Catch the Sky: Playful Poems on the Air We Share

by Robert Heidbreder (Author) Emily Dove (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

In the vein of Jack Prelutsky and Dennis Lee comes a celebration of the sky with thirty zippy poems that will lift kids' spirits and let their imaginations soar.

What do you see when you look up at the sky? In this "lyrical" picture book (Booklist), the award-winning and critically-acclaimed children's poet, Robert Heidbreder, shares thirty memorable poems that capture the magic and beauty of all the wonderful things kids can see when they gaze at the sky. Gorgeous illustrations by artist and naturalist Emily Dove depict a diverse cast of children playing and cheering under a sky filled with birds and balloons, snow and shooting stars, sunflowers and falling leaves, and helicopters and kites.

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Hardcover
$17.95

Kirkus Reviews

Deceptively simple... clever and effective for the pre- and primary school nature shelves....this author makes the rhyming, alliteration, and scansion seem effortless.

Booklist

A multicultural cast of children are shown revelling in the outdoors and witnessing much of what it has to offer. ... Readers are encouraged to observe and appreciate the natural world around them.

Publishers Weekly

This collection of 30 poems celebrates the sights of the sky, taking readers gradually from sunrise to sunset via scenery from around the world. True to the title, Heidbreder describes a wide range of aerial views, including weather (storms), wildlife (starlings), and manufactured objects (helicopters), with one word described in poetry on each page. Most of the poems are quatrains penned in accessibly simple diction, with a spry cleverness apparent throughout ("kites bound to ground / sky-dive everywhere"). Dove's spongy textured landscapes are rendered in inviting, softly colored gradients; digital illustrations portray people of different skin tones, religions, and abilities celebrating the air we all breathe. These lighthearted poems will entertain the youngest nature and poetry enthusiasts. Ages 3-8. (Sept.)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Each page spread has a stunning illustration as well as a poem that features air. These poems talk about the importance of air, the recreation we enjoy with it and more. Love!" —Book Nerd Mommy (blog)

Robert Heidbreder

ROBERT HEIDBREDER is an award-winning author who, for thirty years, taught primary-grade children, who in turn taught him to love playing with language. He lives in North Vancouver, BC.

EMILY DOVE is an illustrator, author, and certified naturalist who uses illustration as a tool to educate and inspire others. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781771646314
Lexile Measure
650
Guided Reading Level
N
Publisher
Greystone Kids
Publication date
September 20, 2020
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV029000 - Juvenile Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | General
JUV051000 - Juvenile Fiction | Imagination & Play
JUV009100 - Juvenile Fiction | Concepts | Seasons
JUV070000 - Juvenile Fiction | Poetry (see also Stories in Verse)
JUV074000 - Juvenile Fiction | Diversity & Multicultural
Library of Congress categories
Imagination
Nature
Imagination in children
Sky

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