The Tree That Time Built: Poetry Review
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hoberman, Mary Ann, and Linda Winston. The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and
Imagination. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-2517-8
SUMMARY/ANALYSIS
The
Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science, and Imagination is a
book comprised of a collection of poems surrounding science and the natural
world, selections chosen and put together by Mary Ann Hoberman and Linda
Winston. This collection contains forty-four poems created by various poets
including Marilyn Singer, Sylvia Plath, Douglas Florian, and Emily Dickinson. All
poems are broken down into various sections, such as the “Prehistoric Praise”
section, and each begin with a descriptive page containing scientific facts and
information pertaining to the section. Each poem also provides an informative
blurb at the bottom of the page, providing accurate scientific information
coupled to reflect the theme of the poem.
In addition to the contents within the physical book
collection, the collection comes with a CD that includes thirty-nine minutes of
poetry, many of which are read by poems themselves. All of the poems within
this collection serve to bring science to life, fully animating the readers’
imaginations through the pictures the words in the poems paint. As the poems
are created by a variety of poets, each poem follows a different pattern in its
word choice, descriptions, imagery, and whether or not there is a present rhyme
scheme. One poem within this collection, “Nosegay”, is an example of a short
poem within the collection that implements a rhyme scheme in the poetry format.
The poem goes as follows:
Nosegay
By Elizabeth Coatsworth
Violets, daffodils,
roses and thorn
were all in the garden
before you were born.
Daffodils, violets,
red and white roses
your grandchildren’s children
will hold to their noses.
This poem paints a clear image of a garden filled with an
array of colorful, fragrant flowers, including violets, daffodils, and roses.
The rhyming pattern that incorporates a rhyming word at the end of each sentence
within the poem provides the piece with fluidity, giving it an almost musical
quality in the way in which it is read. This poem, and all of the poems within
this collection, though different in writing all use simplistic language that
even younger children could read and follow with ease. I wish this collection
had been around when I was younger as I would have loved to dive into these
poems to build upon lessons learned in my elementary science classes. These
poems, with their sing-song language and vivid imagery, beg to be read aloud
and would be a great tool in any science course!
POEM PLUS “TAKE 5” ACTIVITIES
This poem is a wonderful example of one of the creative and
informative science/nature-based poems found within this poetry collection. This
poem, by Douglas Florian, brings the subject of the chameleon to life through
use of clever and silly descriptive words, as well as fun and rhyming
sentences. As you read the following poem, please do so aloud (even if just to
yourself)! I promise that the way in which it is written creates a more
fun-filled experience when read aloud.
The
Chameleon
By Douglas Florian
Although it may seem very strange,
The colors on a chameleon change
From mousy browns to leafy greens
And several colors in between.
Its very long and sticky tongue
On unsuspecting bugs is sprung.
It lashes out at rapid rates
On unaware invertebrates,
Then just as quickly will retract
With flabbergasted fly intact,
So bugs beware this risky reptilian—
The clever everchanging chameleon.
Take 5
Activities
1. Ask
the group if anyone knows what a chameleon is? Read the poem “The Chameleon”
aloud to the group.
2. Reread
the poem aloud, having the group read the rhyming words aloud with you.
3. Discuss
as a group how everyone pictured the chameleon in the poem. What words brought
that description to life? Quickly look up pictures of chameleons and compare
the imagery in the poem to what actual chameleons look like.
4. Pair
this poem with picture book about chameleons such as the book The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle (HarperCollins
Publishers,1998). How does this book describe the chameleon? Do the poem and
book use anything similar to describe it?
5. Link this
poem to another poem about chameleons such as the poem “I Have a Pet Chameleon”
by Kenn Nesbitt (https://www.poetry4kids.com/poems/i-have-a-pet-chameleon/,
2009). Why is it that in the poem the child cannot find their pet chameleon?
Why is the chameleon so good at playing hide-and-seek?
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