I Like Mud: and other poems for the young and young-at-heart

I Like Mud: and other poems for the young and young-at-heart
by Margaret Grote (Author), Marcia Wheelan Coles (Illustrator)
In the final year of her life, award-winning poet Margaret Grote (1922-2005) handed a collection of poems to her son, David, with instructions to "do something" with them. David jumped right on it, and 17 years later approached his cousin, Marcia Wheelan Coles, a children's book author and illustrator. Truth be told, these whimsical and sometimes poignant poems were gathering dust in David's closet until Marcia brought them to life with her beautiful artwork. Growing up during the Depression, Margaret came to appreciate life's simple pleasures, a theme recurrent in these poems. Mother of four, she was an artist, photographer, writer, and poet. She taught fourth grade for 35 years. Her love of children is on full display in these pages, and although the writing is meant for children, young-at-heart adults will also love this collection. Somewhere, Margaret is smiling, knowing that her son finally kept his promise, and that her work lives on, bringing joy and laughter to a whole new generation of children.

I always enjoy reading books with poems because they offer a wonderful variety. My kids liked seeing the different short poems and illustrations. They both loved the ice cream poem and my daughter liked the “Color Me Pink” poem because she loved seeing the boy holding the newborn baby. The one that I really enjoyed was “My Dad”. I always get emotional seeing parenting and kids growing up. “My Dog”, is another great one for people who love their pups. The book is an amazing tribute to Margaret and is one of the best children’s poem books I have seen to date. Everything from the quality and emotion in the writing along with the engaging illustrations for my kids and I to enjoy.

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