April is National Poetry Month, and I have two books by Kwame Alexander to share.
Animal Ark By: Kwame Alexander
Photographs by: Joel Sartore
A howling wolf, a stalking tiger, a playful panda, a dancing bird - pairing the stunning photography of National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore with the delicate poetry of Newbery award-winning author Kwame Alexander, this lush picture book celebrates the beauty, diversity, and fragility of the animal world.
Featuring more than 40 unique animal portraits, the pages invite kids to explore each creature's markings, textures, and attributes in stunning detail, while calling on all of us to help protect each and every one. Three picture-packed gatefolds inside showcase even more familiar and exotic species. These images are part of Sartore's lifelong project to photograph every animal in the world, with special attention given to disappearing and endangered species.
What a great little book! The photographs in it are amazing, and I know kids will love them. I'm amazed at the photographers ability to capture these animals, insects and reptiles. And the words that Kwame Alexander put with the photographs really bring what you see in them even more to life. He takes small details of the animals and pulls them into simple yet precise melodies of words. The blend of poetry and photographs are a perfect way to make kids love poetry and not even realize they are reading it!
PS - the sloth on the cover is sooooooo cute!
If you want to see behind-the-scenes footage of Joel Sartore taking the amazing photographs, check it out HERE.
And check out the book trailer!
Book #2
Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets
By: Kwame Alexander
With: Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth
Illustrations: Ekua Holmes
Out of gratitude for the poet's art form, Newbery Award winning author and poet Kwame Alexander, along with Chris Colderley and Marjory Wentworth, present original poems that pay homage to twenty famed poets who have made the authors' hearts sing and their minds wonder.
I love poetry. I write poetry. So to see and read this book was amazing. The poems are rich and varied. My favorite was "Walter, Age Ten". It celebrates Walter Dean Myers who is one of my favorite authors. The poem just brings what I know about Myers and his books to life. If I was still teaching I'd use this poem for sure! And then there's one for Langston Hughes - my most favorite poet! They are all wonderful poems. What I liked is that some seem more serious but others are showing the pure joy of playing with the language that happens in poetry. Wonderful book!
Animal Ark looks adorable, reminds me of the wild animal baby board books that I used to get from NWF. This sounds even better with Kwame Alexander's poetry, so fun.
ReplyDelete