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Dear Wandering Wildebeest: And Other Poems from the Water Hole
Welcome wildebeest / and beetle, / Oxpecker and lion. / This water hole is yours. / It offers you oasis / beside its shrinking shores.
Spend a day at a water hole on the African grasslands. From dawn to nightfall, animals come and go. Giraffes gulp, wildebeest graze, impalas leap, vultures squabble, and elephants wallow. Fact sidebars support the poems about the animals and their environment. Imaginative illustrations from Anna Wadham complete this delightful collection.
Spend a day at a water hole on the African grasslands. From dawn to nightfall, animals come and go. Giraffes gulp, wildebeest graze, impalas leap, vultures squabble, and elephants wallow. Fact sidebars support the poems about the animals and their environment. Imaginative illustrations from Anna Wadham complete this delightful collection.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
2 people are currently reading
347 people want to read
About the author
Irene Latham
35 books143 followersIrene Latham is a poet and novelist who was born the middle child and first daughter of five kids.
Irene has lived all sorts of places and traveled worldwide. Since 1984 she has called Birmingham, Alabama, home.
She thinks growing up with three brothers was great preparation for raising her three sons. She also thinks getting a sister was one of the best things that has ever happened to her.
Irene is proud to be the only leftie in her family of origin AND in her current family.
According to Irene's Dr. Seuss' MY BOOK ABOUT ME, she has wanted to be writer since she was eight years old.
She also wanted to train a horse that her sister would ride to victory in the Kentucky Derby. That hasn't happened. Yet.
Irene didn't take a single writing course in college.
Irene has lived all sorts of places and traveled worldwide. Since 1984 she has called Birmingham, Alabama, home.
She thinks growing up with three brothers was great preparation for raising her three sons. She also thinks getting a sister was one of the best things that has ever happened to her.
Irene is proud to be the only leftie in her family of origin AND in her current family.
According to Irene's Dr. Seuss' MY BOOK ABOUT ME, she has wanted to be writer since she was eight years old.
She also wanted to train a horse that her sister would ride to victory in the Kentucky Derby. That hasn't happened. Yet.
Irene didn't take a single writing course in college.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
August 17, 2014
Dear Wandering Wildebeest
By Irene Latham and Anna Wadham.
Read July 5th 2014
I knew this book was going to be good with the alliteration in the title. That appealed to me. The word ‘Dear’ drew me in, as it softened the subject with an endearment in the first word. The title with one syllable in the first line, two syllables in the second line and then three for the final line was pretty clever. On page 2 the age is given from 8 years to 12 years. I feel that needs an extension, as my 9th Grade student loved the poems and said whole heartedly that she would read the book if she found it in the library and further more - take it home! She suggested that with the poems, and the accompanying details – she would do a special study and a presentation of the poems or a single poem. She avidly read the information with great interest. The Colour scheme was soft, sensitive and unobtrusive giving excellent background to the words. There is an interesting mix of fonts within the poems and you have to look for this and notice it. The poems are lyrical in style and create an ease of feeling within the reader. My student loved ‘Impala Explosion’ and ‘The Watchman’s Song.’ She screamed with laughter when she read ‘Oxpecker Cleaning Service.’ ‘Dung Beetle’ at work was also a hit and’ Lioness after the Hunt’ worried her. ‘Stripes Vs Stripes’ was also a success. I enjoyed every moment I spent with this book. I have reread it a number of times and recommend it for a school to buy multiple copies for poetry study. Entertaining, beautiful to look at and finally, wonderfully written poems.
I award this book 5 stars.
By Irene Latham and Anna Wadham.
