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A Penny for Your Thoughts
Synopsis:
Have you ever loved, been loved, been confused about love, or suffered from loss of love? All these feelings have been captured and shared in the word of heartfelt poems, compiled over many years by a retired teacher and award-winning author.
Sherrill S. Cannon now shares her thoughts in this book of feelings. “As a teacher, I used poetry to help counsel many troubled teens and friends, and have continued this pattern throughout the years.”
There are three sections in her book: Heads, Spinning, and Tails . . . (Love & Loss: Coin Toss?). The variety of lyrical poetry forms includes free verse, blank verse, haiku, and sonnets. Some poems are simply plays on words.
About the Author:
Sherrill S. Cannon, a former teacher and grandmother of ten, is the author of nine acclaimed rhymed children’s stories that have received 48 national and international book awards between 2011 and 2017. She is also a playwright with seven published plays for elementary school children, and her works have been performed internationally in over 20 countries. Most of her children’s books try to teach something, such as good manners and caring for others. Married for 57 years, she and her spouse are now retired, live in Pennsylvania, and travel in their RV from coast to coast, spending time with their children and grandchildren.
Have you ever loved, been loved, been confused about love, or suffered from loss of love? All these feelings have been captured and shared in the word of heartfelt poems, compiled over many years by a retired teacher and award-winning author.
Sherrill S. Cannon now shares her thoughts in this book of feelings. “As a teacher, I used poetry to help counsel many troubled teens and friends, and have continued this pattern throughout the years.”
There are three sections in her book: Heads, Spinning, and Tails . . . (Love & Loss: Coin Toss?). The variety of lyrical poetry forms includes free verse, blank verse, haiku, and sonnets. Some poems are simply plays on words.
About the Author:
Sherrill S. Cannon, a former teacher and grandmother of ten, is the author of nine acclaimed rhymed children’s stories that have received 48 national and international book awards between 2011 and 2017. She is also a playwright with seven published plays for elementary school children, and her works have been performed internationally in over 20 countries. Most of her children’s books try to teach something, such as good manners and caring for others. Married for 57 years, she and her spouse are now retired, live in Pennsylvania, and travel in their RV from coast to coast, spending time with their children and grandchildren.
- GenresPoetry
156 pages, Paperback
First published November 29, 2017
1 person is currently reading
383 people want to read
About the author
Sherrill S. Cannon
20 books208 followersI am the author of two books of poetry, A Penny for Your Thoughts & A Dime is a Sign, as well as ten published rhyming award-winning children's books, The Magic Word, Peter and the Whimper-Whineys, Santa's Birthday Gift, Gimme-Jimmy, Manner-Man, My Fingerpaint Masterpiece, Mice & Spiders & Webs...Oh My!, The Golden Rule and My Little Angel and David's ADHD. I have also written seven published musical plays for children which are available at Lazy Bee Scripts. I am a magna cum laude graduate of The American University in Washington DC, and have been a teacher, photographer, publicist, stage manager, and a business administrator - as well as an author!
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 15, 2018
“A Penny for Your Thoughts”
Written by Sherrill S. Cannon
Sherrill Cannon’s poetry is beautiful, in the way that your grandmother’s voice sounded as she brushed your hair. I feel like I should be reading this book of poetry while sitting outside and breathing in morning air. I could see how lovely this book would be if read on a vacation in the countryside. This book reminds me of my aunt and her little kitchen with cute chair cushions and the nice decorations.
Mrs. Cannon’s writing is melodic and soothing, like a cup of tea with your favorite relative would be. I love Mrs. Cannon’s personification and metaphors. She often personifies things in nature, how they behave, how they hold meaning to her. I feel that if I wrote poetry, it would be something like this. There are many favorite poems in this collection, so bear with me. I really enjoyed reading these.
My favorite poems in this collection are:
“A Promise”, “A Sign” History”, “I Think of You”, “Proposal”, “The Box”, “To a Holly Tree”, “Thorns”, “Winter’s Nuptials”, “Autumn”, “Brief Meeting”, “Frozen Wasteland”, “Grandfather Clock”, “Flowers”, “My Tree”, “Peter Pan”, “Ready”, “Separation”, “The Fork”, “When Death Comes For Me”, “Winter” 1-4, “A Year”.
