<![CDATA[<br /><br />Rainbow Poetry - Blog

Hi there everyone,

Well, I am feeling very relieved, happy, excited and proud, not to mention tired. Yes, 'GRANNY DOES KARATE' is now only A FEW WEEKS AWAY. How cool is that! Yesterday I sent the file through to the brilliant Deborah Hinde, and now Deb worries about it for me, and sends it back to me all ready to go. Have a look at Deb's website www.deborahhinde.com and you can even get free stuff sent to you.

It's been a lot of hard work getting it all ready, deciding which poems to use. The hardest decisions are often what you leave out, not what you put in. I've had half a dozen children around the country reading my work and giving me feedback on what they like and don't like. They all did a professional job for me and there was only one poem that most weren't sure about, but I thought it was funny haha. I've put it here  let me know what you think of 'My Teacher Is A Nightmare.' Do you agree or disagree with the kids?
A big thank you to Hana, Kaito, Nicole, Riyiah, Caitlin and Thomas. Also thanks to Katie who agreed to write a review for the back of the book. I'll share that with you next time. I had a special afternoon today when I got to meet Katie, her sister Lara, and funny (in a good way) mum Jo. It was a really special occasion, and we had to take a photo of course. Les and I are now Granny J and Gramps to these two fun and bubbly beautiful girls.

Then there's that terrible job called EDITING - don't you just hate editing your work. But it always pays off in the end. I've had people proof reading for me, from a writer, to a high school student, teachers, a resource compiler, a drama teacher and even a univeristy professor. It always shows me the benefits of editing, as each one picks up something different. Sometimes they all suggest the same change, so I always think I'd better listen to them and do it.

You'll find poems about kids cutting their teacher's hair, the cat who becomes a unicorn, the girl who turns her sister into an animal, the boy whose mother won't play Minecraft, a kangaraffe - you can read that one here - My Poems For Kids and lots more fun poems. There are also some that make you think, like 'If Only,' about children who often wish they were more like others.

I'm hoping now I can have some time off the computer, as while I love technology I do get sick of screens at times. I sometimes think we should have a National Screen Free day. What do you think of that idea? Are you having a fit already? Is that you I can hear screaming in fear?

Summer time jokes:
Q: What is a shark's favourite sandwich?
A: Peanut butter and jellyfish!

Q: What music do killer wales like to listen to?
A: They enjoy listening to the orca -stra!

and one more because I'm on a roll........
Q: Why did the dolphin cross the beach?
A: To get to the other tide.... BOOM BOOM

WORD OF THE MOMENT
Feisty - Do you ever get feisty?

Don't forget to send me writing if you have some you're proud of. I love hearing from you, and every week I get emails from kids all around the country. Who knows, maybe next year is when we'll get to meet one another if we haven't already been so lucky.

Keep on writing and keep smiling.

Judi B