Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night: By Joyce Sidman

       Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night was written by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Rick Allen. The book received a John Newbery Honor in 2011. Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night is a book of poems written just for kids. Each poem is written from the perspective of an animal or other living thing's perspective, all centered around elements of nature at nighttime. The first poem "Welcome to the Night" invites the reader into the hidden world that is the night forest. We sense that Sidman understands her audience (grades 3-6) using language that is easy to understand, yet is vivid enough to create a clear picture of the nighttime forest. The poems, told from an animal's or living things perspective, are perfectly suited for younger readers as they introduce poetry in a pleasing way, not bogging the reader down with a need to analyze each sentence for hidden meaning. Each poem is accompanied by an informational paragraph about the element the poem discusses, letting the reader not only experience the beauty and mystery of the poem, but be able to learn about that living thing as well. The author also varies the way the text is displayed to add subtle visual elements to the pages, making the poems more engaging. For example, in the poem entitled "Dark Emperor", which is about the owl, we see that the spacing and placement of the text creates an owl. This is an easy but effective way the author draws the audience's attention to the text and helps the reader to understand what animal is being discussed.
         Illustrations by Rick Allen also help to engage the reader and add visual interest to the poems, allowing the reader to see what scenes and animals are being described by the poetic text. Rick Allen is a well known nature illustrator who is recognized for his unique printmaking style that uses linoleum cuts, wood engravings, broadsheets, and other printmaking techniques. The images in this book of poems used fairly muted tones and deep dark details made of solid black lines that help set the tone of a dark night for the reader. Allen's images seek to enhance the text by allowing the reader to see exactly what the imagery in the poem is describing.
        I believe that students in grades 3-6 would really enjoy reading this book of poems. The vivid images created by the text are further enhanced through the accompanying pictures, making this book the perfect way for young readers to be introduced to poetry. This book would also make for a good read-aloud because of its size and easy to view pictures. The educational value contained in the informational paragraphs also enhances the value of this book making it a great way for teachers to introduce nocturnal animals in nature.

For more books and information about nocturnal animals visit here: http://www.savvysource.com/parenting/11429-whos-not-sleeping-tonight-introducing-the-wonders-of-nighttime-animals 

Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Emperor-Other-Poems-Night/dp/0547152280