All things tiny in the world of nature, including the tree frog, snail, grasshopper, and hummingbird, are honored in this incredible collection of fourteen haiku poems that celebrates the humbleness, strangeness, and magnificence of these creatures. - (Baker & Taylor)
Haiku poetry describes small animals found in nature, such as snails, butterflies, squirrels, and tree frogs. - (Baker & Taylor)
The smallest of nature's wonders are treated with reverence, sensitivity, and gentle humor in this new collection of poems by celebrated writer Jane Yolen. Accompanied by Jason Stemple's extraordinary photographs, these fourteen poems, all in haiku form, eloquently capture common creatures in all their humility, quirkiness, and splendor. Young readers can easily identify the tree frog, snail, grasshopper, hummingbird, spider, and other tiny subjects while delighting in these thoughtful poetic gems filled with simple words and abundant imagination.
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Boyd Brew)
The smallest of nature's wonders are treated with reverence, sensitivity, and gentle humor in this new collection of poems by celebrated writer Jane Yolen. Accompanied by Jason Stemple's extraordinary photographs, these fourteen poems, all in haiku form, eloquently capture common creatures in all their humility, quirkiness, and splendor. Young readers can easily identify the tree frog, snail, grasshopper, hummingbird, spider, and other tiny subjects while delighting in these thoughtful poetic gems filled with simple words and abundant imagination.
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Perseus Publishing)
Jane Yolen is the author of more than two hundred books for young readers and adults, including Dear Mother, Dear Daughter: Poems for Young People, which she co-authored with her daughter, Heidi E. Y. Stemple. She lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts.
Jason Stemple, a free-lance photographer, provided the photographs for Horizons, Color Me a Rhyme, Once Upon Ice, Water Music, and Snow, Snow--all poetry books for young people written by his mother, Jane Yolen. He lives in Charleston, South Carolina.
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Boyd Brew)
Jane Yolen is the author of more than two hundred books for young readers and adults, including Dear Mother, Dear Daughter: Poems for Young People, which she co-authored with her daughter, Heidi E. Y. Stemple. She lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts.
Jason Stemple, a free-lance photographer, provided the photographs for Horizons, Color Me a Rhyme, Once Upon Ice, Water Music, and Snow, Snow--all poetry books for young people written by his mother, Jane Yolen. He lives in Charleston, South Carolina.
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Boyds Mills Pr)
Jane Yolen is the author of more than two hundred books for young readers and adults, includingDear Mother, Dear Daughter: Poems for Young People, which she co-authored with her daughter, Heidi E. Y. Stemple. She lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts.
Jason Stemple, a free-lance photographer, provided the photographs for Horizons, Color Me a Rhyme, Once Upon Ice, Water Music, and Snow, Snow--all poetry books for young people written by his mother, Jane Yolen. He lives in Charleston, South Carolina.
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Perseus Publishing)
Horn Book Guide Reviews
Yolen has applied her talent to haiku to make a beautifully simple book about small creatures found in nature. Clear and close photos capture a butterfly, tree frog, turtle, hummingbird, and others in their natural habitats and in fine detail. Spreads also feature caption-length facts about the animal pictured. Copyright 2004 Horn Book Guide Reviews.
Kirkus Reviews
Poetry and natural history mingle in this mother/son collaboration, as it has in its six predecessors. For each of Stemple's big, clear photographs--mostly close-ups of a snail, a squirrel, insects, reptiles, and similar small creatures, all in natural settings--Yolen provides a handful of facts about the subject, and a haiku. All but one of the poems is framed in first person: the butterfly asks, "Can you paint a psalm? / Can you wallpaper a dream? / I can--with my wings." In the 14th and final picture, a baby's hand nestles in an adult's: "We walk hand in hand, / My fingers signaling trust, / Yours telling me love." A solid addition to the poetry of science, and the science in poetry, for younger fans of both. (Picture book/poetry/nonfiction. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus 2003 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
Jane Yolen and her son, Jason Stemple, team up for their third collaboration in poetry and photos, Least Things: Poems About Small Natures. Tiny creatures such as tree frogs and grasshoppers come to light through the most economical of forms-haiku-as in this ode to the hummingbird: "Do hummingbirds dream/ Of soaring on eagle wings?/ Just for a moment." A few sentences of factual information follow each poem, and a full-bleed spread highlights a crisply realistic photo in this handsomely designed volume. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal Reviews
K-Gr 5-Yolen has written 14 haikus in response to Stemple's full-color photographs of small animals and insects. The poems are well crafted and thoughtful. Some interesting facts about each creature are also included. Covering full spreads, the vivid photographs show subjects in sharp focus, while the periphery is blurred, creating the perfect backdrop for the text. The name of each animal is printed across the picture in a large, color-coordinated font. The subject matter, the eye-catching photographs, and the brevity of the selections will appeal to younger children. Older children, especially those who are studying haiku, will enjoy the wordplay and imagery. They will also be interested in the introduction in which the author describes how the book came about. A first purchase with broad appeal.-Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
