Seeds, Bees, Butterflies, and More!: Poems for Two Voices

Gr 2–5—In the spirit of Paul Fleischman's Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices (HarperCollins, 1987), Gerber presents 18 poems with lines to be read aloud. The form allows readers to create energetic dialogues between the different animals, plants, and bugs featured in the verses. In an easy, kid-friendly fashion, the author explores relationships in nature and in the hidden intricacies of the world's ecological systems with poems about pollination, the purpose of roots, how bees collect nectar, and more. Most of the entries are whimsical, such as, "But our seeds will travel in the birds/and be dropped off in their doo" ("Bye, Bye, Berries"). End matter consists of a brief overview in prose of the concepts touched upon. Yelchin's bright, graphite and gouache illustrations are almost impressionistic; they catch the eye and complement the text well. This collection will educate youngsters while showing them a fun way to read poetry.—Rita Meade, Brooklyn Public Library, NY