Author: Joyce Sidman
Website: http://www.joycesidman.com/
Illustrated By: Beckie Prange
Website: http://www.beckieprange.com/
Media Used (discussed in detail): The text is set in Berling, Caslon Antique, and ITC Legacy Sans. The illustrations in the book were created using linocuts with hand-colored watercolor. Lioncuts are created using a sheet of linoleum which is then carved so that the raised and un-raised parts of the sheet create a mirror image of the final illustration. Color is then applied to the sheet of linocut and pressed onto paper to create the image. Looking at the detail in some of the illustrations, you would never guess that a carving method was being utilized, as opposed to painting directly with watercolor. My favorite illustration in the book is the scene with the crow flying in the sky. The color of the sky is so vibrant and you can almost hear the crow cawing out as he flies. I also really enjoyed how Prange colored the sky in the coyote scene. The mix of purples and blue contrast wonderfully with the shadowy forms of the coyote pack. The timeline is not only a work of art but also an ingenious idea. Prange used a piece of string using a scale of 1 centimeter equaling 1 million years. She then wrapped and looped the string on a piece of contact paper, marking the spots where the organisms mentioned appear on the timeline. She then used this to create the pattern for her linocut carving.
Summary: Arranged in the order of their appearance in evolutionary time, different animals and organisms that have evolved to survive are presented along with poems and factual information.
Personal Reaction: I really enjoyed this book. There is such a wonderful mixture of artwork, non-fictional information, and individual poems which works so well together. There is also a glossary included at the end of the book explaining some of the different terms such as "ubiquitous." I found my copy in the children's poetry section of my library, but it could also easily be shelved in the picture book or in the animal non-fiction section as well. A great book that you just want to keep re-reading and exploring through again and again.
Use of Allusion: The phrase "[squirrel's brains] are just the size of walnuts" alludes to the commonly used phrase "your brain is the size of a walnut" meaning a person is stupid. Which the poem then proves wrong as it goes to to state how squirrels are in fact "insatiably curious" and "natural-born problem solvers."
Use of Metaphor: "Coal black eyes" Use of Personification: “dandelions grow their hair” [like a mammal would] and ants "beat their legs against their chests” [like a person]. Use of Repetition: In the coyote poem, the word "come" is placed at the beginning of every line which adds extra emphasis encouraging the reader to follow. Use of Rhyme: In the crow poem, every two lines end in rhyming pairs such as: Sky/why, shrill/chill, feet/greet, given/thicken, and schemes/dreams. Use of Symbol: The swirling timeline represents how much time has passed since the Earth was first formed until humans appeared on Earth. Curricular Connection: 9th to 12th Grade Science California Standard: Evolution 7.d. - Students know variation within a species increases the likelihood that at least some members of a species will survive under changed environmental conditions. [This book discusses organisms that have evolved to survived over time]. Evolution 8.b. - Students know a great diversity of species increases the chance that at least some organisms survive major changes in the environment [book discusses highly diverse species such as bacteria, mollusks, lichens, and ants]. |
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