Month: September 2015

A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt, Guests-Amy Ludwig VanDerwater and Daughter, Georgia

September 25, 2015
Ants may rule the hill, but they don’t rule here! Art by Landon (Click to Enlarge)
Ants may rule the hill, but they don’t rule here! Art by Landon (Click to Enlarge)

Hello, Great Readers of our series! Just In case you haven’t visited before, let me tell you a little about A Great Nephew and A Great Aunt. My great nephew, Landon (a sixth-grader) and I (his great aunt) collaborate. I write a poem which he illustrates. We started this collaboration in the fall of 2014 and have had so much fun with it that we decided to invite others along. Landon and I will continue to have a new episode on the second Friday of each month. The other Fridays are filling up quickly with guests.
I have created a page on my website to view all the episodes of A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt. Click HERE to visit the page and enjoy past episodes.

Today it is my pleasure to share a creative collaboration from . . .

Amy Ludwig VanDerwater and her daughter, Georgia

From Amy: This colored pencil drawing was a gift from Georgia to me this past Mother’s Day, 2015, and I could not feel luckier to have it.  When I was a girl, I never believed that homemade gifts were really my mom’s favorite, but now, as a mom, I believe it with my whole heart.  I adore the beauty and whimsy, the magic and reverence for nature in this piece of art…it all reminds me of Georgia herself.  I like to look at the girl in this beautiful wood, imagining for a bit that she is me.

Art by Georgia

Forest Georgia 2015 (1) copy
Art by Georgia VanDerwater

Poem by AmyThe Girl Who Loved Birds - Revised (1) copy

Special Treat: One thing I love about visiting Amy’s website is the fact that I can listen to her read her poems. She records her poems and includes the recordings in her posts. So today you have the privilege of hearing Amy read The Girl Who Loved Birds.

From Amy: I am grateful to Georgia for sharing her gifts with us and grateful to Penny for offering this opportunity.  Taking the time to think and reflect upon Georgia’s piece was a gift in itself!

Many thanks to Amy and Georgia for sharing their special collaboration with us today. It was magical.

Georgia and Amy copy
Meet Georgia: Georgia VanDerwater is a writer and artist and creative soul.  She volunteers at Messinger Woods, a wildlife care and information center, enjoys exploring and learning about the outdoors, and is involved in theatre, both onstage and off.  A sophomore in high school, Georgia reads constantly, often rereading old favorites.  You can find her cuddling pets and cracking up her friends and family any day of the week.

Meet Amy: Amy Ludwig VanDerwater is author of FOREST HAS A SONG and the forthcoming EVERY DAY BIRDS, READ! READ! READ!, WITH MY HANDS , and DREAMING OF YOU.  She is co-author of the second grade poetry book in the Heinemann UNITS OF STUDY FOR TEACHING WRITING, has taught writing to teachers and students for seventeen years, and blogs poems at The Poem Farm and notebooks at Sharing Our Notebooks.  Find her online at www.amyludwigvanderwater.com.

Thanks to Janet for hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup today at Poetry for Children.  If you’d like to know more about Poetry Friday, click HERE for an explanation by Renee LaTulippe.

poetry friday button

Sandy Lowe and Her Seven Year-Old Granddaughter, Mary

September 18, 2015
Ants may rule the hill, but they don’t rule here! Art by Landon (Click to Enlarge)
Ants may rule the hill, but they don’t rule here! Art by Landon (Click to Enlarge)

Hello, Great Readers of our series! Just In case you haven’t visited before, let me tell you a little about A Great Nephew and A Great Aunt. My great nephew, Landon (a sixth-grader) and I (his great aunt) collaborate. I write a poem which he illustrates. We started this collaboration in the fall of 2014 and have had so much fun with it that we decided to invite others along. Landon and I will continue to have a new episode on the second Friday of each month. The other Fridays are filling up quickly with guests.
I have created a page on my website to view all the episodes of A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt. Click HERE to visit the page and enjoy past episodes.

Today it is my pleasure to share a creative collaboration from . . .

Sandy Lowe and  her granddaughter, Mary

Poem by SandySlide1

Art by Mary

Mary's art
Art by Mary

Yum! A box filled with ice cream to share sounds wonderful, Sandy. And Mary drew the drips just right.

Many thanks to Sandy and Mary for sharing their collaboration with us today.

Mary's Recital with Sandy and Gary
Mary with Grammy and Papa G

 

Meet Mary: Mary Lowe is seven years old, born in Abilene, Texas. She has many talents in addition to her art, which include swimming, playing the violin, and decorating cupcakes.

Meet Sandy: Mary’s Grammy, Sandy Lowe, also lives in Abilene. She has published one story for kids, “Patrick the Pickle,” which was published by Gannett Publishing’s, “Pennywhistle Press.” Sandy bakes the cupcakes so Mary can decorate them.

