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Mirror to Nature, A

Mirror to Nature, A
View Larger Mirror to Nature, A
Jane Yolen
In Poetry
Ages: 10–12
Pages: 32
List Price: $17.95
Cover: Hardcover
Published: 4/1/2009
ISBN: 1-59078-624-6
ISBN-13: 978-1-59078-624-6
Water possesses reflective qualities, creating fascinating patterns and doubled images that allow us to see things in new ways. Celebrated writer Jane Yolen and photographer Jason Stemple capture these natural beauties in fourteen thoughtful poems and breathtaking pictures. Water provides an appropriate backdrop for Jane's musings on a raccoon swimming with his reflected self, the water-jagged legs of a snowy egret, the double danger of a hungry alligator at the edge of a swamp. Jason's photographs offer whimsical peeks at the natural world we rarely chance to see. This delightful combination of poetry and photos will give readers a unique opportunity to contemplate their world.

Awards

  • 2009 John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Readers

Reviews

Starred review "Pairing lyrical poems and crisp photography to great effect, this collection is a gem. ... The images and words resonate—readers will find themselves responding to Yolen’s introductory invitation to ‘linger over these photos, contemplate the poems, see if together or separately they make you think again, make you reflect.’"
     —Publishers Weekly

"The poetic forms are well matched to the mood in the pictures. ... Drawn by the rich play in words and pictures, kids will see reflections, strange and beautiful, in the natural world."
     —Booklist

"The pages and photographs are vibrant and lively, the poems best for reading aloud. [A] good volume—along with other titles by this mother-son team—for teachers wanting to connect science and poetry."
     —Kirkus Reviews

"As with Color Me a Rhyme (2000), Count Me a Rhyme (2006), and Shape Me a Rhyme (2007, all Boyds Mills), this book is an excellent complement to nature studies. ... Teachers and students should find this thoughtful combination of wordplay, nature factoids, and photographs worthwhile."
     —School Library Journal

The March 1, 2009 issue of Kirkus Reviews features a review of Jane Yolen's A Mirror to Nature:

“The pages and photographs are vibrant and lively, the poems best for reading aloud. [A] good volume—along with other titles by this mother-son team—for teachers wanting to connect science and poetry.”