Nightmare Jones: Poems

Written by Shannon Bramer

Illustrated by Cindy Derby

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-946-3

56 pp.

Ages 9–12

October 2025

 

It's the time of year when the frightening and the strange are everywhere, whether in movies and stories, or in costumes and activities. Nightmare Jones will fit in beautifully with this collection of 28 poems which are steeped in darkness and will introduce unease and even reflection.

 

The titular poem, "Nightmare Jones," is about a scary swashbuckler who also dances. Other poems with chilling characters include "Chatterbox" about a collector of teeth, "Ghost in the Mirror," and "If She Was a Monster." And there are spiders and more spiders and insects and worms and more. 

Iridescent Flies and Beetles
of Dung and Doom
are Fools for Blood, come sing
inside me. Sing! Sing! Sing!
Di-dum-di 

(p. 47, from "The Strangest One")

From Nightmare Jones: Poems, written by Shannon Bramer, illustrated by Cindy Derby

Poet Shannon Bramer also writes of the scary things called feelings, whether it be about being lonely as in "Badlonely," that tenuous relationship with home ("The Scariest Word I Know"), or grief  as in "Sorrow." Shannon Bramer may present her poems to shake us up with the images she creates with her eloquent and powerful words, but she also makes us feel things that we might not want to feel. Still, her poems are elegant and sophisticated, and deep in their darkness and weightiness.

From Nightmare Jones: Poems, written by Shannon Bramer, illustrated by Cindy Derby

Several of Shannon Bramer's poems are prose poetry, and these are personal reflections about the moon ("Moon Song"), roses ("Loading Roses"), and a friend ("Button Rose"). Even in these she makes us feel for her insights and incidents.

From Nightmare Jones: Poems, written by Shannon Bramer, illustrated by Cindy Derby

San Francisco's Cindy Derby adds the right touch of ominousness, and she accomplishes this with a blend of powdered graphite, watercolour, gouache, colour burst powder, and pastels. With those mediums, the splattering and bleeding of colours just makes everything a little more unsettled.

 

Maybe you'll want to read these poems for Halloween, or maybe anytime you want a little chill, but Shannon Bramer deserves to have Nightmare Jones read throughout the year. Her words remind me of a deep pool that can be a little scary because of what might lurk beneath the surface, but there's a calm beauty that can be found within as well. I encourage you to take a dip.

A Pond, a Poet, and Three Pests

Written by Caroline Adderson

Illustrated by Lauren Tamaki

Groundwood Books

978-1-773068930

32 pp.

Ages 3–7

October 2025

 

In the 1600s,  the Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō wrote a poem titled, "The Old Pond." This is Caroline Adderson's charming imagining of how that haiku may have been created on the spot. And with Lauren Tamaki's acrylic ink illustrations, readers will be transported to a Japan of contemplative art to hear and smell and see that which is memorable at the pond.

From A Pond, a Poet, and Three Pests, written by Caroline Adderson, illustrated by Lauren Tamaki

One evening, the poet Bashō goes for a walk and rests by a pond. A carp, a lily, and a mosquito are all attracted to the poet who closes his eyes to quiet thought. One by one, these living organisms attempt to get the poet's attention, hopeful that he might include them in the poem he was sure to be bringing to life in his mind.

 

First, the carp dances and flutters her tail, determined that her loveliness in the moonlight might be noticed by Bashō. But even calling out, "O Bashō! Look at me!" does not trigger the poet to open his eyes.

From A Pond, a Poet, and Three Pests, written by Caroline Adderson, illustrated by Lauren Tamaki

The water lily first notices the antics of the carp and then the poet sitting on the bank of the pond. Wondering if he might be immortalized somehow, the lily concentrates his efforts to send the perfume of his flower to grab Bashō's attention. Still Bashō does not react, though a mosquito does notice the scent of the lily. Convinced that her life could fill a book of poetry, the mosquito also attempts to captivate the poet.

 

Finally, a frog who is preparing for his midnight swim decides not to be discouraged by the "Flashing fish, lavish lily, megalomaniacal mosquito, pensive poet" and jumps in, giving Bashō the inspiration for his famous haiku.

