Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Dallas Public Library | + 811.6 FARRAR | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Newberg Public Library | 811.6 FARRAR | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Salem Main Library | J 811.6 Farrar 2012 | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Silver Falls Library | JNF 811 FARRAR | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Brown bear politely/offers to surrender his/den to nosy skunk. Twelve nature-themed haiku accompanied by lush illustrations take the reader from January to December. A great way to introduce children to the traditional Japanese poetry form.
Author Notes
Sid Farrar works in publishing and lives with his wife, Wendy, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has three grown children, Dan, Rose, and Jacob and a grandson, Vinny. Sid wrote poems for his kids when they were little, including some of the poems in this book. He enjoys the change of seasons on his walks in the woods and around the lakes of Minnesota and Wisconsin.Ilse Plume is a collector and illustrator of children's songs and folktales from around the world. Her first book, The Bremen Town Musicians, was a Caldecott Honor book for 1981. She has since created many other beautiful works, including The Twelve Days of Christmas and The Velveteen Rabbit. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-This quietly contemplative collection offers a look at the wonders of nature over the course of a year. Each spread gives a glimpse into a different scene-thunderstorms, apples falling from trees, fireflies at dusk, birds feeding their babies, and other animals in their natural habitats in the different seasons. There are 13 haiku in all-one for each month (although they are not labeled, allowing readers to infer when each one takes place)-and a final one describing the Earth circling the sun as "spinning a tapestry of days, months, and seasons," bringing awe-inspiring perspective to children just learning about how vast the universe really is. Plume's understated yet cheerful artwork brings the selections to life and exemplifies the power and beauty of nature. Farrar gives an explanation of haiku in the back of the book and also discusses characteristics of the seasons and the "cycle of life"-how a year is measured and how the equator divides the world and affects the way seasons are experienced, etc. This charming book is a wonderful supplement for units on weather, seasons, animals, or poetry in general.-Rita Meade, Brooklyn Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
First-time author Farrar here teams up with the Caldecott Honorwinning Plume (The Bremen Town Musicians, 1980, etc.) to capture signature poetic snapshots of the four seasons. While global warming may make these 13 haiku noting distinctions among the seasons ever more historical as the years continue to come round, the evocative scenes Farrar paints are sure to inspire young readers to note cyclical changes in the natural world. And just in case these wonderfully imagistic poetic kernels or Plume's warm, lushly hued watercolors miss their mark, readers can always turn to Farrar's prose expositions on time and the seasons at the volume's end. But the tight marriage of word and image present in the majority of these double-page spreads should render that explanatory annex unnecessary. Farrar excels in choosing natural elements and events that prove quintessentially seasonal. "Like tiny fallen / stars, fireflies quietly blink / their secrets at dusk" suggests the magical depth of a summer's twilight without needing a syllable more. Similarly, Plume's exquisite artistry renders a slightly more complex winter poem--"Each windowpane's a / masterpiece, personally / signed: Your Friend, Jack Frost"--accessible through its abstract amalgam of blue, gray and white icy designs. Plume smartly avoids the temptation to overcompensate for the spareness of these 17-syllable works, lending to Farrar's year outdoors graphic dimensions as vibrant as nature itself. A richly illustrated view of the seasons through haiku. (Picture book/poetry. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Spare words make big connections in debut author Farrar's collection of 12 haiku poems that follow the months of the year, starting with January frost (Each windowpane a masterpiece). Each selection spotlight's nature's miraculous transformations: one selection reads, surprised by her new web feet / tadpole considers / a career on shore, while the opposite page shows frogs at play. Sounds add drama to the lines, as in the dramatic spread of a lightning sky: Thick black clouds grumble / at giving up water to / the parched earth below. Farrar also strikes a wry note that will make readers stop and think: A mystery how / these endless rows of corn can / agree on their height. Ordinary things get a sly twist, such as a jack-o'lantern Waiting patiently / in the pumpkin patch / for his / face. Unlike some haiku, Farrar's creations are accessible and fun for a young audience, and the poetry is extended through the glowing watercolor nature scenes by Caldecott Honor Book illustrator Plume (The Bremen Town Musicians, 1980).--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2010 Booklist