Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year

In a wide-ranging volume, Waters presents 366 poems (by writers as varied as Christina Rossetti and Margaret Wise Brown) devoted to nature and the seasons. There's a poem for every day of the year, beginning in January and ending in December. Two poems to be read in November are imbued with melancholy. Rachel Field writes: "Do skyscrapers ever grow tired/ Of holding themselves up high?/ Do they shiver on frosty nights/ With their tops against the sky?" Alongside it, a work by Eleanor Farjeon reads: "The night will never stay,/ The night will still go by,/ Though with a million stars/ You pin it to the sky." Preston-Gannon offers a cohesive visual thread, with gentle mixed-media renderings of animals as well as urban and pastoral scenes. Readers are likely to discover greater nuances behind the accessible poems with each visit. All ages. (Oct.)

Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 3 Up--This beautiful anthology of nature poems delivers just what it promises: a poem for each day of the year, organized by date, from January through December. The poems vary in length, format, and structure, and the volume lends itself well to casual browsing, independent and shared reading, read-alouds, and/or direct instruction. There is, however, a preponderance of white male poets; writers of color are woefully underrepresented. Further, the majority of contributors are either British or American, and many are known for their 19th- and early 20th-century work. While the entries are evocative and rich with figurative language, the mixed media illustrations really steal the show. The artwork charmingly complements the selected poems, and is sure to capture the attention of young readers. Physically, the book is quite heavy, and might be a bit unwieldy for kids to carry or fit in their backpacks. The collection also includes indices of poets, poems, and first lines. VERDICT Libraries seeking an inclusive sampling of contemporary poets will be better served elsewhere.-Lauren Strohecker, McKinley Elementary School, Elkins Park, PA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Paired throughout with Preston-Gannon's evocative, vibrantly textured digital illustrations, Waters' superbly curated poems offer something for everyone: majestic and inspiring as nature itself.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Preston-Gannon offers a cohesive visual thread, with gentle mixed-media renderings of animals as well as urban and pastoral scenes. Readers are likely to discover greater nuances behind the accessible poems with each visit.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Stunning mixed-media illustrations by Frann Preston-Gannon (The Journey Home) depict critters, environments and weather phenomena with lifelike textures and contrasts that pop. This anthology impresses with its captivating art, careful balance of melancholy and uplifting verses, and timeless themes of playing, observing, aging and enduring through the years.
—Shelf Awareness for Readers (starred review)

A less elegiac celebration of the countryside and its joys comes in a wonderful collection of poetry for children, 'Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year' (Nosy Crow, 336 pages, $40)...Children ages 4-12 who pass a year with this book will do so in the thoughtful company of all sorts of poets, from Langston Hughes and Christina Rossetti to Ogden Nash and that most prolific of versifiers, Anonymous.
—The Wall Street Journal