National Geographic Book of
Nature Poetry: More than 200 Poems with Photographs that Float, Zoom, and Boom!
Edited by J. Patrick Lewis
The National Geographic Society, 2015
This collection
of over 200 nature poems pairs stunning photographs with poems that vary in
style and mood, but are equally striking. The poems come from a wide range of
over 100 poets, including 19th century classics like William Woodworth,
John Keats and Emily Dickinson; 20th century favorites like Robert
Frost, E.E. Cummings and Langston Hughes; and contemporary children’s poets,
such as Jack Prelutsky, Janet Wong and Jane Yolen.
Simpler poems
may appeal to the youngest, such as “Dew” by Charles Ghigna, appearing next to
a dew-covered flower: “Diamonds on the petals/Silver on the stems/Early
morning sunrise/Turns dewdrops into gems.” Dramatic narratives might pique the interest
of older children. “Tornado Season” by Adrien Stoutenburg tells the story of a
destructive tornado: “Wind went by with people falling out of it/ and hairpins/and
a barn door swinging without its hinges.”
This book
would make a wonderful introduction to poetry for children of all ages and a treasure
for the family bookshelf.
About the Editor:
J. Patrick Lewis is
an award-winning poet and the former U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate. Before
becoming a full-time writer, he was an economics professor at Otterbein College until 1998. He is
the author of more than 50 books of poetry for children including “Spot the
Plot: A Riddle Book of Book Riddles” (2009, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger); “The
Last Resort” (2002), a New York Times Best Illustrated Book; “The Shoe Tree of
Chagrin” (2001), which won the Society of Children's Book Writers &
Illustrators' Golden Kite Award; and “A Hippopotamusn't: And Other Animal Poems”
(1990). He has also collaborated with other poets on several collections. His
children's poetry has been widely anthologized, and his contributions to
children's literature have been recognized with the 2011 Poetry Award from the
National Council of Teachers of English and the Ohioana Awards' 2004 Alice
Louise Wood Memorial Prize. His poetry for adults includes the collection “Gulls
Hold Up the Sky: Poems 1983-2010.”
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