Blog Archives
Alphabet of Flowers
Alphabet of Flowers by Gloria D. Gonsalves is a beautiful picture book for preschool through elementary level readers. Each page is a letter of the alphabet with a different flower, a few facts about the flower, and a crayon drawing of the flower. After the letter Z, there is a summary table with each flower’s name and its picture for a quick look at them all. Then there are a few activities at the end for children to do to review all the different flowers.
The first thing that readers will discover about this exceptional picture book is the artwork. It jumps off the page with vibrant colors and simplicity. Children will love seeing the illustrations done in a medium they have access to and can try and copy the flowers. Of course, this is encouraged by the author! The standard format for each page is excellent as well. It would make it easy to use this book when teaching about the alphabet and be easily turned into a lesson plan.
I was impressed with the variety of included flowers; many are ones I have not heard of before, and they are fascinating. The simple facts are interesting but not overwhelming for children. The language is easy to understand and flows well, keeping the same format for each page. This writing style, repetition, is perfect for the younger readers but is not overly simplified so that older children would lose interest.
Alphabet of Flowers is a stunning picture book introducing young readers to the wide variety of flowers that are out in the world. It also serves as a unique way to teach the alphabet to preschool and kindergarteners. In addition, teachers and homeschoolers could easily turn this book into a complete unit study on flowers with the activities included in the book for review.
Pages: 44 | ASIN : B09VX8N9QL
TUZIBEBE KANGA ZETU
TUZIBEBE KANGA ZETU
Leo siku ya simanzi
tuzibebe kanga zetu.
Tusambaze kona zake nne
zikawe ngao ya uchungu wetu.
Kanga zetu zibebe faraja
hadharani na faraghani.
Magufuli katutoka
kama jua linalozama.
Tuzibebe kanga zetu
tukasambaze matumaini.
Machozi yatutiririka
kwa kasi ya mto Ruvu.
Tuzibebe kanga zetu
tukadeki nyuso zetu.
Kilio kimetutia kikwi
tujisitiri na kanga zetu.
Waliotangulia tuwaombee
heri iwavushe kwa maulana.
Tuzibebe kanga zetu
kama mkeka wa sala.
Kanga zetu tuzifukize rehema
ili tujawe karama.
Vinyongo na visasi tupepee
vitoweke kwa haya na soni.
Marehemu wetu tuwaenzi
fedheha sio kanga yetu.
Tuilinde amani yetu
kwa umaridadi wa kanga.
Tuyavae maneno mema
kwa madaha ya utanashati.
Tuzibebe kanga zetu
tukamuage baba yetu.
Tamati ya maisha imefika
buriani haitoshi pindo.
Kanga zetu ni vigawanyio
kati ya mauti na maisha.
Sare za kanga zetu
ni shada zenye thamani.
Tutandike kanga zetu
kwenye njia ya mazishi.
Waliolala wanafarijika
kusindikizwa kifahari.
Tuzibebe kanga zetu
safari ya baba imekwisha.
Translation/Subtitles:
LET US CARRY OUR KANGAS
Today is a day of mourning
let us carry our kangas.
Let us spread its four corners
as a shield for our pain.
Our wraps should carry comfort
publicly and privately.
Magufuli has left us
like the setting sun.
Let us carry our kangas
to go spread hope.
Tears are welled up
like the speed of the Ruvu river.
Let us carry our kangas
to mop our faces.
Weeping has hiccupped us
let us shield ourselves with our kangas.
Let us pray for the gone ones
to cross over with blessings.
Let us carry our kangas
like a prayer mat.
Let us fragrance our kangas with mercy
so we may be gifted with deliverance.
Let us wave away bitterness and vengeance
that they depart ashamed and confounded.
Let us honour our late loved ones
for ridicule is not our kanga.
Let us protect our peace
with beauty of the wrap.
Let us wear good words
with pride of elegance.
Let us carry our kangas
to bid farewell to our father.
The end of life has come
farewell does not fit the hem.
Our kangas are a border
between death and life.
Our kangas as uniforms
are valuable wreaths.
Let us lay our kangas
on the road to the funeral.
Those gone are comforted
by this elegant escort.
Let us carry our kangas
our father’s journey is over.
Let’s Go Walking in the Storm
![Let's Go Walking in the Storm: A Collection of Poetry and Reflections for Soul and Spirit by [Gloria D. Gonsalves]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41BW25-mBfL.jpg)
Let’s Go Walking in the Storm: A Collection of Poetry and Reflections for Soul and Spirit, by Gloria D. Gonsalves contains over one hundred poems, including more than a dozen reflections on various topics. This anthology of poetry is comprised of poems about tolerance and inclusion, appreciating life, holding on to dreams, overcoming obstacles, protecting the earth, preserving nature, the COVID-19 pandemic, and death. The quantity of poems in this book ensures that each reader can find ones that speak to them personally.
I liked the poems with uplifting messages, that made me feel like we don’t have to be the perfect image that society depicts, and we shouldn’t compare ourselves to other people or what others expect us to be. I think it’s important for people to realize that they don’t have to be like everyone else, that we should embrace our own individual uniqueness.
The structures of the poems varied, which helped to make them feel distinct even though similar themes were used in multiple poems. For example, one of the poems was structured so that the first letter of each line spelled out a word that was the theme of the poem, some poems had very short verses of only two or three words, while other poems were broken up in to sections, and one poem was written in Swahili. Some of my favorite poems were the ones about nature. Like the author, I’ve always found joy in being outdoors. It was interesting to read the author’s notes at the end of some of the poems and reflections, which gave insight into the inspiration for writing them, or additional information about certain aspects of the prose. I enjoyed reading the reflections that asked questions of the reader to encourage thinking about and rethinking our own perceptions and considering how the concepts could be applied to our own lives.
Pages: 160 | ASIN: B08NVGY6NV
A POEM IS LIKE A TREE – Gloria D. Gonsalves
A poem is like a tree:
stuck where it was created, waiting
while receiving what passersby give.
Sometimes, whoever squats on it
gives not suitable compost for growing,
a causal act for sloping to the ground—
the roots ready for the wind death.
A poem is like a tree:
swaying this way and that way
nodding its approval and disapproval
if taken to where the branches meet
the crown or not, for lessons and admiration.
Whoever rushes it to the top,
the branches won’t be there to save it.
A poem is like a tree:
sometimes thin, sometimes thick,
the diameter of its body promises not
of being understood or scolded
by the light necessary to photosynthesize
the human condition as a diet,
for life to be relished and respected.
A poem is like a tree:
it will leave you rooted where you are
or extend your branches for the unknown.
What you grasp or not in the stretch of verses
will thin or thicken the trunk of your soul.
Either way, the wind of trials will bend you
and the triumph is to keep swaying towards life.
Gloria-Gonsalves.com
LITERARY TITAN 