Teachers & Librarians
Find curriculum activities for My Magic Wand. Download a teacher’s guide from the publisher, Lee & Low Books. If you have an activity or activities to share, please email these along with your name and school or library name. |
My Magic Wand: Growing with the Seasons Would you like to… write with a magic wand? Come share the fun of these activities, and more, with a spunky young girl enjoying a year of growth, creativity, and discovery with her diverse family and friends. |
Author’s Note
Dear Children,
When I was a little girl in El Paso, Texas, I liked hearing rhymes in English and Spanish. When I started reading, I liked rhymes such as “Jack and Jill went up the hill.”
Do you like listening to poems? Do you like reading poems? Some poems rhyme, some don’t. Some poems are silly, and some are quiet. Like our hearts, poems have a beat, a rhythm.
I enjoy reading poems to my granddaughter, Bonny, and she reads poems to me. With our magic wands–our pencils, pens, or markers–we write or draw poems. You can too. You can write about your family, your pets, and your home, or about ladybugs, trees, clouds, and more.
If you know more than one language, try writing poems in each language, or use the languages together in a poem. It’s also fun to illustrate your poems. Be an artist and draw or paint pictures about your poems.
A poem you write and illustrate is a special present or surprise for your mom, dad, grandmom, uncle, teacher, neighbor, or friend. You can also make a book of poems and put a title, a picture, and your name on the cover.
You are a writer. Hooray for you!
Your Friend,
Pat Mora
Highlighted Reviews
“This collection of lovely poetry comes together with warm, loving illustrations to show how extraordinary everyday life is.”—Booklist
“Poems with kid appeal. In the opening, titular poem, the main character declares that she is 5 years old. The poems that follow encompass the four seasons and explore topics that are meaningful to the age group, such as art projects, gardening with Mom, taking care of a pet, and more. The poems are accompanied by vivid illustrations to bring the symbolic language to life. Mora makes use of alliteration, onomatopoeia, and refrain to keep verses interesting…Each poem is a snapshot of what feels most important to a kindergarten-age child, including the death of a friend’s pet snail… A sweet first poetry collection takes young readers through the seasons."—Kirkus Reviews
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