For as long as I’ve been teaching elementary kids, I’ve use “Mrs. Simon’s Sea” as a classroom theme. I’ve decorated with sea-themed everything, from nametags to notepads. Even our blog was called “Mrs. Simon’s Sea.” So naturally I am pleased by sea-themed poetry.
Matt Forrest Esenwine sent me an email announcement of a new anthology of poetry, Friends & Anemones: Ocean Poems for Children from The Writer’s Loft.
This anthology has a little bit of everything you could want in a poetry book, poems in rhyme, poems in form, and poems that tell a story. These poems will put you under the ocean alongside sea turtles, sharks, and octopuses. You’ll feel the storms, the rhythm of the waves, and sing along with fish. One of my favorite fiction authors, Linda Mullaly Hunt, tells a story of a clever seal who outsmarts a shark.
Children can learn facts about ocean life through zippy and lyrical language. The illustrations by a variety of artists are delightful.
A book launch event is scheduled for November 15th at 4:00 EST sponsored by Peter Reynolds and Blue Bunny Books.
Read more about the book design here.
Reflections on the Teche 
Thanks again for sharing the news, Margaret! I appreciate it!
I love the ocean as well—I would love to live near it if global warming wasn’t a thing! I love how the poems are laid out among the illustrations! Thanks for sharing this neat book!
Oh, and I missed that Lynda Mullaly Hunt is in it—I loved her book Fish in a Tree!
I know I will adore this book, Margaret – the ocean is an important symbol to me and so is the seahorse. Thanks for the heads up,
What a delightful book! Congratulations to all the contributors.
This looks like a really fun collection.