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A Place to Start a Family: Poems About Creatures That Build
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About A Place To Start A Family: Poems About Creatures
Product Description A poetry collection introducing animal architects that build remarkable structures in order to attract a mate and have babies. Many animals build something--a nest, tunnel, or web--in order to pair up, lay eggs, give birth, and otherwise perpetuate their species. Organized based on where creatures live--underground, in the water, on land, or in the air--twelve poems bring fish, insects, reptiles, mammals, and birds to life. Back matter includes more information about each animal. "A fine synthesis of poetry and science" — Kirkus Reviews"An inviting introduction to a dozen industrious creatures" — Publishers Weekly "A natural for classroom use, with eye-catching art that will lure little ones in" — Booklist ILA Teachers' Choices From School Library Journal K-Gr 4—Narrative poems describe how 13 creatures construct homes for their families, building intricate and oftentimes beautiful creations from materials such as thread, glue, and paper. An introduction in prose explains how animals, including people, build before the book delves into verse. Each subsequent section includes three poems about living things who build in that particular environment: builders underground, on land, in water, and in the air. A bonus poem about a different kind of builder, sun coral, completes the collection. The use of alliteration, rhyme, and onomatopoeia adds an inquisitive nature to the poems as it presents information regarding each animal's habitat. The 3-D cut-paper collage illustrations exquisitely render insight into the architecture and daily life of each being. In "European Paper Wasp," the microscopic world of this minute insect is vibrantly realized. Eggs glow golden within their cells and "Winged warriors/warn with spear" in brilliant yellows and blacks. Harrison details how their nest is formed with paper and Laroche's stunning technique of layering hand-painted papers renders this image to startling effect. As with their previous work on Now You See Them, Now You Don't: Poems About Creatures That Hide, this is an exceptional example of collaboration. Some other animals included in this collection are star-nosed mole, king cobra, and beaver. Notes at the end provide Latin names of all creatures, further information, and titles to learn more. VERDICT This is a great selection for science and poetry enthusiasts.—Rachel Zuffa, Racine Public Library, WI Review Twelve poems present a variety of animal homes and mate-attracting constructions. Arachnids (trapdoor spider, garden spider), birds (red ovenbird, white stork), fish (stickleback, pufferfish), insects (termite, paper wasp), mammals (star-nosed mole, beaver, prairie dog), and a reptile (the king cobra) are each introduced by way of a double-page spread and a simple two-to-eight stanza poem. In four sections—building underground, on land, in the water, and in the air—animals are shown building webs, nests, food traps, and tunneled homes, along with their mates, eggs, or young. Laroche's layered, cut-paper illustrations are clear and intriguingly detailed, handsomely supporting the informational content of each poem. Rich colors and varied textures allow this 3-D original artwork to work well in two dimensions. Harrison's poems employ varied voices, rhythms, and formats; all are memorable and easy to understand. Some are humorous: a busy stickleback male appeals to a potential mother of his family: "The best nest / that's ever been! / Please, / Ms. Stickleback, / swim in." Backmatter gives each animal an explanatory paragraph and, for several, a suggestion of books for further exploration. The author's and illustrator's own sources are not indicated. A bonus poem and terrific illustration on the last page describe "A different kind of builder," sun coral, which creates coral reefs by congregating together. A fine synthesis of poetry and science. — Kirkus Reviews In 12 playful rhyming poems, Harrison explores the architectural feats of animals that
