National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry: 200 Poems with Photographs That Squeak, Soar, and Roar!

This book is chockfull of poems--a poetical bang for one's buck, which I like very much. There have been a lot of books of animal poems over the years (e.g., Eric Carle's collection, Animals Animals), but some genius finally came up with the idea of pairing photos from National Geographic's vast collection with an anthology of poems, in this case one created by our current US Children's Poet Laureate.While many of the poems are from the past, by poets such as Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and Ogden Nash, more recent and current poets are also well represented. The poems are grouped in nicely parallel sections. After a brief set of introductory poems called "Welcome to the World," sections proceed as follows: "The Big Ones," "The Little Ones," "The Winged Ones," "The Water Ones," "The Strange Ones," "The Noisy Ones," and "The Quiet Ones." A section of four poems called "Final Thought" concludes the book. The fact that there are sections about noisy and quiet animals endeared the book to me even while I was still in the table of contents.But really, how do we judge a collection like this? Probably by looking at the overall qualities of the poems and the ways in which they represent their subjects. Variety of styles, voices, and ideas is important. Another consideration is the fit between illustrations and text. This book meets the criteria. For one thing, we get more than one take on certain animals. For example, the book offers four poems about elephants on a left-hand page with a really great photo of an elephant on the right--the photo, labeled "Asian elephant" in very tiny letters at the lower left, shows an elephant in a pond with green hills behind, tossing water onto his head with his trunk. The most well-known and oft-anthologized poem on the spread is "Eletelephony" by Laura E. Richards ("Once there was an elephant/Who tried to use the telephant--/No! No! I mean an elephone/Who tried to use the telephone..."). The other three poems are brief: an anonymous quatrain that has probably been around awhile comments on the "great big trunk" that "has no lock and has no key," but is carried everywhere by the animal. It is accompanied by two modern poems, another quatrain and a haiku.Of course, not every animal gets more than one poem. The variety of poems--and animals--is just right, however. I'll list two subjects from each section to give you an idea: cow and orangutan, ladybug and lizard, bat and hummingbird, starfish and walrus, armadillo and blue-footed booby, pig and raccoon, Luna moth and sloth. Some of the poems are silly and others are serious.The best poem in the book is arguably Lewis's own, a poem so comprehensive and gorgeous that it rightfully introduces the collection. Only you might miss it if you're not careful: it's printed on the front cover beneath the dust jacket. The poem is titled "Instructions Found After the Flood," and I'll give you just the first seven lines (of 19).Let the red fox quicken the seasons.Let the zebra buck and clatter in the cage of his skin.Leave the glass lagoons to the blue heron, whose eye is steady.Let jungles whisper jaguar, whose paw is velvet.Let the worm explore the globe, his apple.Let the spider embroider the air.Let tongue and belly be called reptile.You see what I mean? This poem, like the collection, is deeply satisfying. Not every anthology is as rich as National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry, but every public and school library and, I hope, personal library needs this book.

I am a self-proclaimed poetry snob, and thus find most books of poetry intended for young children to be less than ideal. This book-- National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry-- is the exact opposite of what I've found in most children's poetry books. This book is stunning, with a beautifual selection of poetry AND photographs that make the reader cry, smile, laugh, and sigh. Incredible.The book is organized into nine chapters of poetry and photography, and then also has an epilogue section with reference materials included.ALL chapters include a wide variety of poetry, including classic lyric poetry, haiku, free verse, and concrete poems. Every page has somewhere between one and three poems, as well as gorgeous National Geographic photos.Chapter 1-- "Welcome to the World"-- five poems about the beginnings of lifeChapter 2-- " the big ones"-- twenty-nine poems about big animals-- elephants, moose, horses, cows, gorillas, etc.Chapter 3-- "the little ones"-- thirty-two poems about small animals-- insects, arachnids, small mammals, etc.Chapter 4-- "the winged ones"-- twenty-eight poems about winged animals-- eagles, bats, hummingbirds, etc.Chapter 5-- "the water ones"-- twenty-five poems about animals in water-- sharks, oysters, alligators, etc.Chapter 6-- "the strange ones"-- twenty-eight poems about odd animals-- anteaters, porcupines, eels, etc.Chapter 7-- "the noisy ones"-- twenty-four poems about animals that make a lot of noise-- pigs, frogs, big cats, etc.Chapter 8-- "the quiet ones"-- twenty-three poems about quiet animals-- moths, panther, snakes, etc.Chapter 9-- "Final Thought"-- four poems about taking care of animals and the earthThat's 200 poems, with almost the same number of photos, that capture the beauty, the quirkiness, the power, the vulnerability, and the incredible diversity of animals that surround us on our amazing planet.This is a book of which I will be ordering additional copies to give as gifts to my many nieces and nephews. It is a treasure!

My 11 yr autistic son loves anything to do with animals. Plus he also enjoys reading. This book is perfect for him. The pictures are also nice.

This is such a sweet book. I love it. The photographs in here range from sweet to crazy and I could spend hours just staring. There are about 175 pages so you get plenty to view. I have this book and their nature book and I like this one slightly more only because I love animals so much. They’re both great books. It makes a good coffee table book. I got ours for my young kids to look through. These are appropriate for any aged person, young or old. The poems cover numerous topics and range from just a few words to not quite a page. The poems are mostly written by poets and famous authors although it is a big mixture. For the price, it is totally worth it. This would definitely make a fantastic gift for animal and nature lovers alike.

I have to admit I bought this one based on the cover (we've got a giraffe lover in our house) and the fact that the poems are accompanied by National Geographic photographs... But I am delighted that I invested in it! Though the book is 184 pages, Lewis has grouped them roughly by theme ("the big ones," "the strange ones," "the quiet ones," and more) for readabity and navigating ease. He's also got four indexes (title, poet, first line, and subject) to make finding just the poem you're looking for easy. My favorite, though, is the spread about writing poems about animals, where Lewis teaches about poetic forms and encourages children to try writing their own animal poetry.

National Geographic never fails us. I bought this poetry book as a substitution for a sub-par nature/animal poetry book in our homeschool curriculum and it did not disappoint. This book is absolutely stunning. I was honestly surprised when it arrived at how beautiful the book is. The poems are great and my kiddo loves listening to them and flipping through the book to find new ones based on the photos. To be honest, I'm somewhat surprised at the low star reviews! I know you can't please everyone, but if you're looking for an adult poetry book, this isn't it. If you're looking for fun poems and beautiful photography for little kids, there isn't a better book out there. I can't wait to try the NG Nature Poetry book next!

Beautiful animals and poetry — not to be missed

Stunning poetry book that every home should have! I find that nothing intimidates people more than poetry (except maybe Shakespeare). But, poetry is wonderful! It speaks to children in deeply meaningful ways and allows us to introduce vocabulary, literary concepts, and rhythm and rhyme almost effortlessly. If you are looking for a collection of poetry to read with your children you simply can’t go wrong with this particular book. All National Geographic books are gorgeous and this is no exception. Each poem is highlighted with a gorgeous full-bleed photograph of an animal. The poems are divided into chapters to create cohesive theming, while still allowing for diversity. This is the perfect poetry books for learners in pre-kindergarten on up through fifth grade. Wonderful collection!

Amazing book with beautiful pictures and lovely poems. My son very likes it.

This is the most beautiful poetry book i have seen to date. The pictures are beautiful. The paper and gloss make it vibrant. The poems are beautifly written.