The Dirt Book: Poems About Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet - Hardcover

Harrison, David L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0823438619 ISBN 13: 9780823438617

Publisher: Holiday House, 2021

Synopsis

Unearth the glorious mysteries that lie beneath our feet with 15 fun and fact-filled poems about soil--what it is, how it's made, and who lives in it!


A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year
Named to the Texas Bluebonnet Master List

Spectacular vertical panoramas illustrating life underground accompany 15 funny, fascinating poems that explore dirt and the many creatures that make their homes underground.  Spiders, earthworms, ants, chipmunks and more crawl across the pages, between stretching roots and buried stones. 

Chipmunk, for such a little squirt
you sure do move a lot of dirt,
you sure do dig your tunnels deep,
you sure do find some nuts to keep,
you sure do know your underground.
Chipmunk, you sure do get around.

This unique celebration of dirt-- what makes it, what lives in it, and the many wonderful things the soil does to support life on our planet-- is a whimsical, cleverly-illustrated pick for kids who love animals...  or who just love playing in the mud. 

From the creators of And the Bullfrogs Sing, a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, this intriguing, uniquely charming nature book has been vetted by experts and includes an author's note with more information about all the featured creatures, as well as a bibliography.

An NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students
An NCTE Notable Poetry Book

About this title

About the Author

David L. Harrison's books have received state awards in Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Arizona, South Dakota, Indiana, Texas, Kentucky, and Virginia. Awards also include IRA/CBC Children's Choices, NCTE Notable Poetry Books, and Bank Street College Best Books. The David Harrison Elementary School in Springfield, Missouri, is named in his honor. David lives in Springfield, Missouri.

Kate Cosgrove is the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator of A Day With No Words; winner of the Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award. Cosgrove’s book illustrations juried into The 41st and 43rd Original Art Annual Exhibition in NYC. Her other notable picture books include And the Bullfrogs Sing: A Life Cycle Begins, named a Bank Street Best Book of the Year and a Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award Honors book, and The Dirt Book: Poems About Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet, which was selected for the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List. She’s usually hiding in her probably-haunted art studio, with pencil-smudged fingers and a smelly dog named Stanley.

Reviews

Gr 2–4—A beautifully illustrated collection of poetry that highlights animals that live underground. Each double-page spread has a poem on one side and a complementary drawing on the other, making this title a lovely addition to nature-focused poetry collections. The book opens with a fact box about dirt, explaining how some dirt is millions of years old and that it can take hundreds of years for an inch of dirt to accumulate. There is no information about the geology or composition of dirt or an explanation of the difference between dirt and soil. The main focus is the animals that live in dirt, from earthworms and spiders to toads and moles, and descriptions of their connection to dirt. The poems vary in length and format, from concrete to humorous, but offer few facts about the animals. Especially fun and descriptive is the earthworm: "Earthworm squiggles, earthworm squirms, earthworm dines on dirt and germs." The best part of this title is the gorgeous illustrations, done with colored pencils and digital tools. Realistic and creative, they offer more information about the animals than the poems. Readers of many ages will enjoy poring over the illustrations and observing all the details. The book has notes at the end: Brief paragraphs on each animal with some characteristics and a short bibliography that offers little beyond acknowledging that the information about each animal is accurate. VERDICT If your nature poetry section needs freshening and your readers enjoy bugs and other creepy-crawlies, this would be a nice addition to your collection.—Susan Lissim, Dwight Sch., New York City

Edition details

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0823438619
• ISBN 13: 9780823438617
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Cosgrove Kate
• Number of pages: 40