Ten Very Important Back To School Poems

Ogdensburg, NY - August 24, 2009 -- Kalli Dakos has placed Ten Important Back To School Poems on her website. She encourages parents and teachers to prepare children for a successful school year by reading the poems together.

“Back to School is an important time for poetry in children's lives,” says Ms. Dakos. “Poetry gives children the words for the feelings they cannot express, and the realization they are not alone with their fears and concerns. A short poem gives parents the starting place to talk about the return to school in ways that are helpful to children.”

Ms. Dakos has written over 2,000 poems about life in our nation's schools, and her books have school related titles (If You'Re Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand, The Bug In Teacher'S Coffee). Most of them are Children's Choice Selections from the International Reading Association.

“We tend to focus on school supplies and clothing for Back to School,” says Ms. Dakos. “But poetry can create memorable connections between parents and children. One father told his daughter about the time he had to go to the principal's office because he was in BIG trouble,” says Ms. Dakos and adds, “I hope the poems encourage parents to share their own school stories.”

Jim Trelease, author of the Read-Aloud Handbook, writes, “I know of no single book that captures the pulse of the elementary school the way Kalli's book does.”

USA Today writes, “Kalli's hysterical collections will bring down the elementary school house,” and The Ottawa Citizen states, “Meet the child who has not done her homework, the student who outdoes all the others at 'show and tell' by eating a worm, the child who mourns the death of a friend, and the classmates who giggle together over teachers, substitutes, hiccup attacks and pranks.”

Ms. Dakos, a former teacher and reading specialist, has taught in schools from Invuik, Northwest Territories to Fairfax County, Virginia. Her poems are based on real classroom stories.

She currently conducts author visits to schools. Her educational presentations are high-energy fun and filled with audience participation. “We're getting a six foot inflatable pig to go with my book, Our Principal Promised To Kiss A PIG,” she laughs.

Ms. Dakos believes, “' poem can change a child, and a child can change the world.' A love of poetry can begin with ten very important Back to School poems.


For Ten Very Important Back to School Poems visit Kalli's website at http://www.KalliDakos.com. Call (800) 310-9495 for information about school visits or e-mail at Edstark2@aol.com.

Introducing a New ME!

There's a new ME this year,
An on-time ME,
A clean-desk ME,
A listens-in-class-to-the-teacher ME,
A dead-serious-get-the-work-done-and-hand-it-in-
Before-it's-due ME.

The problem is the new ME
Is not like ME at all.
_________________________________________________________
Poem by Kalli Dakos
Put Your Eyes Up Here and Other School Poem (Simon and Schuster)
Illustrations by Brian Karas