 

And so, a six-word haiku is born. Though the frog is the star of Bashō's poem, Caroline Adderson's story is more about the exhibitionism of the carp, the lily, and the mosquito that attempt to grab Bashō's attention. They get most of the story just as attention-seeking individuals usually demand most of the consideration through their efforts. The frog, on the other hand, is unconcerned with anything but its own business, and as such becomes immortalized in the poem of elegance and ordinariness. Caroline Adderson gives us a big story for a very simple poem and reminds all those who are Look-At-Me people—you know the ones that always demand attention and recognition—that fame doesn't have to come from the ego but rather from the lack thereof. The natural beauty of that frog just going about its business is far more notable than the extreme actions of some other self-absorbed organisms.

From A Pond, a Poet, and Three Pests, written by Caroline Adderson, illustrated by Lauren Tamaki

Artist Lauren Tamaki—yes, she is related to graphic novel artist Jillian Tamaki—has the perfect subtlety of style and medium to help tell the story of a poet and his inspiration. And with a Japanese backdrop, Lauren Tamaki gives Caroline Adderson's A Pond, a Poet, and Three Pests the essence of traditional sumi-e (black ink painting) but with loads of colour. Still, with the ink on watercolour paper (I presume), the art evokes a dynamic essence to the landscape, so in keeping with the textures and fluidity of a pond.

 

If I was still a teacher, I would love to use A Pond, a Poet, and Three Pests as a wonderful introduction to haiku and to finding inspiration for writing poetry. (For older kids, I'd definitely let them recreate scenarios for inspiring other poems.) But I'd also sneak in a discussion about attention-grabbing behaviour and the need for fame as character education never goes amiss. Even without its teachable potential, A Pond, a Poet, and Three Pests will provide a beautiful and evocative rendering of how the natural world can hearten us with contemplation, beauty, and inspiration.

This is How a Ball Rolls: The Science of Wobbling, Bouncing, Spinning Balls

Written by Heather Tekavec

Illustrated by Suharu Ogawa

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0968-7

32 pp.

Ages 5-8

June 2025 

 

Tell most children you're going to be talking about physics, and you'll hear groans. Tell them that they're going to play with balls, and you'll hear the cheers. So, let them play with the balls and they'll learn about the physics painlessly.

This is no ordinary book of nonfiction. Heather Tekavec, who has written both playful picture books (e.g., Arnold the Super-ish Hero) and books of nonfiction (e.g., Same? Different?), always leads with playfulness, and This is How a Ball Rolls has that same whimsy of text, with art by Suharu Ogawa, to lighten the science basis of how different balls work.

From This is How a Ball Rolls, written by Heather Tekavec, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa

For each type of ball, and Heather Tekavec covers everything from a marble to a tennis ball, a bowling ball and a beach ball, she teases readers with a hint to the type of ball she'll be highlighting in the following double-spread. By doing so, she gets young readers interacting with the text, guessing what the ball will be. For example, before her focus on the marble (see illustration above), she writes,

There is a little ball–

A teeny ball–

A glossy, smooth and swirly ball...

The next pages include a five-line poem filled with appropriate verbs and adjectives for that ball–for the marble, words like "clinking,""plinking," and "trading" are used–and then an information box about the type of ball. Information included may deal with how the ball is used in play, the composition of the balls, and even the physics of wind resistance. (Heather Tekavec extends this information in a section called "The Science of (Wobbling, Bouncing, Spinning) Balls" with discussions about the sphere, elasticity, aerodynamics, gravity, trajectory, drag force and speed along with some fun trivia.

From This is How a Ball Rolls, written by Heather Tekavec, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa

This is How a Ball Rolls is anything but boring science. It's playful and colourful and yet informative. It's even more so because of Suharu Ogawa's digital artwork that is as colourful as the balls which she depicts. The brightness of her art is only secondary to the diversity of her characters and the fun that they have in their play. Because she has to represent each type of ball in the scenes in which it would be used, be it a yoga studio, a beach, or a bowling alley, Suharu Ogawa makes every illustration rich in quirky details to draw the young reader's smile and interest. (I'm especially curious about the animated knitted duck head (?) and ball of yarn.)

