Bibliographic Data
Florian,
Douglas. 2010. POETREES.
New York: Beach Lane Books. ISBN: 9781416986720
Plot Summary
This topical
collection of poetry features a variety of trees and an appreciation for the
roots, bark, and leaves that make them up.
Florian writes lightly and simply, with both humor and reverence for these
great organisms that give us life, in a way that readers young and old will
appreciate.
Critical Analysis
The clever
title of this book is just a hint of the delightful experience found within, as
the author invites us into the world of poetry and trees! This book is unique and non-traditional in
many ways: its vertical format, opening
from bottom to top, creates a lengthened two-page canvas for illustrating the
tallest of trees! Watercolor paints on
textured backgrounds create soothing scenes, both realistic and fantastic,
appropriately done using the earth tones found in nature.
The
text is visually stimulating as it is spaced out for effect, turned vertically,
or physically manipulated to create a shape poem. One poem is crafted in a circular shape to
represent a tree ring in the poem titled “Tree Ring” and another shapes the
text as an infinity symbol to signify the never-ending life cycle of plants in
the poem titled “The Seed.” Florian uses
wordplay wherever possible, to describe trees that are “ex-seed-ingly fine” and
“tree-mendous,” or to discuss a tree’s “his-tree” as shown in its rings when it
has been around for a “cen-tree.”
Florian
personifies the weeping willow tree, asking why it weeps, moans, and groans,
and uses humorous onomatopoeia to describe the “birrrrrrrrrrrrrch” that grows in
cold weather. Most of the poems rhyme
and have consistent rhythms, some with short lines and others more
lengthy. Some include heavy repetition
which makes it fun to read aloud, such as in the poem “Baobab”: “Jug tree. / Hug tree. / Upside- / Down tree.
/ Vat tree. / Fat tree. / Bottle tree. / Brown tree.” As the poem nears its end, the letters of the
text start to spread apart, as it describes the wide girth of the tree: “Double tree. / Bubble tree. / Can-dle-stick.
/ G i r t h t r e e. / E a r t h t r e e. / T h i c k ! / T h
i c k ! / T h i c k !”
The
book includes both a table of contents and a “glossatree” which defines
unfamiliar vocabulary and offers a brief description of each of the types of trees
featured in the book.
Review Excerpts
"Starting
with the book’s title and ending with a final “glossatree,” the wordplay in
Florian’s latest poetry collection provides plenty of fun...The final
fascinating notes on each tree, and on leaves, stems, and roots, spell out the
call for conservation that is part of the poetry and pictures. — Booklist
"Trees
receive a witty and informative rhyming appreciation...the poems live up to his
usual high standard...Readers and listeners will learn and laugh."--Kirkus
Reviews
“Florian’s
richly watercolored collages, accompanied by verse, evoke a whole forest of
trees. Sometimes it takes just a handful of words. “From the acorn grows the
tree - slowly, slowly,” he writes, as an oak fills a two-page spread, stained
onto paper.”--New York Times Book Review
Connections- Read other books by Douglas Florian, such as Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings and UnBEElievables
- Introduce or extend a unit on plants or plant parts
- Use as part of an Earth Day celebration
- Create watercolor paintings of trees and plants in Florian’s style
- Cultivate a topical collection of poems about a different type of plant, such as flowering plants or berry plants
- Write a poem about a plant or tree that you are fond of
Awards and Honors
- Amazon Rating 4.2 / 5
- Goodreads Rating 4.16 / 5
