Science Poetry: National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry

National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry 

Bibliography 

 Lewis, J. Patrick. National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry: 200 Poems with Photographs That Squeak, Soar, and Roar! Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2012.

Review:

National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry is a beautiful collection of photographs and poems that immediately boost the mood of the reader. The reader cannot read this book or even simply look at the pictures without having a renewed appreciation of mother nature and all of her beautiful creatures. The collection opens with a detailed table of contents that divides the book into nine sections ending with a comprehensive list of resources, indexes, and credits.

The range of poetry presented throughout the collection creates a fusion book of poetry and encyclopedia. The information is factual yet sincere and the poetry is playful yet deep. The scope of poetry is not just wide but deep as well. For example, the poem The Saddest Noise by Emily Dickinson is true to the nature of Emily Dickinson poems, in that they are, dreary but still powerful and honest, and the fact that the poem is accompanied by a gorgeous picture of a European Bee-Eater eating a bee gives the poem a new fresh perspective while keeping the integrity of poetry alive. National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry is filled with combinations of poetry and artwork that reveal a different side of poetry and a different side of the animal kingdom.

This anthology of animals and poets speak to readers of all levels and through different voices. Some poems that the perspective of the animal while some speakers reflect on the different species, and some speakers take on the voice of the hunter. The span of voices contributes to the authenticity of poetry within the collection.

The poems also stretch in types of poetry. At points the poems are short haiku's, jolly limericks, and creative free verse; other points the poems explore line length, meter, and word position. Because of this, the book is a perfect resource for all educators in all subject areas. I can picture this book being used in all classrooms at all ages. In a lower elementary classroom the book is a perfect introduction to types of animals and the organization of the animal kingdom; on the other hand, I can see the book being used at the high school level to analyze the impact of word choice and figurative meanings. Finally, National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry is a collection of poetry that is beautifully created and designed to spark a love of   

Spotlight Poem:

The Hippopotamus poem is the first poem in the series I read where I felt a shift in depths of the poems. The poem is from the prospective of hippo hunter which is an interesting lens for the reader because until this poem I felt the poems in the book were written from a protective and appreciative lens. That isn't to say that the speaker does not appreciate the offerings of the hippo; however, the reader is forced to recognize that animals are still viewed as providers for humans. This slightly dimmer view of a poem is what will tingle the hairs of a junior high reader. Therefore, as a teacher-librarian I use this book to transform poetry through perspective and point of view.

The Hippopotamus

I shoot the Hippopotamus
With bullets made of platinum.
Because if I used leaden ones
His hide is sure to flatten'em
- Hilaire Belloc

Follow-up activity:

The comprehensive collection is a great lead into a lesson on perspective. I would read this poem and others in the collection and think about the different perspectives the author uses to convey different meanings. For example, in The Hippopotamus poem the perspective is from the hunter; however, we still learn a fact about hippos. Another example is the Squirrel Forgets in which the perspective of the poem is from the squirrel. The perspectives of these poems help the reader learn various facts about the animals while still giving the reader something interesting to read. After reading these examples, would have the students choose an animal, do some basic research on the animal, choose one fact they found interesting or important to that animal, and create a poem that shares that fact for an interesting perspective.