From This is How a Ball Rolls, written by Heather Tekavec, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa

I know the audience for This is How a Ball Rolls is listed as five to eight years of age so it would work well with Grade 3 students studying forces, but I'd also use it with older students too. They'll appreciate the fun and the interactive nature of the book, but they'll also take away a lot of science that they can apply to new situations. Moreover, they'll never look at any ball again as just a play thing. It will be recognized as much more, and they'll have a ball sharing what they've learned. (Pun intended.)

2025 Sheree Fitch Prize for Teen Writers: Now open for submissions

Let's support young Canadian writers because they will be the published authors of our future. To that end, the Sheree Fitch Prize, a teen writing contest organized by the Writers' Federation of New Brunswick, encourages young people ages 13 to 18 who live in New Brunswick to submit a short story or poem  for this contest.

 

I may not live in New Brunswick but how did I not know about this writing contest for young people? A competition that encourages teens to write and submit their writing for judging by published authors is definitely a win-win. Here are the details, which are available via the Writers' Federation of New Brunswick website.

 

Who may enter?

• Only teens from 13-18 years of age who are residents of New Brunswick may enter

 

What to submit?

• A short story or poem written by the teen

• A short story may be up to 4000 words

• A poem may be up to 100 lines

• Only two submissions per person 

How to enter?

• Entry is free

• Email entries to info@wfnb.ca with the subject line "Sheree Fitch Prize" 

• The deadline for submission is Monday, March 31, 2025

Who will be the judge this year?

• Writer Jacqueline Halsey, author of Joe and the Wreck of the Tribune, Piper, and Peggy's Letters

 

What are the prizes?
• First Prize is $100

• Second Prize is $50

• Third Prize is a 1-year membership to the Writers' Federation of New Brunswick

Time to get writing! 

 

💻✏💻✏💻✏💻✏💻

 

For those who don't know of the incredible collection of works by writer Sheree Fitch, from picture books to poetry collections and YA novels, check out some of her most notable titles:

 

Toes in My Nose and Other Poems

EveryBody's Different on EveryBody Street 

There's a Mouse in My House

Summer Feet

Sing in the Spring!

If You Could Wear My Sneakers

Polly MacCauley's Finest, Divinest, Woolliest Gift of All

Mabel Murple

There Were Monkey's in My Kitchen

If I Had a Million Onions

The Gravesavers
One More Step

No Purchase Necessary

Written by Maria Marianayagam

HarperCollins

978-1-4434-7261-6

256 pp.

Ages 9–12

January 2025 

 

Ajay Anthonipillai and his parents and sister Aarthi recently moved to Bridge Creek to be closer to some family and save money. It's now a three-hour commute for Appa to the city where he is studying for his master's in civil engineering, but the Tamil Sri Lankan family understands the sacrifices that must be made to succeed. While understanding that money is tight and that his parents have very high expectations for him, Ajay really wants to fit in. And so, when taunted by alpha classmate Jacob Underson to steal a Mercury chocolate bar in Scary Al's convenience store, Ajay does it. This one mistake changes everything for Ajay.

 

Jacob refuses the chocolate bar since Ajay hid it in his pants, so Ajay eats the chocolate himself. "It tasted like bliss and guilt." (p. 25) But there's more than candy in the package. There's also the message on the wrapper that tells him he's won Mercury's $1 million Grand Prize. He knows all the good that money would do his family, including helping his aunt's family in Sri Lanka but Ajay knows he doesn't deserve it. In fact, if he hadn't taken it, his classmate Mindy Yu would've won it, grabbing the next bar after him. 

