SO MANY ANIMALS!

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.