A Light in the Attic Special Edition by Shel Silverstein
Reading level: Young Adult
HarperCollins; Special edition - September 22, 2009
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Beloved Shel Silverstein has a wonderful collection of poems and illustrations, re-released in this special edition. To celebrate the release, the author has released content on YouTube. Even the Glump is online now!  We’d recommend ages 6 and up for this book.

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Amiri And Odette - A Love Story by Walter Dean Myers
Javaka Steptoe
Scholastic - 2009
Age: Young adult (12+)
Cautions: Gang violence

Kiwi Magazine Review:
A modern-day Swan Lake set in the mean streets brings a new perspective and breathes new life into this classic love story. Amiri and Odette find love but find it hard to sustain when the world around them is so cold and frightening. The text twists, turns and soars while conveying today’s take on Swan Lake.

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The Cuckoo’s Haiku: and Other Birding Poems by Michael J. Rosen
Stan Fellows (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Candlewick - March 10, 2009
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Sometimes when you listen to birds chirping and singing, it seems like they may have invented the haiku. The gorgeous illustrations accompany the lovely staccato haikus about all things bird. A wonderful gift for a child or an adult.

Product Description
A joyful primer on the pleasures of bird-watching merges haiku, notes for identifying species, and exquisite watercolor illustrations.

In spare and graceful words, poet and birder Michael J. Rosen captures the forecasting call of the mysterious cuckoo as well as essential characteristics of more than twenty commonly seen North American birds. This artfully compiled field notebook - enriched by the evocative artwork of watercolorist Stan Fellows - captures the excitement of recognizing a bird, whether a darting kingfisher, a wandering wild turkey, or a chirpy house sparrow.

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A Mirror to Nature: Poems About Reflection by Jane Yolen
Jason Stemple (Photographer)
Wordsong - April 2009
Ages - 6-12
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Lovely photographs of animals, birds and bugs and their reflections are the perfect backdrop for Jane Yolen’s thoughtful poetry. Even accidental photographers catch that one shot where an animal doubles as it stands near a watering hole or gazes into a window. A lovely introduction to poetry for any child.

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Where Else in the Wild?: More Camouflaged Creatures Concealed … and Revealed by David Schwartz
Dwight Kuhn (Photographer)
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Publisher: Tricycle Press (September 2009)

Kiwi Magazine Review;
We were so excited to see this title since the first one is a giant hit at home and school. The photography is superb and the technique is educational and fun. In each series, the first photo shows a meadow, beach or forest, and the kids have to search for wildlife in the photo; the second photo fades out the background to show the critter in its hiding spot. The poem which accompanies each set of photos is informative and memorable.

Product Description
Chicadees, a snowshoe hare, and 9 other concealed creatures await readers in this stunning follow-up to the award-winning WHERE IN THE WILD? Cryptic poems give clues to the identities of the animals hidden behind 11 gatefolds. Think you’ve seen one? Open the page to find out. Through imaginative writing and full-color photographs, authors David M. Schwartz and Yael Schy, and photographer Dwight Kuhn, explain the what, why, and how of nature’s animal camouflage.

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The Swamps of Sleethe: Poems From Beyond the Solar System by Jack Prelutsky
Illustrated by Jimmy Pickering
Knopf Books for Young Readers, March 2009
Ages 8+
Cautions: None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
This latest gem from Jack Prelutsky has a decidedly Seussian flare with his made-up places, spaces and faces. The illustrations by Jimmy Pickering depict the goopy, gloopy and gross in glorious colors. Perfect for any kid, this book of alien-centric poetry is a great introduction for any boy who might not think poetry is as cool as any of the latest graphic novels. Wrong-o, Zazorzz breath!

Book Description:
Jack Prelutsky’s exploration of outer space is not for the faint of heart. No friendly little E.T.-type aliens await your arrival. There are many imaginative ways to perish in these darkly comedic cautionary verses about unexplored worlds so far beyond our solar system. The final poem is an environmental tour de force that packs a wallop. Here are poems the older reader will find great fun to memorize and rattle off to anyone who will listen! And there is a special bonus: anagrams for the kid who loves word puzzles.

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Loose Leashes by Amy Schmidt (Author), Ron Schmidt (Photographer)
Ages 4-8
Random House Books for Young Readers (January 13, 2009)
Cautions - None

Kiwi Magazine Review:
Using techniques of poetic verse like haiku, alliteration and rhyme, readers will laugh out loud when they see the adorable photographs of dogs acting out the lines of the poetry. From a bubble-gum chewing terrier to adventurous labs, this book would be a great gift for all dog lovers of all ages.

Product Description
Sixteen kid-friendly rhymes accompany funny photographic portraits of dogs in this delightful picture book. A salty dog’s lament of traveling the world is perfectly captured in ballad form; a finicky Yorkie expresses her bathing preferences in common meter; while a Paul Bunyan-esque golden lab celebrates the outdoors in haiku form. This collection of canine poems and photos will enchant dog lovers of all ages.

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Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars by Douglas Florian (Harcourt)

Recommended for 9-13 (ages)

Cautions:  All clear

Description:

Blast off with Douglas Florian’s new high-flying compendium, featuring twenty whimsical poems about space.

From the moon to the stars, from the Earth to Mars, here is an exuberant celebration of our celestial surroundings that’s certain to become a universal favorite among aspiring astronomers everywhere.

Includes die-cut pages and a glossary of space terms.

Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars by Douglas Florian (Harcourt)

Florian uses brown paper bags as his canvas and the result is colorful collage

s of constellations, stars and planets. The poems are factually accurate but still give the planets personality through rhyme and word play. Poor Pluto even gets its due as a fired former planet.

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Fold Me a Poem by Kristine O’Connell George, illustrated by Lauren Stringer (Harcourt)

Ages 9-12

Cautions:  All clear

Decription:

Join a young boy as he creates a world filled with origami creatures of all shapes and sizes out of an array of brightly colored paper. From roosters waking up and buffalo pawing the tablecloth to cheetahs racing lions and moths that yearn for butterfly colors, here is a glimpse into the vibrant imagination of a child. 

Kiwi Magazine Review

Origami and poetry are surprisingly similar; a few words or a few folds can bring a sheet of paper to life. The book gives personality to the paper creatures; a rabbit pleads to unbend his ear so he can hear and paper cows gaze hungrily at green paper grass. Just don’t dog ear the pages!

Extras

Go to http://www.kristinegeorge.com/teachers_guide_fold_me_a_poem.html.  See “Folding and Poeming” in the freeDownloadable Teacher’s Guide to learn how students can fold a simple dog, then write three different kinds of poems for a fast and easy poetry lesson!  

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Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich by Adam Rex (Harcourt)

Recommended Readers - 9-12

Cautions: slightly scary, somewhat disgusting

Description:

You think you’ve got problems?
Dracula, Wolfman, Bigfoot—
now they have problems.
Monster-sized.
You try to address
Dracula’s hygiene issues.
And don’t even get me started
on the Phantom of the Opera.

Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich by Adam Rex (Harcourt)

The title alone intrigues many readers, but the illustrations are pure ghoulish, gross and gory fun. Although considered a book of short stories, vampire verse creeps in. My favorite? “The Mummy Won’t Go to His Eternal Rest Without a Story and Some Cookies.”

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