Florian Poetry

Florian, Douglas. 2007. Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. ISBN: 978-0-15-205372-7.

Book Review:

Douglas Florian adds to his impressive collection of children’s books with the poetry collection included in Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars, a Kirkus Best Book of the Year and Horn Book Fanfare List selection.  With its heavenly artwork, rhythmic rhymes and informational text, Florian straddles the line nicely between a poetry and informational book.  Access features include a table of contents a “galactic” glossary and a selected bibliography giving accuracy to the scientific information provided in the poems.

Using a combination of gouache, collage, cut-outs and rubber stamps on brown paper, Florian lavishly illustrates each of the 20 poems in the book primarily in the colors of outer space: deep blue, bright orange and starry yellow. Beginning with the universe, galaxy, solar system and each planet and continuing with comets, constellations and black holes, each of the poems contains devices of sound, such as rhyme and alliteration, which create a pleasant reading experience.

 Most of the poems rhyme in the aa/bb/cc pattern, such as in “Skywatch” – “On a clear night you might try/To gaze upon the starry sky”), with some other patterns for contrast, such as in “Venus” - “Scalding-hot surfaces,/Nine hundred degrees./Nothing can live there,/No creatures,/No trees.”  Keeping the tone light, but covering actual facts about the topics, the author has created a poetry collection which will appeal to a variety of ages.

Florian also playfully places his text on some of the pages as a surprise, such as “The universe is every place/including all the e  m  p  t  y space;” or the poem for “a galaxy” written in a galactic spiral. The combination of the illuminating illustrations and the rhythmic repetition of the poems culminates in a sure winner for the author and a visual feast for the reader.

Sharing the Poetry:

Florian’s space collection could be used in a number of different ways, including a story time about the planets or moon, with an accompanying craft, or in a science unit in a classroom.  Combined with other age-appropriate books on the topics, the poems could be peppered into the instruction time as a fun change of pace.   

    

Selected Poem:

In a story time based on the moon, a children’s librarian could read other short non-fiction books about the topic, along with Florian’s poem “The Moon,” and have the children carve the filling of Oreo Cookies into the shapes of the phases of the moon:

The Moon

A new moon isn’t really new,

It’s merely somewhat dark to view.

A crescent moon may seem to smile,

Gladly back after a while.

A half moon is half dark, half light,

At sunset look due south to sight.

A full moon is a sight to see,

Circular in geometry.

After full, the moon will wane

Night by night, then start again.

References:

Books in Print. n.d. Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars.  http://ezproxy.twu.edu:2125/DetailedView.aspx?hreciid=|24083537|13649214&mc=USA# (accessed February 11, 2014).

Douglas Florian Author Visits. 2012. .http://douglasflorianauthorvisits.blogspot.com/ (accessed February 11, 2014).

Science Bob's Blog. 2011. "Oreo Cookie Moon Phases." http://www.sciencebob.com/blog/?p=828 (accessed February 18, 2014).