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Friday, April 8, 2011

Poetrees review

Poetrees
March 2010

This charming collection of 19 poems celebrates trees in all their variety. With a playful, kid-friendly sense of rhythm, respected poet Florian turns the book on its side, presenting the poems and illustrations vertically, to emphasize the height of each tree. Loose, easy watercolor and oil pastel paintings on brown bag and recycled papers lend a relaxed feel. Beginning with the concrete poem Seed, in the shape of the eternity symbol, ∞, implying the infinite possibility that each seed harbors, the book goes on to celebrate Giant Sequoias, Scribbly Gum, Banyan, Paper Birch trees and more. I loved the poem about the coconut palm which reads in part, "I'm nuts about the coconut./I'm cuckoo for the coco./ I'm crazed for this amazing nut./For coco I am loco." accompanied by a picture of a man with a coconut tree growing out of his head. Whimsical, short and full of puns, these poems will appeal to second through fifth graders with a sense of humor.

The book is appended with a "glossatree" presenting additional scientific facts about each of the trees mentioned in the book. Great for poetry units, or as an addition to a science curriculum, this is a book sure to please, don't miss it.


I borrowed this book from the library.





Yes, I'm hosting Poetry Friday this week!
Looking for more poetry? Check out these posts:

Mary Lee's
Poem #8
Tabatha's Poetry by Linda Pastan
A Flower Festival from Random Noodling
Kurious Kitty is sharing Amy Lowell's "Monadnock in Early Spring"
Kurious K's Kwotes also has a quote from Amy Lowell
Heidi is sharing a poem by Alice Oswald
Andromeda Jazmon hosts an online bookclub as well as a haibun poem
B.C. has a poem by Adrienne Rich
Laurie from Book, Blog, Fun is sharing a poem of her own!
JoAnn at Teaching Authors has posted a poem about writing
Amy features poetry from fourth-graders and circular poems
Carol has a review of Pearl vs. The World
Sarah from Read, Write, Believe asks, "Are poetry slams a nuisance?"
Laura Salas has 2 posts for Poetry Friday: a review of The Year of Goodbyes and a 15 Words of Less Poetry Challenge
Jama shares an acrostic poem about lasagna
David Elzey has rounded up a bunch of haikus
Rasco from RIF posts about poetry in Afghanistan
Irene Latham shares poetry craft tips!
Ruth shares a David Young poem and explains how to get on a poetry e-mail list
Blythe Woolston posts a William Carlos Williams poem
Brimful Curiousities has an entry for the Kids' Poetry Challenge
The Write Sisters talk about memorizing Eletelephony by Laura Elizabeth Richards for school
Author Amok has a serious poem, "Liam Sits Folded"
Jeannine Atkins shares some thoughts about an article on poetry by Jane Hirshfield
Emily Jiang posts some haiku about her recent travels
Sylvia Vardell features a book trailer for a poetry collection
Dorian Bennett posts "Heavenly Playground" by Adrian Bass
Wild Rose Reader has a review of Twosomes by Marilyn Singer
A Teaching Life has posted some poems to heal wounds
Judy at Learning to Let Go has posted a poem by Stephen Mitchell
Father Goose shares an original poem, "Art Show in the Park"
Blue Rose Girls shares 3 clerihew poems on famous historical figures
Check out 7 Imp's gorgeous artwork paired with poetry for Kirkus
Gregory K. from Gotta Book has some more clerihews!
Books Dogs and Frogs has another original poem
Tanita Davis has some poems from schoolkids
Liz Scanlon shares some original haiku at her blog
Kelly R. Fineman blogs a review of Roots and Blues by Arnold Adoff
Jen Rothschild has a review of The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle
Check out this reverso poem by Martha Calderaro
The Miss Rumphius Effect weighs in with "In Praise of My Bed" by Meredith Holmes
Janet Squires reviews "A Child's Calendar" by John Updike
Pentimento shares an Inuit poem
Library Chicken reviews Mirror, Mirror by Marilyn Singer

50 comments:

  1. Today is poem #8 in my attempt to write a poem a day again this year. Yesterday, my poem was about the destructive power of words. Today, I'm celebrating my favorite words to hear.

    http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2011/04/poetry-friday-and-poem-8-words-that.html

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  2. Good morning! My Poetry Friday post features poetry by Linda Pastan.

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  3. Random Noodling has a poem by Linda Pastan, too!

    Kurious Kitty has Amy Lowell's "Monadnock in Early Spring" and, Kurious K's Kwotes' P.F. quote is by Amy Lowell.

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  4. Hello, early risers! I'm in today with a poem by the British star Alice Oswald.

    http://myjuicylittleuniverse.blogspot.com/2011/04/alice-oswald.html

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  5. I love that book! Loving trees as I do this is one I always share with the kids. Are you hosting Friday Poetry today? My post is part of the online bookclub going on with Laura Purdie Salas and Susan Taylor Brown: http://awrungsponge.blogspot.com/2011/04/writing-life-poetic.html

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  6. Today, continuing my NPM series, I'm sharing my 8th new (to me) poem. It's by Adrienne Rich. And it's AWESOME! Enjoy...

    http://thesmallnouns.blogspot.com/2011/04/national-poetry-month-30-new-poems-8th.html

    And thanks for hosting!

