Kite Days
Independence
Elegance and beauty
The elephant shapes dance for peace
Rejoice

Mecca
Play, run, toss, climb
White robes, many nations
Rituals followed for two weeks
The Hajj

Murals
Revolution
Peasants, soldiers fighting
Opinionated public art
Movement

Colors
Painting a home
A traditional art
From Japan to Argentina
Living

Aboriginie
Art, dots, lines, designs, dreamtime
Rainbow snake spirit

Boys look for their dog
Through the small hole
They crawl down
To see old paintings

Abenaki art
Near the Kennebec river
Dragons and deer in Maine

A girl in danger
Then saved by dog
From a snake
Risked his own life

Snow was freezing cold
In the crevice for too long
Saved by dog with strength

Margy Burns Knight and Anne Sibley O'Brien, author and illustrator came to Winthrop Middle School to work with each grade level. The mural is based on the Talking Walls books. We were fortunate enough to have 12 original illustrations from the book. Mrs. Criss, the principal, went into each class and asked a question based on the original illustrations from Talking Walls. Students then researched the questions. When Anne and Margy came to work with the students they helped each class complete poetry based on their research. Anne worked on the spot to show how she gets ideas and how important accurate research is to quality work. As Anne was drawing, Margy helped the students create either an ode or cinquain based on their research and ideas for illustrations. What a magical moment for these kids!