I woke up this morning and couldn't understand why I had Perfect Picture Book Friday blog posts in my email feed. It's only Thursday and I have a whole day to finish writing my #PPBF post. Then it hit, it really is Friday. Good thing I had the post planned out and didn't have to totally scramble.
Title: Hidden City: Poems of Urban Wildlife
Author: Sarah Grace Tuttle
Illustrated by: Amy Schimler-Safford
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2018
Themes: Poetry, nature, mixed media art
Opening Poem:
Nesting
In the night
under the table
a mother mouse
scurries back and forth. She
rips paper
carries
rips paper
carries
rips paper
carries
forgotten paper away
to build her nest.
Why I love this book:
Observational poetry is such a lovely way to capture little details that you notice on any given day.
Each poem focuses the mind and the eye on one element of nature. It creates curiosity to want to see it for ourselves.
There are no rhymes in sight. Not that rhyming is bad, I just enjoy poems without rhymes too.
Amy Schimler-Safford's art is beautiful, colorful, and full of the life and wonder of urban wildlife.
Activities:
- Go outside and play.
- Write an observational poem about something you see in nature.
- Connect with a local community garden and get your hands dirty.
- Make art. Use scraps of paper and garden dirt as your art media.
- Check out Sarah Grace Tuttle's website
- Check out Amy Schimler-Safford's website
- Check out Jilanne Hoffman's blog post about When Grandma Gives You a Lemon Tree Pick that book up at the library while you are out. It's a great companion to Hidden City.
- Another book of nature poetry to pick up with this selection is Boom! Bellow! Bleat! Animal Poems for Two of More Voices written by Georgia Heard and illustrated by Aaron DeWitt. This one is great for reading together and making lots of noise.
Yesterday, (yes the real Thursday) I sat on my front stoop with my little dachshund at y side and painted the fairy house in my garden.
I spotted a daisy fairy. I wonder if a poem is in there too?
Be sure to check out Susanna Hill's Blog where you can look for reviews by book, title, and by themes. And you can check out her weekly #PPBF post along with links to many more wonderful posts here.
Oh, oohh, oooohhhhh, must find and read this book! It sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes, I've had those surprise Fridays, too. Glad to hear you were prepared.
Glad you highlighted this book. It sounds like a fun book. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI love your sweet painting!
ReplyDeleteThe book looks lovely too and I'm on my way to see if I can borrow it.
Thank you!
This is a fun book to read. And thanks for sharing your painting - I did not know about the fairies in the daisies. (will be more observant going forward)
ReplyDelete