Module 14 - Comets, Stars, the Moon & Mars

Summary:

There are very beautiful illustrations in this book.  There are many different types of poems in this book.  There are poems about each of the planets in our solar system and one about the solar system! The sun also has a poem to describe it.  Some of the poems are about the universe or a galaxy.  Constellations and comets were also highlighted with a poem.  Some of the poems had text that swirled.  The great thing was there was factual information embedded into the poems.  They were fun but proved to be very useful.  There was even a glossary with the definitions of the terms used.  


APA Reference:


Florian, D. (2007). Comets, stars, the moon, and mars. Orlando, FL:  Harcourt, Inc.

My Impressions:

I love this book!  I have used this book since my second year of teaching.  I love the poems and colors.  I would use this in my classroom for my special education students that cannot read well.  When we cover the universe I always make a note of that book to each class.  I really like using it with my ESL students also.  The rhyming is not as clear to them yet but the illustrations always grab their attention and allow for some initial vocabulary building. 

Professional Reviews:

Booklist Review

This large-format book looks at astronomy through the magnifying, clarifying lens of poetry. Each broad double-page spread features a short, accessible poem about a subject such as the sun, each of its planets, a comet, a constellation, or the universe, set within an impressive painting. A concrete poem entitled “a galaxy” is a curling spiral of words set against the midnight-blue sky and surrounded by other galaxies. Stamped type, cutout pages, collage elements with printed papers, and sweeping brushstrokes all figure prominently in the expressive collage artwork, which ably illustrates the verse. The last pages carry “A Galactic Glossary” with a paragraph on the topic of each poem, followed by a list of books and Web sites. Florian’s ode to Pluto matter-of-factly notes its demoted status, but even better is his pithy poem on Jupiter: “Jupiter’s jumbo, / Gigantic, / Immense, / So wide / Side to side, / But gaseous, not dense. / With some sixteen moons / It’s plainly prolific— / So super-dupiter / Jupiterrific!” Read this aloud.

Phelan, C. (2007, April 1). [Review of the book Comets, stars, the moon, and mars]. Available from Booklist Website:  http://www.booklistonline.com/Comets-Stars-the-Moon-and-Mars-Douglas-Florian/pid=1933475

Library Uses:

a.       This could be a fun little research project for students at the elementary level.  They could use the book as a guide to things in the universe as a starter.  It also has some very useful information.

b.      This is a great book to also teach poetry.  There are different types of poetry and this would be a great book to teach the basics.