African Acrostics: A Word in Edgeways - Hardcover
Look carefully! The wild animals of Africa spring to life in clever, lighthearted poems and compelling, evocative photographs.
Inside every acrostic is a secret message, often lurking in the first letter of each line (read top to bottom). But look out! These acrostics not only follow their subjects to Africa, but they also take the form to a whole new level. Here you’ll find the elusive double acrostic (in which the first and last letters of each line spell a message), the cross acrostic (in which the message is read diagonally), and the multiple acrostic (see it to believe it) — not to mention lions, zebras, crocodiles, hippos, leopards, and elephants. Oh, my! Illustrated with gorgeous full-color photographs, this collection is sure to send poetry buffs and animal lovers on an armchair safari they’ll never forget.
Inside every acrostic is a secret message, often lurking in the first letter of each line (read top to bottom). But look out! These acrostics not only follow their subjects to Africa, but they also take the form to a whole new level. Here you’ll find the elusive double acrostic (in which the first and last letters of each line spell a message), the cross acrostic (in which the message is read diagonally), and the multiple acrostic (see it to believe it) — not to mention lions, zebras, crocodiles, hippos, leopards, and elephants. Oh, my! Illustrated with gorgeous full-color photographs, this collection is sure to send poetry buffs and animal lovers on an armchair safari they’ll never forget.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author:
Avis Harley has written several books of poetry for children, including THE MONARCH'S PROGRESS: POEMS WITH WINGS. She lives in Vancouver.
Deborah Noyes the editor of GOTHIC!, THE RESTLESS DEAD, and SIDESHOW. A former zookeeper, she also wrote and illustrated ONE KINGDOM: OUR LIVES WITH ANIMALS. She lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.
Review:
Deborah Noyes the editor of GOTHIC!, THE RESTLESS DEAD, and SIDESHOW. A former zookeeper, she also wrote and illustrated ONE KINGDOM: OUR LIVES WITH ANIMALS. She lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.
A Starred review: Acrostic poems inventively highlight the animals of Africa. While some of the acrostics simply spell the name of the animals, others expand the topic of the poem--the rhino's poem spells out "beauty in the beast," while the giraffe's declares them "cloud friends." Harley keeps things interesting by varying the seriousness of the poems and the rhythm and rhyme schemes. Backmatter includes more about acrostics as a poetic form and short paragraphs of information about each of the featured animals. Noyes's photographs perfectly encapsulate the poems, the two creating a harmonious whole that is more than the sum of its parts. The kudu, his poem asking how one greets this animal, is shown in close-up, his head tilted as if waiting for an introduction. The fatherly advice of the ostrich is delivered with a straight face, long-lashed eyes looking readers right in the eye. This belongs in every collection--for the poetry, for the photographs, for the information. (Picture book/poetry. 6-10) --Kirkus Review, June 15, 2009
Starred review. Harley has written 18 poems, each one featuring a different animal. All are written as acrostics, with most of them based on the first letter of each line, but several with more unusual patterns, such as a double acrostic ("Eye to Eye"); a quintuple acrostic with a five-word message ("Impalas in Peril"); and a double acrostic concrete poem ("Hornbill's Hot Day"). Much of Harley's poetry consists of carefully crafted descriptive word imagery that is right on target: "Carnivore-supreme/Open-opportunist/Dragon-eye-agleam" (crocodile); "Leather limbs in rhythm/Evenly swaying in step/Plod slowly over Africa" (elephant). Most of the full-page, full-color photos of the animals are perfect companions to the facing selections. Noyes describes in an endnote how she snapped many of the photographs while camouflaged in blinds near small watering holes in game parks and preserves in Namibia. Two pages of "Nature Notes" offer fascinating informational tidbits about each poeticized species. Useful as an entree to writing an unusual and enjoyable type of verse, this short collection offers pleasurable reading, with a nature lesson thrown in as well.--Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH (Gr 4-8) --School Library Journal
This dramatic picture book will draw readers with its mix of short poems and clear color photos of wild animals in the game parks of Namibia. Each spread focuses on a different animal: a rhino ("Boulders for shoulders,/Elegant horn"); giraffes ("Nibbling on high, they/Decorate the sky"); and more. Word puzzles are part of the poetry. In most cases, the first letters of each line can be read vertically to make a meaningful phrase: "wild stripes" appears in a poem about zebras, while the first letters in a poem about giraffes spells out "cloud friends." A few puzzles go even further: for the hornbill, the first and the last letters of each line make a double acrostic. For the leopard, the diagonal letters spell "prowler." Detailed final notes explain the word games and, best of all, provide fascinating zoological facts about each animal. A good cross-curriculum title that kids will enjoy beyond the classroon, too. Hazel Rochman --Booklist
