Make Magic! Do Good!

Title: Make Magic! Do Good!

Author: Dallas Clayton

Illustrator: Dallas Clayton

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Publication Date: November, 2012

Genre/Format: Poetry/Anthology

Goodreads Summary: From self-publishing wunderkind Dallas Clayton comes a book of illustrated poems full of wisdom, wonder, and whimsy.

     A boy with a beard tries to stay six forever. A frightful monster lives a million miles away, but is equally scared of you. A magic rope hangs from the sky, next to a sign saying "Give me a try." In this brightly illustrated selection of playful, often provocative poems, ideas run the gamut from stopping your lightning-fast running to help others keep up, imagining a store that sells colors never before made, or admitting you’ll never know all the answers (and sleeping better at night). Following the runaway success of his self-published debut, Dallas Clayton’s quirky, captivating collection makes it clear that this rising talent, whose work has evoked comparisons to Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak, and Shel Silverstein, exudes a spirit and style all his own.

What Kellee Thinks: After reading Dallas Clayton's An Awesome Book, I knew that I wanted to read more of his work. He had a way of preaching goodness in a way that wasn't overly bearing but still definitely got the point across. So, when I saw that Candlewick had published an anthology of his poems with his illustrations I was very excited and I was not disappointed. Make Magic is filled with fun yet thought provoking poems (some rhyme, some free verse) accommpanied by quirky (done in "two parts positive vibes and three parts watercolor rainbow sprinkles) this anthology will bring a smile to anyone's face who readers it. As a read aloud this summer, during summer school, I am going to bring Make Magic and read one or two daily so we can discuss them. Each poem teaches a lesson without being always obvious and are funny and weird enough that students will love them. 

What Jen Thinks: The end of the school year is always so hectic. This year seemed especially busy for me and I felt so much pressure (mostly from myself...) to accomplish things before the official end of the year. I love my bookaday reading that I have been doing this year and I was really glad for it the night that I picked up Make Magic! Do Good! This book is exactly what I needed when I felt so consumed with all the things I really had to get done. The poems in this book reminded me to slow down and soak in the things I have to be thankful for every day. 
     Creating a positive culture for learning with students is imperative if we're going to teach them anything and I love how these poems are uplifting. There are several that would be great to share with students and to get to know them, get to know each other and to talk about how we treat each other.

Read Together: Grades 1 - 12

Read Alone: Grades 1- 12 

Read With: The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, One by Kathryn Otoshi

Snatch of Text: 

The Artist

The effort is the same, 

you know, 

thinking good

as thinking bad, 

saying nice

instead of mean, 

making happy, 

making sad. 

You could

paint up on a building

all the thoughts you ever had

about what's gone wrong

and who's to blame

and what really makes you mad. 

Or you could gather up your paints instead

and draw pictures in a pad

and hand them out

to everyone

you ever thought was rad. 

Mentor Text for: Making Connections, Rhyme

Writing Prompts: Write your own poem about how you feel from day to day. Do you generally see the the world from an optimist or pessimist's perspective? What helps you feel hopeful about your day or your life?

Topics Covered: Kindness, Paying Forward, Love, Choices

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**Thank you to Candlewick Press for providing a copy for review**