by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, illustrated by Ryan O’Rourke; WordSong/Boyds Mills & Kane, 2020.
Write! Write! Write! is the satisfying companion to Read! Read! Read!. This collection of brightly illustrated, kid-friendly poems celebrates the empowerment, wonder–and the work–of writing.
“I want to write, but more than that, I want to bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in my heart.”—Anne Frank
Why this Book? Why will it matter to kids?
Amy’s latest collection of poems engages young students, drawing them into the subject of writing with fanciful, playful, and thoughtful pieces that reflect on the satisfaction, the frustration, the enlightenment, and the power found in the act of writing.
Amy is a skilled teacher of poetry and a master at reaching and impacting young writers and readers. This subject-specific collection offers a delightful selection of poems to share with children on a topic that often confounds or intimidates. Leave it to Amy to enlighten and brighten the path.
Grade level: Grades K-4
Social-Emotional Learning Themes
Tenacity, perseverance, persistence, play, inspiration, encouragement, acceptance, perspective, self-reliance, respect, effort, understanding, connection, self-assurance, dedication, resourcefulness, self-awareness
Content Area Connections
English Language Arts
Using This Book in the Classroom
Hit the Ground Running
Ready Resources for Educators, Homeschoolers, and Parents
Write! Write! Write! book page can be found on Amy’s website here.
Write! Write! Write! book trailer.
Write! Write! Write! Butterfly Pencil Template.
Write Away!
Ideas to prompt writing
Write! Write! Write! offers young learners a number of poems that are perfect prompts for specific writing activities, such as thank you notes, opinion pieces, and formula poems.
Selections in this joyful collection, such as “How to Begin,” “Revision Is…,” and “Final Edit” offer insight and invite discussion and experimentation with various aspects of the writing process.
Poems such as “Truth” speak to the power of words to help us connect, as well as to enable us to look within. (See below, following interview with Amy.)
llustration © Ryan O’Rourke
Illustration © Ryan O’Rourke
Read “Timeline” with very young students to introduce a sentence writing activity. If you have word dice, build “a tower of words” to create sentences. Visit The Poem Farm to see how Amy uses word dice to create a poem a day during National Poetry Month 2020.
Share “Same Feeling” with intermediate students to explain and help overcome the snag of “writer’s block.” Amy makes an apt, concrete comparison children will relate to in this simple but effective poem-explanation.
Begin a creative writing session with “Anything Can Grow” and link the power of imagination to the satisfaction of creating an individual work of art.
Illustration © Ryan O’Rourke
Poetry Break
Related poetry to recite before or following the reading of this book
Poetry breaks fit perfectly into brief moments in the day—from opening or closing the daily morning meeting to lining up for lunch; from zipping up backpacks and jackets to transitioning from one subject to the next. Reading a poem typically takes less than a minute, yet it can introduce or reinforce a concept, celebrate language, exemplify rhythm, enhance vocabulary, expand understanding, increase attention span, initiate reflection, or summon a giggle. And, poetry soothes the spirit.
National Poetry Month takes place in April. This annual celebration of poetry was introduced in 1996 as a way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry. It is organized by the Academy of American Poets. In a nod to National Poetry Month, I have compiled a list of recently published poetry collections of note:
For younger children:
- In the Woods by David Elliott, illustrated by Rob Dunlavey
- Just Like Me by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
- My First Book of Haiku Poems: A Picture, a Poem, and a Dream: Classic Poems by Japanese Haiku Masters translated by Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen, illustrated by Tracy Gallup
For older children:
- Cast Away: poems for our time by Naomi Shihab Nye
- On the Horizon: World War II Reflections by Lois Lowry, illustrated by Kenard Pak
- With A Star in My Hand: Rubén Darío, Poetry Hero by Margarita Engle
For all ages:
- Dictionary For A Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini
In the spirit of celebrating National Poetry Month with us, Amy offers a few recommendations of noteworthy poetry collections and explains why she has chosen to highlight them:
A Jar of Tiny Stars: Poems by NCTE Award-Winning Poets edited by Bernice E. Cullinan and Another Jar of Tiny Stars: Poems by More NCTE Award-Winning Poets edited by Bernice E. Cullinan and Deborah Wooten are fabulous introductions to many beloved children’s poets.
Oh, Brother! by Nikki Grimes is a picture book story told in poems. The writing is incredible, and the story melts my heart.