What to do? He has learned much from karate about integrity and respect, as he had from attending Catholic Church with Father Freddie, so Ajay is torn about what to do. Return the wrapper to Scary Al? Give it to Mindy? Confess to his parents? Cash in the ticket? Even as Ajay vacillates between all his options–not unlike Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" for an assignment with which Ajay is struggling–he ends up working for Scary Al at the store, becoming friendly with Mindy who helps him with his English assignment, and fighting and then collaborating with his tormentor Jacob. 

But lies have a life of their own. Some lies beget other lies. Or the lies morph into something completely different. And they can always be exposed. Whether it's because someone lets something slip or the liar is overcome with guilt or because the truth was known all along, lies do unravel, and for Ajay, it's just a question of when and how, not if.

 

Maria Marianayagam, herself a Sri Lankan-Canadian, undoubtedly drew from her own cultural experiences to give life to Ajay and his family. The high regard for education and family and hard work are evident, all solid foundations for Ajay and Aarthi. But these same values are challenged when they intersect with the culture of their new home, in which kids defend themselves when bullied, do extracurricular activities, and try to fit in with their peers. The balancing act of being different people, one at home and both a peer and your parents' child at school is a precarious one and one that challenges Ajay. Maria Marianayagam does not make Ajay a perfect kid who handles it all. She makes him real, struggling with himself and others, trying to do what's right though it might make life harder, and wishing for a break occasionally to just be himself. When Ajay and Aarthi can finally unmask themselves to their parents, it's both refreshing for all and illuminating.

 

Winning a million dollars seems like a dream but for Ajay it becomes a nightmare of conflict between honour and want. Thankfully, the rules of his family and those of the dojo and his faith help guide him to make the best choice and ultimately to enrich his life in unforeseen ways.

Black Boy, Black Boy

Written by Angela Bowden

Illustrated by Ibe Ananaba

Nimbus Publishing

978-1-77471-401-0

36 pp.

Ages 4-9

January 2025

Black Boy, Black Boy may be presented as a picture book, powerfully illustrated with the art of Ibeabuchi (Ibe) Ananaba, but it reads like spoken-word poem. I could hear the voice of "Aunty Angela"–this is how Angela Bowden signs off her appended note "To the Black Boys reading this"–ringing loud and clear and emphatic as she speaks and urges all black boys to see themselves and to see the legacy from which they came and the one to which they will create for themselves. It's inspiring, encouraging and enlightening.

From Black Boy, Black Boy, written by Angela Bowden, illustrated by Ibe Ananaba

Angela Bowden begins Black Boy, Black Boy with a series of questions. At first the questions are about the boys' heritage and identity.

Do you know where you come from? 

Do you know what you're made of? 

Do you know who your people be?

She provides context for where they came from, whether it be Africans, or Loyalists, Maroons, refugees or others but always speaks to the "pride and wisdom, courage and bravery" embedded in their heritage. She speaks of the past and the now, and what can still be. Angela Bowden conveys messages about spirit and freedom, rhythm and harmony, and purpose. Whether they be men like Frederick Douglass and Robert Shephard, or contemporaries like Barack Obama, Angela Bowden urges the boys to keep reaching because,

Black Boy, you are a gift

Of the past and the present

I wish I could share the power and rhythm of Angela Bowden's words. They jump from the page into the reader's ears and heart reminding us of the potential to elevate and move young people with words. Her poetry, sometimes rhyming and sometimes free verse, will raise spirits to see beyond a moment of self and look back and forward to understand how that moment is but a flash. I can't speak to how a black boy may respond or interpret this poetry but I can share with you how moved I was as Angela Bowden speaks to them and reminds them of who they truly are and will be.

From Black Boy, Black Boy, written by Angela Bowden, illustrated by Ibe Ananaba

Her words are more than sufficient to inspire but with Ibe Ananaba's artwork, Black Boy, Black Boy becomes an anthem to self-realization. With the shapes, the lines, and the colours, Ibe Ananaba thrusts forward the message of legacy and self-fulfillment. Whether they are boys playing or being loved, feeling fear or shining bright, Ibe Ananaba sees these boys and strengthens them with his art.

