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Summary
Summary
Sing a Song of Seasons is a lavishly illustrated collection of 366 nature poems -- one for every day of the year. Filled with familiar favorites and new discoveries written by a wide variety of poets, including William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, John Updike, Langston Hughes, N. M. Bodecker, Okamoto Kanoko, and many more, this is the perfect book for children (and grown-ups!) to share at the beginning or the end of the day.
Author Notes
Fiona Waters is renowned in the world of children's books for her passion, enthusiasm, and encyclopedic knowledge of children's literature. She has published more than eighty titles, and her work has been translated into many different languages all over the world. In 2006 she won the Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award for her anthology "Why Does My Mum Always Iron a Crease in My Jeans?" Born and raised in Edinburgh, Fiona Waters now lives in the South of England with thousands of books and several very discerning cats.
Frann Preston-Gannon is the author and illustrator of several books for children. She was the first U.K. recipient of a Sendak Fellowship in 2011, and in 2014 her first picture book, The Journey Home, was long-listed for the Kate Greenaway Medal. She is one-fifth of the design group Zombie Collective, which specializes in workshops and pop-up galleries. Frann Preston-Gannon lives in London.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3 Up-This beautiful anthology of nature poems delivers just what it promises: a poem for each day of the year, organized by date, from January through December. The poems vary in length, format, and structure, and the volume lends itself well to casual browsing, independent and shared reading, read-alouds, and/or direct instruction. There is, however, a preponderance of white male poets; writers of color are woefully underrepresented. Further, the majority of contributors are either British or American, and many are known for their 19th- and early 20th-century work. While the entries are evocative and rich with figurative language, the mixed media illustrations really steal the show. The artwork charmingly complements the selected poems, and is sure to capture the attention of young readers. Physically, the book is quite heavy, and might be a bit unwieldy for kids to carry or fit in their backpacks. The collection also includes indices of poets, poems, and first lines. VERDICT Libraries seeking an inclusive sampling of contemporary poets will be better served elsewhere.-Lauren Strohecker, McKinley Elementary School, Elkins Park, PAEarly Childhood © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In a wide-ranging volume, Waters presents 366 poems (by writers as varied as Christina Rossetti and Margaret Wise Brown) devoted to nature and the seasons. There's a poem for every day of the year, beginning in January and ending in December. Two poems to be read in November are imbued with melancholy. Rachel Field writes: "Do skyscrapers ever grow tired/ Of holding themselves up high?/ Do they shiver on frosty nights/ With their tops against the sky?" Alongside it, a work by Eleanor Farjeon reads: "The night will never stay,/ The night will still go by,/ Though with a million stars/ You pin it to the sky." Preston-Gannon offers a cohesive visual thread, with gentle mixed-media renderings of animals as well as urban and pastoral scenes. Readers are likely to discover greater nuances behind the accessible poems with each visit. All ages. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
This hefty, vividly illustrated anthology includes a seasonal poem from a variety of poets, one for each day of the year. The selections range from humorous to poignant, some rhyming and some in free verse, often several to a spread. The mixed-media art depicts brilliant flowers, expansive skies, and leafy meadows by turn. A keepsake volume, ideal for one-on-one daily sharing. Several helpful indices are included. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A year's worth of nature poems and illustrations for all ages in a massive collaboration between two Brits.Measuring approximately 10 by 11 inches high and over 1 inch thick, Waters' collected 366 lyric selections hail from more than 90 poets recognized as pillars of the Western canonShakespeare, Dickinson, Wordsworth, Blake, Cummingsas well as a handful of poets from other cultures as well as modern children's stalwarts. While the age-old celebration of seasons and passage of time must be among the most common ways nature anthologies are organized, what sets this collection apart is how the differing perspectives work together. Waters makes sure, whether nature's many creatures or states of being happen to be personified or objectified, that the unifying themes of environmental conservation and respect for creatures great and small ("Hurt no living thing," advises Christina Rossetti) come clearly across. This isn't to say the volume doesn't offer numerous examples of light verse, such as Tony Mitton's salute to a plum"Don't feel beaten. / You were made / to be eaten"or selections from fun masters Ogden Nash and JonArno Lawson. Alongside these playful stanzas are hundreds of reflective poems, showcasing natural wonders often with mere syllables, as in "White Sound" by Julie O'Callaghan: "When rain / whispers / it is snow."Paired throughout with Preston-Gannon's evocative, vibrantly textured digital illustrations, Waters' superbly curated poems offer something for everyone: majestic and inspiring as nature itself. (Poetry. 5-adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.