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  7. I even wrote a short poem for my Poetry Friday post. This is a 1st.

    ~ Lauri Chandler
    www.bookblogstuff.blogspot.com

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  8. I've posted a poem about writing a poem at TeachingAuthors.com: http://www.teachingauthors.com/2011/04/poetry-poetry-poetry-month.html.
    JoAnn Early Macken

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  9. Today I am featuring a fourth grade class's publishing center along with some of their poems and a lesson about circular poems.

    Thank you for hosting!

    http://poemfarm.blogspot.com/2011/04/poetry-friday-peek-circular-poems.html

    A.

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  10. I'm in with a review of PEARL VERSES THE WORLD, a terrific new novel in verse about a child who uses poetry to make sense of her world.
    http://carolwscorner.blogspot.com/2011/04/poetry-friday-pearl-verses-world-by.html

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  11. Are poetry slams a "nuisance" as one poet claims? I went to one at my local high school to find out!

    Plus, a preview of documentary releasing next month about four students and the world's largest poetry slam, "Louder Than a Bomb."

    Are Poetry Slams a Nuisance?"

    Thank you for hosting!

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  12. Thanks for hosting! I'm in this week with Slipping Away from Debbie Levy's The Year of Goodbyes at http://laurasalas.livejournal.com/270226.html

    I've also got 15 Words or Less poems at http://laurasalas.livejournal.com/269905.html

    Happy Poetry Friday! (I love Poetrees!)

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  13. Cooking up lots of lasagna today with Heidi Mordhorst: http://jamarattigan.livejournal.com/528195.html.

    Buon Appetito and thanks for hosting!

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  14. dourglas florian, can't go wrong.

    i've rounded up my daily twitter blues haikus (and a couple extras) this week.

    http://fomagrams.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/poetryfriday-the-twitku-round-up/

    thanks for hosting!

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  15. Thank you for hosting today! While I realize it is NATIONAL Poetry Month, not INTERNATIONAL, I have written today about the role of the poet and poetry in Afghanistan. http://bit.ly/gXTwd6

    Carol

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  16. I love this post. When my youngest son was in first grade, he wrote me card for Mother's Day that said something about how his mom was good at "powitree." This title reminds me of that. :)
    My month long Poetry Party continues with poetry craft tips. http://irenelatham.blogspot.com/2011/04/poetry-party-craft-tips.html
    Thanks for hosting!

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  17. Here's my Poetry Friday post for today: here. Thanks for hosting!

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  18. I posted a Poetry Friday post-- http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/2011/04/08/the-dark-emperor-and-other-poems-of-the-night-by-joyce-sidman/

    Thanks for hosting!

    ReplyDelete
  19. William Carlos Williams and a painting by Adrian Coorte: a couple of tiny gems. Thank you for hosting!

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  20. I forgot my link,

    http://blythewoolston.blogspot.com/2011/04/this-is-just-to-saythank-you-for.html

    PS Most of the trees around my house are named: Noah, Marie, Eleanore, Birdy, Archer, Fern, Grace, and Crabby Appleton.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oh, that book looks delightful! This is the second week of our Kids' Poetry Challenge. My daughter chose to illustrate "Rabbit" by Mary Ann Hoberman. http://www.brimfulcuriosities.com/2011/04/my-poetry-book-kids-poetry-challenge.html

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  22. Hi, all! The Write Sisters are in this week with Eletelephony by Laura Elizabeth Richards. Fun to memorize!

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  23. Hi, Madigan. Thanks for hosting!

    I'm featuring Maryland poets during National Poetry Month. Today, it's special education teacher and poet Ann Bracken. Her poem, "Liam Sits Folded," is one of a series of heart-breaking student portraits.

    http://authoramok.blogspot.com/2011/04/national-poetry-month-issue-8.html

    ReplyDelete
  24. Thank you for hosting, during busy Poetry Month!

    I wrote about how Jane Hirshfield explains the concept of windows in poetry at: http://jeannineatkins.livejournal.com/158244.html

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  25. For the rest of April, I am writing at a haiku a day to accompany photos taken while I was traveling in Thailand and Cambodia earlier this year. Thank you for hosting Poetry Friday!

    http://emilyjiang.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thanks for hosting! I'm continuing with my daily poetry tag series of connected poetry book reviews-- today, a digital trailer for WHAT'S FOR DINNER.

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  27. And I'm wearing TWO hats today-- plugging my new e-book of poetry for kids (for just 99 cents), PoetryTagTime, with daily blog tips. Today: Helen Frost!

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  28. True poetry comes from the heart ! I enjoy listening and reading from Authors who care about their art.

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  29. Thanks for hosting! I have a poem by Adrian Plass, "Heavenly Playground" at http://dorireads.blogspot.com/2011/04/poetry-friday-heavenly-playground.html

    ReplyDelete
  30. Thanks for doing the roundup this week!