From Black Boy, Black Boy, written by Angela Bowden, illustrated by Ibe Ananaba

I know a lot of educators will use Black Boy, Black Boy as a teaching tool during Black History Month with its recognition of Canadian and international icons from music to medicine, activism to politics. (The last page recounts the famous individuals depicted in Ibe Ananaba's artwork, including Nelson Mandela, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Francis Dorrington.) But it behoves all readers, teachers, and parents to see Black Boy, Black Boy as more than this. It is a poem of recognition and resilience, of reassurance and faith, that black boys should stand tall and go forward knowing the past and their futures are secured through their ancestry and the black boys that came before them and those who will follow.

Hungry for Engineering: Poems to Gnaw On

Written by Kari-Lynn Winters and Lori Sherritt-Fleming

Illustrated by Dave Whamond

Fitzhenry & Whiteside

978-1-554556427

32 pp.

Ages 5-8

December 2024

 

For teachers and parents who love a blend of everything, the Hungry For series by Kari-Lynn Winters and Lori Sherritt-Fleming will always fit the bill. A blend of non-fiction STEM with poetry and humour and fabulous illustrations, Hungry for Engineering: Poems to Gnaw On is their fourth and latest addition to the series, introducing a variety of engineering concepts in bite-size poems that educate and entertain.

From Hungry for Engineering: Poems to Gnaw On by Kari-Lynn Winters and Lori Sherritt-Fleming, illustrated by Dave Whamond

In a series of eleven poems, some short and others than span several pages, Kari-Lynn Winter and Lori Sherritt-Fleming delve into all manner of the physical sciences. From the concept of fasteners ("Handy Luke Randy's Fit-It-Up Fasteners") to get power from the sun and wind ("Run by the Sun" and "Wind Tower Power"), and to the ubiquitous "Egg Drop" challenge, they cover a full range of engineering concepts. There's lots to learn about simple machines and forces at work and the mechanics of movement of different materials. Better yet, their poems show kids having fun trying things out, making things move, experimenting and observing, and persevering in their learning. I particularly enjoyed the poem "Clear As Mud?" which shows two children working at filtering muddy water to make it potable, and ends with....

It worked a little, I must admit...

I'll try some more. I will not quit!

From Hungry for Engineering: Poems to Gnaw On by Kari-Lynn Winters and Lori Sherritt-Fleming, illustrated by Dave Whamond

The concepts that Kari-Lynn Winters and Lori Sherritt-Fleming include, many described in the appended glossary, are a great sampler for the physical sciences and a great introduction for younger readers. Hungry for Engineering would be a fabulous hook to start a lesson or two or even a follow-up for children to identify all the concepts they've already learned. Best of all, the poems are funny rhymes with a host of wacky characters from Scary Miss Mary and Luke Randy to Liam O'Leary the inventor and Marianne the girl who uses wind power to blast her to Japan. And the forms these poems take are everything from a limerick and familiar quatrains, to visual poems, in which some words demonstrate their meanings like fall, drop, and downward. 

There's learning that will happen and rhyming joy with the read-aloud but Dave Whamond's illustrations take the poems from entertaining to vigorously animated. There are Godzilla-like creatures munching skyscrapers, a dragon using a stapler, several ingenious Rube Goldberg machines, and a fully-occupied bug hotel created of a variety of materials. His art is colourful and wacky, inclusive and bustling. There's much to see in the details, and the learning will go beyond the text into the illustrations as they search for simple machines and fasteners and more.

From Hungry for Engineering: Poems to Gnaw On by Kari-Lynn Winters and Lori Sherritt-Fleming, illustrated by Dave Whamond

Whether your little ones are building or taking apart, investigating or observing, Hungry for Engineering: Poems to Gnaw On will inspire them to see the magnitude of engineering in their lives and in the world around them. They'll be learning while they're laughing, and rhyming their way through the nuts and bolts of engineering, courtesy of Kari-Lynn Winters, Lori Sherritt-Fleming and Dave Whamond.

