philip Huber, was published in August 2020 by Wipf and Stock.

According to the NCTE Excellence in Children’s Poetry Award Committee, “This series of untitled poems, all ruminations on the color blue, are completed by Huber’s detailed, multi-textured illustrations. Blueberries become ‘A/ miniature/ morsel of midnight/ that pops.’ In a lovely blend of alliteration, meter, and slant rhyme, a dragonfly proclaims, ‘My flutter flaps summer/ and hums to the blue firs/ and strums with cicadas/ and hovers by still lakes.’ Another poem ponders patience and precision, chronicling the process by which we ‘weigh/ and decide/ what to make/ from a block/ or a stone/ or a life.’ A lovely addition to a library.”

In 1977, the NCTE Excellence in Children’s Poetry Award Committee was created to recognize the work of outstanding poets who write for children. The selections were deemed notable for their use of language and poetic devices and their appropriateness for children ages 3 to 13, according to the School Library Journal.

The book also was endorsed by celebrated children’s authors David Harrison and Jacqueline Jules. “What do you get when you take a morsel of midnight, a pinch of sky, a splash of sea, a flower petal, a bee-kissed mulberry, the hum of blue firs, and a season with lollipops and a brave knight? … Maddox leads young readers across mood-lifting, make-believe landscapes. Feeling blue has never felt so good,” Harrison said.

“Blast off into the color blue with bubbles, blueberries, birds and a bounce on a trampoline,” Jules said. “Inside this imaginative picture book, young readers will explore the many dimensions of blue and be inspired to paint their own world in a favorite color.”

“I’m Feeling Blue, Too!” is available through Amazon, Bookshop.org, Wipf and Stock publishers and local bookstores.

For more information, visit https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=ncte-2021-notable-books-in-poetry-verse&fbclid=IwAR3903G4EMn-xbs6ybaCT2LxdcRD6eLdT4MRwywQJkj_8grgbW94NTfQm34 or www.marjoriemaddox.com.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

Starting at $3.69/week.

Subscribe Today