The toad sat on a red stool
it was a toadstool.

The rain tied a bow
in the cloud’s hair
it was a rainbow.

Which witch put sand
in my sandwich?

Laura was seven when she wrote this.  Precocious to be sure, the poetry nontheless remains delightfully childish at the same time.  I discovered Laura Ranger’s work in a little book called Laura’s Poems tucked away in the back corner of a children’s bookstore in Wigtown, Scotland.  Published in 1995 by a small press called Godwit Publishing Ltd. in New Zealand, the book is likely out-of-print and hard to acquire.  What struck me about Laura’s book was not so much the precocity of the verse, but her genuinely child-like desire and ability to express herself in words.  Laura apparently wrote out her poems in hand first, and then revised them on a word-processor.  Computer technology enabled her to edit which then led to her improving on her initial hand-written impressions.  And remember this was 1995!  Today, many children have ready access to computers or some even with hand-held devices that allow them to record and edit their words should they have a desire as deep as Laura’s to observe the world and write about it.

Does your child like to write poetry?  If so, where can they find outlets to see their words in print?  Laura published her poems in the American children’s magazine, Stone Soup.  And currently in Britain, there is a poetry contest for young writers called the Foyle Young Poets Award with a deadline for submissions of July 31, 2009.

Today’s Poetry Friday host is Carol at Carol’s Corner.

This reminds me of the ‘Stone Soup’ tale… Whatever the version, we all know the idea behind it: stones make good soup, but carrots and potatoes make it so much better! Jon J. Muth’s retelling, set in China, is my all-time favorite. Muth says of his work as a writer/illustrator: “I am interested in that ‘third thing’ that happens when you connect words and pictures.” So here is where I put my stone into the pot, interested in that ‘third thing’ that happens when you add your offerings to it… Welcome to the melting pot (or should I say “posts”?). May our shared meal prove to be enjoyable.