Serengeti: Plains of Grass - Hardcover

Bulion, Leslie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1682631915 ISBN 13: 9781682631911

Publisher: Peachtree, 2022

Synopsis

Award-winning science poetry master Leslie Bulion presents a lyrical salute to Africa's Serengeti Plain, one of the most spectacular and productive ecosystems on Earth.

Leslie Bulion, a virtuoso science poet, has created a portrait of the rainy season on East Africa's southern Serengeti Plain, offering young readers a compelling look at an ecosystem in motion. Using a series of interconnected verses inspired by an East African Swahili poem form—the utendi—Bulion's cadences and rhythmic lines mimic the web of life in the Serengeti, following the great migration of wildebeest, zebras, and other animals into and then out of the vast short-grass plain.

Lush, evocative gouache illustrations by Becca Stadtlander showcase the grandeur of this immense and complex ecosystem and provide close-up details of its wildlife inhabitants. Scientific notes on each spread and comprehensive back matter material offer more specifics. This, paired with Bulion's brilliant poetic form, makes the book ideal for cross-curricular learning.

A Booklist Editors’ Choice Selection

About this title

About the Author

Leslie Bulion has graduate degrees in oceanography and social work. She has written parenting and education articles and is the author of several children's science-related poetry books and novels. When she's not writing, she enjoys exploring nature with her binoculars, hand lens, and camera; collecting specimens to examine under her microscope; or going SCUBA diving and or kayaking. Leslie lives in Connecticut.

Becca Stadtlander, illustrator and fine artist has illustrated a number of children's picture books. She attended the Maryland Institute College of Art and currently lives and works in her hometown of Covington, Kentucky.

Reviews

K-Gr 4-The Serengeti comes to life in all its color and glory through illuminating verse, matter-of-fact narrative, and captivating illustration. Bulion once again makes science accessible and imaginative through an innovative variation of utendi, a poetic form from East Africa. Each four-line stanza follows a repeated pattern, ends with a partial rhyme, and concludes with a last line which highlights the Serengeti's most precious and symbiotic resource-grass. The grass and the landscape are just as important in the ecosystem as the animals, and therefore feature prominently in the illustrations. Stadtlander's renderings embody the expanse through spectacular colors, shading, and brushwork via gouache and pastels. Careful contrast creates depth and gentle hues and helps portray the immensity of the unending landscape. The illustrations are full of movement, sometimes subtle but always in tandem with the verse. Brief scientific facts, presented in standard sentences, engage learners but make a bump in the flow of the poetry. Reading straight through may present read-aloud challenges; however, reading just the verse or just the facts successively will allow listeners to pick up on new vocabulary and pictorial details. It includes a detailed overview of the Serengeti, a glossary, further reading, and additional resources. VERDICT A STEAM book in the truest sense as it inspires curiosity through art and science. This warm and wise purchase will benefit educators in poetry, geography, or science units.-Kate Davisα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Peachtree
• Publication date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1682631915
• ISBN 13: 9781682631911
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Stadtlander Becca
• Number of pages: 48