Welcome to Tuesday’s post!

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I’m afraid to even say it out loud but

“Everything seems to be running smoothly…”

I say while knocking on my wooden desk!

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Our Facebook critique groups are signed up and submissions for this week have begun.  We continue to grow daily in numbers of those registering and those requesting to join the Facebook group. We have over 150 people registered as of last night!

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Please check out the Facebook Group as we have a wonderful group of generous members who are sharing lots and lots of resources that aren’t listed on this blog. I want to also say welcome to several of our guest bloggers who have joined the group. Thank you SO much for your support of RhyPiBoMo!

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Before we get going today, I want to say thank you to my friend Gayle Wing O’Donnell, a very talented artist and friend who created the logo for this event. I held a small contest last November and she won the opportunity to create the logo with her lovely parchment background and Willy S. boldly proclaiming “The rhyme’s the thing wherein we speak the words and let them sing”

Thank you so much Gayle!

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So, without further ado, I’m honored to present today’s

Golden Quill Guest Blogger

Corey Rosen Schwartz

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Primed for Rhyme

I used to think that there were two types of books: plot-driven and character driven. Then, I met Simone Kaplan at an SCBWI conference and was told that my manuscripts actually fall into a third category: language-driven.

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I love words.

Big words.

BOLD WORDS.

Swirly words.

STOUT words.

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I am much better at stringing together a lovely lyrical line of words than I am at creating a quirky character or compelling plot.

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Sometimes my writing partner will say to me, “Maybe we should write this PB in prose?” And my response is always, “And maybe Derek Jeter should play for the Jets?”
Rhyme is what I do best. Why would I abandon the best weapon in my arsenal?
Here’s how you know you should be a rhymer.

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1

Do you adore alliteration?
Inside a cramped and crowded coop,
a busy brood was packing.
Folding, cramming, suitcase-jamming,
sorting, stuffing, stacking.
Repeat consonant sounds to tickle the tongue.

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Do you worship word play?
He scrambled up the window blinds
he nibble-nipped the seats.
he dangled from the chandeliers
and swiss-cheesed Sherlock’s sheets.

 Play with parts of speech to stretch the imagination.
As night approached, his comic heroes
set his thoughts a-tickin’.
“Batgoose wouldn’t duck and hide.
I’m small, but I’m no chicken!”

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Play with puns to add some fun.

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Does gibberish make you squibberish?
One blustery, gustery,
dustery day,
a hippo named Grace
gazed out at the gray.
There are 988, 968 in the English language. But why let that hold you back? If you find that there is a gap in the lexicon, fill it in yourself!
Sprinkle in some gibberish to make your story stand out.

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If you answered “yes” to these questions, then your

mind may be primed for rhyme

So, cherish that talent and run with it.

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Bio:
Corey Rosen Schwartz is the author of The Three Ninja Pigs, Goldi Rocks & The Three Bears and the forthcoming Ninja Red Riding Hood. Her singing is extremely pitchy, but she does hold Family Idol and X Factor events in her living room.

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Some of Corey’s awesome books:

 

                

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HOP! PLOP! (Walker, 2006)
THE THREE NINJA PIGS (Putnam, 2012)
GOLDI ROCKS & THE THREE BEARS (Putnam, Feb 2014)
NINJA RED RIDING HOOD (Putnam, July 2014)

WHAT ABOUT MOOSE? (Atheneum, 2015)

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Please visit:

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Website: http://www.coreyrosenschwartz.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CoreyPBNinja

Twitter: @coreypbninja

 

Thank you Corey Rosen Schwartz!

 

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 RhyPiBoMo Daily Lesson: Tuesday April 1st

By Angie Karcher © 2014

Lesson 3

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Why Do You Write in Rhyme?

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You created a list on Sunday of why you write in rhyme. It is very important that you think about this question! Many of you have been told like I have that rhyme is hard to publish. Many editors don’t accept rhyme. Don’t write in rhyme. Yet, we are all here, together, with this wonderful group of hard-headed people who are fighting for our rhyme! I am very passionate about this subject. I guess you are too.

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Psssss….When an editor says they don’t accept submissions in rhyme…many times that is code for we don’t publish stinky rhyme! Not always, but often, that is the case.

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They have legitimate reasons for being hesitant about rhyme. It is difficult to do well and they are INUNDATED with terrible, horrible, no good, very bad rhyme! It is difficult to sell internationally as it doesn’t translate as a book in prose does.
But…when an editor who doesn’t accept rhyme comes across a sparkling manuscript, glowing with brilliant rhyme and singing, poetic stanzas with a rainbow arc of hook, line and sinker…he/she tears up, bites the hook and then publishes it right away!
So what do we do? Decide if we are passionate enough to do it right. To type until our fingers bleed the good stuff that rhyme offers. Are you dedicated to this really difficult path to publication? Why do you write in rhyme?