    At Wild Rose Reader, I have a short review of Marilyn Singer's book "Twosomes: Love Poems from the Animal Kingdom." I also have some of my own original "cuddly creature couplets"--and an invitation for people to write their own "twosomes" and submit them in the comments at my post. I'll post the couplets people submit sometime next week.

    http://wildrosereader.blogspot.com/2011/04/twosomes-love-poems-from-animal.html

    BTW, I'll be giving away a copy of "Twosomes" next week at Wild Rose Reader. Later today, I'll announce the winner of Douglas Florian's POETREES.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Thanks for hosting today! I love Florian, and will look for this one.
    At "A Teaching Life" I've posted two poems which relate to our Social Studies unit on slavery.
    http://tmsteach.blogspot.com/2011/04/poetry-friday-poems-to-heal-our-wounds.html

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  32. Here's a wonderful combination of an engraving by Durer and the poem it inspired by Stephen Mitchell.
    http://happycatholic.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/poetry-friday-jerome-by-stephen-mitchell/

    Thanks for hosting!

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  33. Thanks for bringing us all together today!
    Come visit our "Art Show in the Park" poem at

    The FATHER GOOSE Blog

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  34. At Blue Rose Girls, I have three original clerihews about Eve, Socrates, and Sir Isaac Newton.

    http://bluerosegirls.blogspot.com/2011/04/poetry-friday-three-original-clerihews.html

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  35. Thanks for hosting. Love that book.

    I'm in with art from four new children's poetry titles (and a link back to last week's reviews of them at Kirkus) -- http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=2113.

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  36. Thanks for hosting. It's been a week full of poetry at GottaBook, ending with today's offering of a cluster of clerihews by Avis Harley.

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  37. I love the poetrees--I used it as an inspiration for my poetry display today! My second attempt at writing a poem is my poetry friday, it is here http://booksdogsandfrogs.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/poetry-appreciation/
    Thanks for hosting!
    Sarah

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  38. Hi, Madigan, thank you for hosting.
    I'm in with the Oakwood School Grade 6 Poetry Project, wherein the students wrote reaction poems to MARE'S WAR.

    It's here.

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  39. Thanks for hosting, Madigan! I'm in with my 8th haiku/haibun of the month!

    Cheers, Liz
    http://liz-scanlon.livejournal.com/173304.html

    ReplyDelete
  40. Thanks for hosting, Madigan. I, too, liked Poetrees. Today, I'm in with a review of Arnold Adoff's marvelous book, Roots and Blues. Here's the link: http://kellyrfineman.livejournal.com/692277.html.

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  41. Thanks for hosting!!!!

    I'm in today with a review of the verse novel The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle.

    http://www.jenrothschild.com/2011/04/national-poetry-month-poetry-friday.html

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  42. Over at my blog Political Verses, I have an original poem by J. Patrick Lewis titled "TLC by TSA at LAX."

    http://politicalverses.blogspot.com/2011/04/tlc-by-tsa-at-lax.html

    ReplyDelete
  43. Happy Poetry Month, and thanks for hosting! I tried my hand at writing a reverso today, based on my recent addiction to a game on my daughter's iTouch. It's at:
    http://marthacalderaro.wordpress.com/2011/04/08/slicing-and-dicing-a-reverso/

    ReplyDelete
  44. Wow, you guys are keeping me busy with all your great poetry entries this Friday.
    Keep 'em coming, I'll update again later tonight.

    @Mary Lee - thanks again for the opportunity to host this week

    @GeorgeBuzzBee - I'm sorry sir, but you look like spam! Not sure if that was your intention, but I'll be deleting your comment later tonight.

    @Elaine Magliaro - I like your second poem, but even though it's from a children's author, it didn't seem "kidlit" oriented to me, so I've left it out of the round-up, thanks for understanding!

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  45. Hi Madigan,
    I'm sharing the poem In Praise of My Bed by Meredith Holmes. I've also recapped my first week of poetry posts for National Poetry Month.

    http://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2011/04/poetry-friday-in-praise-of-my-bed.html

    Thanks for hosting.
    Tricia

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  46. Thanks for posting this incredible list! I have added my daily haibun haiku today here: http://awrungsponge.blogspot.com/2011/04/haibun-8.html

    I am posting a new haiku in this form every day in April. Please come visit often!

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  47. Thanks for hosting.
    My selection is "A Child's Calendar: poems" written by John Updike with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman.

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  48. An Inuit poem:
    http://pentiment.blogspot.com/2011/04/poetry-friday-magic-words.html

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  49. I always forget to sign up! I'm posting my reactions to Cybils poetry books on Fridays. We loved Mirror, Mirror.

    http://libraryfrog.blogspot.com/2011/04/miraculous-mirror-mirror.html

    ReplyDelete
  50. Hi, Madigan--

    Yes, sorry about the delay, and thanks for taking the time to visit on top of the extra hosting load during April. I reset my comment settings last week for the tag poem and forgot to change them back. You're posted now!

    ReplyDelete

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