Daniel Finds a Poem (Daniel)

by Micha Archer (Author) Micha Archer (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
Series: Daniel
Stunning collage art full of rich color, glorious details, and a sense of wonder--reminiscent of the work of Ezra Jack Keats--illustrate this delightful story celebrating the poetry found in the world around us. What is poetry? Is it glistening morning dew? Spider thinks so. Is it crisp leaves crunching? That's what Squirrel says. Could it be a cool pond, sun-warmed sand, or moonlight on the grass? Maybe poetry is all of these things, as it is something special for everyone--you just have to take the time to really look and listen. The magical thing is that poetry is in everyone, and Daniel is on his way to discovering a poem of his own after spending time with his animal friends. What is poetry? If you look and listen, it's all around you!
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Publishers Weekly

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.

School Library Journal

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.

Review quotes

"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
Micha Archer
Micha Archer wrote and illustrated Ezra Jack Keats Award winner Daniel Finds a Poem and its companion, Daniel's Good Day, and has also illustrated several picture books, including Girl Running (by Annette Bay Pimentel). Micha works in oil and collage on paper she creates with homemade stamps and layered tissue paper. She came from a long line of artists and teachers and taught for many years in a kindergarten. Raising two kids and teaching are where she cultivated her love for picture books and realized their importance as teaching tools. Micha lives in western Massachusetts in the house she and her husband built, surrounded by gardens and forests to roam in.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780399169137
Lexile Measure
560
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Nancy Paulsen Books
Publication date
February 16, 2016
Series
Daniel
BISAC categories
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV029000 - Juvenile Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | General
JUV002000 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | General
Library of Congress categories
Animals
Nature
Poetry

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