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61st out of 63 books
—
10 voters
Butterfly Eyes and Other Secrets of the Meadow
Discover the hidden world of the meadow in this unique combination of poetry riddles and science wisdom. Beginning with the rising sun and ending with twilight, this book takes us on a tour through the fields, encouraging us to watch for a nest of rabbits, a foamy spittlebug, a leaping grasshopper, bright milkweed, a quick fox, and a cruising hawk.
Hardcover, 48 pages
Published
September 15th 2006
by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
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“Discover the hidden world of the meadow in this unique combination of poetry riddles and science wisdom” [From the inside of front book jacket]. In this collection of meadow poems, Joyce Sidman, shares the beauty of nature and shares scientific insight into the life surrounding this grassland environment. The poems are in varied poetic structures: free verse, rhyme, and concrete/shape poems. Each one is a “Who am I?” type poem, which allows the reader to anticipate the upcoming pages that revea...more
PLOT SUMMARY
Joyce Sidman writes an assortment of poetic riddles about the life and beauty found in the meadow. Topics include the morning dew, the vascular system plants, and a variety of wildlife, including grasshoppers, deer, fox, and owls to just name a few. Each poem is accompanied by a scientific explanation of the role of these organisms in the ecosystem. Throughout the book are scratchboard illustrations created by Beth Krommes. The artwork helps the reader solve the sixteen riddles, as w...more
Joyce Sidman writes an assortment of poetic riddles about the life and beauty found in the meadow. Topics include the morning dew, the vascular system plants, and a variety of wildlife, including grasshoppers, deer, fox, and owls to just name a few. Each poem is accompanied by a scientific explanation of the role of these organisms in the ecosystem. Throughout the book are scratchboard illustrations created by Beth Krommes. The artwork helps the reader solve the sixteen riddles, as w...more
This book is the bee's knees.
The illustrations alone make me want to crawl inside and live there. Beth Krommes scratchboard style is magical. Google her to see some lovely examples of her style.
Joyce Sidman alternates gorgeous little riddle poems (two per full page spread) with factual prose. The poems aren't just the cutesy little rhyming poems usually found in children's books, but a variety of different styles that were an absolute delight to read aloud. And the fact pages are good hard scie...more
The illustrations alone make me want to crawl inside and live there. Beth Krommes scratchboard style is magical. Google her to see some lovely examples of her style.
Joyce Sidman alternates gorgeous little riddle poems (two per full page spread) with factual prose. The poems aren't just the cutesy little rhyming poems usually found in children's books, but a variety of different styles that were an absolute delight to read aloud. And the fact pages are good hard scie...more
Poetry which are also riddles combine with nonfiction paragraphs full of interesting facts and which also give the answers to the riddles. Add in the fantastic stylized illustrations by Beth Krommes which also give clues to the riddles and you have a another great book by Joyce Sidman.
I think my favorite nonfiction part was the facts about deer and trees. I was recently out in a part of the forest that is recovering from a forest fire. It's amazing to see the young trees growing back.
I also love...more
I think my favorite nonfiction part was the facts about deer and trees. I was recently out in a part of the forest that is recovering from a forest fire. It's amazing to see the young trees growing back.
I also love...more
One of Sidman's earlier collections, Butterfly Eyes is arranged as nature riddles and answers. The detailed, woodcut-like illustrations are beautiful. Song of the Water Boatman received a Caldecott Honor, but I think these are better! The poems are good, too. :)
I especially liked "Letter to the Sun," "Letter to the Rain," and "The Gray Ones" (Eyes of glass / Hooves of stone). My kids were caught (no pun intended) by "Apology to my Prey" (I am so sorry. For you, that is. / All this works out quit...more
I especially liked "Letter to the Sun," "Letter to the Rain," and "The Gray Ones" (Eyes of glass / Hooves of stone). My kids were caught (no pun intended) by "Apology to my Prey" (I am so sorry. For you, that is. / All this works out quit...more
Joyce Sidman and Beth Krommes are a marvelous team, one a poet/riddle master and writer, the other a stunning illustrator. This book is written for five to nine year olds, but should delight anyone with a love of nature, riddling poems, and beautiful drawings. Krommes' illustrations are stunning. Youngsters can learn a great deal about the teaming life of a meadow; oldsters can be reminded of that amazing life we come to take for granted as we grow old.
