Friday, June 12, 2009

Bird Watch by Jane Yolen

Yolen, Jane. Bird Watch. Illus. Ted Lewin. New York: Philomel, 1990.

Birds and observations are the subject of this collection. Yolen's verse are paired with beautiful watercolor illustrations.

What I thought: I'm something of a birdwatcher so I enjoyed Yolen's verses about winged creatures. Lewin's illustrations were a perfect match. My favorite poems are "Winter Choosing," "Swan," "The Cardinal," "Winter Finch," and "Song/Birds." The dichotomy Yolen presents in "Swan" was genius. A swan is beautiful above the water, but a working girl underneath. This poem would be a great way to teach the old saying "appearances can be deceiving."

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