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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
December 1, 2012 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781470347932
- File size: 11693 KB
- Duration: 00:24:21
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- Lexile® Measure: 1020
- Text Difficulty: 6-8
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Reviews
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Nature poet Joyce Sidman piques children's curiosity about the dark with this collection. Myra Taylor narrates with enthusiasm and curiosity about each topic. For creatures as diverse as a newt, a porcupette, and a primrose moth, the author provides a poetic vignette followed by an informational one. How many ways does a raccoon use his hands? What thing "anchors" the earth and also "touches" the sky? Who are the night weavers? Why might a creature prefer nighttime? Taylor varies her poetic voice and her informational one: The first is animated in character and offers pauses for contemplation; the second is matter-of-fact and speedy. A listening treat! A.R. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine -
Starred review from August 9, 2010
"Welcome to the night!" cries the opening poem in this celebration of nocturnal life. Everything from snails to mushrooms has a role to play and something different to say (the title is taken from a concrete poem about a horned owl, narrated by its would-be prey: "Perched missile,/ almost invisible, you/ preen silent feathers,/ swivel your sleek satellite/ dish of a head"). Spiders offer advice, porcupettes pirouette, and the moon laments the dawn, all illuminated by debut talent Allen's detailed yet moody prints, which encapsulate the mysteries and magic of the midnight hours. Opposite each poem is a short note on the featured creature, explaining its appearance and habits. In Sidman's delicious poems, darkness is the norm, and there's nothing to fear but the rising sun. Ages 6–9. -
October 1, 2011
Gr 3-6-Myra Lucretia Taylor expressively reads Joyce Sidman's lush verse (Houghton Mifflin, 2010) in a warm and soothing voice that adds to the poems' nocturnal mood. She subtly differentiates between the poems and the narratives that are interspersed between them. Listeners are first drawn in by the lyrical "Welcome to the Night," which is followed by an introduction to the nocturnal world and to the raccoon's adaptations that make it a successful night hunter. In each of the following ten poems, an animal or plant is introduced and its night habits are explored in a variety of poetic forms. Then, in a brief prose paragraph, additional information about the night dweller and new vocabulary are presented. For example, after "Crickets Speak," we are told about the mechanics of stridulation-producing a shrill sound by rubbing body parts together. Listeners learn how snails build their shell, what a porcupette is and how it grows, how orb spiders spin webs, how owls hunt their prey, and much more. Finally, "Moon's Lament" closes the nighttime tour. The book's glossary is not included in the recording. The Newbery Honor book's gorgeous, detailed linoleum print illustrations by Rick Allen are as beautiful as the poems, so be sure to have it available to use in tandem with the recording. The second track includes page-turning signals. The expressive, engaging poems and the rich and interesting factual information will attract students interested in nature as well as poetry.-MaryAnn Karre, Horace Mann and Thomas Jefferson Schools, Binghamton, NY
Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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