The former U.S. Children's Poet Laureate presents a lyrical celebration of the natural world that combines majestic photography with contemporary and classic nature poems by such masters as Billy Collins and Robert Frost. - (Baker & Taylor)

"When words in verse are paired with the awesomeness of nature, something magical happens! Beloved former U.S. Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis curates an exhuberant poetic celebration of the natural world in this stellar collection of nature poems. From trickling streams to deafening thrunderstorms to soaring mountains, discover majestic photography perfectly paired with contemporary (such as Billy Collins), classics (such as Robert Frost), and never-before-published works"-- - (Baker & Taylor)

When words in verse are paired with the awesomeness of nature, something magical happens! Beloved former U.S. Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis curates an exuberant poetic celebration of the natural world in this stellar collection of nature poems. From trickling streams to deafening thrunderstorms to soaring mountains, discover majestic photography perfectly paired with contemporary (such as Billy Collins), classics (such as Robert Frost), and never-before-published works. - (Grand Central Pub)

J. PATRICK LEWIS earned a BA at Saint Joseph's College, an MA at Indiana University, and a PhD in economics at the Ohio State University. Lewis taught in the department of Business, Accounting and Economics at Otterbein College until 1998 when he became a full-time writer. 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); New York Times Best Illustrated Book The Last Resort (2002); 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); and he has 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, which includes the collection Gulls Hold Up the Sky: Poems 1983-2010. - (Grand Central Pub)

Booklist Reviews

Nature in all of its colorful, vivid, stunning glory is presented here in full-page, beautifully reproduced color photographs (National Geographic's specialty, naturally) and spot-on accompanying poems. Former U.S. Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis has compiled a selection of poems from poets both well-known and obscure. Each poem is paired with captivating photos, which, on every page, show an element of nature that fits along with the various themed sections. "In the Sky," for instance, features images of the moon, sunsets, weather, and stars so big they look like snowflakes, all with perfectly chosen poems overlaid on the pictures. The photographs offer a wide range of perspectives, from the minute detail of an unfurling fern to the bird's-eye-view of a vast hurricane cloud, and they are impressive enough that some readers might be tempted to skip the poems. But the wide range of verses are equally impressive, with a broad selection of styles, forms, and poets. This is a full package; a duet of wonder. A beautifully produced collection that will easily snag the attention of young readers. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

This compendium of nature-themed poetry--paired with spectacular photographs and divided into categories such as "In the Sky" and "Across the Land"--mixes contemporary and classic, silly and serious, thought-provoking and awe-inspiring. Poets include Robert Frost, Pat Mora, Nikki Grimes, and Joseph Bruchac. As Jack Prelutsky writes in "The Ways of Living Things": "there is wonder to be found" here. Reading list. Ind. Copyright 2016 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

In a superb companion to Lewis's 2012 animal-themed collection, poems from writers both classic (Dickinson, Millay, Yeats) and contemporary (Grimes, Sidman, Yolen) pair with breathtaking nature photography that celebrates the variety of life on Earth and some one-of-a-kind landscapes. Most of the images evoke wonder and splendor, though a harrowing picture of the 2011 tsunami in Japan accompanies three poems ("it rushes with something/ to tell the shore/ But by the time it arrives/ it can only roar," writes JonArno Lawson). Jack Prelutsky's "The Ways of Living Things," appearing beside a bald eagle about to take flight, sums up the collection succinctly: "In a fish's joyful splashing,/ in a snake that makes no sound,/ in the smallest salamander/ there is wonder to be found." Few books make it clearer why nature inspires so many poets to reach for the pen. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

School Library Journal Reviews

K-Gr 4—Compiled by former U.S. Children's Poet Laureate Lewis, this assortment of nature-themed verse is, in a word, breathtaking. The selections represent a variety of styles, time periods, countries of origin, lengths, and themes; all are set against a stunning backdrop of full-bleed photographs. Offerings are divided into sections such as "In the sky," "In the Sea," and "On the Move" and run the gamut from whimsical to informative to comical and back again. William Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud," Li Po's "You Ask Why," and Jack Prelutsky's "The Ways of Living Things" provide myriad entry points into exploring and celebrating the natural world. Photographs, of the superior caliber one might expect from National Geographic, are labeled with a description of the animal, plant, or location depicted. At book's end, budding poets (and their teachers) will find a list of recommended children's materials on wordplay in poetry, sorted by type (acrostics, palindromes, haiku, and more). An index, divided by poem, subject, poem first line, and poet, renders this work exceedingly useful. VERDICT An excellent addition to any poetry collection.—Jill Heritage Maza, Montclair Kimberley Academy, Montclair, NJ