Storytime: Bil Lepp

We have heard Bil Lepp tell his lies several times now. Last January we heard Bil at the wonderful Pike Pidders Storytelling Festival at Troy State University in Alabama. Hilarious. Then we got to hear him again at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN in October. We bought two of his CDs and have enjoyed listening to his stories in the car on trips. Bil is an ordained Methodist minister as well as official West Virginia Champion liar. There is no inconsistency in this, is there Jim, Mother, David, Warren, Jared, Parson, Jacqui, Maria? This morning I listened to an actual sermon* by Bil. Not bad.

Here is a short essay: A Plea for Plungers. It is a plea all my blogging & Facebook Friends should heed.




* Bil's sermon starts at 39:40.

The Third Day of Christmas: Go Tell It!

(Reposted from 12/28/2008)

Go Tell It On the Mountain --- in several genres!!
Jesus Christ is born!

Choral:

Aretha Franklin (Soul):

Dolly Parton (Country) -- Dolly's distractions aside, this is a joyous version. (You have to click the link to see this one.)
James Taylor (Folk/Rock):

Jessye Norman (Operatic):

The Second Day of Christmas: Christmas Dinner

(reposted fro 12/27/2008)
Noel Paul Stookey is one of my favorite musicians. He is one third of Peter, Paul, and Mary. He is also an exceptional solo performer. Here he is with an unusual Christmas song for the Second Day of Christmas - "Christmas Dinner.

The First Day of Christmas: Twelve

(reposted fro 12/26/2008)
Christmastide began last night and stretches through Epiphany on January Sixth. So in honor of that tradition here's John Denver with the famous muppets and an early Sunday Concert:

Old Leaves:Young at Heart at the Christmas Parade

I continue to recycle old Christmas posts. Here's one from 12/11/2005:

Daddy's Roses writes good advice today about staying young. My wife keeps me from aging quite so quickly by dragging me to, among other things, the Christmas Parade. The Median Sib writes today of a Tennessee Christmas Parade. Sounds a lot like the Rome, Georgia parade to me. We don't have tractors, except the tractor-trailor variety.

We had to go the the parade when our kids were little because it is a part of common law that little kids have to go to the Christmas Parade. We braved the elements to watch in their school years because they were in the parade (band, scouts, school floats, etc.) and there is a well-established law that requires parents to attend when kids are on display. This year we had no child in the parade. Sheila drug me there anyway.

And I'm glad she did.

We have float competitions, so there are always floats with someone holding an award plaque. And each participant has a number. We have about 120 or so. Several bands, businesses, radio stations, churches, scout troops, civic groups, Ret Hat ladies, Shriners, Sons of Confederate Vets, retirement homes, and, of course, Miss This, Miss That, and Little Miss the Other.

Up and down the crowds roam venders hawking glow sticks, balloons, etc. All very picturesque -- and youthifying, I'm sure.

The pics I appended above were taken by Lillian.

PTSW :Dunder and Blixem

(This is a reposting of a golden oldie. This epistle was originally posted 12/25/2007)

A Happy Christmas to All!!

We divided this poem up among my 26 students and practiced using our strongest voices and our most eloquent expression. Of course, we forgot strong and expressive voices completely when we recited the poem for parents.

Everybody knows this one. It is a delightful Christmas tradition. It names the eight reindeer. It gives a wonderful description of Saint Nicholas. You can sing it. It is a vocabulary builder.

(Added 1-03-08: Hear my podcast of this poem here.)

A Visit from St. Nicholas

’T was the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ’kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle,
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.”

-- Clement Moore

NOTES

Clement Moore -- There is a lot of disagreement about whether or not this famous poem was written by Clement Moore.

sugar-plums -- small balls of sugar candy.

droll -- an adjective to describe something comical or odd.

Donder and Blitzen -- Donder is often called “Donner”. And at one time Blitzen was called “Blixem”! Here is a website that tells that story. Can you name all of Santa’s Reindeer?

Previous Poems to Start the Week:
A Visit from St. Nicholas • Mice • All In a Word • The Spider • The Eagle
Some People • Custard the Dragon • Statistics 101 • The Spider and the Fly
Back to School • The Inchcape Rock • Ogden Nash • Trash
Hearts, Like Doors • Casey at the Bat • Always a Rose • Home at Last
Bag of Tools • Carpe Diem • Poems About Poetry • Man's Best Friend
Spelling is Tough Stough! • Blue Marble • Tacks, Splinters, Apples and Stars
Oh, Captain, My Captain! • Metaphor • Introducion to Poetry
Loveliest of Trees • Flax-Golden Tales • The Dinosaurs Are Not All Dead
Owl Pellets • Mummy Slept Late • Just My Size
The Kindest Things I Know • Miles to Go • Love that Brother
Oh, Frabjous Day!

Other Posts about Children's Literature:

The Lion's Paw top kid's OOP book!
Harry
Aslan is Dead!
Multiplying People, Rice, and Readers

A Teacher's Life

You can read some of my own efforts at poetry here.
And then there's Alien Invasion.

A weblog dedicated to Poetry for Children.
Watch Sonja Cole's reviews of children's books at Bookwink.com.
The PBS series Favorite Poem Project