Poetry Week by Week: Animal Rhymes: Guest poet Laura Sassi

Poetry Week by Week continues today with a guest post by children's book author and poet Laura Sassi. This past December I won a copy of Laura Sassi's adorable rhyming picture book, GOODNIGHT, MANGER, which promptly earned a spot on my list of favorite Christmas books. If you haven't read it, you should. And you don't have to wait for Christmas!

Today I am very excited to welcome Laura to the blog to share one of her very own animal rhymes.

Thank you for joining in on the fun, Laura!

Spelling Bee

by Laura Sassi

I wish I had a spelling bee

That spelled words in my ear

Like “marzipan”  and “marvelous”

And  “cocoa” and "adhere”.

I’d train my bee to buzz me when

I needed silent e’s.

He’d help me sound out syllables

And add apostrophes.

I’d never get an answer wrong

On any spelling quiz.

I’d never have to look up words.

I’d be a spelling whiz!

And once I trained my spelling bee

I see no reason why

To help with math, I might not train

A calculator fly!

“The Spelling Bee” copyright © Laura Sassi. First published in Boys’ Quest  Apr/May2012, Vol. 17 Issue 6.

The inspiration behind the poem: 

Our school’s annual spelling bee got me wondering -what if there actually was a bee that could spell? Creativity took over and several hours later out popped my poem, “The Spelling Bee.” After multiple revisions, critiques, and my mandatory “let it sit for a couple of weeks” rule, I was ready to submit it. The children’s magazine, BOYS’ QUEST, accepted it and it appeared in their April/May 2102 issue of Boys’ Quest.

Thanks, Becky, for letting me share this poem and the inspiration behind it.

About Laura:

Laura Sassi, author of GOODNIGHT, ARK (Zonderkidz, 2014) and GOODNIGHT, MANGER (Zonderkidz, 2015), has a passion for telling humorous stories. Most, but not all, of her picture books-in-progress are told in rhyme. Either way, she finds writing poems to be fun way to hone her wordplay skills. Laura writes daily from her century-old home in New Jersey where she lives with her husband, two children, and a black Cockapoo named Sophie.  In addition to her picture books, which are available wherever books are sold, you can find her poems and stories in numerous children’s publications including Spider, Highlights for Children and Focus on the Family’s Clubhouse Jr.  You can connect with Laura on Facebook, Twitter, or by visiting her blog.