Charles Ghigna - Works

Works

Although Ghigna has written serious works for adults, it is his unique sense of humor and rhyme that dominate as he develops a story or poem for children. The humor found in many of his literary works comes from viewing everyday objects, people, or situations through the eyes of a child. Simple everyday objects can become the focus of poems that develop into a book of poems as in Animal Tracks: Wild Poems to Read Aloud (2004). In this book, poems demonstrate connections between animals and people through the use of puns. The anthropomorphized animals make learning about animals fun and enjoyable.

When writing A Fury of Motion: Poems for Boys (2003) Ghigna had a specific goal in mind. A friend reminded him of a statement once made by poet John Ciardi that he “wished he has written a book of poems for boys who hated poetry.” This, along with his recollection of his own personal feelings as a young boy as well as having a son of his own, were the reasons for setting the goal for his particular book (Ghigna, 2003).

Ghigna’s poetry ranges from his free form adult works to his use of rhymes in children’s works. His poems’ wide span of styles and subjects offers everyone from 1 to 100 something to enjoy.

Award-winning Tickle Day: Poems from Father Goose (1994), which was chosen 'Pick of the List' from American Booksellers Association, is a collection of 30 poems previously submitted to magazines. It includes a variety of topics and was described by Debra Briatico in Children’s Literature Review as filled with “energy and enthusiasm.” The poems make everyday familiar things like bug watching or avoiding naptime fun and entertaining for children (Charles Ghigna, 2005).

Another 'Pick of the List,' Riddle Rhymes (1995) takes riddles and gives them an added twist by putting them in verse form. This is just another example of Ghigna’s ability to create a different yet unique presentation of an everyday form. The School Library Journal review found this book to be a “lighthearted guessing game” that children enjoyed while trying to answer the riddles (Charles Ghigna, 2005).

Score! 50 Poems to Motivate and Inspire (2008), teaches children develop character through short poems. These quick lessons are simple and easy for children to understand and can be used not only to motivate children but also to encourage them. Snow Wonder (2008), is an easy reader that gives two children’s account of the day after waking to find a snow on a wintry day. Their activities are common place and because children can easily relate to them makes reading an enjoyable experience as they relive their enjoyment of snow. These few examples of the numerous works written by Ghigna demonstrate the variety offered in his many selections.

Ghigna’s approach to writing is one of total abandonment since this tends to bring him the best ideas. This process allows his ideas to take him where they want to go and from these he takes the ones that “generate enough heat and excitement” to create something good. According to Ghigna, writing with as much passion as possible and letting yourself be taken by ideas to unexpected places is the only way to get the good stuff to write. Putting ideas down is only the beginning of the process when working to create and develop works for children. An important step to remember is the element of voice which Ghigna finds by imagining himself “whispering a big secret to someone special,”… beginning with the magical words “Now listen to this…” (Ghigna, Importance of Voice p 3).

In his free time, Ghigna enjoys “writing, reading, walking, doing crossword puzzles, and collecting old picture books, especially Mother Goose books. Ghigna reports that the geese tend to sneak around the room and visit when he leaves at night however they are usually well-behaved (Charles Ghigna, 2005).