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A Meal of the Stars: Poems Up and Down
Engaging and innovative, A Meal of the Stars shows how we live in a swaying, crashing, rising, falling–but utterly magical–world. With art merry and spirited, this distinctive collection of up and down poems reveals the extraordinary in the ordinary, resulting in a book young readers won’t want to put down!
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
March 20th 2012
by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
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What looks like a meaningless column of words quickly becomes a line of descriptive poetry when you change your perspective. These 15 poems are meant to be read either from the bottom up or from the top down. Readers begin with a poem that moves up as high as a giraffe's neck as he dines on the stars in the heavens, and they end with a poem moving from the top down in celebration of a handstand. These creations are refreshing and endlessly intriguing. One of my favorites describes a ladybug's jo...more
This is a beautiful collection of poems that sometimes read from the top down (as we usually read), but sometimes they also read from the bottom up, like one about a giraffe, the title poem, which imagines that giraffes might make a meal from the stars. Not only is this poem, with all the rest, wonderful, but the drawings by Tricia Tusa are equally whimsical and sweet. Other topics covered are about a ladybug crawling up a stem of a dandelion, the bongs of bells floating down to the ears of thos...more
This book is really cool. Lines of descriptive words meant to be read either up or down become beautiful, fun poems. I often think there aren't enough really good children's peotry books. This is one of the good ones.
Here is my favorite from this book:
when
stars
make
wishes
they
wish
they
could
drink
the
raindrps
and
never
fall
leaving
their
last
flash
of
light
for
the
earth
they
shine
upon
The imagery of the poems is also enhanced by the illustrations, which give you a clue of weather you should read the poems u...more
Here is my favorite from this book:
when
stars
make
wishes
they
wish
they
could
drink
the
raindrps
and
never
fall
leaving
their
last
flash
of
light
for
the
earth
they
shine
upon
The imagery of the poems is also enhanced by the illustrations, which give you a clue of weather you should read the poems u...more
Tricia Tusa has beautifully illustrated these up and down poems of Dana Jensen's. Lovely and playful, these poems are to be read from the top down or the bottom up. There isn't a system (that I could find) to tell which way each poem should be read, so there might be a bit of confusion on the parts of kids (and adults) attempting to read this for the first time. Never fear, though, you'll figure it out. Lovely sweet playful charming. Teachers could totally use this in a unit about different type...more
A fantastic book of directional poetry for children. The subject of the poem determines the direction the poem is read. For example, the poem is about a kite flying higher in the air, the poem will be read from bottom to top, going up. But if the poem is about the stars wishing they were raindrops the poem is read down.
This simple, wonderfully illustrated book of poetry will provide a puzzle for readers to solve as they try to figure out why the poem does not make sense the first time they read...more
This simple, wonderfully illustrated book of poetry will provide a puzzle for readers to solve as they try to figure out why the poem does not make sense the first time they read...more
It took me a few minutes to figure out how to read the poems! After that, found the poems reminiscent of childhood. The unique format of a single word per line and some poems reading up while other poems read down intrigued me. I immediately thought of my 3rd grade students and their unit on poetry. This would be a welcome edition to our library! Charming old fashioned illustrations alternate black and white with color.
This is definitely a new one on me. Later it might be great, but right now it is not right for us while I'm trying to teach her words go left to right and down the page. However, I do see the fun in it and I am fascinated by the fact that something that resembles a list of words is just that one way, while the other is lyrical and informative.
Thanks to HMH
Typed on Kindle Fire
Thanks to HMH
Typed on Kindle Fire
Poems are written so the lines are either progressing down (like usual) or up the page, and concern things that either move down (rain) or up (hot air balloon). They are simple, short, and lovely. Tusa's illustrations match the poetry well, full of color and energy for lively poems, and peaceful and gentle for poems with a quieter tone.
I really liked the illustrations and the poems...EXCEPT for the fact that I couldn't tell until I started reading if I should read the poem from the top down or from the bottom up. I REALLY wish that there was some indication as to what way to read it so I (and kids) won't get discouraged.
Nice pairing with Georgia Heard's FALLING DOWN THE PAGE.
Fun to read up, down. I think the "giraffe" piece works well if one starts in the middle and then scrolls up and returns to down (most inventive).
Kids will love this and I know they will want to try their very own attempts at this form.
Fun to read up, down. I think the "giraffe" piece works well if one starts in the middle and then scrolls up and returns to down (most inventive).
Kids will love this and I know they will want to try their very own attempts at this form.
Equal parts silly, soft, surreal and relatable-this collection of poems read either up or down will stretch the imagination of the reader. Seasonal settings and expressive illustrations add not only to the accesibility of the poetry, but also to the warm, inviting feel of this book. Reviewer 2
Each page provides a playful full-color illustration to suggest if it's related column of single words should be read bottom to top or top to bottom. This title will appeal and work in different ways for different ages, the true measure of a quality picture book.
For some reason I thought these poems could be read both up and down - similar to Marilyn Singer's Mirror, Mirror! but also only in one direction but the reader needs to figure that it. Fun poems, fun book though.
PB 17
The short poems on each of the pages that are structured up and down to match the illustrations take ordinary subjects and make them seem enchanted.
The short poems on each of the pages that are structured up and down to match the illustrations take ordinary subjects and make them seem enchanted.
I thought this book of poems would be able to be read up AND down, but it's an "either or" approach. Fun for young readers and budding writers/poets.
What fun! I liked trying to figure out which way to read the poems. The illustrations helped. If you read them the wrong way, they're absolute gibberish.
I liked these poems. They're special... most are read from bottom to top. But, I LOVED Tricia Tusa's illustrations... so charming and whimsical!
Poems constructed of thin columns of words-- some read from the top down and some read from the bottom up. Playful, precise word choices.
Fun, simple poems with great illustrations. It was fun figuring out whether the poem read bottom to top or top to bottom.
Once I understood how this book works, I found it really enjoyable, but I was confused at first.
Interesting constructions of poems that read both up and down the pictures are lovely.
This is a unique book of poems to be read up or down. Each line is only one word. I liked the cute illustrations. The giraffe poem is my favorite. Kids would have fun trying to write poems like these.
Power of single word becoming a poem. Friendly ways of introducing poem
fun to figure up or down - love illustrations
The poems stretch up and down in capricious ways.
Quite enjoyable.
This book is subtitled "poems up and down," and that aspect of the book feels gimmiky to me. I enjoyed the poems, and the pictures were delightful, but I got frustrated not knowing where to start reading - should I start from the bottom or the top? Also, I felt that the long list of words sometimes made comprehension difficult, especially when having to read up. I wish these poems were presented in phrases starting at the top. Format is my only reason that this book does not rate 4 stars.
so neat.
A treasury of poems invites youngsters to read entries that are positioned in untraditional directions and celebrates the ways in which the world can sway, crash, rise, and fall and still remain magical.This fresh and unique collection of up and down poems shows how we live in a tall and sometimes tipsy, but utterly magical, world.
Subjects
Children's poetry, American
Engaging and innovative, A Meal of the Stars shows how we live in a swaying, crashing, rising, falling–but utterly magical–world. With art merry and spirited, this distinctive collection of up and down poems reveals the extraordinary in the ordinary, resulting in a book young readers won’t want to put down!
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