| |
1 |
Forest Has a Song: Poems
Author:
VanDerwater, Amy Ludwig
Illustrator:
Gourley, Robbin
|
| |
|
Class:
811.6
Age: 7-10
Language: English
|
LC: PS3622
Grade: 2-5
Print Run: 10000
|
|
ISBN-13: 9780618843497
LCCN: 2011052433
Imprint: Clarion Books
|
|
Pub Date: 03/26/2013
Availability: Available
List: $17.99
|
| |
Hardcover
|
|
|
Physical Description:
|
32 p. : col. ill. ; 29 cm.
H 10.75",
W 8",
D 0.37",
0.79 lbs.
|
|
LC Series:
|
|
|
Brodart Sources:
|
Brodart's Insight Catalog: Children
Brodart's TOP Juvenile Titles
|
|
Bibliographies:
|
Children's Core Collection, 22nd ed.
Children's Core Collection, 23rd ed.
Children's Core Collection, 24th ed.
|
|
Awards:
|
Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices
Horn Book Guide Titles, Rated 1 - 4
Notable Children's Books in the English Language Arts
Notable Poetry List (NCTE)
|
|
Starred Reviews:
|
|
|
TIPS Subjects:
|
Poems
|
|
BISAC Subjects: |
JUVENILE FICTION / Poetry
JUVENILE FICTION / Science & Nature / General
JUVENILE FICTION / Sports & Recreation / Camping & Outdoor Activities
|
|
LC Subjects:
|
Forest, Poetry
|
|
SEARS Subjects: |
Forest, Poetry
|
|
Reading Programs: |
|
|
|
| |
| Annotations |
| Brodart's TOP Juvenile Titles | 03/01/2013 |
| Listen closely. Is that a frog singing? Twenty-six poems reveal the forest sounds throughout the seasons as readers discover forest plants, animals, and more. 40pp., Color Ill. |
|
| Journal Reviews |
| BookPage | 04/01/2013 |
| Very much back on terra firma, Forest Has a Song is a lovely compendium of woods-related poems by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater. A girl and her dog wander through the forest in a variety of seasons, inviting readers to share their discoveries. Poems such as "Bone Pile," "Colorful Actor" (about a cardinal) and "First Flight" (chronicling an owl) nicely convey the discoveries that an observant hiker might make. Gentle watercolors by Robbin Gourley add just the right suggestion of realism, while bringing the poems together into a narrative whole. 40pg. BOOKPAGE, c2013. |
|
| Booklist | 04/01/2013 |
| VanDerwater's collection of 26 breezy, accessible poems explores in close-up detail the fascinating microcosm of the forest, from its lush sensory experiences throughout the seasons to its charmingly diverse cast of characters. Playful word choice, effortless rhyming schemes, and simple metaphors and imagery ("Ferny frondy fiddleheads / unfurl curls from dirty beds") brighten the collection's quiet, contemplative tone, while personification of many of the subjects, from a courting frog to maple leaves affecting fall color, bring the subjects even closer for young audiences, while still offering kernels of factual information. As with most themed collections of this size, some poems stand out and others less so, but the crisp, bright watercolor illustrations on white backgrounds, which depict a girl and her brother's ventures into the woods throughout the year, add another layer of distinction to each poem and further express the meaning in the words. Dip into this appealing collection for an introduction to early nature studies or poetry writing, or for generating some well-deserved enthusiasm for a stroll in the great outdoors. McKulski, Kristen. 40p. Booklist Online. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2013. |
|
| Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books | 04/01/2013 |
| R. 6-10 yrs. Twenty-six gentle poems explore the forest and its denizens in this poetic tribute to the natural world. Subtly following the progress of the seasons, verses examine aspects of the forest milieu such as footprints in the snow ("Forest News"), the growing vegetation ("April Waking"), the beauty of a summer evening ("Dusk"), and the critters preparing for oncoming winter again ("Squirrel"). There's a pretty delicacy to the poems, and while they lack the verve of Joyce Sidman's brilliant combination of information and evocative vividness (in Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature, BCCB 11/11, Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors, 3/09), the simple personifications and kid-accessible imagery ("Lichens are graffiti artists") make the verses especially appealing to younger poetry audiences. Gourley's watercolor illustrations, which float on snowy backgrounds to offer a closeup look at a bird or branch or stretch more broadly across the page to feature a young girl and her dog exploring the woods, have a streamlined designery touch. Though the figures are occasionally a little awkward, the verdant botanicals and airy landscapes are attractive. The verses are approachable for readers and vivid for readaloud listeners, so this is a title with a broad spread of possible use. Even if there's no nearby forest, just have kids close their eyes, listen to the poetry, and imagine that there is. DS. 32p. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIV. OF ILLINOIS, c2013. |
