Leslie Bulion & Leslie Evans (illustrator)
Peachtree Publishers, 2011
Not only is this a fun, quirky title to fit in with the blog tour theme, but April is also National Poetry Month - and this is a collection of poems! Double win! This book is fun, it's whimsical, it's colorful, and it's educational. Yes, educational. It's very science-y, with each poem focusing on one (or two) ocean creatures that may or may not be familiar. It's also a great resource for introducing young readers to different kinds of poetry, since every poem is in a different form. My inner lit-major was 'geeking out' a little, as I recognized some of the styles, but others were new to me - which was even more exciting! At the back of the book is a glossary of the science-y words that may be unfamiliar, as well as a breakdown of all the different poetry forms represented in the book. This is great resource that is a fun way to 'sneak in' learning.
The poems are fun and humorous, and the illustrations are just as fun. It's a pretty book, with a lot of visual elements. I would caution that very young readers (or older - my Mum saw it and picked it up one day, only to say her eyes were confused) may get a distracted or even a little lost in that on each page there is both the poem and other text - sometimes they are separated by a bit of space, other times they run close together due to illustrations or etc. The 'other text' is a brief description or explanation of the sea creature described in the poem, so it's very helpful, it just might be a bit much for some readers. Overall however, the book is simply fun. I feel like I'm using that word a lot, but sometimes there's only one word that really describes something, and in this case, that's the magic word: Fun!
Giveaway Alert:
Thanks to the generosity of the great folks at Peachtree Publishers, I am delighted to announce that I am going to be giving you the chance to win a copy not only of this book, but of the other three titles I'm reviewing as part of the blog tour also! That's four wonderful new books you could win! Entering is simple: Check back here, and leave a comment on one of the "Fins, Wings, and Other Things" posts - only comments on blog tour posts count, but you can comment on every one (that means you could get 5 entries total!). On April 30th, I will randomly select a winner, and contact you. So please, leave me an email or some way to get in touch with you! Contest only open to the US. Good luck!
For more blog tour fun, check out the next stop: Archimedes Notebook
Book provided by publisher for review.
Great review...and you're right, a double win! This publisher has a great selection of books that help pass on those ideas and values we try to instill in young readers (well, readers of any age for that matter). Good luck to everyone who enters! You won't be sorry.
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So glad you enjoyed the different poetic forms. Playing with new forms of poetry is a fun learning process for me, too! Thanks for featuring the book on your blog.
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