Rhyming Poet, Illustrator Entertains at Todd

From the Briarcliff school district:

Children’s book author and illustrator Douglas Florian can rhyme just about anything.

Florian has written and illustrated more than 50 children’s books, including Shiver Me Timbers!, POETREES and Beast Feast. He has presented his work in several prestigious venues, including the White House, Carnegie Hall and the Museum of Modern Art.

To the delight of Todd Elementary School second- and third-grade students, Florian used entertaining examples that highlighted literary devices like alliteration, onomatopoeia and personification during his October visit.

He called upon students to help demonstrate the devices, and dubbed his first assistant his “partner in rhyme.”

Thanks to the generosity of Todd PTA, Florian has been able to regularly visit the school to share his love of prose and to teach students a little bit about how books are made.

“This is the book jacket: it keeps the book warm on a cold winter’s night,” he told students, who laughed and shook their heads in disbelief.

He also took questions from students, who inquired about topics ranging from his creative process to where he looks for inspiration.

“I want the students to develop a love of poetry,” Florian said. “I want to show it can be fun.”