Mortimer visits Canada

I’m excited to have had a visit from the roaming Mortimer Rabbit this week. He arrived feeling a bit off after his visit with Matt Essenwine, though. It seems that Mortimer ate some rotten apples there, thinking they were a love potion or some such. At least that’s what I think he said. He did seem a bit confused. Some good Canadian carrots and water soon had him straightened out, however. After he snacked, we got down to business.

Mortimer: What do you like about children’s poetry?

Me: Well, lots of things. It often has a sense of discovery and of seeing life and nature with new eyes as if for the first time. I’m tickled too by the humor that I find in so much of it and I love its gentle wisdom.

Mortimer: Who are some of your favorite storybook rabbits?

Me: My favourite as a little reader was Pookie, the rabbit with wings. Then there was the somewhat frazzled rabbit of Alice in Wonderland, the adventurous Peter Cottontail  of Thornton Burgess’s Green Meadow, the wandering rabbits of Watership Down, and all the sweet Golden Book rabbits in the stories I used to read my kids. But my favourite is naughty Peter Rabbit, the Beatrix Potter character. You aren’t by any chance related to any of them, are you?

Mortimer: As a matter of fact I am. I can trace my roots back to To Rabbittown  and the hospitable rabbits created by Poetry Friday’s own April Halprin Wayland.

Me: Wow! You never know what you’re starting when you create a story character, do you?

Mortimer: (Grins) Now there might just be an idea for my next project! But back to the matter at hand. I’d like to ask you one more question. It’s one I also asked Matt. What poem do you wish you had written?

Me: Alas, I’m not as honorable as Matt who could answer “None.”  I have found many poems I wish I had written. Here’s one that I discovered through a comment on my Poetry Friday post of two weeks ago. It’s by British poet Pam Ayres, “Oh I wish I’d looked after me teeth.” It begins:

Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth,
And spotted the dangers beneath
All the toffees I chewed,
And the sweet sticky food.
Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth.

I wish I’d been that much more willin’
When I had more tooth there than fillin’
To give up gobstoppers,
From respect to me choppers,
And to buy something else with me shillin’.

Read entire…

The heads-up on this very funny poet came from Catherine Johnson. And guess what! I’m sending you on a hop across Canada to visit Catherine—a wonderful kids’ poet, kid-lit book blogger, artist, and mom extraordinaire. She’s expecting you early next week!

And thanks so much for stopping by.

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Here’s how visits with Mortimer work:
1) Answer one of the previous questions asked by the blogger who tagged you, and answer two other questions you’ve always wanted to be asked in an interview about children’s poetry;
2) Invite one, two or three other bloggers who write children’s poetry to answer three questions that they make up on their own blogs (again, using one of the pervious questions);
3) In the post, let readers know who your invitees are and when they’re are going to be posting their Mortimer Minute questions and answers.

This post is linked to Poetry Friday where you’ll find  wonderful poetry and poetry-related posts, and perhaps more minutes with Mortimer. PF is hosted this week by Irene Latham at Live Your Poem.