* I thank Sherrill deeply and wholeheartedly for sending me a copy of this book to read and review. *
Written by Sherrill S. Cannon
Sherrill Cannon’s poetry is beautiful, in the way that your grandmother’s voice sounded as she brushed your hair. I feel like I should be reading this book of poetry while sitting outside and breathing in morning air. I could see how lovely this book would be if read on a vacation in the countryside. This book reminds me of my aunt and her little kitchen with cute chair cushions and the nice decorations.
Mrs. Cannon’s writing is melodic and soothing, like a cup of tea with your favorite relative would be. I love Mrs. Cannon’s personification and metaphors. She often personifies things in nature, how they behave, how they hold meaning to her. I feel that if I wrote poetry, it would be something like this. There are many favorite poems in this collection, so bear with me. I really enjoyed reading these.
My favorite poems in this collection are:
“A Promise”, “A Sign” History”, “I Think of You”, “Proposal”, “The Box”, “To a Holly Tree”, “Thorns”, “Winter’s Nuptials”, “Autumn”, “Brief Meeting”, “Frozen Wasteland”, “Grandfather Clock”, “Flowers”, “My Tree”, “Peter Pan”, “Ready”, “Separation”, “The Fork”, “When Death Comes For Me”, “Winter” 1-4, “A Year”.
* I thank Sherrill deeply and wholeheartedly for sending me a copy of this book to read and review. *
December 13, 2017
Poetry, as they say, is subjective. You get out of it what tends to be important to you, the individual. In this way, poetry is personal, not only to the poet, but to the reader. Sherrill Cannon's first anthology is a compilation of truly personal experiences, thoughts, and emotions. Reminiscent of Elizabeth Barrett Browning or Christina Rossetti, Ms. Cannon's poems run the gamut of love and the loss of it. How we question aging and looking to the future of existence without us in it are also addressed. After reading this compilation twice, I have come to realize I have several favorites, the top one being The Grandfather Clock. Winter Nuptials, To Share My Tears, Spare Me Your Love, What Is Beauty are just a few that drew me in and spoke to me, personally. Ms. Cannon certainly has a way with sonnets.
Whether you love reading poetry or not, there will be something in this anthology you can relate to, be it losing someone you love, finding them or a new love again, or simply looking at your life. A Penny For Your Thoughts is easy to read for those of you who think you don't understand poetry, and it's a quick read for those of you who think you don't have time to read (though I suggest reading the poems one at a time and let the beauty of the words sink in). For poetry lovers, you will enjoy the sweetness of Ms. Cannon's words, and the honest simplicity in their feelings.
Whether you love reading poetry or not, there will be something in this anthology you can relate to, be it losing someone you love, finding them or a new love again, or simply looking at your life. A Penny For Your Thoughts is easy to read for those of you who think you don't understand poetry, and it's a quick read for those of you who think you don't have time to read (though I suggest reading the poems one at a time and let the beauty of the words sink in). For poetry lovers, you will enjoy the sweetness of Ms. Cannon's words, and the honest simplicity in their feelings.
December 22, 2017
A Penny for Your Thoughts” is Worth Much More than a Penny, Even a Very Pretty Penny!
My daughters and I have read all of Sherrill S. Cannon’s previously published children’s titles. Her knack for using rhyming verse to reinforce children’s values and good manners is excellent. In her new book of poetry, “A Penny for Your Thoughts”, Cannon continues to entertain readers using her poetic story weaving skills. Her poetry runs the full gamut of emotions, from friendship and love to grief and loss, and every feeling in between. Her style of poetry is easy to understand for even those who may not normally enjoy poetry, as Cannon puts her heart and soul into her poetry, allowing others to envision her sensitive words as they pertain to their own lives. As a nature lover, I found her poems with a nature theme to be especially engaging. No matter where you’re at in your life, you’ll find several poems in this diverse collection of poems to relate to your own life or simply enjoy on their own merit!