Climbing Shadows: Poems for Children by Shannon Bramer is a collection of poems inspired by kindergarten children. There is a magic here, and I want to learn from it.
One at a Time by David McCord is a joy to read aloud, and it speaks to my playful child-heart.
“I could go on and on and on here,” Amy adds. “I love the work of Naomi Shihab Nye, Irene Latham, Jason Reynolds, James Stevenson, Joyce Sidman, and many many more! “
A terrific poetry-centric weekly resource online is Poetry Friday, powered by Kidlitosphere Central, the Society of Bloggers in Children’s and Young Adult Literature . Each Friday, a league of children’s poets and bloggers who love poetry contribute poems or chat about something poetical. One blogger gathers all the posts each week so that poetry aficionados can conveniently read posts on a favorite subject. For the 2020 National Poetry Month Kidlitosphere Events Roundup, visit Jama’s Alphabet Soup.
Listed below are recommendations for poetry handbooks for educators. See additional suggested resources in my previous poetry-focused blog posted earlier this month.
- Opening a Door: Reading Poetry in the Middle School Classroom by Paul B. Janeczko
- Poetry Matters: Writing a Poem From the Inside Out by Ralph Fletcher
- Wishes, Lies And Dreams: Teaching Children to Write Poetry by Kenneth Koch
Amy adds:
“Awakening the Heart: Exploring Poetry in Elementary and Middle School by Georgia Heard has been a great inspiration to me.”
“Starting with Little Things by Ingrid Wendt is filled with perfect and simple ways to begin writing poems.”
“Poems Please: Second Edition by Bill Moore and David Booth is a full, rich resource for teaching poetry.”
“My own Poems Are Teachers: How Studying Poetry Strengthens Writing in All Genres brings together my interest in craft (thank you, Katie Wood Ray) and poetry (thank you, Lee Bennett Hopkins). Note: Each Friday this month (April, 2020) in a nod to National Poetry Month, Heinemann is giving away a copy of Amy’s resource book to someone who comments during that week at The Poem Farm.
And Then There’s This…
Enrichment activities, related books, online resources, craft projects, and ideas for further study
Amy hosts two outstanding child, educator, and parent-friendly blogs brimming with resources, The Poem Farm and Sharing Our Notebooks, and also maintains an engaging website. The various tabs across the top of the homepage of each site leads visitors to an extensive array of materials, poems and poem activities, blog posts, videos, web links, book trailers, and more.
During this learning-at-home time, Amy is offering brief, weekday writing chats from Betsy the Writing Camper on YouTube. Find these here.
Betsy the Writing Camper
About the Author
Amy Ludwig VanDerwater’s books include: Forest Has a Song, Every Day Birds, Read! Read! Read!, Poems Are Teachers, With My Hands, Dreaming of You, Write! Write! Write!, and more on the way. A graduate of Teachers College, Columbia University, former fifth grade teacher, and writing teacher of over twenty years, Amy leads school assemblies, offers writing workshops for all ages, and speaks frequently at conferences. She lives with her family in an old farmhouse in Western New York, where she makes all kinds of projects and messes. Find Amy online sharing poetry bits at her popular classroom blogs The Poem Farm and Sharing Our Notebooks and on Twitter and Instagram @amylvpoemfarm.
Q&A with Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
My long-time writer friend Amy generously took time out of her busy day to respond to a few questions about Write! Write! Write! and her writing career.
Judy Bradbury: How did you come to write Write! Write! Write!? (That’s a lot of write-s in that sentence ! ) What kernel seeded its creation?
Amy Ludwig VanDerwater: I have been a writing teacher for a long time and a person who loves writing for even longer. I see this book as the marriage of these two parts of my life. Write! Write! Write! brought my two worlds together in such a happy way.
JB: Tell about one hurdle you experienced in the creation of Write! Write! Write! or provide a memorable (or humorous!) anecdote related to the making of this book.
ALV: The poem “Opinion” is based on the words of many children. I am a traveling writing teacher, and again and again over the past few years, young writers have expressed their opinion to me that they wish adults would look at their faces…not their phones. I cannot get that out of my mind. I wish the same thing, and I strive to keep my head up.
JB: The poems in Write! Write! Write! get at the heart of the joys—and the hurdles—of writing. Which of the poems are especially meaningful to you? Why?