Read July 5th 2014
I knew this book was going to be good with the alliteration in the title. That appealed to me. The word ‘Dear’ drew me in, as it softened the subject with an endearment in the first word. The title with one syllable in the first line, two syllables in the second line and then three for the final line was pretty clever. On page 2 the age is given from 8 years to 12 years. I feel that needs an extension, as my 9th Grade student loved the poems and said whole heartedly that she would read the book if she found it in the library and further more - take it home! She suggested that with the poems, and the accompanying details – she would do a special study and a presentation of the poems or a single poem. She avidly read the information with great interest. The Colour scheme was soft, sensitive and unobtrusive giving excellent background to the words. There is an interesting mix of fonts within the poems and you have to look for this and notice it. The poems are lyrical in style and create an ease of feeling within the reader. My student loved ‘Impala Explosion’ and ‘The Watchman’s Song.’ She screamed with laughter when she read ‘Oxpecker Cleaning Service.’ ‘Dung Beetle’ at work was also a hit and’ Lioness after the Hunt’ worried her. ‘Stripes Vs Stripes’ was also a success. I enjoyed every moment I spent with this book. I have reread it a number of times and recommend it for a school to buy multiple copies for poetry study. Entertaining, beautiful to look at and finally, wonderfully written poems.
I award this book 5 stars.
October 15, 2015
Latham offers young readers a window into life on the African savanna in this collection of fifteen entertaining and descriptive poems that chronicle visits to a life-sustaining waterhole. Lion, rhino, and giraffe each have their moment in the spotlight as do some lesser-known creatures -- dung beetles, oxpeckers, and nightjars as Latham follows the succession of life from sun-up to night fall. Sidebars provide additional facts. A glossary and additional reading rounds out the book.
Wadham's soft colors are engaging without overpowering the verses.
Wadham's soft colors are engaging without overpowering the verses.
November 24, 2017
Summary: This book is a compilation of poems about different animals that live in the African Safari. Each page includes an accurate depiction of an animal in the African Safari. The illustrations bring the text to life and show readers just how beautiful life on the African Safari is.
Evaluation: This book does a great job illustrating the complex ecosystem that is the African Safari. Each page of the book builds on to the other. Readers get a well-rounded perspective of what life in nature, is like on the African Safari. These poems serve as a real life example of how animals interact with one another on the African Safari.
Teaching Point: I would use this book in my classroom to teach about animals in the African Safari. I would integrate science and ELA by using this book to teach about this specific biome. I would also allow students to read this book for pleasure. I would include it in my classroom library for easy reading access.
Evaluation: This book does a great job illustrating the complex ecosystem that is the African Safari. Each page of the book builds on to the other. Readers get a well-rounded perspective of what life in nature, is like on the African Safari. These poems serve as a real life example of how animals interact with one another on the African Safari.
Teaching Point: I would use this book in my classroom to teach about animals in the African Safari. I would integrate science and ELA by using this book to teach about this specific biome. I would also allow students to read this book for pleasure. I would include it in my classroom library for easy reading access.
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November 20, 2017Summary of the book: Spend a day at a water hole on the African grasslands, where you will learn about all different kinds of animals and how they interact within nature. Irene Latham's provides readers with beautifully written poems that provide details about certain animals and their environment. Read on to find out the different animals that are mentioned in this book and how they interact with nature
Evaluation of the book: I thought this book was only okay. Personally, I have never really been a big fan of poetry. So, I found it to be a little difficult to follow.
Teaching idea: If I were to use this book in my classroom, I would use this book to teach about poetry. I feel that this book is a great representation of what poetry should be. So I would use it to teach about what good poetry looks like.
Evaluation of the book: I thought this book was only okay. Personally, I have never really been a big fan of poetry. So, I found it to be a little difficult to follow.
Teaching idea: If I were to use this book in my classroom, I would use this book to teach about poetry. I feel that this book is a great representation of what poetry should be. So I would use it to teach about what good poetry looks like.
November 27, 2017
Summary: "Dear Wandering Wildebeest: And Other Poems from the Water Hole" is a compilation of poems depicting animal life in the African Safari. Each poem illustrates the lifestyle of animals from a more poetic perspective, instead of written in a narrative-style.
Review: I very much enjoyed reading this book of poems. I thought the author did an excellent job with writing each poem in such a way that they build upon each other to give a very deep perspective of the life on the African Safari for many common animals. Excellent!