My daughters and I have read all of Sherrill S. Cannon’s previously published children’s titles. Her knack for using rhyming verse to reinforce children’s values and good manners is excellent. In her new book of poetry, “A Penny for Your Thoughts”, Cannon continues to entertain readers using her poetic story weaving skills. Her poetry runs the full gamut of emotions, from friendship and love to grief and loss, and every feeling in between. Her style of poetry is easy to understand for even those who may not normally enjoy poetry, as Cannon puts her heart and soul into her poetry, allowing others to envision her sensitive words as they pertain to their own lives. As a nature lover, I found her poems with a nature theme to be especially engaging. No matter where you’re at in your life, you’ll find several poems in this diverse collection of poems to relate to your own life or simply enjoy on their own merit!
January 1, 2018
Reviewed by Sarah Stuart for Readers' Favorite
A Penny for Your Thoughts by Sherrill S. Cannon is a collection of one hundred and fifty-four poems on the theme of the many and varied aspects of love. Beautifully illustrated with black, grey and white sketches by K J of Kalpart, Ms. Cannon explores love and friendship, related emotions, and heartache and anguish. The three sections comprise very different views of the title subject. Love and Friendship includes A Sign, a poem about the promise of spring. Related Emotions embraces work still more diverse, appealing to children, adult lovers, and citizens of an unenlightened world. Heartache and Anguish: cold, chill, barren, stunt, drown age, loss, tears, holocaust, and death. A Penny for Your Thoughts will appeal strongly to those who venture into reading poetry for the first time.
Sherrill S. Cannon’s poetry is mainly freestyle, but the contribution I found most intriguing, and unexpected, were the haikus. There is one called Autumn to be found in the Related Emotions section, and another entitled Grief towards the end. Fall, amongst the Heart and Anguish collection, is the cleverest, literally falling from “The geese are flying South again” to “S”, the point at the bottom of gradually shortening lines. Every reader will have their own favourites. Mine are A Poet’s Photograph, and Forever Love, which is appropriately in the last section; it is a heartbreaker that compares love to a butterfly, delicate and easily destroyed. A Penny for Your Thoughts is a true coffee-table book; it has a poem somewhere within it for everyone.
A Penny for Your Thoughts by Sherrill S. Cannon is a collection of one hundred and fifty-four poems on the theme of the many and varied aspects of love. Beautifully illustrated with black, grey and white sketches by K J of Kalpart, Ms. Cannon explores love and friendship, related emotions, and heartache and anguish. The three sections comprise very different views of the title subject. Love and Friendship includes A Sign, a poem about the promise of spring. Related Emotions embraces work still more diverse, appealing to children, adult lovers, and citizens of an unenlightened world. Heartache and Anguish: cold, chill, barren, stunt, drown age, loss, tears, holocaust, and death. A Penny for Your Thoughts will appeal strongly to those who venture into reading poetry for the first time.
Sherrill S. Cannon’s poetry is mainly freestyle, but the contribution I found most intriguing, and unexpected, were the haikus. There is one called Autumn to be found in the Related Emotions section, and another entitled Grief towards the end. Fall, amongst the Heart and Anguish collection, is the cleverest, literally falling from “The geese are flying South again” to “S”, the point at the bottom of gradually shortening lines. Every reader will have their own favourites. Mine are A Poet’s Photograph, and Forever Love, which is appropriately in the last section; it is a heartbreaker that compares love to a butterfly, delicate and easily destroyed. A Penny for Your Thoughts is a true coffee-table book; it has a poem somewhere within it for everyone.
January 23, 2018
Reviewed by Susan Violante for Reader Views (01/18)
“A Penny for Your Thoughts” by Sherrill S. Cannon is a compilation of poems in different forms. I have seen and loved the author’s work in children rhymes, so was eager to explore this new side of Sherrill Cannon’s writing.
The content of this book reflects feelings which we all might have encountered on different occasions and within different stage of our lives. Cannon organized her poems in three major groups that encases feelings of ‘Heads – Love and Friendship,’ ‘Spinning – Of Related Emotions,’ and ‘Tails – of Heartache and Anguish.’ At the same time it represents the flight of a tossed penny.
