ICE! Poems About Polar Life, written and illustrated by Douglas Florian. Holiday House, Penguin Random House. 2020.$23.99 ages 6 and up

"KRILL

Fish and penguins, squids and seals
all find krill make splendid meals.
Blue whales eat krill by the millions:
Millions! Billions! Trillions! Krillions!

KRILL are shrimp-like creatures that grow to a length
of about two inches. Krill live in the waters of both 
the Arctic and Southern seas. Though small in size,
they are a big part of the food chain of sea creatures
and are eaten by penguins, seals, whales, squid, and 
fish. A blue whale may eat as many as 40 million krill 
a day. That's a meal of about four tons! Antarctic 
krill are perhaps the most abundant species on Earth, 
as they may number up to 400 trillion." 

I did not know how much I had missed the poetry that comes from the mind and pen of the prolific and accomplished Douglas Florian. The last book from him that I remember reading was a book about space. It was a while ago. 

Prior to retirement from teaching in early years classrooms and being the teacher-librarian in a K-5 school, I was constantly on the lookout for his newest books of poetry. I was never disappointed with the topic (he knows what kids are interested in learning), his precise word choice, or his distinct artwork. Reading this new book last night reminded me of all the other books that impacted my teaching and my students' learning. 

Ice takes readers to the polar regions - the Arctic and the Antarctic. Each very enjoyable entry is filled with the wonderful, inventive language that is customary in his work. Each poem is accompanied by a note at the bottom of the page, offering further fascinating information. The illustrations that face each poem are created using colored pencil and pastel. They add humor to the already sly text, and seem to make the creatures presented come alive on the page. 

His poems offer a lovely observance of the geography of the polar regions, the changing climate, and the creatures that live within. Back matter adds pertinent information about Mr. Florian, and a bibliography of both books and Internet resources used for research. 

This glorious book is going straight to our 'keepers' shelf.