"HUMMINGBIRD
A hummingbird's beak was
caught in this screen,
big trouble for him
no doubt,
until with
a careful fingertip
we gently
pushed him out."
People who know me will tell you that I am an advocate for making certain that young readers and listeners are exposed to poetry. As a child I loved hearing nursery rhymes, songs and limericks. As a teacher, I promised my students that I would share a poem with them every day; I tried to do that. As a teacher-librarian, I constantly added poetry books to our shelves. I think it's important for all kids to hear the rhythm in the words, to know the feelings poetry evokes, and to see the brilliance in choosing the exactly-right words.
In these poems for the seasons, Nicholas Ruddick invites readers to watch what happens when humans and animals share the same spaces. He uses quatrains for his story of each titled creature. Alongside these descriptive encounters, Ashley Barron has used 'cut-paper collage, acrylics and pencil crayon, with some digital finishing' to capture the distinct locations and habitats as a backdrop to that told story.
Narrators for the poetry are diverse, as are the places where the encounters happpen. Ants at a picnic, a skunk paying a visit to the back porch, a bear finding tasty delight in a blueberry patch along a jogging path, a huge moose crossing the highway in the darkness of night, or a squirrel at the kitchen door; the scenes are many.
"WASPS AND WORMS
Apples in an orchard?
Leave them scattered as they're found,
for wasps and worms are feeding there
upon the autumn ground."
There are fifteen poems; each asks the reader to consider quietly sharing their space with natural beings who are simply living their lives. There is no need to hurt, and always an opportunity to help. In the last poem, the author focuses on winter, and what each of those animals might be doing and where they might be on such a cold night.
This is a real treat!
No comments:
Post a Comment