Hawks Kettle, Puffins Wheel: And Other Poems of Birds
in Flight by Susan Vande Griek, illustrated by Mark Hoffmann.
NON-FICTION PICTURE BOOK. Kids Can, 2019. $17. ISBN 978-1-77138-995-2
BUYING ADVISORY: EL – ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Each poem in this collection names a bird and then an
action. The title of the book combines the titles of two of the poems in the
book. There’s also Crows Mob, and Hummingbirds Hover, to name a couple more.
Along with the poem, each spread includes informational text that further
informs the reader about the featured bird. The digitally enhanced gouache
illustrations look like colored pencil drawings and capture the movement being described.
The back matter includes another paragraph about each bird, a glossary, and a
page reminiscent of a child’s feather collection, consisting of two
feathers from each species, clearly labeled.
This is an excellent overview of twelve different kinds of bird. My bird-loving students will adore this volume, and others will be attracted to the subject because of it. The
drawings have sufficient details to get a good sense of the bird’s appearance,
and the poems and text work well together to give a satisfactory introduction.
Furthermore, with its simple and consistent pattern of bird species plus
action, teachers could use it to illustrate different parts of speech, or the
power of word choice.
P.K. Foster, MLS, school librarian
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