Classroom Ideas: One could use this book as a supplemental resource when teaching about animal habitats. This book could be used to integrate language arts and reading into science lessons on animal habitats by having students read the poems and discuss how it relates to what they are studying for further enhancement across the curriculum.
Review: I very much enjoyed reading this book of poems. I thought the author did an excellent job with writing each poem in such a way that they build upon each other to give a very deep perspective of the life on the African Safari for many common animals. Excellent!
Classroom Ideas: One could use this book as a supplemental resource when teaching about animal habitats. This book could be used to integrate language arts and reading into science lessons on animal habitats by having students read the poems and discuss how it relates to what they are studying for further enhancement across the curriculum.
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October 5, 2019Summary:
This story is about a watering hole in the African grasslands where many different creatures come to drink water. This story is told through a series of lyric poems and gorgeous pictures of the different animals at the watering hole. It talks about all of the different animals and the different looks and sounds that they make when they are at the watering hole.
Evaluation:
This is a cute book to have in your classroom! It teaches kids a little bit about poetry while also telling them about the different animals in the African grasslands.
Teaching Ideas:
I don't think I would necessarily use this book to teach a concept, but it would be a cute book to keep in the class library. One part I especially like is the fact that it focuses on the one similarity between all of the animals, the watering hole.
This story is about a watering hole in the African grasslands where many different creatures come to drink water. This story is told through a series of lyric poems and gorgeous pictures of the different animals at the watering hole. It talks about all of the different animals and the different looks and sounds that they make when they are at the watering hole.
Evaluation:
This is a cute book to have in your classroom! It teaches kids a little bit about poetry while also telling them about the different animals in the African grasslands.
Teaching Ideas:
I don't think I would necessarily use this book to teach a concept, but it would be a cute book to keep in the class library. One part I especially like is the fact that it focuses on the one similarity between all of the animals, the watering hole.
November 5, 2019
Summary: In a fun playful style, Dear Wandering Wildebeest introduces children to various animals that live on the African Savannah. From giraffes to beetles, children will learn about the lives of these animals without even realizing it.
Review:
I love fun rhyming books to read to students, and I would love to read this to my students. I can see all of my students enjoying this book, especially the younger ones who are interested in animals. They'd be learning about all sorts of cool animals that they might have never heard about before.
Teaching:
I would use this book to introduce various biomes and habitats to students. This book is a great interdisciplinary book that combines literacy, poetry, and science together. As an extension activity, I might have students pick one of the animals in the book and do some research about it.
Review:
I love fun rhyming books to read to students, and I would love to read this to my students. I can see all of my students enjoying this book, especially the younger ones who are interested in animals. They'd be learning about all sorts of cool animals that they might have never heard about before.
Teaching:
I would use this book to introduce various biomes and habitats to students. This book is a great interdisciplinary book that combines literacy, poetry, and science together. As an extension activity, I might have students pick one of the animals in the book and do some research about it.
December 15, 2018
I loved it! The poetry is very lyrical and is printed in a way that matches the words at times. The illustrations are beautiful. I would recommend this for children who like nature and want to learn more about water holes in Africa and the species that depend on them. It also will appeal to adults (like me). Some of the phrases I liked:
"Abandon now the crusted path
that resembles a human palm"
It totally does!
"With a hard-hat shell
and shovel claws"
Dung beetles are tireless workers in the recycle plant of nature and come equipped with their own safety equipment and tools!
" this wildebeest sea"
It does resembles a roiling sea!
I definitely want this in my classroom library.
"Abandon now the crusted path
that resembles a human palm"
It totally does!
"With a hard-hat shell
and shovel claws"
Dung beetles are tireless workers in the recycle plant of nature and come equipped with their own safety equipment and tools!
" this wildebeest sea"
It does resembles a roiling sea!
I definitely want this in my classroom library.
