Serengeti: Plains of Grass

by Leslie Bulion, Becca Stadtlander (Illustrator)

Award-winning science poetry master Leslie Bulion presents a lyrical salute to Africa’s Serengeti Plain, one of the most spectacular and productive ecosystems on Earth.

Leslie Bulion, a virtuoso science poet, has created a portrait of the rainy season on East Africa’s southern Serengeti Plain, offering young readers a compelling look at an ecosystem in motion.

Using a series of interconnected verses inspired by an East African Swahili poem form―the utendi―Bulion’s cadences and rhythmic lines mimic the web of life in the Serengeti, following the great migration of wildebeest, zebras, and others into and then out of the vast short-grass plain.

Lush, evocative gouache illustrations by Becca Stadtlander showcase the grandeur of this immense and complex ecosystem and provide close-up details of its wildlife inhabitants. Scientific notes on each spread and comprehensive back matter material offer more specifics. This, paired with Bulion’s brilliant poetic form, make the book ideal for cross-curricular learning.

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry, Africa, Nonfiction, Animals, Childrens, Nature

48 pages, Hardcover

Published March 1, 2022

About the author

March 1, 2015 (Peachtree)

Funnny and challenging anatomy riddles in a variety of poetic forms with a hint of Shakespeare!
www.lesliebulion.com

Reviews

[Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like there’s purple and pink in it.

[Anne Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A children's information book written in a Swahili poetic style, utendi.

I found the information on each page, presented in a smaller font, to be more interesting than the poems themselves. There is also good resource information at the back of the book about the Serengeti.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This lovely tribute to the Serengeti Plains is a 3.5 for me. Using the utendi form of poetry with linked four-line stanzas throughout the book, the poet ends each stanza or poem with the word "grass." Various animals head to the area after rains bring new life to the land, and the poems describe some of them in vivid language; giraffes stalk through the terrain, "stilt-walking through the grass" (unpaged), termites erect "towers [that] sail in a sea of grass" (unpaged), while cheetahs are "patient predators built to streak" (unpaged), and all of these creatures follow the lure of promised water once the monsoon winds and rain abate, and the animals move onward as "columns swell, drawn to distant rain, / weaving like smoke through stone-dry grass" (unpaged). Additional information explaining what's happening in each double-page spread accompanies the poetic verses. The back matter offers a glossary and additional information about this amazing ecosystem with its many inhabitants as well as resources and ways for humans to protect the area. There is also a map of the area which straddles Kenya and Tanzania. The illustrations, created with gouache and pastels, are remarkably beautiful, full of life and hints of danger among all this bounty. As is often the case with Leslie's Bulion's work, this book would easily fit into a science classroom library and be a unique avenue through which to learn about this part of the world.

[The Silvan Reverie | Sarah Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely celebration of the Serengeti through poetry and art and science aimed at children ages 8-12 years old. After an introduction to the Serengeti ecosystem, the book takes us through different aspects of the Serengeti -- seasons, migration, mutualism, blooms, wildlife, predator-prey relationships, and more. There is a wealth of information in this book and I love that it is focused in on one ecosystem. This makes consuming the information not so overwhelming for children.

The illustrations are stunning and do a great job depicting all that is going on in the Serengeti -- they are realistic enough but also playful in a way that will appeal to children. And I love the poetry throughout each page. The verses are just right for the attention span of this age range. Each set of verses follows a similar form (explained in the back of the book) and children will definitely pick up on this by the end.

The back of the book contains a map, glossary of terms, explanation of the utendi (which is the four-line stanza, or verse, used throughout this book), and more information to explore.

This is great for nature-loving children and would work well for a biome study for science classrooms.

***Note: I was given a review copy of this book via Peachtree Publishing. Opinions are my own.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

SERENGETI: PLAINS OF GRASS is a lush and engaging introduction to the iconic landscape of the Serengeti Plain. With gorgeous art by Becca Stadtlander and poetic, multi-layered text by Leslie Bulion, this book highlights the interactions between the variety of species that make the Serengeti their home and their unique environment. From charismatic giraffes and cheetahs to lesser known, but equally fascinating species such as beetles, rock hyraxes, and mound-building termites, Bulion and Stadtlander weave a fascinating story of a complex ecosystem. Like Bulion's other wonderful books of poetry for children, including SPI-KU, AMPHIBIAN ACROBATS, and (my favorite) SUPERLATIVE BIRDS, SERENGETI can serve equally as a springboard for lessons about ecosystems and species diversity and poetry and language. In addition to sharing it in my preschool classroom, I'll be studying it closely for one an upcoming project of my own!