In my opinion the tossed penny represents the randomness of our feelings in a life time. I found all forms of verse, sonnets and play words awesome, and truly loved her rhymes. The messages within her words were not only deep; they are so relatable to anyone. Although I can’t really pick a favorite as I loved all of them, there was one that touched me to my core. I quote it below as I believe it to be the perfect example of the author’s skill of expressing complex deep messages, while making them feel natural, harmonious and simple:
‘OLD WOMAN
Life sketches echoes of the past
Across her face: lines around her eyes
And mouth, furrows on her forehead – cast
In permanent parchment. The creases so disguise
The woman still inside, no one can see
The little child or lovely maid within.
The mind that looks on life so eagerly
Is hidden by the wrinkles of the skin.
For what is youth, but just a state of mind –
A way to look on life – to stay aware?
And who can say what love that one could find,
If one could know the person hidden there;
The youthful laughing girl who lives inside…
And cannot understand why she’s denied.’
Overall, “A Penny for Your Thoughts” by Sherrill S. Cannon is a remarkable, inspiring compilation of thoughts and poems which will captivate all type of readers as they relate deeply with the simple life messages and heartfelt feelings shared by the author. It is a five star little book that will touch the person within, and one I will surely re-visit and share over and over again.
“A Penny for Your Thoughts” by Sherrill S. Cannon is a compilation of poems in different forms. I have seen and loved the author’s work in children rhymes, so was eager to explore this new side of Sherrill Cannon’s writing.
The content of this book reflects feelings which we all might have encountered on different occasions and within different stage of our lives. Cannon organized her poems in three major groups that encases feelings of ‘Heads – Love and Friendship,’ ‘Spinning – Of Related Emotions,’ and ‘Tails – of Heartache and Anguish.’ At the same time it represents the flight of a tossed penny.
In my opinion the tossed penny represents the randomness of our feelings in a life time. I found all forms of verse, sonnets and play words awesome, and truly loved her rhymes. The messages within her words were not only deep; they are so relatable to anyone. Although I can’t really pick a favorite as I loved all of them, there was one that touched me to my core. I quote it below as I believe it to be the perfect example of the author’s skill of expressing complex deep messages, while making them feel natural, harmonious and simple:
‘OLD WOMAN
Life sketches echoes of the past
Across her face: lines around her eyes
And mouth, furrows on her forehead – cast
In permanent parchment. The creases so disguise
The woman still inside, no one can see
The little child or lovely maid within.
The mind that looks on life so eagerly
Is hidden by the wrinkles of the skin.
For what is youth, but just a state of mind –
A way to look on life – to stay aware?
And who can say what love that one could find,
If one could know the person hidden there;
The youthful laughing girl who lives inside…
And cannot understand why she’s denied.’
Overall, “A Penny for Your Thoughts” by Sherrill S. Cannon is a remarkable, inspiring compilation of thoughts and poems which will captivate all type of readers as they relate deeply with the simple life messages and heartfelt feelings shared by the author. It is a five star little book that will touch the person within, and one I will surely re-visit and share over and over again.
January 7, 2024
This book is a first in a two-part series of poetry books written by this author. I have read both already but read them in reverse. It did not matter because poetry stands alone. However, the poems are categorized into sections.
As I have also read her children's books, which are mostly rhyming, she parts from this in this book.
Some of the poems are short haiku and others are longer prose. All of the poems, the author writes about love and loss.
The poetry is so well written, you can get lost in the reading of them. In the last section of the book, entitled, "Tails of Heartache and Anguish", I found myself crying as I could relate to the feeling.
If you enjoy poetry or simply want to read a short 154 page book, this is for you! 5 stars.
~Michelle, Reading Authors Network
Disclosure: I receive a copy of this book from the author. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours.
As I have also read her children's books, which are mostly rhyming, she parts from this in this book.
Some of the poems are short haiku and others are longer prose. All of the poems, the author writes about love and loss.
The poetry is so well written, you can get lost in the reading of them. In the last section of the book, entitled, "Tails of Heartache and Anguish", I found myself crying as I could relate to the feeling.
If you enjoy poetry or simply want to read a short 154 page book, this is for you! 5 stars.
~Michelle, Reading Authors Network
Disclosure: I receive a copy of this book from the author. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews