This poem was written in honor of Lee Bennett Hopkins, a giant in the world of children’s poetry. Lee passed away on August 8th of this year. Today, the Poetry Friday community is sharing poetry honoring Lee. My contribution is a Golden Shovel using the title of Lee’s classic book, with phrases from some of Lee’s own poems woven in. Lee joyfully spread his love of poetry throughout the world, and his loss is immeasurable. How lucky we are that our lives were enriched by Lee, and that we have volumes and volumes of poetry to help keep his legacy alive.
Pass the Poetry, Please!
Italicized lines are from the following poems by Lee (in order of appearance):
“Under the Microscope” from Spectacular Science (Simon & Schuster, 1999)
“Librarian” from School People (Wordsong, 2018)
“Ruby” from Hoofbeats, Claws & Rippled Fins: Creature Poems (HarperCollins, 2002)
“Storyteller (For Augusta Baker)” from Jumping Off Library Shelves (Wordsong, 2015)
Introduction to I Am the Cat (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1981)
And, of course, Pass the Poetry, Please! a treasure trove of poetic love, containing “a wealth of ideas to encourage a child’s natural delight in poetry.” (from the back cover of my paperback of the revised edition, published by HarperTrophy in 1987.)
Please be sure to visit our gracious host, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, at The Poem Farm for more remembrances of Lee.
Reading to the Core 
I love how you’ve included so many LBH lines in your tribute! Great job! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
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Wonderful weaving of lines into a beautiful tribute to Lee and all who bring poetry into our lives.
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I do “believe in once upon a time”…thank you for reminding me. What a cool thing to weave in so many lines – and the poem’s title…such a BOOK! Happy Poetry Friday as we keep our lamps lit together in the rain. xx
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Wow–spectacular that you managed a golden shovel title and five lines, and came out with a gem!
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Catherine, this is lovely….and a tribute. Thank you for calling to mind these titles and building such a good golden shovel. Pass the Poetry, Please! is such a great line/title.
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Beautifully creative to use all those lines from that anthology, Catherine. It is a favorite of mine & I imagine Lee would be delighted with your poem.
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Oh, Catherine, Pass the Poetry, PLEASE. We must keep it alive and Lee’s work alive. When I visit classes I will be bringing Lee’s books and his influence on me and so many others to kids’s lives. Your poem sings and reminds us of Lee’s belief in poetry and all it can do for kids’ lives and education and hearts. Wonderful.
Janet Clare F.
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Catherine, this is a masterful weaving of different found lines and a wonderful tribute to Lee.
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Catherine, every single line in your poem is so lovely and true. Thank you for sharing it. Many years ago, I owned the first edition of Pass the Poetry, Please!. It such was a fantastic resource, when the 2nd. edition was published, I bought that one too! : )
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A beautiful golden shovel tribute, Catherine, tightly packed with heart and so many of Lee’s own words. His message and yours speak loud and clear.
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I love everything about this — the purple, the quote, the Golden Shovel, the way you handled the last word (so tricky sometimes)!
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What a beautiful tribute that weaves so many of Lee’s words into a beautiful tapestry.
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Thank you for sharing this poem Catherine. I’m in awe of how you manage this.
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I see you did some clever, purple weaving of your own, Catherine! With the added bonus of a golden shovel, not to mention five reminders of the power of poetry. Lee would appreciate the people-oriented simplicity very much!
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If ever there was a poem that sums up Lee, this is it!
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I was hoping to see a Golden Shovel built from one of Lee’s lines today. You captured his spirit and his joy at welcoming people into the children’s poetry community.
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