ALV: My mom taught me the importance of writing thank you notes, so “Thank You Notes” makes me smile. There is much to be thankful for, and I enjoyed writing imaginary notes to snips of my life. Normally I wouldn’t write a note to my socks or to a butterfly…but in a poem I can.
The last poem, “Truth” is a little mysterious, and since I love the mystery of poetry (where do the lines COME from?), I have a fondness for the lines of this poem which surprised me.
JB: What did you learn from creating Write! Write! Write!?
ALV: I learned the same thing I always learn: I have a long way to go as a writer! And too, I love this work.
JB: What would surprise readers to learn about you or about the creation of Write! Write! Write!?
ALV: Many of the poems are not new for this book. I have shared weekly poems at my blog The Poem Farm since 2010, and every once in a while I look at them all and ask, “Could any of these make a book?” After Read! Read! Read! (2017) was received well, it was time to gather up some old and write some new poems. Sometimes books come together over years.
JB: What do you hope readers will take away from Write! Write! Write!?
ALV: I would be happiest if after reading the book, a reader picked up a pen and paper and got to writing!
JB: How do you see Write! Write! Write! connecting to curriculum?
ALV: Regardless of how old a writer is, we each face the same joys and struggles. When I stare at the blank page, my feeling of uncertainty is no different than the feeling of a seven-year-old writer who wonders how to begin. When someone reads my work and appreciates it (or not), I am momentarily lifted or crushed. Revision can be terrifying and also liberating. The work is the same, no matter our age, and it is my hope that teachers of writing and young writers alike will recognize their own journey in these pages.
JB: Write! Write! Write! is a companion to Read! Read! Read!. Will there be a third book in this collection?
ALV: I am guessing not, though my wonderful late teacher, Lee Bennett Hopkins, wrote these generous words to me last May:
I hope you are working on still another collection. We need your words. Maybe Think, Think, Think?
Poems about things we should or do think about? Think about the possibilities.
(Highlights are his.)
JB: What is one question you wish I had asked, and what is your answer?
ALV: What’s next?
Answer: My next book is That Missing Feeling with Magination Press (January 2021). Illustrated by Morena Forza, this book follows Mia as she discovers how writing can help her make sense of her feelings after her parents divorce.
Illustration © Ryan O’Rourke
About the Illustrator
Ryan O’Rourke is the illustrator of several children’s books. Read about his process creating the art for Read! Read! Read! here.
News & Updates
April marks one year since the Children’s Book Corner blog began. In celebration of the one year anniversary, comment on any of the other blog posts published this year to be entered in a drawing to win one of the featured books. Thanks to all subscribers for a wonderful first year!!
And…the winner of a copy of Tag Your Dreams by Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Iris Deppe is Marsha Hayles. Thank you to Jacqueline for kindly providing a copy of her book for this purpose.
Tune into “Kindness 101” hosted by CBS correspondent Steve Hartman. This half-hour interactive online class for kids features lessons based on stories from “On the Road.” Learn more here.
Look for an Educator’s Guide for Hosea Plays On by Kathy Blasi and Shane W. Evans here on my website and on Kathy’s website here.
Listen to Kathy read aloud Hosea Plays On here, available from Sterling until the end of April 2020.
Fabulous, Amy! Thank you again, Judy, for introducing us all to another wonderful book. I especially love the poem “Truth.” I admire how the first three verses give us concrete images to imagine, each with its own little surprise. Then that final verse allows us to jump away and into our own imagination to use the key Amy has so generously shared.
Wonderful! Congratulations, Amy, on another special book and to Judy for another great interview.
Dear Marsha, It is always an honor and a pleasure to have you visit and comment on the Children’s Book Corner blog! You mention here one of my favorite poems in Amy’s new collection, and of course as an esteemed poet yourself, your enlightening comments about the poem shed light on Amy’s estimable talents. I can imagine teachers using your breakdown of the poem with their students as they engage them in embarking on writing their own truths!
I love that–in addition to your wonderful comments and questions, Judy–you provide links for us to experience more of the author you have spotlighted. I have just spent some pleasurable time looking at Amy’s video chats with learn-at-home students (broken up by grade level), encouraging them to write poems and share thoughts about spring. Amy, you are a delight and a wonder!
Hi Vivian! I absolutely agree that Amy is a delight and a wonder. She provides educators, parents, and children with a multitude of writing activities on her two blogs. It was my pleasure to feature Amy this month on Children’s Book Corner. Thank you for joining us!