Poetry Friday Roundup: On Finding Poems with Daniel & Micha Archer!

Hello and Welcome to Poetry Friday Roundup! I'm so glad you're here!!

It's been a busy week with the release of my latest book: FRESH DELICIOUS: Poems from the Farmers' Market. See my interview with illustrator Mique Moriuchi here. Thanks, everyone, for your sweet enthusiasm!

AND if you haven't signed up already, be sure to add your name to the schedule for this year's Progressive Poem! It's lots of fun and a great way to celebrate National Poetry Month, and I do hope you will join us.

Also, please sign up to be included in my annual National Poetry Month tradition of sending by snailmail artsy-poetry postcards! Simply click the link below to add your address.

And now, the reason you're here: you'll find the usual link-up below -- I can't wait to see what poetic goodness everyone will be sharing today!

Me? I've got my latest book-love: DANIEL FINDS A POEM by Micha Archer, from Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin.

Yes, I love this book! Love the art, the words, the message. And you will love it, too... especially when you see all the ways a city park's creatures (spider! squirrel! turtle! cricket!) help Daniel find his poem...

and the spread where Daniel shares his poem with the world? Breathtaking! Silhouette and vibrant city in the distance and all Daniel's friends in attendance. (More on this below!)

It's a perfect book for introducing a poetry unit. I will be using it in school visits for sure! And today, it is my pleasure to welcome author-illustrator Micha Archer to share a little of the backstory about this book.

Welcome Micha!! Here we go...

About DANIEL's beginnings:

Daniel Finds a Poem started backwards from a small drawing I did of a boy on a stage. Rubin Pfeffer, my agent now but who I was wooing at the time, asked if there was a story behind this boy. I decided that I must find a story about what led the boy to the stage.

A quote by Kurt Vonnegut inspired me, “Make your characters want something right away even if it's only a glass of water.” Daniel wants to know what poetry is from the very start of the book.

About choosing the book's structure theme:

In a 32 page book I knew I had about 14 spreads to fill, divided by 2 is 7. Seven days of the week and seven different animal friends help Daniel achieve his goal.

I studied my favorite children’s books to find what it was that made them work and was especially inspired by Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present by Charlotte Zolotow, illustrations by Maurice Sendak about a rabbit and a girl in search of a present for her mother. Throughout the story while learning about color and fruit, they search. The ‘searching’ theme and a final goal struck me as important aspects to a good story. I also loved how the girl and the rabbit had a friendship. For Daniel and his friends, all week Daniel is learning about the animals needs, habitats and poetry and at the end has a poem for the Poetry Reading on Sunday.

About the art:

The illustrations for Daniel are in collage and oil. When working in collage I first create patterned collage papers which then become a palette for the illustrations. When everything is ready and in position, I glue down the layers.

I love the serendipity that comes with collage.


About the transition from "illustrator" to "author-illustrator:"

I have been illustrating for years and have always done my own artwork for fun. I don’t really know if I am a poet but I do love to write. When writing this book I loved the process of divining for the perfect words and found it so like solving a puzzle. It's great fun to be doing both the pictures and the words. I have begun a second Daniel book and have other ideas brewing.

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Thank you, Micha! I can't wait to see what other adventures Daniel will have!

And now, for Roundup:

An InLinkz Link-up