Birds of a Feather: Poems by Jane Yolen. Photographs by Jason Stemple. Foreward by Donald Droodsma, Ph.D.

Birds of a Feather

Exquisite color close-up photos set off Yolen's conversational, loving, witty bird poems. A double-page spread includes a short description, including the scientific name, of each featured bird. 2011.
K. Muhm

Liberty's Voice: The Story of Emma Lazarus, by Erica Silverman. IIlustrated by Stacey Schuett

 Liberty's Voice: The Story of Emma Lazarus

Unless they have visited the Statue of Liberty, many young children may not have heard of the poet Emma Lazarus. This picture book biography tells the fascinating story of the woman whose poem, "The New Colossus" is engraved on a plaque in the Statue of Liberty. From the time she was a young girl, Emma loved learning and writing. She kept a notebook which she filled with her poetry. It is a little-known fact that at Emma's request, Ralph Waldo Emerson served as her writing coach. As she became increasingly more aware of the difficulties and injustices immigrants coming to the United States experienced, Emma wrote newspaper articles, plays and poems to raise awareness and change attitudes.

Although in picture book format, LIBERTY'S VOICE tells a story that will interest readers of all ages. The bright watercolor illustrations wonderfully capture the feeling of the nineteenth century. This book may even inspire a family trip to Liberty Park and Ellis Island.

2011

C. Buchanan

Switching on the Moon

Switching on the Moon

Switching on the Moon: A Very First Book of Bedtime Poems Collected by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas.

Here's an opportunity to introduce your youngster to the pleasures of poetry by reading several selections at bedtime from this charming, as well as accessible, collection. Divided into three sections, Going to Bed, Sweet Dreams and In the Night, the poems vary in length from four lines to three or four stanzas. Written by well-known poets, such as Langston Hughes, Vachel Lindsay and Alfred Lord Tennyson, and lesser known writers too, most of the poems rhyme and many are wonderfully humorous. What makes this anthology especially appealing is the charming illustrations. Each poem is accompanied by a full page illustration which sets the mood, adds to the humor or enriches the reader's understanding.

Three or four year old children will enjoy being lulled to sleep listening to these bedtime selections. The poems and sweet illustrations will hold the interest of young school age children too. With an index of first lines and of poets' names in the back of the book, readers can select their old favorites or try something brand new. Hopefully these sixty delights will open young readers' minds to the joys of poetry.

2010

C. Buchanan

Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature's Survivors, by Joyce Sidman. Illustrated by Beckie Prange.

This unusual book includes succinct information about forms of life that have lived for millions and sometimes billions of years, a poem about each entry, and an accompanying double-page, very appealing and often fact-filled illustration. Readers will learn about bacteria (3.8 billion years old), sharks (375 million years old), ants (140 million years old), humans (only 100,000 years old) and much more. Included in the factual section are the genus, age, and size, as well as the fascinating reasons why these creatures have survived, while "99 percent of all species that have existed are now extinct." The poems are accessible. This book is sure to enhance the knowledge of a young person interested in biology, and hopefully whet the appetite of readers who might be potential scientists. The timeline on the endpapers, author's and illustrator's notes, and the glossary make this book even more intriguing.
2010

C. Buchanan