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I write in rhyme because:
It’s fun to write.
It’s fun to read.
It’s challenging, like doing a crossword puzzle.
It’s such a great feeling when you find that gem of a word that says exactly what you want to say…and it rhymes in the perfect spot.
Kids love to read and listen to a rhyming story.
I can use silly, word play to make the words visual and entertaining to the ears.
I grew up reading Dr. Seuss books and fell in love
I like writing humorous poetry and when it rhymes, it adds to the humor.
It seems innately natural for my brain to lean towards rhyme.
Rhyme is very beneficial for kids in many ways.

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As a former kindergarten teacher and developmental therapist, I know the importance of rhyme. Children should be introduced to rhyme at an early age as it helps them develop an ear for oral language.

 

 

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1) First of all, rhyme is just plain fun! Kids enjoy filling in the rhyming words at the end of a sentence when prompted. The book becomes a game of sorts. Young children are so limited in their attention span, so reading rhyming books becomes play. Disguising learning as play is the golden ticket to teaching young children. Kids will stay engaged longer and interact more with a rhyming book because it grabs their attention and draws them in until the very last rhyming word is read.

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2) Rhyme helps them learn because it is easier to remember. Rhyme allows two words to form a bond, to connect as a pair with similar sounds. Each word is a clue as to what the other word is…throw in a few context clues from other words and you have a full-blown, rhyming mystery on your hands.

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For Example:

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The eensy-weensy spider ran up the water spout.

Down came the rain and washed the spider out.

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain,

And the eensy-weensy spider ran up the spout again.

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 Most young children wouldn’t normally know what a “spout” is but words like “water” and “rain” help define the meaning. These are context clues.

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Read this poem to children a few times and then begin to leave off the last word, allowing them to guess the word…
They will immediately remember the ending words because they remember the sound of the rhyming words. This teaches children how to predict words with similar sounds and helps them see and hear a pattern in language.

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Add in a few hand motions to go along with this poem and it gets even better because now they have visual clues to go along with the oral clues. It’s all about memory and helping children find joy in learning language…and they feel successful which encourages them to try again.

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This one little poem teaches rhyme, directions Up/DOWN, weather, size, word meanings, science of evaporation, science of water force, perseverance and more.

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It’s one poem, but in the world of teaching young children this poem is the beginning of learning about life around us and how early language skills affect all aspects of learning.

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Boy…did I jump right on my kindergarten teacher soap box there, or what?

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3) Reading rhyme and singing songs with young children help them to learn about rhythm in language. We don’t speak in a monotone way when we communicate and we don’t read that way either. We are expressive in how we pronounce a word, how we stress one syllable more than another, how we pronounce a word differently than someone else and how we pause in certain spots. This is not something that we know when we are born. We learned all these things as a young child through poetry, songs and rhyming text. Children should hear it, so as they grow older, they can read it and then learn to write it.

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Rhyme is essential in the foundation of learning to read.

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Rhyme is essential in the foundation of learning to read.

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Rhyme is essential in the foundation of learning to read.

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I am a very passionate person and I know that together, children’s authors, agents and editors can make a difference in the reading skills of children today. The quality and quantity of children’s poetry books has dwindled greatly over the last 15-20 years.

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We must not give up when someone

tells us it won’t sell or that’s not the trend in literature today.

Poetry and rhyme has been the trend for children for hundreds of years! Where’s that soap box?

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And…did I say that Rhyme is essential in the foundation of learning to read? That’s pretty important!

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We NEED to continue writing quality rhyme!

                                  ~Angie

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Why Nursery Rhymes
http://www.dannyandkim.com/WhyNurseryRhymes.html

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Rhymers are Readers
http://www.kbyutv.org/kidsandfamily/readytolearn/file.axd?file=2011%2F3%2F2+Rhymers+are+Readers-Why+Important.pdf

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Rhyme with Reason
http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/issue/183/childrens-books/articles/other-articles/rhyme-with-reason-why-nursery-rhymes-matter

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The Importance of Rhyming in Learning to Read
http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/readingstrategies/a/The-Importance-Of-Rhyming-In-Learning-To-Read.htm

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Why is Rhyming Important?
http://www.themeasuredmom.com/why-is-rhyming-important/

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Rhyming -Why is it Important?
http://fun-a-day.com/teaching-rhyming-part-1/

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The Benefit of Rhymes
http://www.bookstart.org.uk/professionals/about-bookstart-and-the-packs/research/reviews-and-resources/the-benefit-of-rhymes/

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Writing Prompts:

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Pull out your list of why you write in rhyme and revise it!
Write your own April Fool’s Day Poem

 

Okay, now do everything else on the pledge for today and don’t forget to comment on today’s blog post!

 

Please comment ONLY ONE TIME below for a chance to win today’s prize!

Prizes will be drawn by Random.com next Sunday for the previous week.

To be eligible for a prize you must be a registered participant and
comment after each days lessons.