|
| Horn Book Guide | 11/01/2013 |
| 3. K-3. These poems celebrate forests throughout the seasons, each one observing a different woodsy subject with an original twist: snow footprints are the "Forest News" ("Articles are printed / by critters on the go"); moss is "an emerald carpet"; even poison ivy is given attention ("One green / touch can itch / so much"). The watercolor illustrations reflect the thoughtful simplicity of the verse. pr. 32pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2013. |
|
| Kirkus Reviews | 02/01/2013 |
| Twenty-six poems with varied structures offer quiet observations of the natural world. Vanderwater's studies are spare and sometimes personal. Loosely cast as a series of forest visits at different times of the year, they focus both on the large, as in the opening "Invitation," and the small--fiddleheads, lichens, a cardinal, a squirrel. The poet's imagination invites readers and listeners inside her subjects' heads. A chickadee considers taking food from a child's hand; an owlet worries about its first flight. She listens to the voices of snowflakes and maples. Some poems describe the forest visitor's actions: In one haiku, she plays with a rotting branch; in another, she marvels at the taste of wintergreen. Two children enjoy the surprise of a mushroom puffball. Listeners will appreciate language play like the tree frog's: "Hoping. / Hopping. / High above. / Crooning. / Plopping. / Finding love." The imagery is fresh and original; it's accessible, too. Watercolor images of each poem's subject add to the appeal. Some are vignettes, others show a child or a family enjoying the out-of-doors. Although the same young girl appears in these pictures, her clothing and apparent age vary, implying a series of encounters over many years. Readers, too, may want to return to these explorations over and over. (Picture book/poetry. 5-10). 40pg. KIRKUS MEDIA LLC, c2013. |
|
| Publishers Weekly | 01/07/2013 |
| Ages 6-9. Moving gracefully through the seasons, newcomer VanDerwater shares a girl's experience of what the forest has to offer. On a chilly spring day, she "stop to read/ the Forest News/ in mud or fallen snow./ Articles are printed/ by critters on the go" (Gourley shows the girl staring at a line of pale deer prints that lead to a distant grove). A slightly subversive sense of humor peeks through at times (a spider is "A never-tangling dangling spinner/ knitting angles, trapping dinner"), but the overall mood is serene, as when the girl dons her winterwear once more at year's end: "I close my eyes/ to softly hear/ snowy voices/ crystal clear./ Each silver/ snowflake/ sings my name./ Guess what?/ No two sound the same." (Apr.). 40p. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, c2013. |
|
| School Library Journal | 06/01/2013 |
| Gr 3-4--Creatures and plants and the sights and sounds of the forest are described from the perspective of a girl who appears occasionally in this collection of nature poems. Simple watercolor scenes, set on softly washed backgrounds or white space, run above, beneath, below, or alongside each selection, which generally focuses on a specific aspect of forest life. For example, "Moss" reads, "Barefoot on this emerald carpet/toe-by-toe I squish across./I softly sink in velvet green./Oh how I wish for socks of moss." The girl, other human companions, and her dog encounter chickadees, tree frogs, lady slippers, lichens, and fossils, and these forest experiences span the seasons. The poems are simple, well-shaped, and pleasant for read-aloud sharing. The book is an inviting tour for those who enjoy observing the natural world through poetry. Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston. 32p. SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, c2013. |
|
| ~Library Media Connection (Retired Journal) | 08/01/2013 |
| Grades 5-8. With poems that span the various seasons of a year, this book is full of the different things that can be experienced while outdoors. VanDerwater has taken seemingly ordinary things like a rotten log, and shown readers just what occurs within, such as being a home to a host of different animals. Each poem is accompanied by a watercolor illustration which places the reader in that location. Younger readers will appreciate the rhythm that occurs within some of the poems, and older readers will discover things within a forest that they have never stopped to notice before now. Beth Green, School Library Media Specialist, Wappingers Junior High School, Wappingers Falls, New York. RECOMMENDED. 40pg. Online Review. ABC-CLIO, INC., c2013. |
|
9780618843497,dl.it[0].title
|
|