WILD & WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY/PICTURE BOOK MONTH: Seasonal poetry


ABOUT THE BOOK

Caldecott Honoree and NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author/artist Jon J Muth takes a fresh and exciting new look at the four seasons!

Eating warm cookies
on a cold day
is easy

water catches
every thrown stone
skip skip splash

With a featherlight touch and disarming charm, Jon J Muth--and his delightful little panda bear, Koo--challenge readers to stretch their minds and imaginations with twenty-six haikus about the four seasons.


REVIEW

A beautifully written and illustrated book that highlights some fun and unique aspects of each season.  Some of the poems addressed things that I expected such as the weather or seasonal actions such as falling leaves. But some of the poems looked at things I didn't expect such as throwing snowballs at a stop sign, a cat disappearing in the snow.  The adorable panda is the perfect vehicle to take the reader through each of the four seasons and the adventures contained therein.  The book also shows the value of friendship and the fun that friends can have.  A true winner of a book that may well inspire young readers to write their own haiku about friends and nature.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Celebrated poet and anthologist Paul B. Janeczko pairs with Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet for a collection of short poems to sample and savor. 


It only takes a few words, if they’re the right words, to create a strong image. Whether listened to in the comfort of a cozy lap or read independently, the thirty-six very short poems in this collection remind readers young and old that a few perfect words and pictures can make the world glow. Selected by acclaimed poet Paul B. Janeczko and gorgeously illustrated by Melissa Sweet, Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems invites children to sample poems throughout the four seasons.

REVIEW

Offering a more abstract look at the seasons, Firefly July, gives a brief glimpse into the variety of ways of seeing the world through one's imagination.  Janeczko has selected an interesting combination of short poems that look at the seasons through a wide lens. I think these poems would work better with older students as some of the comparisons and abstract images will confuse younger readers who think in more concrete terms.  But this book has great potential to help readers look at the world in new and imaginative ways. Sweet's illustrations help in the interpretation of some of the poems but leave some of the interpretation to the reader's imagination.  A truly wonderful collection of words and images that are meant to be relished and pondered and shared.


Comments

  1. I thought that both of these books were just exceptional. The art as well as the poems are so appealing and I love the idea of introducing young kids to poetry like this. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and reminding me about these books - they would make nice Christmas presents.

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