September 30, 2019
Summary:
This book is broken up into different poems that explore the different types of animals that visit the watering hole in the African grasslands. Each poem describes the different characteristics and jobs that each animal does. As well as what role they play in the ecosystem.
Evaluation:
This book is very information. It is a lot of content but you can start reading at any point and not be confused. The information and pictures are very informative for readers. The poems are very engaging.
Teaching Idea:
This would be a good book to hook students on a African Grasslands lesson. In addition, I would leave the book in the classroom library for students to refer back to through out the year.
This book is broken up into different poems that explore the different types of animals that visit the watering hole in the African grasslands. Each poem describes the different characteristics and jobs that each animal does. As well as what role they play in the ecosystem.
Evaluation:
This book is very information. It is a lot of content but you can start reading at any point and not be confused. The information and pictures are very informative for readers. The poems are very engaging.
Teaching Idea:
This would be a good book to hook students on a African Grasslands lesson. In addition, I would leave the book in the classroom library for students to refer back to through out the year.
December 3, 2019
SUMMARY-This is a nonfiction book set in a collection of poems. It is about animals and plants in the African Grasslands. Readers explore the waterhole, open spaces, and all sorts of beautiful animals. The book also includes facts and captions about the animals and plants in the poems.
EVALUATION-I liked this book as a nonfiction book and a book of poetry. The illustrations are beautiful, and the poems are simple and pleasant to read for all ages. In fact, I was surprised that I learned several things from this book.
TEACHING POINT-I would use this book in a science lesson. I would read this book during a unit on ecosystems. Specifically, I would read it to the class to learn about the Savannah
EVALUATION-I liked this book as a nonfiction book and a book of poetry. The illustrations are beautiful, and the poems are simple and pleasant to read for all ages. In fact, I was surprised that I learned several things from this book.
TEACHING POINT-I would use this book in a science lesson. I would read this book during a unit on ecosystems. Specifically, I would read it to the class to learn about the Savannah
July 11, 2017
This text consists of fifteen poems that highlight the lives of different animals who reside in the African grasslands and visit the water hole. Through the use of rhyme, onomatopoeia, and changing font styles, Latham encapsulates how each of the animals interact with their habitat. Additional facts accompany each of the poems that further describe the animals and their environment. Imaginative, watercolor illustrations illuminate this picture book, showcasing how every animal, whether big like a giraffe or small like a dung beetle, is a key part of the grasslands.
June 14, 2017
Written and illustrated by the same people as "When the Sun Shines in Antarctica," Dear Wandering Wildebeest is set up in the same way, with poems and illustrations in the main body of the book and a glossary of new words in the back. I enjoy these books and feel as though they are very well made. Hopefully there are more in the series or more to come, because I believe that they are an effective way to teach children about animals in a fun and educational way.
July 17, 2017
This children's picture book written in poetry instantly draws readers into the fascinating world of the African watering hole. The collection of poems introduces readers to many unique animals as well as settings. The illustrations that accompany the poems also allows readers to visualize these beautiful stories, for example, elephants and giraffe's living peacefully with one another in order to obtain the most important factor to living, water.
July 24, 2017
Dear Wandering Wildebeest incorporates poetry into story telling about the animals that live in the same habitat. This habitat is the water hole and their are many animals that have different jobs within this environment. This story of poems incorporates the wildebeest, giraffes, oxpeckers, elephants, rhinos, owls, and safari ants and explains their role in protecting and keeping the water hole a great place.
July 22, 2017
This collection of poems allows us to wander and visit the various animals interacting with the watering hole found within the African grasslands. Each poem is about a specific animal and how their day depends on the watering hole or those that use it. The pages also provide facts about the animals to give us better insight into their lives. The illustrations give the feeling of dryness but around the watering hole, plants an animals flourish along with the colors.
April 20, 2020
The book Deer Wandering Wildebeest takes place on the African grasslands at a watering hole. This book is a compilation of poems about the different animals that live there and come to drink at the watering hole. It talks about how the animals interact with nature, the poems provide details about certain animals and their environment. I would recommend this book for ages 8 to 12 because that's the age range given in the book, but I think students older than 12 could enjoy it because it's not too content heavy.
