Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Butterfly Eyes & Other Secrets of the Meadow by Joce Sidman

Have you ever observed a meadow or an open field? What did you see there? In this collection of poems, Joyce Sidman explores what you would see in a meadow, both flora and fauna.

What I thought: What a beautiful collection. All the poems have the quiet murmur that meadows do. I loved the scratchboard illustrations. They reminds me of old-fashioned woodcuts. Sidman's wonderful language slips off the tongue in the most lilting manner. The collection reminds me of Disney's Bambi which was based on the book by Felix Salten. I also liked how the poems are riddles. There were some I couldn't solve. I enjoyed the extra facts Sidman included. They really brought the [poems to life.

My favorite poems were "In the Almost Light," "Shh! They Are Sleeping," "Ultraviolet," "Always Together," and "The Gray Ones."

(Illus. Beth Krommes. Houghton Mifflin, 2006)

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