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Children's Nonfiction General

Lasso the Wind

Aurelia's Verses and other Poems

by (author) George Elliott Clarke

illustrated by Susan Tooke

Publisher
Nimbus Publishing
Initial publish date
Nov 2013
Category
General
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781771080507
    Publish Date
    Nov 2013
    List Price
    $24.95

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Where to buy it

Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels

  • Age: 8 to 12
  • Grade: 3 to 7

Description

Can you lasso the wind?

Can you whip it a-gale?

Can you make oceans bend

To cradle each lost whale?

Lasso the Wind is the first collection of children’s poetry by renowned poet and playwright George Elliott Clarke. By turns absurd, witty, playful, and profound, Clarke’s poems speak to the vivid wonder, the bright joys, and the secret pains of growing up in this world.

With bold and contemporary illustrations by Susan Tooke, Lasso the Wind is a masterpiece.

About the authors

George Elliott Clarke is a Canadian poet and playwright. Born in Windsor Plains, Nova Scotia, he has spent much of his career writing about the Black communities of Nova Scotia and served for a time in the African-American Studies department at Duke University. He earned a BA Honours degree in English from the University of Waterloo (1984), an MA in English from Dalhousie University (1989), and a PhD in English from Queenâ??s University (1993). In addition, he has received honorary degrees from Dalhousie University (LLD), the University of New Brunswick (LittD), the University of Alberta (LittD), and the University of Waterloo (LittD). He is currently professor of English at the University of Toronto.

In 2001 he won the Governor Generalâ??s Literary Award for poetry for his book Execution Poems. Clarkeâ??s work largely explores and chronicles the experience and history of the black Canadian community of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, creating a cultural geography that Clarke often refers to as Africadia. Clarkeâ??s Whylah Falls was one of the selected books in the 2002 edition of Canada Reads, where it was championed by Nalo Hopkinson.

George Elliott Clarke's profile page

Born in New Jersey, Susan received her professional training from Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia and the New School in New York. She moved to Canada in 1980, and has made Halifax, Nova Scotia her home. Working predominantly as a painter, Susan illustrated her first book in 2000, and has received the Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration, and the Mayor’s Award for Brave Jack and the Unicorn. Her work is consistently chosen by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre as a starred selection for the Our Choice Award. In describing her artwork, Susan states: "I breathe real life into my images—the sounds, smells, colors, and idiosyncrasies of specific places and the people who inhabit them."

Susan Tooke's profile page

Awards

  • Short-listed, Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Awards (English Fiction)
  • Winner, Atlantic Book Awards, Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration
  • Short-listed, Libris Award for Best Canadian Children's Picture Book

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