Thunder Underground

Home to organisms, minerals, and buried treasure, the subterranean world is the subject of Yolen's 21 poems, written in a variety of rhyming and nonrhyming forms. Masse's crisp, gently textured mixed-media illustrations show a black girl and white boy imaginatively exploring what lurks beneath their feet, starting in the basement: "cables, pipes,/ the basic foundation,/ a storage,/ a story,/ the oldest page." In subsequent poems, Yolen pays tributes to the natural ("Oh, to be an ant,/ neat, quiet, indifferent/ to anything but constant work") and the man-made ("I like the sound the subway makes/ deep in its underground den"), as well as musing on lost cities, pirate treasure, and "magma pools/ Becoming rock/ When magma cools." Blending creativity with scientific fact, Yolen's poems appeal to readers' imaginations and intellects alike. Ages 5-10. Author's agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown. Illustrator's agent: Lori Nowicki, Painted Words. (Mar.)

Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

K-Gr 3--"Beneath our feet,/a world apart,/is found our Earth's fast-beating heart./It keeps us living,/soil and root,/while up above/we eat the fruit." Twenty-one pithy poems focus on the world below in this well-designed volume. Bookended by two insightful poems and expanding on the word under (underground, understand, understood), all the verse in between explores under the house, the city, and the ground. Through a variety of poetic forms, readers will meet ants, worms, and moles; uncover buried history, cities, and treasure; and brush up on the science of magma, plate tectonics, and earthquakes. The text embodies wonder and factual information, piquing readers' interest along the way. The detailed illustrations, done in mixed media, tie the book together and provide little Easter eggs for kids to notice on every page. Back matter includes "Notes on the Poems: Both Scientific and Personal," which will help to engage readers with the topic in a more meaningful way.

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

★"Twenty-one poems...encourage children to explore what is under their feet using imagination and wonder. (E)ach poem honors the ability of young readers to navigate syntax, imagery, and wordplay. Yolen's treatment of the underground is expansive...(and) Masse's mixed-media illustrations portray the imaginary points of view with aplomb. A thoughtful exploration of nature expressed in poetry that should open the eyes of children to unseen worlds."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★"Yolen pays tribute to the natural...and the man-made...as well as musing on lost cities, (and) pirate treasure...Blending creativity with scientific fact, (her) poems appeal to readers' imaginations and intellects alike."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"...This collection illuminates the rich world of activity that goes on beneath our feet. The warm, naturalistic illustrations of underground scenes...often contain an element of charming whimsy...(and) nicely compliment the verses. Great for either a school or public library."—Booklist

"Through a variety of poetic forms, readers will...uncover buried history...The text embodies wonder and factual information...The detailed illustrations...tie the book together and provide little Easter eggs for kids to notice on every page. For scientists and daydreamers, this...volume of poetry approaches the world from a variety of thought-provoking perspectives in an attractive and engaging package." —School Library Journal

"This book of short, fun poems... could be used to teach both poetry and content. The illustrations are bright and feature two children discovering all the wonderful things that live underground."—School Library Connection

"Twenty-one poems invite children to consider the worlds—natural and manmade— beneath their feet.... shifting perspectives add a sense of playfulness. Notes...for each poem round out this title, offering extra information, conversation starters, and possibly inspiration for children to write about their own subterranean interests."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books