Poetic Elements: The deliberate style of language used
throughout this book clearly helps the reader to imagine and feel as if they
are the very animal being highlighted in the poem, if not almost personified,
so the reader can understand their cause for survival. Speaking in first person and second person
points of view extend the use of personification. Relating to various poem phrases, gives
familiarity in a fresh way. The use of
sensory images, gives the reader a sense of understanding in being able to
picture exactly what is spoken and relate to the specific traits that
characterize the outdoors. When the poem
“Welcome to the Night” says, “Come
feel the cool and shadowed breeze,” I can imagine the way the air in the
evening feels against my skin. “Smell
your way among the trees” reminds me of the outdoor fragrance I encountered
playing outside as a kid. “Who buzz and
chirp and hoot and peep” demonstrates the powerful use of onomatopoeia.
Appeal: This book abounds with the use of
high-frequency words throughout making the appeal to younger readers who
struggle to read even more charming. The
illustrations are alluring to look at and help extend the meaning for each
poem. Learning about the aspects of how Mother
Nature interacts with living things in the life cycle will intrigue any reader
young or old and allow for a greater understanding. Expanding linguistic abilities happens when
the poem itself can meet the reader at their level of reading and advance in
content across the page by sharing an informational nonfiction highlight that deepens
more complexly with the language.
Overall Quality: The poems in this book are definitely fitting
for young people to read and listen to.
They are all about animals and how they interact in the night when they
are awake. The arrangement of the poems
are perfectly in balance with a beginning poem to get the reader ready to learn
about various nocturnal animals and a concluding poem that wraps up the nighttime
hours. The line breaks and format are
all similarly written in a traditional way with stanzas and space breaks
between, but there is one poem that has been spaced specifically to resemble
the shape of an owl. The design and
organization of the book is short and compact.
The illustrations created by Rick Allen were made through a process
called relief printing. A block is
carved out in places to make the design, dipped in black ink, and stamped onto
the paper. The process continues with
hand-coloring using gouache. The process
is time consuming over other methods, but the results are stunning and
mysterious to look at. The textures and
details revealed in each illustration allow the reader or listener time to
ponder the picture as the poem settles into the mind. I would definitely read more books by Sidman
because of her talent with writing poetry and her simultaneous ability to
present nonfiction information in a
concrete way that makes learning pleasurable.
The Poets: Joyce Sidman has written the collection of
poems in this book. It is an anthology
that focuses on different nocturnal animals in each poem. Sidman is a notable poet who has just been
awarded the 2013 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry. Her other poetry books are mostly anthologies
written about different things in nature, shapes, colors, and living
things. Sidman’s website can be viewed at
http://www.joycesidman.com/
Layout: This book is relatively new, but even if it
was older, the poems in it would still be current because it discusses
nocturnal animals and their habits at night.
The award winning Joyce Sidman is the only poet represented in this
book. She has included 12 poems that
take place in the evening hours. The
first poem in the book is called “Welcome
to the Night” and introduces the book’s concept: nocturnal animals and
their habits. Ten poems follow with a
different animal highlighted in each.
The last poem is called “Moon’s
Lament” and it refers to the nighttime hours ending as the sun begins to
show its face. Each poem features a
two-page spread. The first page features
the written poem and on the second page of the spread is the illustration and where
a non-fiction paragraph explains specific details about the animal in view. The poems are appropriately placed, and
written in a uniformed style throughout, except for the “Dark Emperor.” The majority
of the poems are written in a first-person view where the featured animal in
the poem is the one speaking personally about itself. The poems very clearly forecast there being “two
sides to every story.” The featured
animal is the victorious one that will conquer and eat, while the other
onlooker animal will end up as its prey.
The reader can sense both fates. The
book includes a table of contents and a glossary.
Spotlight Poem: Sharing the poem “Dark Emperor” as an
anticipatory to teaching a science lesson on owl pellets would be perfect! Reading the non-fiction excerpt to get
everyone’s attention gathered towards discussing owls is how I would
begin. Following up with a reading of
the poem where the poem could be seen by student eyes as it is read aloud would
be crucial. The illustration for this poem is lovely to look at and a bit
foreshadowing. It’s even more
foreshadowing when you compare it to the shape that the poem has been
written. It clearly communicates an owl
with its soon to be prey to the side. The
gateway to teaching about how owls interact, live, and eat is wide open. Students will be even more fascinated with
this lesson when they learn what an owl pellet really is.
“Dark Emperor” by Joyce Sidman
Perched missile,
almost
invisible, you
preen silent
feathers,
swivel your
sleek satellite
dish of
head. What fills the
cool moons
of your mesmerizing
eyes? What
waves of sound
funnel
toward those waiting
ears? What
symphonies of
squeaks and
skitters, darts
and rustles,
swell the vast,
breathing
darkness of your
realm? O
Dark Emperor
of hooked
face and
hungry eye:
turn that
awful beak
away
from me;
disregard
the tiny hiccup
of my heart
as I flee.
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