While acrostics are often used in the primary grades for teaching poetry, poet Harley shows that the form itself is far from juvenile in this collection of eighteen poems illustrated with vibrant color photographs of African animals. She begins with an acrostic that uses the animal's name but quickly moves on to poems that make the decoding of the acrostic part of the fun. A poem about the bright orange streak on a stork's bill has the vertical word "outstanding"--an apt choice, as indeed the orange pops out from the picture. Each poem is titled as well, so that the reader is presented with three elements working in concert to define the picture. A photo of zebras against a sandy landscape with an intense blue sky accompanies the poem titled "Untamed": "What/Interest have zebras in/Leather tethers or/Dusty saddles?/Since only/The wind/Reins/In their/Power, and sun so/Easily/Straddles." The vertical message spells out the words "wild stripes" and, along with the title and poem, gives the reader a new way to look at zebras. Noyes's photographs, taken mostly in Namibia, are creatively composed and capture each animal's unique qualities. Together, poetry and photography make for a superb collection, and the closing facts about the animals at the back are an added bonus. s.d.l. (Primary, Intermediate) --Horn Book
Starred review. Harley has written 18 poems, each one featuring a different animal. All are written as acrostics, with most of them based on the first letter of each line, but several with more unusual patterns, such as a double acrostic ("Eye to Eye"); a quintuple acrostic with a five-word message ("Impalas in Peril"); and a double acrostic concrete poem ("Hornbill's Hot Day"). Much of Harley's poetry consists of carefully crafted descriptive word imagery that is right on target: "Carnivore-supreme/Open-opportunist/Dragon-eye-agleam" (crocodile); "Leather limbs in rhythm/Evenly swaying in step/Plod slowly over Africa" (elephant). Most of the full-page, full-color photos of the animals are perfect companions to the facing selections. Noyes describes in an endnote how she snapped many of the photographs while camouflaged in blinds near small watering holes in game parks and preserves in Namibia. Two pages of "Nature Notes" offer fascinating informational tidbits about each poeticized species. Useful as an entree to writing an unusual and enjoyable type of verse, this short collection offers pleasurable reading, with a nature lesson thrown in as well.--Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH (Gr 4-8) --School Library Journal
This dramatic picture book will draw readers with its mix of short poems and clear color photos of wild animals in the game parks of Namibia. Each spread focuses on a different animal: a rhino ("Boulders for shoulders,/Elegant horn"); giraffes ("Nibbling on high, they/Decorate the sky"); and more. Word puzzles are part of the poetry. In most cases, the first letters of each line can be read vertically to make a meaningful phrase: "wild stripes" appears in a poem about zebras, while the first letters in a poem about giraffes spells out "cloud friends." A few puzzles go even further: for the hornbill, the first and the last letters of each line make a double acrostic. For the leopard, the diagonal letters spell "prowler." Detailed final notes explain the word games and, best of all, provide fascinating zoological facts about each animal. A good cross-curriculum title that kids will enjoy beyond the classroon, too. Hazel Rochman --Booklist
While acrostics are often used in the primary grades for teaching poetry, poet Harley shows that the form itself is far from juvenile in this collection of eighteen poems illustrated with vibrant color photographs of African animals. She begins with an acrostic that uses the animal's name but quickly moves on to poems that make the decoding of the acrostic part of the fun. A poem about the bright orange streak on a stork's bill has the vertical word "outstanding"--an apt choice, as indeed the orange pops out from the picture. Each poem is titled as well, so that the reader is presented with three elements working in concert to define the picture. A photo of zebras against a sandy landscape with an intense blue sky accompanies the poem titled "Untamed": "What/Interest have zebras in/Leather tethers or/Dusty saddles?/Since only/The wind/Reins/In their/Power, and sun so/Easily/Straddles." The vertical message spells out the words "wild stripes" and, along with the title and poem, gives the reader a new way to look at zebras. Noyes's photographs, taken mostly in Namibia, are creatively composed and capture each animal's unique qualities. Together, poetry and photography make for a superb collection, and the closing facts about the animals at the back are an added bonus. s.d.l. (Primary, Intermediate) --Horn Book
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- PublisherCandlewick
- Publication date2009
- ISBN 10 0763636215
- ISBN 13 9780763636210
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages40
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