Genre 3 - Poetry -Book Review 2

Poetry Book Review

Insectlopedia

Authored and Illustrated by: Douglas Florian

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Florian, Douglas. 1998. Insectlopedia. San Diego: Harcourt Brace. ISBN 0152013067

PLOT SUMMARY-
Twenty- one cleverly, crafted poems along with paintings offer the reader interesting facts about insects. This collection of poems offers humor spun facts like what hornets eat “Spiders, flies, and if she’s able, /Pudding from your picnic table.” These imaginative poems can stand-alone but are unified by their theme : Insects.


CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Douglas Florian author and illustrator has created short lively poems that take a fun look at insects through scientific facts, rhymes and art. Florian has carefully selected the language that rhymes and calls for the book to be shared aloud with word emphasis like in the poem The Daddy Longlegs “O Daddy/ Daddy O/ How’d you get/ Those legs to grow/”. With his careful word placement he creates life like movement when he shaped the poem in an arch to signify the “Inchworms” stride. This author blends in humor with word connotations in “The Praying Mantis” where he shares “Upon a twig/ I sit and pray/" but spins this clever poem into the praying mantis meal into something “religious”.


Florian has organized his book with a table of contents with each of the titles that accompany the twenty-one insect poems. He has chosen to originally place the page number on the side of each page to help reader locate their desired poem. Douglas Florian’s poems stand out with the surrounding white space as he presents his poetry on one side of the page while showcasing his art on the opposite side.

Douglas Florian invites the reader to have more discoveries about the featured insect with his beautifully water colored artwork on primed brown paper with collage. His illustrations are thought provoking, drawing the reader in to see what unique association he has made with each insect. For example, in the poem titled Mosquitos he informs the readers that “Mosquitoes are thin./ Mosquitos are rude./They feast on your skin/ For take-out food./ He cleverly connects his collage with water colored mosquitoes sucking on a scientific drawing of the human venous system with super imposed pictures of blood types. These creative pictures only add to the experience of this book.


When reading this book aloud one must share the pictures to get the full affect of this special book of poems. The children will be lined up to take a closer look at how his poetry linked with science, rhythm and art are celebrated.


REVIEW EXCERPTS
School Library Journal- There are other books of poetry about insects and lots of collections of humorous verses about animals but none match Insectlopedia
Publishers Weekly- The silly, imaginative verses about whirligig beetles and waterbugs (almost) match the exquisite pictures in playfulness and wit. The result is downright stunning.

CONNECTIONS
The children would be thrilled to create there own addition to the insectlopedia. Have children work in groups to select their own insect, research facts, create their own illustrations and unique poem.


Other Books By The Author:
Florian, Douglas. Beast Feast. ISBN 0152951784.
Florian, Douglas. On the Wing. ISBN 0152004971.