 

 • • • • • • •

 

Hungry for Math: Poems to Munch On (2015)

 Hungry for Science: Poems to Crunch On (2018)

Hungry for the Arts: Poems to Chomp On (2022)

Hungry for Engineering: Poems to Gnaw On (2024)

 

A Song for the Paper Children

Written by Christopher Tse

Plumleaf Press

978-1-7388-9828-2

52 pp.

Ages 9+

May 2024

 

 

A Song for the Paper Children
is a tribute to early Chinese immigrants, some of whom came to Canada after the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed to severely restrict their entry. These “paper children,” courageous men and women, endured legislated racism, financial hardship, and frequent acts of violence and discrimination, but they followed in the footsteps of their predecessors to lay the foundation for a Chinese Canadian community today that is vibrant, resilient, and here to stay.

 

 

With this preface, slam poetry artist Christopher Tse introduces the background for his poem and book about the stories of Chinese Canadians who endured and thrived under challenging circumstances of racism, economic hardship, exclusionary government policies and more. Christopher Tse tells their stories with admiration and respect, and makes it a true song, a composition of historical relevance.

From A Song for the Paper Children, by Christopher Tse

Christopher Tse's poem is a tribute to his own family. He remembers his Gung Gung (maternal grandfather) and relatives toiling in his Quebec restaurant, "his smile tired bright" (p. 12). How did they manage knowing that they were not wanted, that they were not meant to succeed or put down roots?

We were never meant to make home from ashes, 

to find kin from the masses. (p. 17)

From A Song for the Paper Children, by Christopher Tse

Peppering his poem with photographs of people and documents as well as drawings, Christopher Tse instills a gravitas to his works which are already deeply evocative of time and place. Surprisingly, much of it comes from asking questions. How did they feel? What did they think? What was the cost? Are they heard now? Christopher Tse makes the reader think and feel. It is the feeling of heartbreak for mistreatment and abuses, of awe for resilience and endurance, and of astonishment that these stories happened.

From A Song for the Paper Children, by Christopher Tse

There is hurting in much of A Song for the Paper Children but that hurting is always bonded to courage and tenacity. From generations who witnessed anti-Asian signage to families destroyed by exclusionary practices like the Chinese Head Tax and the Chinese Immigration Act, there has been discrimination against and negation of their contributions  by virtue of their heritage alone. With A Song for the Paper Children, Christopher Tse gives voice of empowerment through his recognition of Chinese Canadians past and present and applauds them.

From A Song for the Paper Children, by Christopher Tse

I hope that there will be an opportunity for Christopher Tse to record a performance of A Song for the Paper Children. There is an obvious emphasis or tone to his poem that is evident in the choice of font and colour as well as placement of text, but I suspect that the cadence of a performance would be compelling. For his words and their stories to come together in one dynamic presentation would be another step forward towards reconciliation.

A Planet is a Poem

Written by Amanda West Lewis

Illustrated by Oliver Averill

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0442-2

56 pp.

Ages 8-12

May 2024

 

It isn't always easy to blend science with art in a meaningful way. But Amanda West Lewis has elegantly and effectively used poetry to intertwine the teaching of different poetic forms with the teaching of the solar system and all its components in her latest book, A Planet is a Poem.

From A Planet is a Poem, written by Amanda West Lewis, illus. by Oliver Averill

In fold-out double spreads, Amanda West Lewis gives us a poem, a description of the type of poem it is, and an information page about the concept upon which it focuses. For example, the first poem, "Our Family: A Sonnet for the Solar System" opens onto a fold-out about the form of a sonnet called "Sonnet Sing" and "We're All Spinning Around the Sun" information page.

From A Planet is a Poem, written by Amanda West Lewis, illus. by Oliver Averill

This format continues to include an ode, a villanelle, a ballad, a persona poem, a sestina, a concrete poem, free verse, an acrostic, a companion poem, a prose poem, a cinquain, and hip-hop. Amanda West Lewis discusses rhyme and beats, sounds and imagery and metaphors, and patterns. Her exploration of all facets of poetry is comprehensive and well-illustrated in her own poems. Accompanying these poems and poetry teaching are concepts in astronomy that include everything from the solar system to each planet, and unusual celestial entities like Pluto and its moon Charon, the Kuiper Belt, and the asteroid Arrokoth.