Krommes' illustrations on scratchboard are magical and Sidman's wonderful poems with a question to solve at the end of each make this a wonderful book. And each pairing of poems is followed by two pages of the age-appropriate scientific backstory. The poem for the toad, in the shape of a toad no less, captures the playfulness of these two artists. Such an ejoyably down-to-earth book.
Apr 18, 2010
Brigid
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
parents and children interested in nature
I absolutely love this book. The illustrations are beautifully drawn and colored. Very intricate and artistic, yet built on real life. Each double page has a poem/riddle each side telling two different parts of a story. The following pages tell the answer in plain science/nature writing. Wonderful for enhancing the study of the ecology and biology of the meadow. For ages 4+
Not only is this book just beautiful, it combines poetry with information about plants and creatures of the meadow. On each page, a resident of the meadow presents a riddle-poem describing itself. On the next page, the riddle is answered, giving lots of information about each creature or plant. Kids love the "guessing game" quality of this book.
Have you ever observed a meadow or an open field? What did you see there? In this collection of poems, Joyce Sidman explores what you would see in a meadow, both flora and fauna.
What I thought: What a beautiful collection. All the poems have the quiet murmur that meadows do. I loved the scratchboard illustrations. They reminds me of old-fashioned woodcuts. Sidman's wonderful language slips off the tongue in the most lilting manner. The collection reminds me of Disney's Bambi which was based on t...more
What I thought: What a beautiful collection. All the poems have the quiet murmur that meadows do. I loved the scratchboard illustrations. They reminds me of old-fashioned woodcuts. Sidman's wonderful language slips off the tongue in the most lilting manner. The collection reminds me of Disney's Bambi which was based on t...more
We enjoyed this book for its science, poetry and amazing illustrations. An illustrated poem gives clues, then a scientific description follows, also illustrated. A great companion for Charlotte Mason style homeschooling. My favorite poem is the last, for its style, content and message.
Breathtaking illustrations, truly. Another of Sidman's books that seamlessly combine artful words describing our real world. GO to this meadow and feast your eyes and ears. This book is one of my all-time favorite picture books.
Science, nature, poetry, and beautiful engraved artwork....what's not to love? That said, some of these poems are a little long for preK, but I would certainly use one or two of them if I were teaching science.
My rating is purely a personal preference thing and not an indication of the quality of this book. The set up is that the each page is essentially a riddle and the poem and illustrations are the clues. Poetry already tests my patience sometimes, but I've never really been a fan of riddles. The scratchboard illustrations by Beth Krommes (The House in the Night) are as lovely as they can be. The poems are clever - probably a bit too clever for me actually. So, while I appreciate it, I just didn't...more
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This collection of poems focuses on plant, animal and insect life of the meadow. Each poem is a riddle. After every two riddles, Sidman gives the answer and a brief introduction to whatever the plant or animal is. For example, the first two answers are dew and grasshoppers. One the pages following theirs poems, there is a paragraph on what dew is and where it comes from.
Krommes illustrations are absolutely breathtaking. Done with exuberantly colorful scratchboard, they capture the bright, exc...more
Gorgeous illustrations (etchings?) accompany first-person riddle poems with answers describing denizens of the meadow.
Good source for poetry for a nature lesson or for a lesson on butterflies. I also enjoyed the illustrations.
Good but not as amazing as "Ubiquitous".
Another good poetry book!
A gorgeous book of science, poetry and art. We love exploring meadows and we loved this book! If we were a book-buying family (we're library lenders) I'd buy this in a heartbeat.
It's everything a good's childrens book should be. Beautiful and engaging to look at, full of lovely language and you learn a lot too. I don't think that last point is pre-requisite for a good childrens book but it's a triple bonus when all three come together.
It's everything a good's childrens book should be. Beautiful and engaging to look at, full of lovely language and you learn a lot too. I don't think that last point is pre-requisite for a good childrens book but it's a triple bonus when all three come together.
The combination of beautiful illustration and playful mysteries in a variety of poetic formats make this a multi-use book for teachers and parents.
Always loved these types of illustrations. Nature-loving kids will enjoy guessing the creatures described in each poem.
Nominated in 2008-2009
Apr 24, 2013
Mary Bourke
marked it as to-read
Apr 14, 2013
Rachael Robbins
marked it as to-read
Mar 23, 2013
Kyle
marked it as to-read
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