 

Thank you to Michelle Heidenrich Barnes for hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup at Today’s Little Ditty. If you’d like to know more about Poetry Friday, click HERE for an explanation by Renee LaTulippe.

A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt-Landon and Penny

September 11, 2015
Ants may rule the hill, but they don’t rule here! Art by Landon (Click to Enlarge)
Ants may rule the hill, but they don’t rule here! Art by Landon (Click to Enlarge)

Hello, Great Readers of our series! Just In case you haven’t visited before, let me tell you a little about A Great Nephew and A Great Aunt. My great nephew, Landon (a fifth-grader) and I (his great aunt) collaborate. I write a poem which he illustrates. We started this collaboration last fall and have had so much fun with it that we decided to invite others along. Landon and I will continue to have a new episode on the second Friday of each month. The other Fridays are filling up quickly with guests.
I have created a page on my website to view all the episodes of A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt. Click HERE to visit the page and enjoy past episodes.

I’ll start today’s episode with a story. This summer Landon and his Nanna (my sister) spent five days with my husband and I. Landon came to attend an art camp and my sister came along to visit. Landon had a great time at the art camp, of course! On the last day of camp he had completed his projects a little early so he asked the teacher to name something for him to draw. Anything. She said, “OK. An elephant robot and a mutant dog-fish.” Pretty good challenge. But she said Landon whipped this out in no time at all. This is his vision complete with the elephant robot using his trunk as a laser shooter.

Landon’s Elephant Robot and Mutant Dog-Fish

elephant robot
Art by Landon

Just look at the detail. Pretty amazing, huh? The elephant’s ears are incredible. I love that he has the two of them battling in a coliseum. Landon’s a great artist. No matter what kind of poems I’ve written he’s come through with wonderful illustrations. So for today’s episode I thought it would be fun to bring back some of Landon’s art from our past collaborations on A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt. I’ve written rhyming titles for the display 🙂 Enjoy your visit to . . .

The Landon GallerySlide01Slide02Slide03Slide04Slide05Slide06Slide07Slide08Slide09Slide10

I hope you enjoyed your tour of the The Landon Gallery. Come back any time. Admission is FREE 😀

On a more serious note-I hope you’ll pause today to remember those who lost loved ones in the 9-11 tragedy.

Thanks to Robyn Hood Black for hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup at her blog, Life on the Deckle Edge. If you’d like to know more about Poetry Friday, click HERE for an explanation by Renee LaTulippe.poetry friday button

 

Kirsti Call and Daughter, Sydney

September 4, 2015
Ants may rule the hill, but they don’t rule here! Art by Landon (Click to Enlarge)
Ants may rule the hill, but they don’t rule here! Art by Landon (Click to Enlarge)

Hello, Great Readers of our series! Just in case you haven’t visited before, let me tell you a little about A Great Nephew and A Great Aunt. My great nephew, Landon (a sixth-grader) and I (his great aunt) collaborate. I write a poem which he illustrates. We started this collaboration in the fall of 2014 and have had so much fun with it that we decided to invite others along early in 2015. Landon and I will continue to have a new episode on the second Friday of each month. The other Fridays I host guests. I have created a page on my website to view all the episodes of A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt. Click HERE to visit the page and enjoy past episodes.

Today it is my pleasure to share a creative collaboration from . . .

Kirsti Call and her daughter, Sydney

Poem by KirstiSlide1

Art by Sydney
Taking a Chance

Syd's Sketch copy
Art by Sydney Call

I have another special treat. Calling Out is the Call family band. Today we have the privilege of hearing Sydney sing a song she wrote when she was only 6 years old. She wrote the song after being bullied and it packs a powerful message. You can read more about it HERE. And notice that Mom is on guitar!

Many thanks to Kirsti and Sydney for sharing their talents with us today.

 

Syd and Me laughing copy
Meet Sydney: Sydney Call is an 9 year old artist, greek mythology enthusiast and backyard chicken farmer. When she was 6, she wrote a song that sparked the creation of the family band, Calling Out.  She plays the guitar and has read the entire Percy Jackson series at last 5 times.

Syd and me copy
Meet Kirsti: Kirsti Call is a homeschooling mom of five.  Her debut picture book, The Raindrop Who Couldn’tzFall, came out December 2013. Her family band, Calling Out, plays songs written by her children. She contributes to Writer’s Rumpus, and Kids are Writers.  If you visit her house, you’ll likely find her reading. You can find out more about her at www.kirsticall.com or on Facebook or Twitter

 

Thanks to Linda Baie for hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup at Teacher Dance. If you’d like to know more about Poetry Friday, click HERE for an explanation by Renee LaTulippe.poetry friday button