Poetry in Steel—April is national poetry month
March 30, 2015
The Eiffel Tower opened to the public March 31, 1889. In honor of April officially designated as National Poetry Month, here is one of my favorite poems about the Eiffel Tower, which has always made me think the tower is no less than poetry in steel.
The Eiffel Tower
If I wanted to see the Eiffel tower
I’d pick one photo
of the hundreds,
of thousands
ever taken
Taken from every possible angle
In every light available
From down, down, beneath,
and from up, up, above
From an apartment balcony
late at night
with a glass of wine
in one hand.
But, I don’t want to see the Eiffel tower; No!
Instead; I want to see
The laugh lines
of the man who built it
Or the rosy cheeked child
on the corner street
wishing that they were bigger
than they already sadly were,
Or the imprints
of a new-born goat’s feet
in the red, red sand,
of West Africa.
I’d want to see
‘from whence he came’
and ‘from whence he goes’ “
and what home really is again.
I’d want to see
What it means
to see Something more.
Although I am unable to find the author of this poem, I am grateful it was written.
Diane is quoted in South China Morning Post column “Fiction unlocks a more meaningful world for young readers.”
March 15, 2015
Diane stressed the importance of exposing children to quality literature that offer stories rich in vocabulary, with characters that readers care about and care about what happens to them. Diane flagged the genre of Bibliotherapy, which offers books that are written with a direct message of how to cope or how to respond to a […]
Diane is quoted at an evening program with Madeline Levine for Bring Me A Book in Hong Kong
March 12, 2015
“The Greatest gift we can give our children is our attention. Reading and talking about a story creates a strong parent-child bond and is the attention children need to thrive.” Talking with children about the stories they read gives children the words they need to make sense of the world and better understand themselves. What […]
John Dewey, Dr. Seuss & a one room schoolhouse in Armenia Colombia
March 2, 2015
A one room rural schoolhouse in Colombia has much to teach us about the schools children need to be successful learners. Nueva Escuela’s curriculum is predicated on the belief that children learn best by doing, rather than being endlessly drilled for national exams. It is unfortunate and surprising that Escuela Nueva is almost unknown in […]
Diane quoted in South China Morning Press
February 25, 2015
Diane was recently in Hong Kong working with Bring Me A Book, the leading advocate for family literacy in Hong Kong. Here is an excerpt from an article in the South China Morning Press “Diane Frankenstein, a child literacy expert, guides parents and teachers in the art of conversational reading as an excellent way to […]
