Kindergarten-Grade 4?This collection of 20 poems paired with full-color photographs is obviously a labor of love. It is well intentioned, but not as well executed as one would hope. Some of Asch's poems are interesting and effective (overall, the simpler, the better) but others suffer from an arch tone (in "My Little Mosquito," the narrator ends by saying, "So I unzip my tent and let you go?/'Fly to your destiny, my little mosquito!' "). The rhythms are often sing-songy. The photos, though, are lovely. As one might expect from this subject, greens and blues predominate, making the occasional bright tone all the more vivid. Levin has captured the spirit of this fragile and magical place. The pictures speak for themselves and the poems are beside the point. Buy where interest in this subject is high.?Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 3^-6. Beginning with an eloquent introduction to the Everglades, this collection of 20 poems transports readers to that unique place and challenges them to look at it intently, often through the eyes of creatures living there. Striking, full-color photographs provide glimpses of a wide variety of animals, plants, and landscapes. Each poem appears on a double-page spread along with one full-page photo and one or more smaller ones. The voice of the verse varies. Some are in third-person narration: "Some rivers rush to the sea. They push and tumble and fall / but the Everglades is a river / with no hurry in her at all." Other poems are from the animals' viewpoint, like this from the otter: "But there are gators where I swim. / My life is not all play. / Sometimes I am the hunter. / Sometimes I am the prey." Teachers could use the book to introduce points of view in poetry, as well as to enhance units on the Everglades. Carolyn Phelan
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