PPBF: Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold

I had this review ready, but didn't realize Beth Stillborn had already done a lovely Perfect Picture Book Friday review on her blog. Thanks, Beth.

However, in case you missed this book, I hope you'll take a peek at the gorgeous art and poetry within. Enjoy your weekend.

Winter Bees, By Joyce Sidman and Rick Allen

Winter Bees
& Other Poems of the Cold

Written by Joyce Sidman
Illustrated by Rick Allen
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014
Kindergarten - 4th grade



Themes:
Poetry, Animals, Winter



Opening:
From "Dream of the Tundra Swan"

Dusk fell
and the cold came creeping,
came prickling into our hearts

Synopsis:
Winter Bees is a beautiful collection of twelve poems focusing on animals and their behaviors during the winter months. The poems and illustrations are arranged from autumn's first snow to spring thaw, from "Dream of the Tundra Swan" to " Triolet for Skunk Cabbage." Poems appear on the left-hand page, while a short informative paragraph appears on the right of each spread, feeding the mind as well as the soul. The author adds a glossary to help explain not only naturalistic terms, but poetic ones as well. The linocut prints are detailed enough to satisfy young scientists, yet artistic enough to keep the pages turning. All in all, a tremendously perfect picture book.


What I Love:
Aside from the sheer beauty of the illustrations and the poems, Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold is full of fascinating facts. Did you know there's a bug called a snow flea that can spring high by flicking it's "tail"? Did you know there's a swan which flies north for the winter? Do you know the meanings of "subnivean", "brumale", or "pantoum"? Pick up a copy and find out.

My favorite poem has to be "Vole in Winter" and just listen to these lines from "What Do The Trees Know?"

What do the trees know?

       To bend when all the wild winds blow.

       Roots are deep and time is slow.

       All we grasp we must let go.

Bonus: 

1. Giclées of the prints in this book and many more are available from Kenspeckle Letterpress. Gorgeous.
2.Kenn Nesbitt offers some lessons for kids on writing poetry at Poetry4Kids.
3. Sing Winter Wonderland and try some of the 50 winter family activities compiled by Today'sParent.
4. You'll find winter pre-school activities and crafts on MCPL, artic animal learning activities on GiftofCuriosity, and a science project about hibernation on HomeScienceTools.
5. Check out these and more Perfect Picture Books at your local library.

Reviewed by Joanne

Reviewed by Cathy

Reviewed by Barbara

Reviewed by Joanne

Have you reviewed a Perfect Picture Book along this theme? Please leave the link in the comments below. Thanks!

Check out all the Perfect Picture Book Friday titles available on Susanna Leonard Hill's blog.

PPBF: Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night

Follow the link to 

the A to Z Challenge.

Today's Perfect Picture Book Friday pick helps celebrate National Poetry Month.

Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night
Written by Joyce Sidman
Illustrated by Rick Allen
Houghton Mifflin, 2010
Poetry and Non-Fiction, grades 3-6
word count 2604

Themes:
Poetry, Nature, Animals


Opening:

To all of you who crawl and creep,
who buzz and chirp and hoot and peep,
who wake at dusk and throw off sleep;
Welcome to the night.

To you who make the forest sing,
who dip and dodge on silent wing,
who flutter, hover, clasp, and cling:
Welcome to the night!

Come feel the cool and shadowed breeze,
come smell your way among the trees,
come touch rough bark and leathered leaves:
Welcome to the night.

The night's a sea of dappled dark,
the night's a feast of sound and spark,
the night's a wild enchanted park.
Welcome to the night!


Synopsis:
        Dark Emperor & Other Poems is a beautiful blend of poetry and non-fiction over the backdrop of a forest at night. Each left-hand page has a poem. Some about the night itself. Most are about animals which roam the night: raccoon, snail, cricket, baby porcupette. The right-hand page has a description of the animal and its habits. Half poetry, half nature guide, this lyrical book made me feel as if I were in the woods at night, everything stirring around me. No wonder it won a Newbery Honor.
       Rick Allen's superb relief prints illustrate the poems in stunning detail. Though the prints are beautiful in themselves, they also act as a perfect compliment to the text.


What I Love:
I like poetry. This book makes me LOVE poetry. This book makes me love non-fiction picture books.
It begins with a wordless double-page spread which works almost like an endpaper. The illustration shows an owl swooping out of the forest at dusk. Rick injects a bit of whimsy too as an orange eft makes his way across each page. My favorite poem is Oak After Dark - just lovely.
After the last poem, the hauntingly beautiful  Moon's Lament, this book closes as it opened, with a double spread of the forest. This time the illustration shows the breaking dawn. The whole forest, the whole night, captured between the covers of a picture book.

Bonus:

1.The author has an available reader's guide.
2. You can find an interview with Joyce on Seven Impossible Things.
3. You can purchase prints from Kenspeckle Letterpress.

From DisneyBaby.com

4. There's an interesting peek into the illustrator's process on Challenging the Bookworm..
5. Enchanted Learning has some educational materials on nocturnal animals.
6. Visit a zoo to see the animals up close, like San Diego, Philadelphia, or The National Zoo. If you can't be there in person, most zoos have informative websites.
7. NuggetsOfGold has posts basic diorama instructions which can be modified to depict nocturnal animals.

8. Oreo owl cupcakes are a delicious treat for storytime.
9. Here are some other Perfect Picture Books you might enjoy.

Posted by Kristen Larson

Posted by  ClarBoJahn

Posted by Heather Newman

Posted by Laura Renauld

Posted by Kelly Korenek

Check out all the recommended titles for Perfect Picture Book Friday for April 4, 2014 available on Susanna Leonard Hill's excellent blog.