Daniel Finds a Poem (Daniel)

In illustrator Archer's first book as author, rich, multilayered collages illuminate a celebration of nature's beauty. At the city park gates, a boy with brown skin and dark curly hair sees a sign advertising a poetry event on Sunday. "What is poetry?" Daniel wonders. A page turn shows him gazing through a spider's web hung with hundreds of tiny, rainbow-colored droplets of water. "To me," the spider says, "poetry is when morning dew glistens." Each spread brings an encounter with an animal and a new thought about poetry. Daniel peers wide-eyed into a chipmunk's hole ("Poetry is a home with many windows in an old stone wall") and trails a hand in a frog pond ("Poetry is a cool pond to dive into"). When Sunday comes, he's seen in silhouette in the park in front of a small audience, reciting a poem woven from the animals' answers. A story like this might take place in the country, but in setting hers in a large urban park, Archer (The Wise Fool) asserts that poetry and nature belong to city children, too. Ages 5-8. (Feb.)

Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 1-3--Daniel, a curious boy with dark curly hair and wide wondering eyes, discovers the meaning of poetry in this enchanting picture book. On Monday, he notices a sign advertising an event called Poetry in the Park. He wonders, "What is poetry?" His friend Spider informs Daniel that poetry is "when morning dew glistens." Proceeding chronologically through the days of the week, Daniel asks a different denizen of the park the same question and receives a new answer every time. To the wild creatures who live in the park, poetry is everything from "when crisp leaves crunch" to "singing at twilight." Finally, on Sunday, Daniel realizes that all of the responses he received are correct. He will find poetry around every corner within the boundaries of the beautiful park. Archer's atmospheric and evocative collage illustrations enhance the sense of peace and contentment shared by Daniel and his animal friends. The final picture, in which the boy sits quietly contemplating a kaleidoscope of colors splashed across the mirrorlike water, reveals what poetry is for him: "the sunset sky reflecting in the pond." VERDICT Readers who revel in the everyday small miracles in nature will identify with Daniel and appreciate this lyrical story.--Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"Collage illustrations offer early readers an introduction to the beauty of poetry through the warmhearted relationships between a young boy and the friendly animals in his local park. . . . The liveliness of the language discloses early poetic mechanics such as alliteration ('sun-warmed sand'), onomatopoeia ('crisp leaves crunch'), a pinch of consonance (those internally rhyming 'cool pools'). . . . In accessible yet colorful language, Archer reminds readers that poetry exists all around us. A vividly illustrated, inventively told opportunity for early readers to grasp the power of language to observe, entertain, and mystify."—Kirkus Reviews

"Rich, multilayered collages illuminate a celebration of nature's beauty. . . . A story like this might take place in the country, but in setting hers in a large urban park, Archer asserts that poetry and nature belong to city children, too."—Publishers Weekly

"Atmospheric and evocative collage illustrations enhance the sense of peace and contentment shared by Daniel and his animal friends. . . . Readers who revel in the everyday small miracles in nature will identify with Daniel and appreciate this lyrical story."—School Library Journal

"Fetching testament to the maxim that 'poetry is all around us.' . . . Glorious flora and handsomely textured rocks are abundant. . . . The lush oil illustrations, which consist of collages made from tissue paper and patterned with handmade stamps, create a world saturated in color and texture, complementing the animals' well-chosen words about beauty and poetry in the natural world. Readers will take many repeat visits to Daniel's inviting park."—Booklist

"Beautifully illustrated. . . . A fantastic book to read aloud in the library or in the classroom to kick off a poetry unit or to celebrate National Poetry Month. Kindergarten teachers could even use this book to teach the days of the week, or for students to learn about different kinds of animals."—School Library Connection