Customer Reviews

Got Geography!

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm a Montessori teacher of elementary geography so I was delighted when I found this book in the library. I purchased my own copy soon after. There are poems extolling the virtues of geography, an amusing tribute to the equator, selections from poems from well known poets such as Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman as well as from less familiar poets. I use the poems to introduce new topics in geography. They also make excellent penmanship lessons.

A friend recomended me this colorful picture book for my daughter. The poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins run a wide range of emotions and sensations and all have a playful and exuberant use of language.

Many also include references which will start young readers exploring their maps and the internet in order to fully appreciate the poems.

The artwork is simply spectacular with splashy colors and funky perspectives. A very unique picture book well worth a look.

Our personal favorite:
"Mapping the World" by J.Patrick Lewis, the sophisticated image and intelligent verses are perfectly combined and a great way to start the book.

I knew the moment I read the title that I needed to get this book. My passion for geography demanded it. The book did not disappoint.

I especially liked the first poem by J. Patrick Lewis where he briefly describes each of the seven continents. It amazes me how much information about manages to squeeze in. I plan to use this poem with my older students this coming school year. I've decided to use this summer's reading theme (One World, Many Stories) as my theme for the upcoming school year. This poem fits in perfectly with that. I also especially liked the poem by Kathryn Madeline Allen where she personifies the Equator, what a fun idea. I might use this one to have my students personify each of the seven continents.

I confess freely that I am all about color. I love bright cheerful colors and the illustrations in this book are full of them. The bright colors help convey the idea that the world around us, however small, is a fascinating and interesting place, full of new places to see and new adventures to go on. This book does encourage the travel bug, sigh, for those of us without the funds to do so, but it also encourages exploration of the seemingly small places around us. It is amazing sometimes how much about the place I live that I am missing out on. Highly recommended for those who want to see the world.