Brod Bagert facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brod Bagert
|
|
|---|---|
| Born |
Broderick Bagert
1947 |
| Alma mater | Loyola University |
| Occupation | Children's poet |
Brod Bagert (born 1947) is a children's poet from New Orleans, USA. He has written 19 books of poetry for kids, teens, and adults. His work has won many awards. These include the International Reading Association's Young Adults Choices award. He also received the Independent Publisher Gold Book Award. Brod Bagert lives in New Orleans with his wife, Debby. They have four children.
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Brod Bagert's Early Life and Career
Bagert was born and grew up in New Orleans. In high school, he studied old Latin and Greek stories. He also enjoyed wrestling and boxing. Bagert went to Loyola University in New Orleans. He studied there for both his first degree and for Law School. In 1971, he became a lawyer.
Bagert worked as a trial attorney (a lawyer who goes to court) in Louisiana from 1971 to 1992. He was also an elected official from 1976 to 1980. In 1992, Bagert decided to stop being a lawyer. He chose to become a full-time professional poet instead.
Serving the Community
Before becoming a poet, Brod Bagert helped his community. He was elected to the New Orleans City Council in 1976. This council helps make decisions for the city. He worked to protect historic areas in New Orleans. He also helped create a program to help people buy their first homes. This program made it easier for families to get mortgage loans.
In 1980, Bagert joined the Louisiana Public Service Commission. This group helps make sure public services, like electricity, are fair for everyone. After leaving politics, he continued to work on issues important to people. He helped fight for fair prices for electricity customers.
Becoming a Children's Poet
Brod Bagert's journey as a children's author began in a special way. His eight-year-old daughter asked him to write a poem for her. She needed it for a school program where students read poems aloud. To make the poem perfect for her, he wrote it as if his daughter herself was speaking.
This idea became a big part of Bagert's poetry style. He writes poems in the voice of the children who will read them. If he writes for kindergartners, the poem sounds like a kindergartner. If he writes for sixth-graders, it sounds like a sixth-grader. This makes his poems fun to perform. Children can hear their own thoughts and feelings in his words.
Brod Bagert's Books
Brod Bagert has written many books of poetry. Here are some of them:
| Title | Year Published | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| If Only I Could Fly: Poems for Kids to Read Out Loud | 1984 | Juliahouse Publishing Company |
| Alaska: Twenty Poems and a Journal | 1988 | Juliahouse Publishing Company |
| Chicken Socks: And Other Contagious Poems | 1993 | Boyds Mill Press |
| Let Me Be... The Boss | 1995 | Boyds Mills Press |
| Poetry for Young People: Edgar Allan Poe | 1995 | Sterling Publishing |
| Throw Me Somethin’ Mistuh! | 1995 | Juliahouse Publishing Company |
| Rainbows, Head Lice, and Pea-Green Tile: Poems in the Voice of the Classroom Teacher | 1999 | Maupin House Publishing |
| Elephant Games: And Other Playful Poems to Perform | 1995 | Boyds Mill Press |
| The Gooch Machine: Poems for Children to Perform | 2004 | Boyds Mill Press |
| Giant Children | 2005 | Puffin Books |
| Hormone Jungle: Coming of Age in Middle School | 2006 | Maupin House Publishing |
| Shout! Little Poems That Roar | 2007 | Dial Books for Young Readers |
| School Fever | 2008 | Dial Books for Young Readers |
| Steel Cables | 2008 | Maupin House Publishing |
| A Bullfrog at Cafe Du Monde | 2008 | Maupin House Publishing |
| The Poet and the Professor: Poems for Building Reading Skills, Grade Level 4 | 2010 | Shell Educational Publishing |
| The Poet and the Professor: Poems for Building Reading Skills, Grade Level 5 | 2010 | Shell Educational Publishing |
| The Poet and the Professor: Poems for Building Reading Skills, Grade Levels 6-8 | 2010 | Shell Educational Publishing |
