Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year

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.)

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, PA