I would use this in my classroom to introduce the topic of poetry. I believe this would also be a fun book to just have in the classroom library. I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book and I enjoyed reading about all the different animals.
I would use this in my classroom to introduce the topic of poetry. I believe this would also be a fun book to just have in the classroom library. I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book and I enjoyed reading about all the different animals.
July 21, 2017
Dear Wandering Wildabeest is a collection of poems about animals who visit the waterhole in the African sun. Factual information is accompanied by witty poems about the animals that are seen by the waterhole. A wide variety of animals are introduced; from insects to elephants, it is clear that all of them depend on this source of water.
February 10, 2019
This is a cool poetry book about African animals in the grasslands. Plus there is a section giving information about each animal. The illustrations did not appeal to me because the eyes look odd to me. It is an interesting form. I like the poems but not the one about the lioness, though it is realistic.
July 25, 2017
This children's story uses poetry to explore the animal life in Africa. The African grasslands are filled with unique diverse animals. This poetic story takes the reader through Africa to discover the life on these creatures.
September 12, 2018
Summary
This is a wonderfully illustrated book of poems. The poems give information about the animals in a fun way. There's even a small box of facts about that animal in the corner of each page.
Evaluation
I thought that this book of poems was something students of all ages could enjoy. I can see them being engaged as a teacher read this aloud with animation. The whimsical illustrations are definitely a lure.
Teaching point
I think this would be a wonderful book to use to introduce ecosystems. The 4th grade class I student teach in would love this. You could even project one of the pages onto the board so that students could make a food chain - or name the living and nonliving factors in the ecosystem.
This is a wonderfully illustrated book of poems. The poems give information about the animals in a fun way. There's even a small box of facts about that animal in the corner of each page.
Evaluation
I thought that this book of poems was something students of all ages could enjoy. I can see them being engaged as a teacher read this aloud with animation. The whimsical illustrations are definitely a lure.
Teaching point
I think this would be a wonderful book to use to introduce ecosystems. The 4th grade class I student teach in would love this. You could even project one of the pages onto the board so that students could make a food chain - or name the living and nonliving factors in the ecosystem.
October 28, 2020
Such beautiful poems. I loved the illustrations and how each page was dedicated to an animal found in Africa. I also appreciate how it includes a passage sharing informational facts and characteristics about the animal. Kids would really enjoy this and learn something new while reading poetry.
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October 30, 2020As a lover of poetry and animals, I adored this read! Included are different poems to describe different animals and their lives, and, also included, are excerpts of text that provide more detail on the animals from each poem.
February 26, 2022
Lovely, short poems and fun facts about the animals that frequent the waterholes in an African landscape. Most appropriate for upper elementary or read aloud for younger children. It is beautifully illustrated.
June 2, 2022
Poems about the animals to be found frequenting the local watering hole--elephants, giraffes, rhinos, vultures, lions, meerkats, dung beetles & many more--with a short paragraph for each to explain what kind of animal, a special feature or habit. Very interesting book.
June 14, 2019
I liked this book a lot the illustrations were very child friendly and really related to the story.
November 20, 2019
Published in 2014.
I loved how each poem was a little different and was about a different African animal. I would have this book in my classroom library.
I loved how each poem was a little different and was about a different African animal. I would have this book in my classroom library.
July 22, 2020
I liked the pictures but I thought that the poems needed something.
October 30, 2020
I loved the poems and beautiful illustrations in this book. The true facts about each animal in the book were a great addition too!
November 18, 2020
Copyright- 2014
Genre-Poetry
Theme-animals, wildlife
I love this book full of poems. I love the illustrations. I would love to use this book when talking about poetry within my classroom.
Genre-Poetry
Theme-animals, wildlife
I love this book full of poems. I love the illustrations. I would love to use this book when talking about poetry within my classroom.
April 23, 2023
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews