Poetrees

 

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Florian, Douglas. 2010. Poetrees. New York, NY: Beach Lane Books. ISBN 9781416986720

 

2. PLOT SUMMARY

In this book of poetry, Florian shares 18 poems about trees or tree related things. The book is uniquely presented vertically. The lighthearted poems are each uniquely displayed with the words playing a role in how they are interpreted. Some are stretched, others vertically written, purposefully misspelled for silly puns, or written in different shapes.

 

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Florian shares 18 poems in many unique forms. There are shape poems used to emphasize the never-ending cycle of life, and the purpose of tree rings. Words serve as ornaments to the poems they form. “Slowly”, “thick”, “branch”, and “spreading” all widened for effect. Tree repeated several times in some poems, “down” and “pours” extended vertically. Some words are used as puns like “his-tree”, “cen-trees”, “Ex-seed-ingly”, “tree-mendous” and more. The rhythm of the poems frequently change from page to page, but they each flow seamlessly. Most poems rhyme and share a bit of information about the tree or tree element. They are all light-hearted and fun.

 

The book is printed vertically which emphasizes the stature of the trees that are being discussed. There is a table of contents at the beginning and a “Glossatree” at the end that shares interesting facts about all the trees and elements discussed in the poems. The illustrations are created with watercolors and abstractly represent their subjects leaving a lot of room for interpretation. Colors are bold and lines are blurred on some pages but emphasized on others. Students are sure to discover something new in them each time they read.

 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Reviewed in Booklist: “The final fascinating notes on each tree, and on leaves, stems, and roots, spell out the call for conservation that is part of the poetry and pictures.”

Starred review in Horn Book Magazine: “Swiveling his pages ninety degrees for tree-tall vertical spreads, the popular poet-illustrator celebrates the utility and diversity of trees in thirteen poems on a variety of species, plus five on such features as seeds, roots, and bark. Handsome, freely rendered multimedia art, more evocative than representational, illustrates the quirky poems.”

Reviewed in Kirkus Reviews: “Readers and listeners will learn and laugh.”

Starred review in Library Media Connection: “Though geared toward younger readers, readers of all ages will revel in the fantastic, awesome life of the not so common tree.”

Reviewed in Publishers Weekly: “Filled with facts about the trees described in the poems, it also includes a brief bibliography and author's note describing Florian's lifelong fascination with trees.”

Reviewed in School Library Journal: “This exquisite collection, with its thoughtful wordplay and timely subject, rewards careful reading and should resonate with a wide audience.”

 

5. CONNECTIONS

*Invite children to compose and design their own poems about trees. Display poems in and around the library.

*Other notable poetry books written by Douglas Florian:

Florian, Douglas. UnBEElievables: honeybee poems and paintings. ISBN 9781442426528

Florian, Douglas. Comets, stars, the moon, and Mars: space poems and paintings. ISBN 9780152053727

Florian, Douglas. Insectlopedia: poems and paintings. ISBN 9780152163358

Florian, Douglas. Dinothesaurus: prehistoric poems and paintings. ISBN 9781416979784