School Library Journal» Douglas Florian http://www.slj.com The world's largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens Thu, 19 Sep 2013 04:10:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 Visual and Vibrant: Douglas Florian’s Favorite Poetry Collections http://www.slj.com/2013/04/books-media/authors-illustrators/visual-and-vibrant-douglas-florians-favorite-poetry-collections/ http://www.slj.com/2013/04/books-media/authors-illustrators/visual-and-vibrant-douglas-florians-favorite-poetry-collections/#comments Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:27:29 +0000 SLJ http://www.slj.com/?p=40550 dFlorian Visual and Vibrant: Douglas Florian’s Favorite Poetry Collections Continuing with our celebration of National Poetry Month, School Library Journal has more poetry recommendations for kids from some of our favorite bards. This week is acclaimed poet and artist Douglas Florian, creator of UnBEElievables: Honeybee Poems and Paintings (S & S, 2012), Poem Runs: Baseball Poems and Paintings (Houghton Harcourt, 2012), and Handsprings (HarperCollins, 2007). Here he offers us, in his own words, his top poetry picks for kids.

Ogden Nash’s Zoo (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 1987) by Ogden Nash. Edited by Roy Finamore. Illustrations by Etienne Delessert. “Short and pithy poems about animals, real and imaginary, along with superb humorous illustrations by Etienne Delessert.I first encountered these when I was in the fifth grade.”

A Hippopotamusn’t (Dial, 1990) by J. Patrick Lewis. Illustrations by Victoria Chess. “Wonderfully witty hilarious poems with a wide variety of forms in rhyme and rhythm. The grotesque paintings by Chess add to the fun.”

Runaway Opposites: Poems (Harcourt, 1995) by Richard Wilbur. Illustrations by Henrik Drescher. “Poems that surprise and delight in unexpected ways. The collage paintings by Drescher are amazingly dazzling and truly compliment the zaniness of the verse.”

Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems (Houghton Mifflin, 2005) by Joyce Sidman. Illustrations by Beckie Prange. “Lyrical poignant poems and splendid watercolors paintings explore life in a pond with much depth and fluidity.”

Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse (Dutton, 2010)  by Marilyn Singer. Illustrations by Josee Masse. “Inventive poems that inspire and ignite imaginations.”

]]> http://www.slj.com/2013/04/books-media/authors-illustrators/visual-and-vibrant-douglas-florians-favorite-poetry-collections/feed/ 0 Pick of the Day: Shiver Me Timbers!: Pirate Poems & Paintings http://www.slj.com/2012/08/books-media/reviews/pick-of-the-day/pick-of-the-day-shiver-me-timbers-pirate-poems-paintings/ http://www.slj.com/2012/08/books-media/reviews/pick-of-the-day/pick-of-the-day-shiver-me-timbers-pirate-poems-paintings/#comments Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:30:54 +0000 SLJ http://www.slj.com/?p=13041 FLORIAN, Douglas. Shiver Me Timbers!: Pirate Poems & Paintings. illus. by Robert Neubecker. 32p. CIP. S & S/Beach Lane Bks. Aug. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-1321-4; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5712-6. LC 2010048963. Gr 2-5–From the smiling, rollicking kids on the cover laying claim to a beach full of treasure to the shipload of fierce, sneering, plundering, cutlass-waving, face-making buccaneers, boastful of their scurrilous behavior, these pirates are a motley group. In 19 poems, they teach “Pirate Patter” and punishment and describe some [...]]]> star Pick of the Day: Shiver Me Timbers!: Pirate Poems & Paintingsshiver me timbers Pick of the Day: Shiver Me Timbers!: Pirate Poems & PaintingsFLORIAN, Douglas. Shiver Me Timbers!: Pirate Poems & Paintings. illus. by Robert Neubecker. 32p. CIP. S & S/Beach Lane Bks. Aug. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-1321-4; ebook $12.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5712-6. LC 2010048963.
Gr 2-5–From the smiling, rollicking kids on the cover laying claim to a beach full of treasure to the shipload of fierce, sneering, plundering, cutlass-waving, face-making buccaneers, boastful of their scurrilous behavior, these pirates are a motley group. In 19 poems, they teach “Pirate Patter” and punishment and describe some less-than-appetizing meals at sea; their penchant for stealing, burying, and sometimes losing track of treasure; and their weapons. To hear them tell it, they’re “…rude, crude dudes with attitudes” who practice growling–“Arrr!”–and “…love to try to make you cry.” “A pirate’s life is not for me!” says the young bloke rowing away from the ship under a starry sky. The up- and downsides of life on a pirate ship are evident in Neubecker’s bold, colorful, detail-filled cartoonlike illustrations, outlined in India ink. Kids, boys especially, will be charmed by these feisty poems.–Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Heights Public Library, OH

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