Inspired by the expression “once in a blue moon,” Danielle Daniel has created a book of short poems, each one describing a rare or special experience that turns an ordinary day into a memorable one. She describes the thrill of seeing a double rainbow, the Northern Lights or a shooting star as well as quieter pleasures such as spotting a turtle basking in the sun or a family of ducks waddling across the road.
In accessible language and delightful, naïve images, Once in a Blue Moon celebrates the magical moments that can be found in the beauty and wonders of nature.
With the same simple yet sophisticated design as Danielle’s award-winning picture book Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox, this book is a very accessible and inviting introduction to poetry for young readers.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.4
Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7
Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.5
Recognize common types of texts (e.g., storybooks, poems).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).
Danielle Daniel, writer, artist and illustrator, is Métis. She was inspired to write Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox to encourage her young son to connect with his Aboriginal roots. It won the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and has been selected as one of the New York Public Library’s Best 100 Books for Reading and Sharing. A schoolteacher for many years, Danielle now paints and writes, and she is completing an MFA in creative writing through the University of British Columbia. She has published a memoir, The Dependent, and her second picture book, Once in a Blue Moon, will be published in the fall of 2017.
Danielle lives in Northern Ontario.