The swirls start on the cover with the largest animal being an obvious swirl, but also the text. Even the information on the title page is written in a swirl. The large print and font choice make it great for reading aloud. The scratchboard illustrations have a lot of texture. Children will b...
The writing from Joyce Sidman and the illustrations from Pamela Zagarenski perfectly connect colors to the four seasons. The descriptions draw you into the poems and the illustrations do a wonderful job of supporting them. This book begins with the red colors of spring with the “sprouts in rhub...
Sidman has written wonderful poems accompanied by wonderful pictures. But to add more to this delightful Caldecott Honor book is that each poem is accompanied by a few paragraphs about the nocturnal creature highlighted by the poem and art on each page. I learned a lot reading the paragraphs and...
This book came with a satin ribbon bookmark, like a Bible. It's that kind of book. Sidman is one of my favorite poets and Zagarenski, one of my favorite illustrators. A tribute to the power of words, these chants, charms and blessings touch on a multitude of hopes and emotions, from major to mino...
Joyce Sidman has a new poetry collection coming out Tuesday, and it is glorious. It's a companion book for Dark Emperor called Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold (HMH, 2014). I love Joyce's work, nature, and winter, so this is a triple-threat collection! The poems are lovely, presented in a va...