I AM a poet.
I love to create rhyming picture books.
I believe children notice, appreciate,
and deserve quality poetry.
I
Plea for Children
Can children feel the beats within a line,
or sense the pulsing pull of symmetry?
Are they awestruck when words align
to splash their brains with vivid imagery?
Do children notice not when tales are flat,
devoid of narrative intensity?
Why should they sit and read such boring scat
when limbs could be entwined with yonder tree!
Is simile lost on the youthful mind,
like scattered pixie dust washed out to sea?
O! Serve them not dull silent soulless brine
when what they crave is musicality!
Embrace sweet learners' sensibilities!
Enrich them with well-crafted poetry!
© 2022 Linda Rittenhouse
First published in The Lyric.
This rhyming picture book gently explores aspects of what it means to be a friend and to have friends. Children will be entertained, build vocabulary, literacy skills, and emotional intelligence as they delight in the full-color art by first-time illustrator, Jacquee Bar.
What serendipity to meet Jacquee at a
roadside coffee stand in Hana, Hawaii.
Something compelled me to ask if she would consider illustrating a children’s book, and something compelled her to agree to try.
Her illustrations are magical.
Jacquee and I are now collaborating on our second rhyming picture book,
“Meadow, A Tribute in Art and Rhyme.”
This 8” X 10” rhyming picture book takes readers around the world to ride horse breeds specific to each country. Based on the author’s love for horses, travel, and adventure.
“Ride in the Pampas is dedicated to fellow adventurers who love to travel, to fellow dreamers who are using their precious time on this sweet Earth to reach for their unique vision of the stars, and, of course, to kindred spirits throughout history and to this day who share an inexplicable , yet absolute bond with horses. ”
Rivers play a powerful role in all of our histories and touch lives in ways we may not often consider. The rhyme for this 5” X 7” picture book was created at a Poetry Party I hosted at the Dormann Library in my hometown. Bath was founded along the banks of the mighty Conhocton River in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State.
My River
A Tribute in Rhyme
“My River, A Tribute in Rhyme”
not only stirs a child’s imagination.
It also gently teaches water safety.
SantaBella, A Christmas Tale tells a fanciful story of Christmas Eve that turns children's imaginations free to gently consider an alternative to Santa Claus.
This 8" X 10" picture book combines full-color illustrations with verse. The delightful book tells a magical story that allows children to imagine far beyond the page.
In SantaBella, A Christmas Tale, readers are invited to step into the world of snowy Christmas Eve possibilities touched by sparkling moonlight. Bless the children in your life with the gift of poetry and the magical opportunity to light up their imaginations. You'll want to add this 26-page tale to your Christmas favorites.
This full-color 5” X 7” rhyming picture book tells the story of the wild donkeys who have made the Sonoran Desert their home for generations.
The story will delight kids as they get a glimpse of desert landscape and have the opportunity to reflect on gratitude.
Hee Hee Haw
Wild Desert Donkey
This little full-color book pays tribute to rivers.
It will impact children's and adults’ hearts as it gently touches on the power of rivers and the many ways they touch our lives.
5.5” X 8.5" 38 pages.
This is my first French language rhyming picture book. My longtime friend, Marie-Anne Hagen collaborated with me. Her fierce dedication to the French language kept my playing-with-words tendencies mostly in check.
The full English text of the companion book, "My River, A Tribute in Rhyme" is included.