Thank You, Earth: A Love Letter to Our Planet

K-Gr 4—Photographs of the natural world accompany a poem that gives thanks to the earth. The author/photographer of Raindrops Roll, Best in Snow, and Full of Fall has penned a lyrical thank you note to Earth illustrated with her signature photography. Close-ups featuring alluring shapes, patterns, and textures; seascapes and mountains; animals in action; and striking skies are varied and beautifully reproduced and arranged, with the text of the poem set directly on the pictures in large, legible print. "Dear earth," she begins. "Thank you for water and those that float,/for slippery seaweed/and stone. Thank you for mountains and minerals,/that strengthen bills/and bone." The carefully crafted verse, with its rhymes and repeated sounds, should be a pleasure to read aloud—Sayre's skillful use of enjambment is notable, too. A long author's note suggests ways that young people can say thank-you to the earth themselves that go beyond the usual. A list of selected resources and organizations and a welcome explanation (subject and location) of every photograph complete this attractive package.