Mother Earth/Father Sky: Poems of Our Planet

by Jane Yolen, Jennifer Hewitson (Illustrator)

Overview

Millions of years have passed, but the earth has remained a singular miracle. Poets have written of its wonders—as well as of our failure to live up to our responsibilities as caretakers of the planet. In this sweeping anthology for young readers, award-winning author Jane Yolen has collected poems of C.S. Lewis, Joseph Langland, William Stafford, Christina Rossetti, and others who have paid tribute to our fragile world. These thirty-five voices cry with joy, grief, and hope for "our Mother the Earth, our Father the Sky."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781563974144
Publisher:	Highlights
Publication date:	12/28/1995
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	8.88(w) x 9.75(h) x 0.42(d)
Age Range:	4 - 6 Years

About the Author

Jane Yolen has published a number of books with Boyds Mills Press, including Jane Yolen's Old MacDonald Songbook and Jane Yolen's Mother Goose Songbook, arranged by Adam Stemple and illustrated by Rosekrans Hoffman, and Water Music: Poems for Children, with photographs by Jason Stemple. Ms Yolen lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts.

Jennifer Hewitson has done a number of illustration projects over the years that have coincided with Earth Day. She lives in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California.

Editorial Reviews

"An eclectic collection of verse concerning the beauty, the destruction, and the conservation of the earth."—Booklist

From the Publisher

In this splendid anthology for young readers, award-winning author Jane Yolen has collected poems about the earth's blessings and sacrifices from thirty-five poets including C.S. Lewis, William Stafford, Joseph Langland, and Christina Rossetti. The inspirational poems in this collection focus on the wonders and joys of the earth, as well as the fragility of nature's environment. Young readers will treasure this moving tribute to our beautiful planet.

Children's Literature - Debra Briatico

Gr 4-6-A compilation of poetry that sings the praises and laments the faults of the planet and its inhabitants. The first section explores the Earth's many riches, from the lowly cricket and grasshopper to towering trees. The middle section addresses the sorrows of extinction and describes how, in the name of progress, bulldozers have eaten away at the soul and beauty of our world. The last part, which is solemn yet hopeful, brings the collection full circle. Glenn W. Dresbach reminds readers of a key theme in the anthology-"We had such places-cave or tree or hill.../And we are lucky if we keep them still.'' Readers can find much to think about and appreciate in these pages. Subtle black-and-white scratchboard illustrations provide an appropriate backdrop for the powerful words. Yi Huyn-Bo sums up the feeling of the book quite well in an untitled poem: "When the moon lights the night, it is easier to forget the world's troubles." One hopes that this title can remind us all of this power.-Sharon Korbeck, Waupaca Area Public Library, WI

School Library Journal

This anthology gathers 40 nature poems, mainly from British and American poets, into three thematic sections: "Celebrate the Earth," "Sacrifice the Earth," and "Save the Earth." Poets represented include Gerard Manley Hopkins, Ogden Nash, Christina Rossetti, and Carl Sandburg as well as a number of contemporary poets. The scratchboard illustrations in gray, black, and white have a compelling sense of movement and flow. Though visually dynamic, the way they stretch across nearly every page and form a background for the poems makes the print rather hard to read. An eclectic collection of verse concerning the beauty, the destruction, and the conservation of the earth.

Carolyn Phelan