After the Bell Rings: By Carol Diggory Shields

                                   

       "Finally...finally...finally...BRINNNNNG!" Reads the inside cover of After the Bell Rings by Carol Diggory Shields was published in 2015 by Dial Books for Young Readers. Of course everyone knows that a student's favorite sound is the ding of the school bell that means school is over. In this book of children's poems, poet Carol Diggory Shields and illustrator Paul Meisel have fully captured what kids love to do when that last bell rings. Some of the topics include: music practice, homework, eating snacks, busy schedules, and so much more!

       Shields begins by capturing how both teachers and students alike anticipate and wait anxiously for the last two "slowest of all" minutes of the day to pass. By the end of the book, the week has come to an end and Shields makes use of clever end rhyme to highlight the irony found in a Friday night sleepover, where "We call it sleeping over--That's not exactly true. We bring along our sleeping bags. But sleep? Not what we do." Each poem is unique and makes use of its own type of  rhyme and rhythm. 

       Each poem throughout the book is accompanied by one of Meisel's engaging, childlike, illustrations created using a mix of medias. The full-bleed illustrations, in which the text is placed into the background, help to highlight the child's perspective that Shields is using in her poems. Even the end papers add to the book, showing numerous backpacks strewn across the floor with their contents spilling everywhere. No matter whether the picture depicts one scene, several separate images all linked together, or the screen of a call phone, they help to bring the poems to life, creating an impressive amount of visual interest. 

           This collection of children's poems would be great for children ages 6-10. Each poem is kid-friendly and easily relatable. Shield's use of clever and sassy poetry, combined with Meisel's accessible and visually appealing illustrations work to create an engaging and humorous collection of poetry. This book would be a great addition to any young child's poetry collection.

Picture Source: http://www.amazon.com/After-Bell-Rings-Poems-After-School/dp/0803738056

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