 

But A Planet is a Poem is more than an anthology of poetry to teach forms and astronomy. It is an opportunity for young readers to become young writers themselves with Amanda West Lewis asking them to look within, and to the stars and planets, to write their own poems and investigate space. 

 

The content of poetry and astronomy is thorough and will surely become an exceptional teaching resource for both areas of study. But beyond content is the art of the writing, particularly in Amanda West Lewis's poems. Take, for example, the concrete poem for Jupiter, "Jupiter the Giant," that includes this reference to its Great Red Spot.

The Giant Red Spot 

Is Shrinking,

Tearing Off, Vanishing,

Into Spinning Clouds.

From A Planet is a Poem, written by Amanda West Lewis, illus. by Oliver Averill

Her poems are laden with information but also perspective and sensitivity. Whether it's through point of view or poetic devices, there is a sense of awareness and appreciation for something great and mysterious. UK illustrator Oliver Averill depicts that vastness of scope through digital images that show grandeur of space and the subtlety of its elements. They are large and complex, secretive, and yet celebrated. And though many illustrations are set in gorgeous midnight blue backgrounds, Oliver Averill gives us colour in the planets, rockets, and sunlight.

 

I pity the library technicians who will need to decide whether to catalogue A Planet is a Poem as a picture book (E), as a book about writing poetry (808.1), as Canadian poetry (819.11) or about the science of astronomy (520). It's a book that can be enjoyed from different perspectives and as a resource for teaching and learning across both science and language. Regardless of where it finds its shelf, A Planet is a Poem is as expansive and substantial as the premise upon which it is based, and sure to be checked out by both young readers and their teachers.

Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak

Written by Danielle Daniel

Illustrated by Jackie Traverse

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-698-1

32 pp.

Ages 3+

April 2024

On Earth Day, I often like to review a book that speaks to me of the natural world and particularly our relationship with the environment. Too often, it's about our negative impact on the earth which, unfortunately, has had to take the brunt of poor choices with regards to overdevelopment, pollution, and burning of fossil fuels, just to name a few. With those choices have come deforestation and loss of habitat and species diversity, and global warming. We know all that, so today let's celebrate trees and what they mean to us by luxuriating in their diversity and their power. 

From Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak, written by Danielle Daniel, illustrated by Jackie Traverse

Danielle Daniel, author of Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox (2015) and Sometimes I Feel Like a River (2023), reminds us that we are not dissimilar to the living things outside of ourselves. Trees, like us, have life, reproduce, grow and heal, survive and support. They have their own personalities–should that be phytoalities?–that reflect everything from generosity to sensitivity, daring and resilience. With each tree highlighted, Danielle Daniel offers a poem about what a child feels and how it is expressed by each type of tree.

From Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak, written by Danielle Daniel, illustrated by Jackie Traverse

The first child feels like a maple, full and generous with the sap it shares. Still in winter, another child compares themselves to a birch with its peeling bark that brings hope. As we head into spring and then summer, there are cherry trees, cedars, aspens, spruce, and willows. Coming through all the seasons Danielle Daniel ends with the redwood, the ash, tamarack, oak, and pine. 

Sometimes I feel like a pine,

calm, still and gentle.

My branches cradle fresh-fallen snow,

filling me with peace.

From Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak, written by Danielle Daniel, illustrated by Jackie Traverse

Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak may be a contemplative picture book about making connections between trees and feelings, told through verse, but it feels like literary forest bathing. (Check out some online videos for examples of this practice.) Danielle Daniel reminds us that trees are living and show us the best ways we can live, by being courageous and peaceful, optimistic and strong. She speaks of her Algonquin ancestors who appreciated trees as "sentient beings with spirits who can feel things." For those who are empathetic to the feelings of non-human entities, Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak validates our connection with other living things, and perhaps even some non-living things, and Danielle Daniel shows us why we might be making those connections. (Personally, I have always felt a kinship with cedars and Danielle Daniel's poem helps me see why, especially as a child reads beneath the tree's limbs.)

