A collection offers poetry and coloring pages for children, parents, and educators.
This anthology showcases the talents of 15 writers as they wax poetic across the animal kingdom, from birds, fish, and bears to dogs, cats, and farm animals. These rhyming poems are simple and concise yet crafted to appeal to young readers. “Come with me, / I’m bluebird free! / With azure wings, / I’m feathered glee,” writes Margaret Simon. Other winged creatures featured include an itchy ostrich, a robin redbreast with a song to share, and a busy penguin. Dean Flowerfield’s imagination runs wild about different kinds of sea life while staring into a goldfish bowl. Turtles and gators “bump bounce boogie” on a log. A mother turtle “lays a clutch / Of moon-shaped eggs” on the shore before returning to the water. Editor Street explores the seasonal behavior of foxes, while Michelle Kogan zeroes in on the autumnal patterns of rabbits. A black bear takes a meandering walk through a cityscape in a poem by Debra Friedland Katz, while a slobbery dog named Mr. Jaws takes an elevator ride in a piece by Adrian Fogelin. Honeybees, monarch butterflies, spiders, and other insects get their due, too. The poems are interspersed with coloring pages that correspond to the pieces. The book also includes pages for readers to write their own poems and draw their own illustrations. The collection’s poems are playful and fun to read, as when Fogelin describes “the click of hard toenails, the damp of a snout, / the flump of butts furry, the breath tinged with trout” of “The Bears on the Stairs.” The poets also get creative with fonts and formatting. In addition to learning about animals, readers are exposed to different forms of poetry, like haiku, acrostic, and triolet. A few animals, like an okapi (a relative of the giraffe), may be unfamiliar to many readers, and some of the language, like Kogan’s description of sloths as “three-toed pygmies” that are “critically endangered,” may go over kids’ heads or require explanation.
A delightful poetry anthology that readers of all ages will enjoy.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 9781947536142
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Turtle Cove Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 19, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S POETRY
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Wow.
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The stories of the births of the universe, the planet Earth, and a human child are told in this picture book.
Bauer begins with cosmic nothing: “In the dark / in the deep, deep dark / a speck floated / invisible as thought / weighty as God.” Her powerful words build the story of the creation of the universe, presenting the science in poetic free verse. First, the narrative tells of the creation of stars by the Big Bang, then the explosions of some of those stars, from which dust becomes the matter that coalesces into planets, then the creation of life on Earth: a “lucky planet…neither too far / nor too near…its yellow star…the Sun.” Holmes’ digitally assembled hand-marbled paper-collage illustrations perfectly pair with the text—in fact the words and illustrations become an inseparable whole, as together they both delineate and suggest—the former telling the story and the latter, with their swirling colors suggestive of vast cosmos, contributing the atmosphere. It’s a stunning achievement to present to readers the factual events that created the birth of the universe, the planet Earth, and life on Earth with such an expressive, powerful creativity of words paired with illustrations so evocative of the awe and magic of the cosmos. But then the story goes one brilliant step further and gives the birth of a child the same beginning, the same sense of magic, the same miracle.
Wow. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7883-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
Categories: CHILDREN'S POETRY | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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Animal behaviors change as they prepare to face the winter.
Migrate, hibernate, or tolerate. With smooth rhymes and jaunty illustrations, Salas and Gévry introduce three strategies animals use for coping with winter cold. The author’s long experience in imparting information to young readers is evident in her selection of familiar animals and in her presentation. Spread by spread she introduces her examples, preparing in fall and surviving in winter. She describes two types of migration: Hummingbirds and monarchs fly, and blue whales travel to the warmth of the south; earthworms burrow deeper into the earth. Without using technical words, she introduces four forms of hibernation—chipmunks nap and snack; bears mainly sleep; Northern wood frogs become an “icy pop,” frozen until spring; and normally solitary garter snakes snuggle together in huge masses. Those who can tolerate the winter still change behavior. Mice store food and travel in tunnels under the snow; moose grow a warmer kind of fur; the red fox dives into the snow to catch small mammals (like those mice); and humans put on warm clothes and play. The animals in the soft pastel illustrations are recognizable, more cuddly than realistic, and quite appealing; their habitats are stylized. The humans represent varied ethnicities. Each page includes two levels of text, and there’s further information in the extensive backmatter. Pair with Joyce Sidman and Rick Allen’s Winter Bees (2014).
A good choice for a late fall storytime. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5415-2900-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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