Module 14: Comets, Stars, The Moon, and Mars

Book Cover Image:

Book Summary:  Douglas Florian’s book of poems discusses facts about each of the planets and many other objects in space through clever rhyme.  Each page has a new poem and painted illustration to complement the lighthearted text.  Young readers will have the chance to learn more about space through both the illustrations and short poems.  His poems are simple but full of good information so the book can appeal to many age groups.

APA Reference:
Florian, D. (2008). Comets, stars, the moon, and mars, space poems and                                      paintings. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Children's Books.

Impressions:  This book of simple poems was fun to read, but more than that I loved Florian’s illustrations.  Both his poetry and illustrations were easy to understand and kept me turning the pages.  He added a bit of humor to a many of the poems, which still gets the facts across about planets and space but in a very entertaining way.  One of my favorites discusses the fact that “Pluto was a planet.  Till one day it got fired” (Florian, 2008, p. 37).  His mixed media paintings on each page feature the subject of the poem including letters, words, and some names of planets.  Overall, Florian’s book of space poems was very enjoyable.

Professional Review: “With interesting die cuts and richly textured multimedia illustrations done on brown bags, each of the twenty poems will captivate young readers and listeners. This title is sure to get prospective astrophysicists asking questions about our universe and its planetary inhabitants.”

Celestial poetry. (2010, March 31). Retrieved from                                                                           http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6724808.html

Library Use:  This book would coincide wonderfully with a field trip to a planetarium, or with special space units at each grade level.  If the school has access to a star lab (inflatable and portable mini planetarium) this book would be a wonderful introduction and a great way to help the library time incorporate enjoyable literature into the curriculum.  I can see students displaying a report on a planet or constellation in the library along with a feature on this book.