 

Jackie Traverse, who is Ojibway from Lake St. Martin First Nation, uses her acrylic and gouache art to project the Indigenous backgrounds of both author and artist. There are dots that are reminiscent of beadwork, and swirls of lines hinting at a Woodland basis, but Jackie Traverse's illustrations are not wholly of any one style. Her art reflects her heritage, and that of Danielle Daniel, but it is also completely her own, blending realism with that heritage. Each tree is distinct in foliage and stature, bark and morphology, but Jackie Traverse gives us more with her children, the landscapes, and the spirit in the art.

From Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak, written by Danielle Daniel, illustrated by Jackie Traverse

On this Earth Day, let's celebrate our connections with the natural world, and particularly trees, with Danielle Daniel and Jackie Traverse's Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak. You'll feel better for having done so. 

This is a Tiny Fragile Snake

Written by Nicholas Ruddock

Illustrated by Ashley Barron

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-784-1

36 pp.

Ages 3+

February 2024

 

This is a Tiny Fragile Snake is a nature walk, a stroll through different habitats to see a variety of animals but observed through human eyes and through our interactions with them. Nicholas Ruddock, Guelph writer and physician, gives us the perspective of children as they take in a snake, a bear, a hummingbird, a caterpillar, and more as their worlds intersect with ours. In rhyming verse, Nicholas Ruddock lets us see something different along with these children.

From This is a Tiny Fragile Snake, written by Nicholas Ruddock, illustrated by Ashley Barron

The first poem is "Snake" which, while it mentions what the snake eats, is more about the children protecting the snake from being trampled by moving it to a safer place via a coffee cup. Children being benevolent is a theme that also shows up in the poem about the hummingbird that has its beak stuck in a window screen, and a caterpillar saved from a lawnmower, as well as a chipmunk being stalked by a tuxedo cat.

I plucked it from its blade of grass

and placed it on a tree,

and a week ago a butterfly

came by and danced for me. ("Caterpillar")

From This is a Tiny Fragile Snake, written by Nicholas Ruddock, illustrated by Ashley Barron

Some poems reflect how we feel about the animals highlighted, whether disgusted, scared, impressed or something completely different. "Ants" speaks to dissuading ants from ruining a picnic by offering some sugary treats some distance away. "Skunk" suggests to children that, while we might see a skunk as a stinky animal, perhaps the skunk sees us with disdain too. Whether it be hornets, a moose, herons, a red squirrel, or a finch, wasp, worms, or loon, Nicholas Ruddock reminds us that people have a relationship with other animals. This might be because we have imposed ourselves on their habitats, or because they have encroached on ours, but there is an interrelationship as our dynamic worlds merge and separate.

From This is a Tiny Fragile Snake, written by Nicholas Ruddock, illustrated by Ashley Barron

By showing young readers how our actions can impact other species, Nicholas Ruddock demonstrates how we can ensure that those actions are always positive or at least harmless. There is wisdom in getting a raccoon out of house or how to free a loon trapped in ice which is delivered with a gentle awe of these animals and how they behave. There is a respect for them that is both explicit and implicit.

It turned out we were helpless,

there was nothing we could do,

for there seemed a steady stream of them,

and we were only two. ("Hornets")

I've admired Ashley Barron's cut-paper collage illustrations in earlier books that she's illustrated for others (e.g., Up! How Families Around the World Carry Their Little Ones, Chaiwala!, and Granny Left Me a Rocket Ship) and I believe that the texturing that comes with her technique lends itself well to outdoor settings. Like leaves that layer and feathers and fur, scales and petals of texture, Ashley Barron's art is rich in depth and colour, giving a three-dimensionality to the landscapes and their animals.

While This is a Tiny Fragile Snake will entice readers, young and old, to find the poetry in nature and how we interact with it, the poems within also remind us how, when our worlds merge, we can ensure those interactions remain copacetic.

So we gave up, threw up our hands,

defeated by a pest,

and for the rest of summer

she was treated as a guest. ("Squirrel")