Poetry Book Review: Curriculum Connection

What a cool poetry book to help introduce reptiles and amphibians to your elementary school science class. Douglas Florin’s creative illustrations and poems called “lizards, frogs, and polliwogs” include twenty-one slimly, slithery, cold and creepy amphibians and reptiles. The book is written to engage the class in discussions regarding the uniqueness of his subjects all the while playing with the arrangements of the words. Some of the poems are written in rhyme while others are concrete, like “The Python” or “The Gecko.” The author in a fun and intuitive way illustrates all the poems.

It would be easy to lead a class on a project illustrating their own creative poems, from the nature they observe.

The Spring Peepers

Peep-
Peep-
We steal your sleep.
In scores
Of choruses
We cheep.
Beneath our chin’s
A thin balloon
To help our song
From March till June.
Each spring
We sing
To bring
A mate,
And make you stay
Awake too late.

Florian, Douglas. 2005. Lizards, frogs, and polliwogs: poems and paintings. Voyager books. Orlando: Harcourt.