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author combines gently poetic verses w informational prose to introduce animals that live on the Serengeti plains during the rainy season from early winter to late spring. A new animal is introduced on most of the spreads, each spread connected to the previous one by the endless and life-giving grass, grass being the last word of each verse. I found the poetry a bit clunky and hard to read, though the explanation of its form on the last page helped me appreciate it more. The informational text is brief with only one or two facts but enough to make more sense of the poetry. You can tell the author loves this ecosystem: the Serengeti which she hopes can always remain “endless” (the meaning of the Maasai word siringet).

[Jacob Schmitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

What connects all the creatures in the Serengeti? Grass! In this slow cadence, readers follow the journey of different creatures in this ocean of grass, from giraffe to dung beetles.

A beautiful addition to anyone’s nonfiction section, I love this trend in picture books where there are a couple lines dedicated to verse, written for primary readers, and often in larger font; and then some technical sentences sharing information about the topic. These texts are not overwhelming to kids (or adults) who want to sit down for a quick nonfiction bite. The author also uses partial rhyme throughout the text, which is great exposure for students. The diction used is geared for intermediate elementary.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title alone had me attracted to this book - Plains of Grass vs. Leaves of Grass. That had me feeling that the poetry inside would be well thought out, and it was. This is a great mentor text to show how non-fiction topics and words can be used well in poetry. This book combines the poetry for every two page spread with great non-fiction facts about the Serengeti to learn more about it and appreciate the language used in the poetry to discuss the facts and beauty of this environment. Definitely should be used as a mentor text for non-fiction poetry and used with any environmental unit to enjoy both the facts and languge.

[Tatym Medina-Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is I think the first nonfiction book that I have reviewed for the 40 book challenge. I really like it because there are gorgeous illustrations throughout, and the book teaches children about all of the different creatures that live in the Serengeti. As a little kid, I loved the Lion King. It was my most favorite movie, and it played a big part in my interest in ecosystems, the environment, and animal conservation. I would like to use this for a lesson on caring for the environment in my future classroom--I actually am working on a portfolio assignment for a unit on ecosystems. This would be a perfect supplement for a lesson in that unit, and I am going to add it to my portfolio!

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as an adult reader for the AR Diamond Book Award. This book uses the utendi style of poetry, which some kids may have a difficult time reading. Although the information was interesting and the illustrations fabulous, I think that most kids will struggle with the text due to its style. I wish that the information about the utendi poetry would have come at the beginning of the book, rather than the end. It may help readers (especially kids) to understand the style of writing before the story actually begins. I foresee lots of re-reading going on here to make sure they understand/read it correctly.

[Lara Lleverino · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book to inspire wonder in so many different subjects. A quick read would check the box of a visual feast to accompany a study of Africa or Tanzania, but as the book was written by a scientist with a literary bent, it's an easy launching pad for studies in poetry, ecology, conservation, or a food chain study. The book includes gorgeous illustrations, interesting poetry, factual science, an animal glossary, and an explanation of the poetical form and its African usage.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pictures in the book are just lovely. The details are just beautiful.
I love at the end she explains that she is using a Siringet style of verse. I thought it had a sort of cadence, but it wasn't a rhyming cadence.

I very worthwhile book to read.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations of the Serengeti and the animals that live there. This book is very interesting because it has two storylines throughout - one made up of poetry and one made up of facts. Interesting overlap, although a little overwhelming at times. Great information though.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvelous topic, structure, word choice. I can’t wait to add this ecosystem unit somehow.

[Carrie Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all learned about the animals of the Serengeti. We liked the little facts scattered throughout the book.

[Beth P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nonfiction, poetry, extra text that helps readers understand adaptations and the interconnectedness of life on the Serengeti, plus great backmatter.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great addition for any home or classroom library!

[Shoshanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful. I learned a lot too.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poetry form makes a lot of sense if you read the author commentary, shows the connections of the ecosystems of the Serengeti.

[Jill CD · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book about the Serengeti ecosystem is well written and beautifully illustrated. Sidebars share more information on each page. A lovely read for all ages.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite. Read as a verse book for class.

[Justice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really outlines life in the Serengeti. It was very interesting to see the different flora and fauna detailed in the book.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of science, beautifully illustrated.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations were beautiful and the informative part of the book was awesome, but I feel the Swahili poem form used in the book, the utendi, didn’t do well with my kids.