Poetry - General & Miscellaneous

Once Around the Sun

Name: Once Around the Sun
Author: Bobbi Katz
ISBN: 9780152163976

by Bobbi Katz, LeUyen Pham

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Overview

Children don't need a calendar to tell them which season it is. Every month has its own distinct clues, like in September "when yellow pencils / in brand-new eraser hats / bravely wait on perfect points." In a dozen unforgettable poems, this fresh yet nostalgic collection captures the excitement of each season, spinning us once around the sun—twelve months, four seasons, one amazing year.

Synopsis

Twelve poems celebrate the images and experiences that come with the months of the year.

Children's Literature

Poems for each month of the year, illustrations bursting with color and life—a surefire way to a new best-loved book for the primary grades set. Just sample: "January is/when your sled hurries/to the park after school/and flurries you/down/the/hill/again/and/again/until your nose is a dull cold pain/and your big toe starts to complain " "June is/when your math book is completely lopsided:/the pile of unfinished pages on the right/is/skinny " and the sunlit day outside the school window is calling to you, the way it really does." These are not your ordinary poems but inventive and compelling and just plain fun. The artist has used multicultural characters in her sun-splashed paintings, and each double spread is a delight to the eyes, as well as a treat for the way the words spill all over each other as they nail the spirit of each month.

About the Author, Bobbi Katz

Bobbi Katz has published numerous books, and her individual poems are widely anthologized. She lives in New York City and Upstate New York.

Deborah Zemke is a designer, illustrator, and writer of children's books. She lives in Missouri with her family.

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Editorials

Children's Literature - Judy Chernak

Poems for each month of the year, illustrations bursting with color and life—a surefire way to a new best-loved book for the primary grades set. Just sample: "January is/when your sled hurries/to the park after school/and flurries you/down/the/hill/again/and/again/until your nose is a dull cold pain/and your big toe starts to complain…" "June is/when your math book is completely lopsided:/the pile of unfinished pages on the right/is/skinny…" and the sunlit day outside the school window is calling to you, the way it really does." These are not your ordinary poems but inventive and compelling and just plain fun. The artist has used multicultural characters in her sun-splashed paintings, and each double spread is a delight to the eyes, as well as a treat for the way the words spill all over each other as they nail the spirit of each month.

Children's Literature

The title should give one pause to think—what does go once around the sun? The cover which shows kids in summer, fall, and winter really is the clincher that this book is going to offer a series of poems that takes readers through the months, which in turn make up the seasons and thus the entire year. For those in the northern hemisphere, January can be a very cold month with snow and ice. The poem and its accompanying illustration show city kids enjoying an outing on their sleds and even though they are bundled up, there is still no doubt that it is quite cold. April is one of my favorite months because flowers are blooming, especially the bright yellow daffodils. They all harbor the coming of longer days and warmer weather. By August it is hot and thoughts turn to ways of getting some shade to cool off and then it will not be long until school starts in September. Halloween comes and the days start to get cooler and shorter and then before we know it is December and winter again. Katz and Pham take us on a lovely trip through the year with poems that highlight the things that kids care about in a book that is meant just for them. Teachers and librarians can help students enjoy the special things that each month brings by reading and sharing these poems. 2006, Harcourt, Ages 5 to 10.
—Marilyn Courtot

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-This collection of feel-good poems is brimming with a child's appreciation for each month of the year. Each selection is accompanied by paintings that span a spread and, on occasion, an additional illustration covers the following two pages. The central setting appears to be a city, but there's plenty of green space for sledding and other outdoor activities. The large, color illustrations are perfect for engaging youngsters in discussion about the pictured month and its attendant activities. Somewhat stylized, they are at times reminiscent of the work of Ezra Jack Keats. The art and the poems work well together: children slide down a hill of snow in January while the words of the poem cascade at a slant. The selections are just as fully descriptive as the pictures and contain visual and aural imagery as well as emotional intensity. For example, "April is/when-Grandma/tells you how each spring/she falls in love with the world/all over again-/and you understand." This is a strong read-aloud. Older children can be encouraged to write their own poems in celebration of their favorite month.-Teresa Pfeifer, Alfred Zanetti Montessori Magnet School, Springfield, MA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

A celebration of the 12 months of the year in lyric verse and colorful art. Pham's bright illustrations resemble watercolors and use an extensive palette, and Katz's dozen poetic paeans are accessible tumbles of imagery. September, for example, is built around the first day of school, chalk and notebooks and yellow pencils leading to the new teacher writing her name on the blackboard. Each poem also sits on a different background of an appropriate color; December a frosty blue studded with snowflakes, May a blend of greens shades, etc. Two additional two-page illustrations depict the summer (between June and July) and winter (just after December) panoramically. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts; altogether, the book portrays a friendly multicultural urban world, children sledding down a snowy hill against a backdrop of tall buildings in January, people of multiple races buying apples and turkeys at a street market in November. An attractive introduction to poetry for young readers. (Picture book. 5-9)