Author: Sally M. Walker
Illustrator: William Grill
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Copyright Date: February 13th, 2018
Age Range: 8-10 years
"In a stunning combination of haiku and impressionistic (but accurate) art, this one-of-a-kind book encourages readers to think playfully about our planet and its wondrous processes. Sibert Medal–winning author Sally M. Walker covers Earth’s many marvels — fossilized skeletons of plants and animals, terrific volcanic eruptions, the never-ending hydrologic cycle — in sometimes straightforward, sometimes metaphoric three-line haikus. Expertly drawn art by William Grill, author-illustrator of Shackleton’s Journey, provides a visual reference for each poem. In clear and creative back matter, Walker and Grill further use their skills to provide additional detailed explanations for the science behind each concept. A unique, artistic intersection of poetry and science, Earth Verse is sure to enthrall any and all readers interested in the world around them." Earth Verse: Haiku from the Ground Up summary.
In this picture book, Walker and Grill teach children about the many facets of the earth, from fossils deep in the earth to the atmosphere above. This book does a wonderful job of imparting information in a new way. It exposes children to the haiku writing form, with accompanying pictures to connect the words to the information.
The vocabulary is slightly more complicated, mostly due to the writing form, which makes it appropriate for not just the suggested age group, but even older children. Youth interested in poetry, for instance, might appreciate this writing form.
The illustrations range from encompassing two full pages to only taking up a fraction of the page. Illustrator William Grill uses page space to emphasize size and scale of the information being given.
This is a book released this year, so it hasn't had the chance to earn any awards or accolades. However, the author is a Sibert Medal winner, which is "awarded annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in the United States in English during the preceding year" according to the ALA.
I want to read this book! The illustrations are beautiful. What an ingenious idea of the illustrator to use these images as a way to demonstrate scale and teach the content in the book. I have also never seen a book combine science and poetry so flawlessly. I think this is a great way to get science lovers interested in language/poetry and vice versa.
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