Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals

K-Gr 3—At first glance, this oversize volume is extraordinarily eye-catching. It is drenched, page after page, in vibrant colors that realistically depict numerous creatures from around the world. A brief poem accompanies each of the featured animals. The verse—occasionally rhyming or free verse, and mostly rather forced—focuses on key characteristics of the beasts, although there are examples of the author using poetic license to anthropomorphize some of the critters. And therein lies the rub: the subtitle of the book implies it is for very young readers, yet the fonts used (much of the text is in script) and the interpretation of many of the poems will require an adult companion. For example, readers may not be familiar with terms such as canopy and pylon or ribbon, which, in this usage, really stands for a blade of grass. Each lyric may lead kids to seek out more information, and teachers could use the book with older students to demonstrate how poetry can convey information.