Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Poetry Review
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Florian, Douglas. Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars. (2007).
New York, NY: Hartcourt, Inc. ISBN-13: 978-0-15-205372-7
SUMMARY/ANALYSIS
This book presents a collection of twenty poems and
paintings that are all themed according to the title of the book: themed around
Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars.
All of the poems within this book, as well as the paintings, are all created by
Douglas Florian. The poems follow a steady, flowing rhythm and rhyme scheme,
allowing its reader to pick up on the musical pattern of the poetry. On top of
smoothly flowing poetic format, this book presents colorful artistic interpretations of
planets and other aspects of the book’s space theme. The art within this book
is truly unique, pairing poems with colorful depictions of space, using layers
of colors, text, cut out images, and various page cutouts in the art design. A
perfect example of the pairing of a clever poem with incredible artwork can be
seen in the poem “Venus” which goes as follows:
Scalding-hot surface,
Nine hundred degrees.
Nothing can live there,
No creatures,
No trees.
Poisonous clouds
Of acid above.
Why was it name for
the goddess of love?
This poem follows the naturally flowing rhyme scheme and
uses a mix of facts and humor in providing information about the planet Venus,
finishing the poem describing the harshness of the planet with the humorous
line “why was it [Venus] named for the goddess of love?”. The accompanying image
shows a large, bright orange circle (the planet Venus) with a cut out of an
image of the sculpture of Aphrodite (goddess of love, also knows as Venus). There
are also words and text placed on the planet as well, terms such as “Aphrodite”,
“Venus”, and “Dione”, all different terms for the goddess of love. The artwork
also uses layering of other bright oranges and yellows to bring the heat of the
planet to life, perfectly mirroring the terms used within the poem, such as “scalding”,
“acid”, and “hot”. Upon closer inspection, the reader also notices small little
hearts floating around the planet in the open space provided, further tying in
the aspect of who the planet was named after.
Similarly to this example poem, the rest of the books poems
and illustrations serve to bring planets, comets, stars, the moon, and more
space-themed aspects to life. Just in
case the reader wants to learn more about each subject of the poems, the very
back of the book provides “a galactic glossary”, shedding more insight into all
things planetary! Mixing factual information, witty wording, funny rhymes, and
bright, captivating artwork, this book would serve as the perfect addition to a
classroom lesson on space and the planets.
POEM PLUS “TAKE 5” ACTIVITIES
The poem “Pluto” within this book is my favorite poem out of
the entire collection and is the perfect example of the incredible work of both
poetic writing and artistry found within this book. The poem itself speaks of how Pluto
was once considered a planet but no longer is, telling of its downfall in a
humorous way, comparing this happening to the planet being “fired” form a job.
The poem also follows the same simplistic rhyme scheme as the rest of the poems
and is presented with an appropriate image of the small, round, orange planet
floating in the space of a calming, blue atmosphere. The orange planet is
filled with questioning text, such as “rock?”, “boulder?”, “debris?”, and “planet?”,
showing the confusion of labels placed on the planet (or no-longer-planet) that
is Pluto. In its silly composition, this poem makes for a fun read-aloud poem!
Pluto
By Douglas Florian
Pluto was a planet.
But now it doesn’t pass.
Pluto was a planet.
They say it’s lacking mass.
Pluto was a planet.
Pluto was admired.
Pluto was a planet.
Till one day it got fired.
Take 5
Activities
1. Before
reading the poem, have the children list all of the planets they can off of the
top of their heads. Then ask them if Pluto is considered a planet. Showing the
image on the page, read the poem “Pluto” aloud to the group.
2. Invite
the children to read the poem with you aloud for a second time, reading the
last line together loudly!
3. Watch
the short YouTube video “Why isn’t Pluto a Planet Anymore?” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqX2YdnwtRc&t=15s)
and discuss together as a class.
4. Pair
this poem with the picture book Pluto’s
Secret: An Icy World’s Tale of Discovery by Margaret Weitekamp and David
DeVorkin (Harry N. Abrams, 2015). Read the book aloud for the group, showing
them the images, and then talk about the poem and how it relates to the book.
5. Connect
this poem with another about Pluto, “Pluto” by Amelia Glass (Pluto Page, hellopoetry.com)
or with “Pluto” by Tex Dermott (Pluto Page, hellopoetry.com).
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