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POETREES

Name: POETREES
Author: Douglas Florian
ISBN: 978-1-4169-8672-0

by Douglas Florian and illustrated by Douglas Florian ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 9, 2010

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Trees receive a witty and informative rhyming appreciation. Starting with a concrete poem about “The Seed” (which brilliantly snakes its way into the shape of the infinity sign) and moving into species both familiar—“Oak,” “Giant Sequoias”—and less well known—“Scribbly Gum,” “Bristlecone Pine”—Florian also introduces readers to such individual elements as “Roots” and “Bark.” The author renders his illustrations on crinkly, brown paper bags in a diverse assortment of media—gouache watercolors, colored paints, rubber stamps, oil pastels and collage—and incorporates images of humans (hands, faces, whole bodies) into many of them. Equally effective is the large double-page layout of the book, which opens top to bottom rather than left to right, giving each tree room to grow. His style is looser than in previous books, in keeping with the organic, natural theme. Although some of his wordplay falls flat (sequoias are “Ancient seers / Of three thousand years”), by and large the poems live up to his usual high standard. The author is careful to include a “Glossatree,” an author’s note and a bibliography. Readers and listeners will learn and laugh. (Picture book/poetry. 5-9)

Pub Date: March 9, 2010

ISBN: 978-1-4169-8672-0

Page Count: 48

Publisher: BBC Books/Trafalgar

Review Posted Online: March 7, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2010

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S POETRY

- BOOK REVIEW
BRUSH! BRUSH! BRUSH!
by Douglas Florian ; illustrated by Christiane Engel

- BOOK REVIEW
ICE!
by Douglas Florian ; illustrated by Douglas Florian

- BOOK REVIEW
FRIENDS AND FOES
by Douglas Florian ; illustrated by Douglas Florian

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REACHING FOR THE MOON

by Buzz Aldrin & illustrated by Wendell Minor ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2005

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In first-person voice, Aldrin highlights points from his childhood that led to his dream of being an astronaut and making the historic moon landing. Coincidental details like his mother’s maiden name, “Moon,” and his favorite movie hero, the “Lone Ranger,” suggest clues to his destiny. After West Point, he joined the Air Force because “he wanted to fly more than anything.” Minor’s usual beautiful and realistic illustrations effectively convey spatial perspectives and movement, adding depth to the narrative. However, the cover design and type layout are confusing, indicative of a biography instead of an autobiography—a brief intro could have clarified it. Aldrin’s message in an author’s note avows, “If you set your sights high, you may accomplish more than you ever dreamed.” Pair this with Don Brown’s One Giant Step for a child’s-eye view on space exploration. (Flight/space exploration chronology) (Picture book/biography. 6-9)

Pub Date: June 1, 2005

ISBN: 0-06-055445-2

Page Count: 40

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2005

Categories:

CHILDREN'S BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
TO THE MOON AND BACK
by Buzz Aldrin & Marianne Dyson ; illustrated by Bruce Foster

- BOOK REVIEW
LOOK TO THE STARS
by Buzz Aldrin and illustrated by Wendell Minor

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ALL THE COLORS OF THE EARTH

by Sheila Hamanaka ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1994

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This heavily earnest celebration of multi-ethnicity combines full-bleed paintings of smiling children, viewed through a golden haze dancing, playing, planting seedlings, and the like, with a hyperbolic, disconnected text—``Dark as leopard spots, light as sand,/Children buzz with laughter that kisses our land...''— printed in wavy lines. Literal-minded readers may have trouble with the author's premise, that ``Children come in all the colors of the earth and sky and sea'' (green? blue?), and most of the children here, though of diverse and mixed racial ancestry, wear shorts and T-shirts and seem to be about the same age. Hamanaka has chosen a worthy theme, but she develops it without the humor or imagination that animates her Screen of Frogs (1993). (Picture book. 5-7)