To jump right to the music, click here.

Hello, from Brad Burg, an award-winning children's book author and songwriter (with a #1 country hit, and a Dave Brubeck collaboration). This site's about my writing and music, and about concrete (graphic) poetry for children, in which the poem's layout reflects the subject matter. 1. Writing: My Penguin Putnam book of concrete children's poetry, Outside The Lines: Poetry At Play, is a national Blue Ribbon prize winner. All of its poems are about different kinds of play--"Swing," "Slide," and so on; to see samples online, click here. The reviews were very favorable:        "A sparkling synthesis of text, layout and art."     "Calorie-burning reading!"        "Readers are compelled to jump in."                   "Delightful!"                "Exuberant"                                                         "Not to be missed!" 2.  Music: The CDs here include songs based on the poems, in a collection praised as "innovative" by the L.A. Times. Like the poetry's visual layout, these songs suggest the action and mood of the play activity involved--in vivid, unusual ways. The Times reviewer noted: "In 'Catch,' the singers toss the melody back and forth; vocals convey the on-and-off wink of 'Fireflies;' and in 'Kites,' the tug of the wind is unmistakable." (Click those song titles to hear what the reviewer liked.)     A recent collaboration with Dave Brubeck is among other music here.     3. Concrete poetry for children. The site demonstrates and discusses this child-friendly type of poetry, with pages for kids, parents, and teachers. (See below.)