Customer Reviews

The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and Imagination

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4 star:		(2)
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Poetry and science both ask us to think about the world around us, to pause and reflect on nature's patterns and rhythms, the plants and animals we see and learn about. More than that, poetry and science prompt us to ask questions, to explore and to wonder. This is a wonderful collection for home or school - I'd suggest it for ages 7 through 13.

This poetry collection helps children think more closely about our natural world, what we see today and the world that was here long before we were. It is organized into chapters about the sea, dinosaurs, trees, reptiles, insects, and more.

I was particularly impressed by the range of poems in this collection, and how they will appeal to children of a wide age range. Some poems are simple and direct, while others are complex in their vocabulary and images. A poem can stretch your mind to make you think about nature's design. The footnotes are a particularly helpful feature in this book, providing a great launch into conversations with children about science and poetry.

Mary Ann Hoberman is the current Children's Poet Laureate for the United States. She is the author of over 40 books of poetry and fiction for children. She writes, "As I see it, my mission is to spread the delight of children's poetry and poetry in general, to be a sort of Pied Piper for children's poetry. While continuing to write and recite my own poems, I will also be presenting the work of other wonderful children's poets in talks and readings and videos."

Another lovely thing about this book is that it includes a CD audiobook of many of the poems. Contemporary poets read their works aloud as well as works by famous poets from past times.

Happily driving home from teaching I heard on Public Radio an interview of Mary Ann Hoberman talking about this collection. Because I needed to wash the car, and because the drive took awhile, I was able to hear her read from her book and enjoyed completely this experience from beginning to end in an extended piece. She had this line from one of her poems about time not allowing you to fall out of it that struck me. I have been reading and studying what I can to consider the notion of "time." Especially as it is "arrested" within literature. Something that quite recently fell from some unpleasant exchanges into my thinking. It is the poet, the writer that seeks to change our perception of time. So of course this intrigued me further about this volume.

I came home and despite my feeling about this book service ordered the book. It arrived in about three days, pristine, a tribute to lovely printing and binding-the edges deckled, lovely cream pages. The smell of poetry. Wonderful and I'll order two more for gifts and long term life safe keeping. It will be one I take to heart.

I know Mary Ann Hoberman from "A House Is A House For Me," A House Is a House for Meby far one of the books that inspired me to drawing, collage, and making artworks myself and within the classroom. Inside the anthology it was so much exactly as represented on the radio, a tribute to science, art, observation (and certainly imagination) and a kind of poetic celebration. She stated that she made an anthology exactly as she might have wished to have as a child.
That would be a remarkable project to consider having the privilege to be able to do.
Clearly she understood how an anthology of poetry is quite capable of changing your life in childhood. Her version is new to me but on the first three readings easily gaining admission into my top ten.

These are poems that are related to what science reveals. I hesitate to "rock the world" stating that this includes poems that are well known, previously published, and do support evolution. However within the pages are poems that are simply about the natural world, and about what we find when we really look. To me it is a gentle piece, as Hoberman is ever gentle. If you know her work, you know that you enter this charming rhythmic, percolating text as a wave rides to the shore -she easing you into your journey. The contents are divided into selections called, "Oh Fields of Wonder", "The Sea Is Our Mother", "Everything That Lives wants To Fly"(isn't that wonderful?), "I Am The Family Face",and "Hurt No Living Thing".

But as we open the book we meet the "Family Tree' and Charles Darwin. Literally nodding a head to what that means to our "knowing."
In the diversity, adaptation, and the remarkable discoveries of this scientist- she begins the journey into poems penned by herself, Aileen Fisher, Langston Hughes, Emerson, Eve Merriam, Tony Johnston, Theodore Roethke, Jeff Moss, Ogden Nash, Vachel Lindsay, Sylvia Plath, David McCord, Walt Whitman, X. J. Kennedy, Ruth Padel, Robert Frost and so many more I cannot name them all!


At the bottom of each poem is something I really treasure. Statements, questions, facts, observations appear that ask you to think. To consider this text. It is as eloquent as my college poetry textbook. It may give you an insight- or a fact about the poem, or talk about a poetic term. So this "teaches" us, defines, engages. This piece of the collection is priceless, so like the other pieces of her work that I know, a rare lake in it's depth we engage in what thought can be when we decide to engage our mind and heart.

The book comes with a CD that provides some of the poems read by the poets that penned them. This I was very pleased to listen to today for several selections. To hear a poet voice their own work is really a remarkable thing for a young reader, or future young writer. I recall first hearing Sandburg, Hughes and finding in those experiences an different kind of understanding of their meanings- noting to myself how meanings shifted. It is no small thing in value- that orality.

I would like to quote all the poems. I found ones I really treasure, short, lean, crawling, gliding lines.
How about a bit from this one...

"The Dancing Bear"

Slowly he turns himself round and round,
Lifting his paws with care,
Twisting his head in a sort of bow
To the people watching there.

It continues....Rachel Field

But I will leave this to your selecting and sharing with young people. You'll enjoy finding one that becomes you.
As I have asked so repeatedly here in the past-a great gift for a teacher, classroom, school, library, this might make a donation that will make a difference. If you know a teacher raising monarchs, catching and sharing for a bit dragonflies, one trying to keep fishtanks, aquatic frogs, growing hermit crabs, birds...a teacher that keeps observation journals with her students, one that teaches the skills of observational drawing-drafting, one that bakes persimmon bread, collects ladybugs in bug counts, a teacher that has tried to bring into the world of a child the wonder of the natural world-they will probably enjoy one of the most inspiring poetry anthologies I've seen in years. and if your daughter is a young scientist you will find a way for you to meet here on the pages as I have.

