Sing A Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year, selected by Fiona Waters and illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon. Nosy Crow, Candlewick Press, Penguin Random House. 2018. $49.99 all ages

"Winter Morning

Take one starry night
without cloud blankets.
Sprinkle icing sugar all about.
Leave to set.

Frosted leaves
sugared trees
spider's web appears
marked out in silver pen.
     (Angela Topping)

If it is true that we learn to love poetry one poem at a time and one day at a time, this is the perfect book to start a new tradition in your family. With the beginning of a brand new year just around the corner, this 'big' book of selected poetry is the perfect family book for sharing. It would also be a wonderful addition to a classroom or school library.

More that 90 poets are celebrated here in 366 poems; each one is grounded in the natural world and written by both familiar and not-so-familiar writers who share their observations with a wide audience. Ms.Waters has selected verses that are grounded in the conservation of the environment as well as the way we must treat all creatures of the earth.

"HURT NO LIVING THING

Hurt no living thing.
ladybird nor butterfly,
Not moth with dusty wing,
Nor cricket chirping cheerily,
Nor grasshopper, so light of leap,
Nor dancing gnat,
Nor beetle fat,
Nor harmless worms that creep.
        (Christina Rossetti)

I have read each of the poems, and found some old favorites and made brilliant new discoveries. There is humor, beauty, and variation in the type of verse chosen and presented. The design is perfect. The captivating double-page spreads that accompany each set of poems are done in mixed media. They are an homage to the natural world and designed to attract attention and careful consideration.

The table of contents includes the introduction and a listing for each month of the year. The name of the month and the poem titles for each day are placed at the beginning of each section. Finally, index pages are provided for the poets, the poems, and the first lines.

Exceptional!

As snow falls outside my window, I would like to share this ...

"A HARD WINTER

Not
a
twig
stirs.

The frost-bitten garden
huddles beneath
a heaped duvet of snow.

Pond,
tree,
sky
and
street

are granite with cold.
          (Wes Magee)