And it's poetry, so you can allow your imagination gossamer wings to fly far ahead and wait for you on the breeze of your reading.

While visiting a friend, I noticed _The Tree That Time Built_ on the coffee table. Thumbing through it, I knew I had to have this collection. Broken down by theme ("The Sea is Our Mother", "Prehistoric Praise", "Think Like a Tree", Everything That Lives Wants to Fly"), the anthology is a collection of poems about nature and the natural world. This in itself would warrant its purchase. What makes this book so exceptional, however, is the editor's explaination at the end of many of the poems, discussing not only literary elements (extended metaphors, for example), but also connecting the poetry to natural science - the concept of a natural "tipping point", for example. A glossary at the end of the book provides an explaination of the biological terms used, a brief biography of the poets included, and a marvelous bibliography for those interested in a particular writer.

The variety of poets is impressive. I was introduced to several new poets, and (particularly exciting for me), a number of new poems by authors I have long enjoyed - especially Theodore Roethke's "The Bat" and Rumi's "Little By Little." A pleasant suprise was a piece by Darwin's great-great granddaughter, who wrote a piece based on his writings. As if this wasn't enough to warrant five stars, the book comes with a CD, in which the poets themselves read their work.

While apprently the book is aimed at a younger audience (say, ages 7 - 9), I enjoyed the collection immensely and highly recommend it for its creative and entertaining connection of sciecne and poetry.

Charles Darwin was convinced that the universe and all beings and substances were connected. After traveling the world, he came home and created a diagram that he named Tree of Life, which later developed into his theory of evolution. The Tree that Time Built organizes poems from various poets into an exploration of the trees and branches of Darwin's tree. The main trunk is life, and the book is organized into sections covering birds to dinosaurs and everything in between. Each section has an introduction with a brief history of Darwin's ideas about that topic. Many poems have questions or comments at the bottom of the page, which spark self-reflection. The book also includes a glossary and a short biography for each poet included in the compilation. A CD, with forty-four poems read aloud, accompanies the book and provides enrichment for the reader.
The poems included in the book range from old poems by Whitman to modern poems by Hoberman. The styles are different, but the reflection of man's connection to nature and to animals connects all of the poems into a smooth read. Although the ideas range to man's individuality like in Eve Merriam's "Thumbprint" to the connection all of creation shares in Felice Holman's "Who am I?", the poems all support the notion that everything is intertwined and thus influenced by one another.
Because Darwin's theory of evolution states that everything is ever changing (albeit very slowly) and is dependent on the elements surrounding it, "Who am I?" is the perfect poem to introduce this book to students.
Who am I?
The trees ask me,
And the sky,
And the sea asks me,
Who am I?
The grass asks me,
And the sand,
And the rocks ask me
Who I am.
The wind tells me
At Nightfall,
And the rain tells me.
Someone small.
Someone small
Someone small
But a piece
Of
It
All" (p. 167)

Before students can understand how nature and man connect, they must first realize they are a part of the tree of life. Once they do, the poems will resonate more deeply with them. This poem can be used as a prompt for journal writing, class discussion, or self-reflection. After the students see a connection, many of the poems can be used during science lessons throughout the year. When learning about genetics, "Heredity" by Thomas Hardy can spark a discussion. Life cycles can be studied through the poems "Cocoon" by David McCord and "Butterfly" by D. H. Lawrence. Although few students may pick out this book to read since it is long and lacks colorful pictures, it is an excellent resource for science teachers who would like to add a bit of poetry to spark thinking and self-reflection as students learn about life and how people are connected to nature and to animals.

I reviewed this book as part of my poetry class at TWU.

Everytime we pick up this book we find something new and fantastic. Great stories and poetry introduce my young ones to artistic literature. Perfect for bedtime stories. Great recommendation by NPR.

I bought this book at my local store without having any idea of just how deeply it would touch me. I want to go to sleep tonight with this book under my pillow, I love it that much! The poems within provoke thought, make you smile, enlighten... oh I just love it.

It's the kind of book I want to tell everyone I care about to read. I can't help but feel that every person who reads it will find their lives a little bit better as a result.

This book was ordered for our art teacher who has dedicated it to her mother who passed away last fall. She will be donating it to our school library.

It came in excelent shape and was well received.

This is the perfect book for all ages to read themselves, to read to others, and to pass on to friends and relatives. It contains poetry carefully chosen from various centuries and nations, all related in some way to Darwin and his ideas on the anniversary celebrating his life. The humor in these works makes it loads of fun to pick up anytime for a short read. Mary Ann Hoberman is U.S. Children's Poet Laureate, has written numerous books aimed mainly at children and can be enjoyed by adults as well.

I bought this book as a gift for my mother, who reads, collects and absolutely loves poetry of all kinds. She has enjoyed every page and has been sharing her favorites with me. This is a very nicely put-together collection of poetry and it is beautifully edited. Yes, it's worth the purchase and would be enjoyed by "kids" of all ages.

I bought several copies of this book. I sent one to my daughter to use in her classroom.
The poems are perfect for teachers to use when teaching a poetry unit.
I am a retired teacher and just love reading poems about the natual world. These are lovely!